All Chapters of Hockey Boyfriend For Pay: Chapter 71 - Chapter 80

Lars is leaning even closer to Anastasia by the time we reach them. I don't like the way he's looking down at her, but I like even less the way Anastasia laughs at whatever he's saying and holds onto his arm.Something sharp fires through me. A weird jolt of instinct. He really needs to back up. And she needs to stop laughing. Lars has never been that funny."Hey, man!" Gray exclaims before I can say anything, pulling me back so he can get to Lars first and go for a handshake, subtly making him get away from Annie, "I haven't seen you in forever."I take advantage of that to find my place beside Annie and look down at her."Are you okay?" I ask, studying her face for any discomfort. My hand goes to her back again, and I rub it in comfort, but she doesn't look like she needs any."Yeah, I'm great. I'm having fun," she responds with a tipsy smile, then returns her attention to the guys in front of her, "You know Lars, right?""Mh, I do," I murmur and finally lock eyes with him. He look

The limo is loud as hell—music, laughter, chatter—since the moment we start the ride, but at some point, the noise seems to get even louder for some reason. These hockey guys are fucking loud as hell and their WAGs have to raise their voices even louder to be heard, so it’s the worst noise pollution of my life. I’m not understanding a single conversation, and when I look down, I realize Bram is not engaging on any either. He’s looking up at me, drunk and dazed. And his hand is still drawing circles on my back, by the way. He hasn’t stopped all night, except for when we were dancing. And even then, he touched me as much as he possibly could. All night, I’ve been aware of all the things I’ve been telling myself since I met Bram. I don’t want another relationship, I don’t even want sex—not until I meet someone who could be my potential husband. Bram is too much of a slut, he would never settle down, he would never be faithful. I could fall in love with him only to be hurt again. It’s

I try to get out of bed without moving the mattress, but I’m not exactly a lightweight human being, so the whole bed shifts immediately. Anastasia stirs with the softest groan, lifting her hand to rub her eyes. I freeze mid-crawl like a raccoon caught in a trash can.She turns… and her forehead almost collides with my chest.“Bram?” she whispers, voice hoarse and sleepy.“Morning,” I croak, my voice so dry it sounds like gravel.“Why are you here? You were supposed to be in the guest room.”“I was,” I insist, even though I very obviously wasn’t. “I swear I was. I-I must’ve sleepwalked or— I don’t know, Stassie. My brain is soup right now.”She sits up a little, holding the blanket against her chest, squinting at me like she’s trying to piece something together but the hangover is blocking every logical thought.“Did we… did something happen?”“No!” I say so fast and so loud it echoes in the room, “No, nothing happened. Seriously, I wouldn’t. And I’m pretty sure I had whiskey dick anyw

{ Anastasia } Bram is being weird as hell today. He arrived late this morning, yawning even more than normal and sipping on a coffee instead of his usual grossly flavored protein shake. Then he sits down with nothing but a tense smile thrown my way and he grabs his laptop. To work. That is definitely weird. "What should I do today?" he asks, turning it on. No jokes, no stupid comments, no "little nap" threat, no flirting, no chaos. This is unsettling. This is... almost professional behavior. That's how I know something is off. I would understand it a little more if this were the first time we were seeing each other after the wedding, after the limo, after the afterparty and the kissing and the almost-everything, but it's not. We spent like five hours yesterday sprawled on my couch with Mishi, in complete normalcy, watching his movies and eating a ridiculous amount of food. He was still normal when he got Gray's text, and even then he didn't really want to go see his best

{ Anastasia }When our bus pulls up to the lodge at eight in the morning, Nora nudges me awake. I sit back up from my seat all the way in the back and scan the bus with my nine direct employees.I’m still feeling grumpy until we step out of the bus and I catch the view. The lake is covered with a thin veil of mist, the cabin-style buildings of the lodge look like they were pulled out of a Pinterest board, and everything smells like pine trees and expensive Vancouver air.The place is fucking gorgeous. Disgustingly gorgeous. But if this were a normal trip, I’d be a lot more excited about it. Linda said Bloom Beauty owns this place, so I’m sure I could come back for a real vacation one day.“Welcome, Marketing Team!” one of the staff workers calls out as we begin unloading. He’s tall, muscular, clearly the gym-rat type, and his long hair is pulled up in a man-bun. Not my type, but I still look back to catch Nora’s eyes and we share a smile. This is a good welcome.I receive my suitcas