Alle Kapitel von Pucking My Hockey Rival : Kapitel 11 – Kapitel 20

RONAN'S POV The steam from the bathroom was still clinging to the cool air of the hotel room when I tossed the damp towel over the back of the chair and pulled a pair of clean boxer briefs on, my skin still warm from the shower. I was halfway through buttoning a crisp white oxford shirt, sliding the pearl buttons through their slots with practiced efficiency, when the phone on the nightstand buzzed against the wood.Unhurriedly, I finished buttoning the cuffs, stepped into my dark wool trousers, and zipped them before walking over to pick up the device.The screen lit up with a short, neat string of text.“I've thought about your proposal for a meeting and I'm willing to give it a try. Just for one hour and I can leave whenever I want.”A slow, steady satisfaction settled deep in my chest, and with it, an equally satisfied smile stretching across my face. I hadn't expected him to fold this fast, not with how hard he’d been digging his heels in since I proposed it.I would say that h

LUCA'S POVThe sunnyside-up eggs on my plate were cooling, the golden, slightly runny yolks staring back at me like two eyes while the crisp edges of the bacon looked almost too good in the thin film of butter. “Thank you, Janine,” I murmured pleasantly. I felt really good that morning, and I hoped it would last all day.I sliced through a piece of toast, listening to the quiet, muted hum of the morning news playing softly on the built-in kitchen display across the room. Most athletes aren't morning people, but I liked to consider myself as one. This was my favourite part of each day. It was supposed to be my moment of peace, thirty minutes to one hour of pure peace before everyone and everything around me began to demand that I become Luca Devereaux, Captain of the Chicago Phantoms, the unshakeable, perfect face of professional hockey.My phone vibrated against the marble island. I paused, chewing slowly on a piece of bacon as I stared at the strange number.Usually, I never answe

RONAN'S POVMy phone had been buzzing against the nightstand for the last twenty minutes. And it was relentless, whoever was calling clearly had zero calling etiquettes.I had stayed up all night playing the game with friends online up until early morning. And finally, after responding to Luca's surprise texts, exhaustion had dragged me under.Now, whoever was on the other end of that phone was making sure sleep was entirely out of the question for me and it was pissing me off.With a low, irritated groan, I reached out blindly from beneath the duvet, snatched the phone off the wood, and toggled the side switch straight to silent. I dropped my head back onto the feather pillow, letting out a heavy breath as the room finally sank back into blessed silence.A few minutes later,just as I felt myself slipping into a deep state of unconsciousness, the silence was shattered again and it felt like I was being forcefully pulled up from the most comfortable, softest cushion ever.This time, it

RONAN'S POV My publicist and the manager stared at me for a long moment, looking for any sign of a crack. When they thankfully found nothing, they grunted and sighed.“Whatever. That picture must not get out of this tight bubble. We need to tighten this shit up immediately. If this leaks to the press, it blows up everything.”“I'm already on it,” Dani replied, pulling her tablet out of her bag and tapping furiously against the screen. “We need to trace the source, but before that we must do something so we get ahead of it.”“Just for the record,” I said quietly, pushing off the counter. “I'm not doing a PR relationship, if that's what you're thinking.”Dani paused mid-tap and blinked at me. “Why not?”I shrugged, eyeing them individually before narrowing my eyes. “I'm not cut out for living a fake life. I can't fake a relationship, no matter what the management wants.”“That's fine for now," James and Dani responded in near-unison, cutting me off before I could launch into a full def

LUCA'S POVThe private dining room at Osteria Rialto was bathed in low, amber lighting, a stark contrast to the harsh, brightly lit corridors of Toronto General where I’d spent the last few hours having my shoulder poked and prodded. The restaurant was high-end, exclusive, and tucked away behind a discreet side alley in Little Italy.Sienna sat across from me in a plush leather booth, her phone resting face down on the table. We’d been here for twenty minutes, sipping sparkling water and maintaining a light conversation about her life as an influencer and a little bit of our childhood, when the soft click of shoes made me raise my head.Ronan had finally decided to grace us with his eminent presence.And he was dressed in a dark charcoal button-down, rolled up at the sleeves to expose his forearms. He slid into the booth beside Sienna without asking, his sharp jaw setting as his dark eyes locked onto mine.“You guys know there are paps outside right?” he asked by way of greeting, hi