All Chapters of 365 Days With The Hockey Player I Hate: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

~~~Soraya “Savage”~~~The memory of Declan Shaw pinning me against that Vegas wall still burned under my skin two weeks later. Not because it was romantic because it was humiliating.After our teams’ exhibition games ended in disaster, the charity event had spilled into that overpriced nightclub. One minute we were trading insults across the VIP section like always. The next, Declan had me backed against cool dark paneling, his massive 6’4” frame caging me in, forearm braced beside my head. His stormy gray eyes had been wild with fury, breath hot against my face as we screamed every vicious thing we’d stockpiled over the years. My fists had twisted in his shirt. His body had pressed into mine pure muscle and rage.Cameras had flashed. Phones had recorded. The internet dubbed it “Rivals Gone Nuclear.”I still hated how my pulse had raced. Not entirely from anger. And now I was about to legally chain myself to him.I stormed into the sleek downtown Boston conference room twenty minute

~~~Soraya~~~My mom’s ringtone blared like a fire alarm in the suddenly silent penthouse.I stared at the screen like it was a live grenade.Declan’s eyes met mine, wide, for once not smirking. Maya still held the hockey stick like a baseball bat. Jax had frozen mid bite of cold pizza. Priya and Lena were filming everything like this was premium reality TV content.I answered on speaker before I could stop myself. “Mom?”“Soraya Maria Rivera.” Mom’s voice cracked through the speaker, equal parts joy and hysteria. “The university just called us. They said you got married? In Las Vegas? To a boy from the men’s team? We’re already at the airport. Your father is crying happy tears on the way to the gate.” I but my lip so hard, it got bruised. Not the reaction I was expecting.“Mom, it’s… complicated. You don’t have to..”“We’re coming straight there, Send the address. I packed your abuela’s wedding dress just in case. We need photos.”The call ended. I looked up slowly.Everyone wa

~~~Soraya~~~I suddenly came back to my senses like someone had dumped a bucket of ice water over my head. One second I was wrapped around Declan Shaw like a vine. Legs locked around his waist, his hands under my hoodie, his mouth devouring mine and the next, reality slammed into me full force. I shoved him hard in the chest, breaking the kiss with a gasp.“Stop.”Gosh I hated myself for giving in.Declan stumbled back a step, breathing hard, lips swollen and eyes wild. His hair was a mess from my fingers. For a second he looked dazed, almost drunk.“What the hell was that?” I snapped, yanking my hoodie back down and jumping off the counter. My legs felt unsteady. My entire body was still buzzing with traitorous heat. “We said no real kissing. No touching. This..” I gestured wildly between us, “... should never happen again.”Declan dragged a hand down his face, jaw clenched tight. “You kissed me back, Soraya. Pretty fucking enthusiastically.”“I was caught up in the moment. Adrena

~~~Soraya~~~We barely made it out of the ballroom before I felt like I was going to throw up. Declan kept his arm locked around my waist, guiding me through the side exit like a protective wall. My parents tried to follow, but he smoothly told them I wasn’t feeling well and that we’d meet them for breakfast tomorrow. Mom looked worried. Dad looked suspicious.The second we were alone in the back hallway, I turned to face him.“Twenty minutes,” I hissed, voice shaking. “We have twenty minutes before that psycho sends everything to my dad. What are we supposed to do? We can’t pay them.” Declan’s face was stone cold, but his eyes burned with fury. “We’re not paying shit. That’s how this never ends.”He pulled me into a small storage room off the hallway and locked the door behind us. “We need to think.”My phone buzzed again.Unknown:“15 minutes. I hope you’re saying your goodbyes.”I showed Declan the message. My hands wouldn’t stop shaking.“I can’t lose my parents’ trust,” I whis

~~~Soraya~~~The photo of my mom on the screen felt like a knife to the throat. She was stepping out of the hotel, looking tired but hopeful, carrying the same bag she’d brought from home filled with tamales and family photos. The timestamp was from eleven minutes ago. Someone had been standing right there, watching her.My hands started shaking so violently I nearly dropped Declan’s phone.“They’re following her,” I whispered. “Declan… they’re following my mom.”He took the phone back, jaw locked so tight. The protective mask he’d been wearing since the press conference didn’t slip, but I saw the flash of real anger in his eyes.“We’re not waiting anymore,” he said, voice low and dangerous. “This ends tonight.” I laughed, but it came out broken.“How? We don’t even know who it is.”The penthouse suddenly felt too big and too exposed. Every window looked like an eye staring in at us. I paced the living room, phone clutched in my hand like a bomb.Another message arrived.“She looks s