All Chapters of BEGGING FOR MY HOCKEY RIVAL: Chapter 41 - Chapter 50

THEOI shoved the thick, bloody wad of paper towels hard against my broken nose... fresh crimson soaking straight through the rough white layers andrunning down over my bruised knuckles as I spit a heavy mouthful of thick red spit onto the cold concrete floor.The service corridor behind the executive suites smelled like stale floor wax, damp insulation, and pure copper... the overhead fluorescent light tubes flickering with an agonizing, high-pitched hum that made my headache spike straight down into my jawbone.I leaned my spine flat against the freezing brick wall, my boots skidding slightly on the slippery floorboards as I watched Gideon stroll down the private hallway toward me with his hands shoved deep into the pockets of his designer jacket, looking like he didn't have a single care in the world."Look at your fucking face..." Gideon rasped, a quiet, dark smirk tugging at the corner of his split lip as he stopped two feet in front of me."Shut your fucking mouth before I tear

JULIANI slammed the heavy front door of the Ashcroft estate so hard the glass sidelights rattled in their white wooden frames... my boots leaving wet, muddy tracks across the pristine marble entry hall as I headed straight for the grand staircase.I was done with this toxic fucking house... done with his father’s lingering shadow hanging over every hallway... done with Rowan tracking my every breath like he owned the air in my lungs.I kicked my bedroom door wide open, grabbed my heavy black canvas duffel bag off the closet floor, and threw it onto the mattress... unzipping it with one fast, violent jerk that tore at the seams.I started ripping my clothes off the hangers in handfuls... heavy winter coats... gray hoodies... jeans... stuffing them into the bag without even bothering to fold them... my teeth grinding together so hard my jaw muscles burned.A heavy shadow blocked out the hallway light behind me.Rowan was leaning against the doorframe... his broad shoulders taking up al

JULIANI slammed the front door of the suite behind me, my chest heaving so hard my throat hurt. My hands were still shaking. My skin felt hot everywhere Rowan’s hands had just been, and all I wanted was to get the fuck out of this hotel before I lost my mind completely.I turned the corner toward the elevators, keeping my head down, but a sharp clearing of a throat made me freeze right on the tile.Standing right by the velvet rope was Rowan’s father.He was wearing a dark suit, his arms crossed over his chest, looking right at me. His gray eyes swept up and down my frame with a single, spiteful look that made my stomach turn inside out. He didn't look at me like a person. He looked at me like piece of trash someone forgot to sweep off his rug."Leaving so soon?..." his father asked, his voice dropping into that quiet tone that made my blood boil. "Good. I don't need another man sticking to my son. People might misunderstand what goes on in this family..."A surge of pure rage hit m

ROWANI slammed my palm down hard as fuck on the motel counter, the whole glass frame rattling while I glanced over my shoulder at the dark parking lot. We had driven thirty fucking miles out of town in my truck just to shake off my father’s security guys patrolling the rink exits. No team mates. No coaches. Nobody from the line was ever going to find us out here in this shit hole."One room. Two beds," I barked at the old bastard behind the glass.He didn't even look up from his small TV. He just snatched my cash and slapped a rusty brass key onto the scratched Formica."You two look like brothers... got the same mean, fucked-up look around the eyes," he grunted, spitting into a plastic cup.My fucking stomach dropped. A cold, heavy weight slammed straight into my gut as I stared down at the key. Brothers. It made my skin crawl. We weren't fucking brothers... not even close... but hearing the word out loud hit like a punch to the jaw. It made me hyperaware of how close Julian was stan

ROWAN.The gray morning light was barely cutting through the filthy motel blinds, casting a dull gray shadow across the stained mattress where Julian was fast asleep beside me.His heavy body was curled right up against my hip, his warm breath hitting my ribs in steady cycles, his dark hair messy over the flat pillow.For the first time in as long as I could fucking remember, the constant, suffocating rage screaming inside my head was completely dead quiet.I lay flat on my back for twenty minutes without moving a single muscle, staring up at the water-damaged ceiling, feeling an unhinged, terrifying sense of peace settling deep into my chest.I knew he had early morning classes back on campus.I knew he needed to get his ass out of bed, but I didn't say a fucking word, and I didn't move an inch to wake him.I just carefully slid out from under his heavy arm, pulled my grey sweatpants and boots on, grabbed my truck keys off the nightstand, and stepped straight out into the freezing pa