Just My Hockey Roommate’s Filthy Desires by Esther Pen novel Chapter 258

Chapter 258

Chapter 258

BRANDON’S POV

I stood there and took every single hit. Every sharp word was a blade cutting straight into my chest, but I didn’t step back. I couldn’t.

“You think I wanted this life for you?” I asked, my voice dropping to an agonizing whisper as I leaned over the desk, forcing her to look at the raw truth in my eyes.

“I hated every second I had to keep you in the dark, Aria. But the moment you entered my world, my enemies. became yours. The only way I could keep you and Amelia breathing was to build a fortress so thick, so absolute, that no one would ever dare touch you.”

“And look where that got us,” she sobbed, gesturing wildly toward the door. “Julian put his hands on me. He is trying to take our daughter. His father just sat in that chair and called Amelia a bastard. Your dark world didn’t protect us from them, Brandon-it dragged them straight to our front door.”

The mention of Julian touching her made a fresh wave of black fury roar in my veins, but the sight of her tears instantly killed it, leaving only a hollow ache.

I reached across the desk, my large, scarred hand hovering just inches from hers, desperate to wipe away the moisture on her cheeks.

“Don’t,” she whispered, her voice suddenly small, exhausted, and fragile as she pulled her hands back toward her chest. “Please, Brandon… don’t touch me right now.”

My hand froze in the empty air between us. The sight of her flinching from me cut deeper than ever could. Slowly, agonizingly, I pulled my hand back, clenching it into a tight fist at my side.

any

bullet

“Julian won’t touch you again, Aria,” I said, my voice dangerously steady, a dark promise settling into the quiet room. “I am going to finish this. Once and for all.”

I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t keep my hands to myself when she was standing right in front of me, trembling. bleeding emotionally from wounds I had caused.

Ignoring the warning in her eyes, I moved closer.

“Brandon-” I didn’t let her finish. I reached out, my large, scarred hands gently framing her face, my thumbs sweeping across her cheekbones to catch the hot tears spilling down her skin.

She stiffened, her hands coming up to rest against my chest right over my heart, but she didn’t pull away. She didn’t push. She just stood there, her dark, tear-filled eyes locked onto mine, her breath coming in shallow, ragged hitches.

The heat of her skin under my palms grounded me instantly, blowing away the lingering darkness of the underworld, the boardroom execution, and the rage I had carried into this office.

“I’m going to kiss you, Aria,” I murmured, my voice dropping into a thick, low whisper that vibrated against her lips. I brought my head down until my forehead rested lightly against hers, letting her feel the desperate, erratic rhythm of my heart beneath her hands.

1/4

11:20 Thu, Jul 30

Chapter 258

བ

“If you want me to stop… if you truly want me out of your life… push me away right now. I swear to God, I’ll step back.”

2

She didn’t move. Her hands remained pressed against my chest, her fingers curling slightly into the fabric of my dress shirt.

I gave her three long seconds. Three agonising seconds where the entire world hung in the balance. When she stayed still, her lips slightly parted, I closed the tiny distance remaining and pressed my mouth to hers.

The kiss started slow, heavy with five years of unspoken grief, secret protection, and a desperate, starving hunger. I expected her to freeze, or perhaps to simply endure it out of sheer exhaustion.

Instead, a soft sigh broke from her throat, and she kissed me back. Her arms slid up my chest, wrapping tightly around my neck, pulling me down into her with a fierce, possessive grip that nearly brought me to my knees.

The anger, the pain, the sense of betrayal, it all poured into the kiss, turning it raw and urgent. She tightened her hold, sinking her fingers into my hair as if she were drowning and I was the only thing keeping her afloat.

I wrapped my arms around her waist, lifting her slightly off her feet and pulling her flush against my body, burying my face in the curve of her neck as our mouths parted for air.

She gripped my shoulders tightly, her cheek pressed against mine, her ragged breathing echoing in the quiet office.

“I hate you for lying to me,” she whispered into my skin, her voice broken, but her hands holding on for dear life. “I hate how terrifying your world is. But I can’t… I can’t do this without you, Brandon.”

I tightened my arms around her, closing my eyes as a profound wave of relief washed over me.

“You’ll never have to,” I swore softly into her hair, my hand stroking the back of her head.

“I’m going to tear down every single threat left in this city, Aria. And then I am going to spend the rest of my life making this right with you and Amelia.”

The silence in the office was thick, heavy with the weight of everything we had just surrendered to.

Aria’s hands slowly slid down from my shoulders, her breathing still shallow and uneven.

She took a step back, her palm flat against my chest to gently create space between us. I forced my arms to loosen around her waist, letting her pull away, though every instinct in my body screamed at me to hold on tight.

“I need time, Brandon,” she whispered, her eyes shining with unshed tears, her lower lip trembling slightly. “1 need… space to figure out what any of this means for us. For Amelia.”

The words cut deep, but I nodded immediately, accepting the boundary without a second thought. “Okay. I said, my voice raspy. “Take all the time you need, Aria.”

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify