Just My Hockey Roommate’s Filthy Desires by Esther Pen novel Chapter 279

Chapter 279

BRANDON’S POV

The private suite down the hall from Room B was completely silent except for the low hum of the encrypted video monitor resting on the table in front of me.

I sat back in the leather armchair, my artns folded across my chest, watching every frame of the feed. I had watched Ara walk into that room with her head held high.

I had watched Julian’s pathetic, desperate attempt to play the victim. And I had watched him pull out his phone to wave Viktor’s worthless, outdated financial files in her face like a golden ticket.

When the heavy oak door of the suite finally clicked open, I was already on my feet.

Aria stepped inside. The moment the door shut behind her, the rigid, composed posture she had maintained in front of Julian softened just a fraction.

She took a deep, shaky breath, letting out the air she seemed to have been holding the entire time she was in that room.

I crossed the room in three strides, taking her hands in mine. Her fingers were cool to the touch.

“You were incredible,” I said softly, my voice quiet and steady.

Aria looked up at me, a faint, weary smile touching her lips. “You saw everything?”

“Every second,” I replied, pulling her into my arms. She leaned into my chest without hesitation, wrapping her arms around my waist and letting her weight rest against me.

I rested my chin on the top of her head, my hand gently stroking her hair. “He pulled out Viktor’s financial dirt.”

“He called it leverage,” Aria murmured against my chest, her voice surprisingly steady despite the ordeal. “He thought if he threatened to ruin your business reputation with press leaks, I’d get scared and run back to him to protect Amelia from the scandal.”

I let out a low, cold breath, holding her a little tighter. “And what did you tell him?” Aria pulled back slightly so she could look me in the eye. Her expression was clear, her eyes holding zero doubt.

“I told him he hasn’t changed,” she said firmly. “I told him he didn’t care about Amelia-he only cared about his ego and his games. And I told him that if he ever tries to reach me again, it will be through your legal team.”

A deep, ferocious warmth bloomed in my chest. She hadn’t let him shake/her. She hadn’t let him drive a single wedge between us. Instead of pulling apart, every attack Julian threw at us only seemed to lock our foundation tighter into place.

“He thinks he has a weapon,” I said, a dark, sharp edge entering my tone as I guided her over to the leather sofa. “He thinks those offshore accounts from three years ago are going to cause a scandal.”

“Are they?” Aria asked quietly, sitting beside me and resting her hand on my knee. There was no suspicion in her voice-only genuine, calm curiosity. “Is it something that can hurt you, Brandon?”

“No,” I answered directly, looking straight into her eyes. “Three years ago, during the hotel expansion, my board used standard international holding structures to hedge currency risks. Everything was audited, completely legal, and filed properly with federal tax authorities. But to a sensationalist blog or a sports tabloid looking for blood, Viktor can spin it to look shady for forty-eight hours.”

I took her hand, intertwining my fingers with hers.

“I could have shut Viktor down last night, Aria,” I continued smoothly. “I could have had my team seize his servers before

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My Hockey Roommate’s Filthy Desires

Julian even paid him. But I wanted Julian to play his hand. I wanted him to show you exactly who he is when he this he has absolute power.”

Aria looked down at our joined hands, her thumb rubbing a slow circle over my knuckles. “He really thought I would trade you for him. He really thought I was only staying because of your money.”

“Let him think whatever he needs to comfort his bruised pride,” I said, leaning in close so my lips brushed against hers. “Because while he’s spending his money buying old files from street fixers, I’m building our family’s future right here.”

Aria paused, looking at me with a soft, curious gleam in her eyes. “What do you mean?”

I smiled, a real, unreserved smile, and kissed her lingeringly on the mouth. “I’ll show you soon enough. Right now, we’re going home to our daughter.”

Later that evening, after the sun had dipped below the horizon and the quiet dark settled over the house, the estate was entirely still.

We had spent two hours sitting on the carpet in the living room, helping Amelia build an elaborate wooden train track tha stretched halfway across the room.

She had eaten her dinner, babbled endlessly about the white ponies at the farm, and finally fell fast asleep in my arms while I read her a bedtime story about a brave little dragon.

Now, in the quiet sanctuary of our master bedroom, the light was low and soft. Aria stood near the edge of the bed, wearing a soft silk robe. She had her back to me, unfastening her hair and letting it fall in thick, dark waves down her shoulders.

I walked up behind her, sliding my arms around her waist and pulling her back against my chest. She let out a quiet sigh of pure relief, leaning her head back against my shoulder.

“Thank you,” she whispered into the dim room.

“For what?” I asked, burying my face in the curve of her neck, breathing in the warm, familiar scent of vanilla and lavender.

“For being my rock,” she said, turning around in my arms to face me. Her hands reached up, trailing over my chest, her fingers tangling in the collar of my shirt.

“Today could have been awful. But knowing you were right there… knowing you had my back no matter what… I felt totally

safe.”

“You will always be safe with me, Aria,” I said, my voice dropping into a thick, low register. “Both of you.” I reached for the tie of her silk robe, slowly untying it and letting the smooth fabric fall to the floor.

She stood before me in the dim light, her skin glowing, her breath hitching slightly as my hands slid up her waist to frame

her face.

I leaned down and captured her mouth in a slow, deep, passionate kiss. There was no rush, no fear, no lingering shadow of Julian or the city outside our gates.

Just the slow, burning heat of two people who belonged to each other completely. Aria gasped against my mouth as I cupped her hips, lifting her smoothly off her feet.

She wrapped her legs tightly around my waist, her arms locking around my neck as I carried her a few steps to the bed. I laid her down on the soft sheets, leaning over her, my eyes locked on hers.

Her thumbs traced my cheekbones, her touch hot against my skin. “Brandon…”.

“You are mine, Aria,” I murmured, my voice possessive and dark against her lips. “Every part of you.”

“Yes,” she breathed, her hands sliding down my back, pulling me closer until there wasn’t a breath of air left between us.

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