Just My Hockey Roommate’s Filthy Desires by Esther Pen novel Chapter 296

Chapter 296

ARIA’S POV

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The quiet in Amelia’s bedroom was heavy, broken only by the steady rhythm of the rain tapping against her window.

Downstairs, the red and blue emergency lights swept across the estate grounds, casting long, fading shadows. The distant hum of police radios and murmuring officers drifted up from the driveway, but inside her room, everything was still.

Amelia was sound asleep in her pajamas on the center of her pink bed, clutching her favorite stuffed rabbit. Her breath was slow and steady after hours of crying, her tiny forehead smooth at last.

I slowly pulled my hand from hers, slipping off the edge of the mattress with painstaking care so I wouldn’t disturb her. I smoothed the soft blanket over her shoulders, standing over her for a long moment before turning toward the door.

Brandon was waiting just outside in the hallway, his tall frame leaning against the doorframe. His black shirt was still damp from the rain, the top buttons undone and sleeves rolled up to his forearms. He was watching me with a quiet, intense concern that instantly anchored my frantic thoughts.

Antonio stood a few feet away in the dimly lit corridor, his expression stoic and vigilant.

“Keep watch right here outside her door, Antonio,” Brandon commanded in a low, firm tone that carried unquestioned authority. “No one steps foot in this hall without my explicit clearance.”

“Understood, boss,” Antonio replied with a sharp nod, positioning himself squarely beside Amelia’s door, his hand resting near his holster. “I won’t leave this post.”

Relief washed over me as Brandon gently took my hand, his long fingers weaving through mine. He guided me down the residential wing and into our master bedroom, closing the heavy double doors soundlessly behind us.

The second we were isolated in our room, away from the flashing lights and police chatter, the silence felt deafening. I crossed my arms over my chest, trying to stop the sudden, uncontrollable trembling in my hands.

“The police just left with him,” Brandon said softly, walking across the hardwood floor toward me. “The chief personally guaranteed he won’t be getting bail.”

I took a long, shaky breath, looking at him with wide, uncertain eyes. “Is he really gone?”

“He’s gone, Aria,” Brandon promised, closing the distance between us and wrapping his warm, solid arms around me. He pulled me flush against his chest, pressing a slow, lingering kiss into my hair. “Antonio handed over the full security footage from the hall and the study. The break–in, the pepper spray, the tunnel… it’s all on tape. He won’t ever come near you or Amelia again.”

I closed my eyes, leaning my forehead against his chest, listening to the calm, steady beat of his heart.

“I was so terrified, Brandon,” I confessed, the words spilling out in a quiet, ragged whisper. “When I saw him

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My Hockey Roommate’s Filthy Desires

standing in that doorway… my heart stopped. And then when he grabbed her arm…”

A sharp sob caught in my throat, and my fingers gripped the damp fabric of his shirt.

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“All I could think about was keeping her safe,” I said, looking up into his dark, steady eyes. “She’s so little, Brandon. She was so scared, looking at him like he was a complete stranger. I just… I can’t bear the thought of anything ever hurting her. I want her to grow up safe. I need to know she’s always going to be safe here with

us.”

“She will be,” Brandon promised, his voice low, firm, and absolute. He reached up, his large hands gently cupping my cheeks, his thumbs tracing my cheekbones to wipe away my tears. “I swear to you, Aria. No one is ever going to cross that fence again. You protected her today, and I am going to protect both of you for the rest of my life.”

I stared up at him, feeling the cold, suffocating weight of the last few hours finally begin to melt under his touch. His gaze was intense, heavy with a raw, protective warmth.

“Brandon,” I whispered, stepping closer until there was no space left between us.

“Yeah?”

“Distract me,” I said softly, my fingers sliding up his chest to wrap around the back of his neck. “Please… just make me forget today.”

Brandon didn’t say a word. His eyes darkened, and in one swift, fluid motion, he pulled me tightly into his

arms.

His mouth came down on mine in a deep, fierce kiss that instantly wiped away the cold rain, the flashing police lights, and the lingering terror.

It was intense and possessive, full of a quiet fire that consumed every bit of fear left inside me. I leaned into him completely, letting the heat of his embrace wrap around me, pulling me safe into the only place I ever

wanted to be.

The heavy bedroom door was firmly locked, shutting out the rest of the world, the lingering rain, and the echoes of the terrifying afternoon.

Brandon’s hands were hot against my skin as he lifted me seamlessly into his arms, never breaking the deep, possessive cadence of his kiss. Every lingering touch of cold air evaporated the moment my back hit the plush silk sheets of our bed.

His dark eyes held mine as he leaned over me, his broad frame blocking out the ambient light from the balcony. With slow, deliberate movements, he stripped away the damp layers of his shirt and discarded mine, his hands tracing every curve of my body as if reminding himself that I was safe, whole, and completely his.

“You’re safe, Aria,” he growled softly against my jaw, his breath hot against my throat as his fingers moved down to rid me of the rest of my clothes. “Nobody touches what’s mine.”

A shiver ran straight down my spine as his lips followed the path of his hands, moving down my collarbone, over my stomach, and further down until he parted my thighs. When his mouth made warm, agonizingly slow contact with my core, my breath hitched sharply in my throat.

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