The Hockey Roommate's Filthy Desire novel Chapter 161

Chapter 161

Chapter 161

ARIA’S POV

Honestly, I didn’t even know what came over me that made me kiss him like that righe outside the hotel entrance. Looking back, I just knew deep down in my heart that this man deserved that kiss.

Every single bit of it. He deserved it for always being there for me, for being my rock, and for keeping me safe when everything else was falling apart around me.

When he looked down at me and said that he already knew about my father’s company and what Vance had done, I let out a massive, heavy sigh of relief. The tight knot of fear in my

chest loosened

up a little bit.

“Thank you, Brandon,” I said softly, looking up at him through my wet eyes. “Thank you so much for understanding.”

But the good feeling didn’t last long. The next second, the air in the room completely changed. Brandon looked me straight in the eye, his face turning very serious, and he dropped a complete bombshell on me.

“I have waited for you for too long, Aria,” he said, his voice dropping to a low, heavy rumble that shook the quiet room.

“I’m almost forty years old, and I have stayed completely alone all this time just for you. I didn’t ever want to push you or hurt you because I really want you. But if you don’t want me, I am not going to force you.”

He stopped for a second, taking a sharp breath, but he didn’t look away from me. “If you reject me right now, I’ll understand. I will get on the very next flight back to my city, and I promise I won’t ever look back.”

I bit the inside of my cheek hard, staring at him in total silence. My mind went completely blank, and my heart started beating fast against my ribs. I was in a very tight spot.

If I didn’t give him a clear answer right now, it would completely break him. He would think I was just playing games with his head, or worse, he would think I was running back into Julian’s arms.

I really did not want to make him feel bad anymore. The guilt from leaving him in the middle of the night was already hurting my insides, and seeing him this way, completely broken because of me, was too much.

Brandon watched me stay quiet for a long moment, and a dark shadow passed over his handsome face. He obviously thought my silence meant no and that I just didn’t know how to say the words to his face.

He slowly let go of my hand, his shoulders dropping as he stood up from the couch. “It’s okay. Aria,” he said, his voice suddenly sounding empty. “You should leave now. Just go. I’ll be fine.”

The raw pain in his voice made my chest ache. I stood up on shaking legs, swallowed the lump in my throat, and slowly turned around toward the door to leave.

But the moment my hand went out, the guilt hit me like a physical blow. I couldn’t do this to him. I couldn’t just walk away. and let the best man I had ever known believe I didn’t want him.

I stopped in my tracks, turned right back around to face him, and the words came out of my mouth before I could ever think about it. “I’ll do it, Brandon,” I said quickly, my voice shaking a bit. “I’ll be your girlfriend.”

Brandon completely froze. His whole body went stiff, and his jaw dropped a little bit as he stared at me in absolute shock. He looked like he couldn’t believe what he had just heard.

On the other hand, my stomach did a nervous flip. I honestly didn’t know if I had just made the right choice for my future, or if I was just acting out of sheer panic and guilt.

1/3

11:45 amp pp.

Chapter 161

My feelings were total mess. But the moment I saw the heavy darkness leave his eyes, replaced by a sudden, bright wave of pure happiness, all my doubts went away.

I loved the fact that I had finally made him happy after all the pain I had caused him. I stepped forward and wrapped my arms tightly around his neck, hugging him close.

Brandon let out a long breath and held me back tightly, burying his face in my hair. After a long moment, he pulled back just enough to give me a soft, warm kiss on my forehead.

“You have no idea how much this just made my day, Arta,” he whispered, a real, beautiful smile finally breaking across his face.

I smiled back weakly, trying to smooth down my clothes. “I really need to get back home now, Brandon. Just look at me. I look like a total mess right now.”

I pointed down to my tight shorts, my casual tee, and my wild, messy morning hair. He laughed softly, the cold feeling from earlier completely gone. “You look beautiful to me. Come on, I’ll drive you back home.”

But the happy, quiet moment inside the hotel room didn’t follow us downstairs. The very minute we stepped outside the luxury hotel doors into the bright daylight, the peace was totally broken.

The paparazzi were still out there, and now they were going absolutely crazy.

“Aria. Over here.”

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