The Hockey Roommate's Filthy Desire novel Chapter 26

Chapter 26

Chapter 26

JULIAN’S POV

I had expected her to refuse. Still… a small part of me had hoped she wouldn’t.

When Aria turned down Luca’s mother’s offer,

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ef had washed through me so strongly I almost laughed.

She hadn’t noticed it completely, but I knew she saw something shift in my face.

Then her phone buzzed again. And when I looked, I saw that it was a text from Luca. Aria… please come. The message sat there on the screen like a stone thrown into still water.

I saw the way her shoulders stiffened. I saw the way her fingers tightened around the phone. And immediately, something dark twisted inside my chest.

I couldn’t let her go there. I couldn’t let her be even an inch from Luca. He had had his chance and now, he had lost it. There was no possible way she would go to him.

“No.” The word left my mouth before she could even speak. I wasn’t stunned but she was. Her head lifted slowly.

“I didn’t say anything yet,” she said quietly.

“You don’t need to.” My jaw tightened as I stared at the message on her phone again. “Don’t go.”

She blinked. “Julian-”

“You’re still recovering,” I cut in calmly. “You shouldn’t be running around hospitals right now.” That was the excuse I gave her. The reasonable one. The protective one.

But deep down, the truth was far uglier. I didn’t want her near Luca. I didn’t

dn’t want her anywhere near him.

The thought of her standing beside his hospital bed… looking at him the way she used to… made something vicious rise inside me. Jealousy.

keep

Possessiveness. Something I had spent years trying to buried.

“He won’t leave you alone,” I added more quietly. “And his family clearly has no problem humiliating you. There’s no need for you to go. Luca is stubborn, yes but he’ll eat soon. Remember he never even went two minutes hungry.”

Aria didn’t respond immediately. She just stared down at the message again. For a moment I thought she might argue. But instead, she slipped the phone into her pocket. “I’m going to work,” she said.

I frowned. “What?”

“I’ve already missed a shift beca doing that.”

of everything that happened,” she continued, standing up. “I can’t keep

“You’re not going. She stopped mid–step and turned to look at me.

Excuse me?

14:50 Wed, May 13 Md

Chapter 26

“I said you’re not going.”

Her eyes narrowed slightly. “I need to work, Julian.”

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“You don’t need to do anything.” She looked at me like I had gone crazy and honestly I had.

“I need to earn a living.” Without saying another word, I reached into my wallet. Then I pulled out a card and held it toward her. A black card. Limitless.

It was the same card I had given her days ago. The same card she had refused. Aria stared at it like it might explode. “I’m not taking that.”

“Take it.” I said but she shook her head and took a step back.

“No.”

“Aria.” She hesitated before slowly reaching out.

at it, her hands slightly shaky.

Her fingers brushed mine as she took the card. For a moment she just stared

Then she shoved it right back into my palm. “I can’t accept this.” My brows lifted slightly.

“Why not?”

“Because I’m not helpless, Julian. I need to work and-

“Rejecting gifts is rude.” I said, interrupting her. She blinked at me.

“What?” I leaned a little closer.

Close enough to see the tiny freckles scattered across her nose. Close enough to notice the way her breathing changed slightly. “I’ve been overlooking your rudeness for a while now,” I said softly.

Her eyes widened. “And if you keep doing it…” I lowered my voice just enough to make the words feel heavier. “I might start punishing you for it.” A deep blush spread across her cheeks instantly.

God.

Seeing that reaction did dangerous things to my self–control. Different thoughts flashed across my head. Would it be so bad to pull her close and kiss her until she couldn’t breathe?

She looked away quickly. “I‘

not scared of you,” she muttered. I almost smiled. We stood there for a moment in silence. Then I stepped back before I could do something stupid that I couldn’t take back.

“I have a meeting.” Her head lifted again. “Stay here. You still need to rest.” Without waiting for a response, I walked out of the room.

But when I returned twenty minutes later, something felt wrong. Aria was standing near my desk. Her back was to me. And in her hands–My stomach dropped.

A small, worn notebook. My chest went tight instantly. No. No, no, no. That wasn’t supposed to be there. I had hidden it. Perfectly. “Aria,” I said sharply.

She turned slowly. And my worst fear became reality. She was holding the diary. Her diary. The one she

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