Stealing My Brother's Bride: The Ice‑Hockey Star's Obsession

Hayley POV:

Blake's words—"sister‑in‑law"—crashed over me like a tidal wave. I instinctively clutched the sheets, pulling them up to my chin to cover my nakedness. Shame and panic clawed at my throat.

I forced myself to sound calm. "You... you know who I am?"

Blake swung his legs out of bed. He walked to the floor-to-ceiling windows and pulled back the curtains. The morning light sculpted his model-perfect body, a raw display of masculine power that filled the room.

He lit a cigarette, the tip glowing red. He turned, his deep blue eyes even more inscrutable behind the veil of smoke.

"Hayley Brown. Twenty-two. Kinesiology major. My little brother Kennedy's fiancée. Am I right?"

He knew everything about me. A chill ran down my spine. This man was far more dangerous than I had imagined.

I had to get out of here. Now.

Ignoring the ache in my body, I threw back the covers and scrambled to find my clothes.

My dress was in shreds on the floor, a tattered reminder of last night's frenzy. All I could find was my underwear.

As I frantically tried to put them on, Blake suddenly crushed his cigarette in an ashtray and strode towards me.

He grabbed my wrist. His grip was like iron, impossible to break. He pushed me back against the wall, his tall frame trapping me completely.

"Where do you think you're going?" His voice was soft, but it held the unyielding weight of a command.

I had to crane my neck to look up at him, a storm of anger and fear raging inside me. "Let me go! Last night was a mistake. We should both just forget it."

Blake let out a low laugh, as if I'd just told the funniest joke in the world. He used his other hand to grip my chin, forcing me to meet his gaze. "A mistake? No. That was the best night I've had in years."

His thumb traced the outline of my lips, his eyes burning with a predatory fire. "And I never forget something I want."

I shivered at his words, at his nakedly possessive stare. I tried to struggle, but he was an immovable wall of muscle.

"You're insane! I'm your brother's fiancée!" I tried to use our twisted connection to appeal to some sense of decency he might have.

"So?" he said, his tone dismissive. "A waste of space who can't even keep his own woman isn't worthy of having you."

His contempt for Kennedy struck a strange, twisted chord of validation deep within my humiliation.

I changed my tactics, softening my voice. "Please, Blake. Just let me go. "

He studied my face, his eyes flickering for a moment. I thought my display of weakness had worked.

I was wrong.

He leaned in, his lips brushing against my ear, his breath hot on my skin. "From the moment you walked into that bar, you were already mine. No one takes what's mine. Not even my idiot brother."

Despair seized me. I had escaped one fire only to leap into a raging inferno.

He finally released me, taking a step back to admire my disheveled state. He gestured towards the bathroom with his chin. "Go take a shower. There are clothes for you in the closet."

Clothes for me? When did he... My mind was a chaotic mess.

I didn't dare defy him. I walked to the bathroom like a puppet on a string.

The hot water sluiced over my body, offering a small measure of clarity to my jumbled thoughts. I stared at my reflection in the mirror, at the marks that littered my skin.

After my shower, I stepped into the walk-in closet. Just as he'd said, a full rack of new women's clothing was waiting. Dresses, casual wear, even lingerie, all in my exact size.

The man's possessiveness, his meticulous planning, was terrifying. I grabbed a simple black dress and quickly put it on.

When I walked out, Blake was fully dressed in an expensive, custom-tailored suit. He looked every bit the untouchable hockey superstar again.

He slid a black credit card across the table towards me. "Take it. The PIN is your birthday."

I stared at the card as if it were a venomous snake. "I don't want it."

Blake arched an eyebrow. "That wasn't a request. It's an order. From now on, I pay for everything."

Was he trying to buy me? I trembled with rage. "What gives you the right?"

He walked over to me, cupping my chin again, his touch a little gentler this time. He looked directly into my eyes, his voice low and deliberate. "Last night gives me the right. The fact that you are now my woman gives me the right. Those are the rules. My rules."