🪶Penny

I woke up buried under a sea of dark silk and down comforters.

For a glorious, disorienting three seconds, I thought I was back in my small, cramped bedroom with the squeaky mattress and the faded floral wallpaper.

Then the scent of expensive sandalwood and crisp air-conditioning hit me. Reality crashed down like a lead weight.

I sat up, pushing my tangled hair out of my eyes. The master suite was washed in pale morning light.

Beside me, the silk sheets were smooth, cold, and undisturbed.

Holland hadn't slept here last night. He had given me my space, just as he promised, but the relief doing cartwheels in my stomach felt dirty.

I was a wife who was relieved her husband hadn't touched her.

A gentle knock sounded at the double doors before two women in crisp, dark gray uniforms pushed in a silver cart laden with fresh fruit, pastries, and steaming coffee.

"Good morning, Mrs. Stevens," the older maid said with a polite, practiced bow of her head.

Mrs. Stevens.

The title made my skin crawl. It felt like wearing someone else’s heavy, oversized coat.

"Oh, please... just Penny," I murmured, pulling the silk sheet up to my collarbone.

"Mr. Stevens requested we bring breakfast to your room, Mrs. Stevens," she replied smoothly, ignoring my plea entirely. "He is waiting for you in the glass dining room whenever you are ready to join him."

They left as silently as they had entered. I swallowed the lump in my throat, dressed quickly in a pair of my own worn denim jeans and a plain white sweater, and stepped out into the quiet, grand hallway.

I had only taken a few steps toward the main staircase when a door down the corridor clicked open.

I froze.

Cameron stepped out into the hall. He was clad in black hockey training pants and a tight, sweat-drenched grey compression shirt that clung to every lethal line of his chest and shoulders.

A towel was draped over his neck, his dark hair damp and curling against his forehead.

My heart did a violent, dangerous flip.

I stopped dead in my tracks. Cameron paused, his storm-grey eyes flicking up to meet mine.

The air instantly turned thick and heavy, charging with the lingering memory of last night—the dark driveway, the silhouette, the shadow of my body behind the thin curtain.

Did he see me? Had he looked?

His expression remained unreadable, cut from cold granite. He didn't say a word. He just adjusted the towel around his neck, walked right past me without so much as a glance, and disappeared down the servant stairs.

I let out a shuddering breath, my knees trembling as I made my way down to the dining room.

The glass dining room overlooked a sprawling, manicured garden.

Holland was seated at the head of a long mahogany table, dressed in a sharp charcoal suit, reading a tablet while sipping espresso.

"Good morning, my sweet girl," Holland said, setting his tablet down and offering a warm, possessive smile as I took a seat near him.

A plate of poached eggs and avocado was immediately set down before me by an attentive butler.

"Good morning, Holland," I whispered.

"Did you sleep well?"

"I... yes. Thank you."

"Good." Holland reached across the table, his thick, heavy hand covering mine.

The gold of his wedding band flashed under the morning light. He squeezed my fingers, dragging his thumb over my knuckles before lifting my hand to his lips and pressing a firm kiss to my skin.

"You look beautiful today. But we must set down a few rules for your safety now that you bear my name."

I stiffened slightly, pulling my eyes to his. "Rules?"

"The men who hunted your father are still out there, Penny," Holland said, his tone dipping into that dark, immovable authority. "And as my wife, you are a high-value target for my corporate rivals. Therefore, there is no going out alone. Ever. My security detail will drive you wherever you need to go, and you will have an escort at all times."

"Holland, I'm used to taking care of myself—"

"It is not up for negotiation," he interrupted smoothly, his grip on my knuckles tightening just enough to signal absolute finality. "It is for your own protection."

Out of the corner of my eye, I caught movement on the grand staircase overlooking the dining hall.

Cameron was standing on the mid-landing, leaning casually against the iron railing. His jaw was clenched so tight a muscle was ticking in his cheek, his grey eyes fixed darkly on Holland’s hand resting over mine.

The moment Holland looked up, Cameron turned on his heel and walked away, his heavy footsteps echoing into the distance.

—-

By noon, the suffocating luxury of the mansion was driving me insane.

Trapped inside with security guards standing like statues at every exit, I decided to explore the endless corridors just to keep my mind off the crushing grief of my parents' absence.

I wandered down a subterranean hallway on the lower level, following the faint, echoing thuds that vibrated through the floorboards.

I pushed open a heavy set of double doors and stepped into a massive, private indoor ice rink and gym facility.

The air was frigid, smelling sharply of cut ice and rubber.

And there he was.

Cameron was on the ice, completely shirtless despite the freezing temperature of the room. Sweat glistened over the hard sculpted contours of his back.

He was moving with terrifying, explosive speed, sliding across the ice, his stick whipping back and slamming black pucks into the net with deafening, gunshot-like CRACKS.

He was furious.

Every movement radiated a dangerous, volatile energy.

I knew I should turn around. I knew I should walk out. But my feet felt rooted to the concrete perimeter.

SLAM!

He unleashed a wrist-shot so powerful the puck ricocheted off the steel post with a sickening screech, flying straight off the ice, over the plexiglass barrier, and zooming directly toward my head.

I gasped, throwing my hands up in sheer terror.

Before I could even scream, a hand shot out in front of my face with lightning speed.

THWACK.

Cameron caught the flying rubber puck mid-air, just inches from my nose.

The force of his movement brought him slamming up against the plexiglass wall right in front of me. Cold air, the heat of his body, and the sharp scent of sweat swept over me.

He stood on the ice, leaning over the barrier, his bare chest heaving up and down, his storm-grey eyes burning into mine with pure venom.

He dropped the puck to the floor. It hit the ground with a dull thud.

"Are you fucking blind?" he growled, his voice a low, dangerous rasp that vibrated in my chest.

"I—I'm sorry," I stammered, taking a trembling step back. "I was just... getting lost."

"Then get lost somewhere else," Cameron snapped, pushing himself off the barrier and glaring down at me with absolute contempt. "What, did you get bored counting my dad's money already?"

Anger flared through the terror in my veins.

I stepped right back up to the glass, gripping the edge. "I am not after his money!"

"Right. Sure," Cameron scoffed, a bitter, cruel smirk twisting his sinful lips. "A twenty-year-old girl marries a fifty-year-old billionaire two days after her parents die. You think this is a game? You think you're smart, slipping into his bed to secure a payday?"

"I didn't have a choice!" I yelled back, my voice cracking with raw emotion. "My parents left behind debts to dangerous people! I was going to lose everything—my home, my safety, my life! Holland offered me protection!"

"Protection," Cameron repeated, the word tasting like poison on his tongue. "He bought you. And you sold yourself."

"You don't know anything about me," I whispered fiercely, my heart hammering against my ribs.

Cameron stepped closer to the barrier, leaning down until his face was just inches from mine.

The hostility in the air was so thick it was suffocating, yet beneath the hatred, a terrifying, electric current snapped between us.

"Stay out of my way, Penny," he warned softly, his deep voice sliding over my skin like dark velvet.

He turned to walk back to the ice, but just before he pulled away, his dark eyes dipped. For one agonizing, breath-stealing second, his gaze dropped from my eyes straight down to my trembling lips.

He swallowed hard, his chest heaving, before tearing himself away and gliding across the ice without another word.

—--

That night, I lay in the massive silk bed, staring up at the grand ceiling.

The bedroom door opened quietly, and Holland stepped inside. He had stripped off his suit jacket and unbuttoned his collar.

He walked over to the bed, sitting down on the edge beside me.

He didn't make a move to touch me inappropriately, but his presence was heavy, possessive, and suffocating.

"Did you see Cameron today?" Holland asked softly, reaching out to tuck a stray lock of hair behind my ear. His touch was warm, but it felt like an iron weight. "He's going through a rough time, Penny. Don't mind him if he's cold to you."

"It's fine," I whispered, holding my breath until he pulled his hand away.

Holland smiled gently, pulling the dark duvet up to my shoulders and patting my head as if I were a child.

"Get some sleep, my girl." He kissed my temple and walked out, closing the double doors behind him.

The moment the lock clicked, the silence of the room crashed down on me.

I lay in the dark, my breath ragged, trembling beneath the covers.

Slowly, helplessly, I lifted my hand and touched my own lower lip, the exact spot where Cameron’s dark, furious eyes had lingered just hours ago.

This is a sin, I thought, closing my eyes as terror and unwanted desire tangled inside my chest. He's my stepson. I can't want this…

Cameron

I was losing my fucking mind.

I sat at a sticky high-top table in the back of the neon-lit sports bar, downing my third glass of straight whiskey in less than an hour.

The burning bite down my throat didn't do a single thing to dull the image scorched into my brain: soft waist, bare shoulders, and the shadow of her exposed chest against the golden light of the master suite.

My father's wife.

"Hey, Cam. Look at the blonde by the pool tables," Mark, my center, nudged my shoulder, sliding into the booth next to me. "She’s been eyeing you since we walked in."

I flicked my eyes toward the girl. She was stunning—curvy, confident, wearing a tight red dress that left very little to the imagination.

When she caught me looking, she bit her lower lip and flashed a sultry, inviting smile.

A week ago, I would have pulled her into my lap without a second thought. Tonight? She felt entirely hollow.

My brain kept comparing her loud, staged allure to wide, tear-filled brown eyes and a plain white sweater.

"Not interested," I muttered, taking another heavy drag from my glass.

"What's got your panties in a twist?" Ryan grinned, sloshing his beer as he leaned across the table. "You’ve been a dark cloud all night. Though... can’t really blame you. I heard the news."

I went instantly still. "What news?"

"Your dad," Ryan laughed, entirely oblivious to the dangerous edge in my voice. "Brings home a hot twenty-year-old stepmom right after your season ends? That’s wild, man. What do you even call her? *Mom?*"

The table erupted into stupid, drunk laughter.

My jaw locked so tight my molars creaked. I gripped my glass until the thick crystal cracked under the sheer pressure of my fingers.

I set it down with a heavy thud, shoved my chair back, and stood up.

"I'm out," I growled.

"Aw, come on, Cam! We’re just messing—"

I didn't listen. I slammed out of the bar, the cold rain hitting my face like needles as I got into a cab, drowning in a toxic mix of alcohol and pure, unadulterated rage.

It was past two in the morning when I let myself into the mansion.

The main floor was pitched in total darkness, silent as a tomb. Holland had flown out to Chicago late afternoon for some corporate emergency, leaving the mausoleum empty.

I took the grand stairs, my head swimming with booze, intent on locking myself in my room and dragging myself out of this insanity.

But as I reached the mid-landing near the master suite, a strip of warm light spilled across the dark hardwood from the grand sitting room.

I stopped.

I should have kept walking. Every instinct in my body screamed at me to turn around, to go to my room and pass out.

Instead, my feet moved against my will, quiet as a ghost, drawing me toward the light.

I stepped into the room, and my breath caught.

Penny was asleep on the velvet sofa, her dark hair scattered across the cream cushion like spilled ink.

She looked impossibly small wrapped in an oversized knit sweater, her chest rising and falling in soft, rhythmic breaths.

On the coffee table in front of her, her laptop was wide open, casting a cool blue glow over the dark room.

I stepped closer, intending to shut it, but the moment my eyes hit the glass screen, my blood ran cold.

It was a fan archive page dedicated to the Ice Eagles.

Right in the center of her screen was a massive gallery of my action shots, my stats, and my interview quotes.

She had been researching me.

A dark, bitter smirk started to form on my face, but as I looked down at the Persian rug, my eyes snagged on an old, leather-bound notebook lying scattered among her books.

I knelt on the floor, the smell of her floral perfume instantly wrapping around my senses.

I picked up the journal, the pages flipping open to a handwritten entry dated two years ago.

"I saw the Ice Eagles play tonight. Cameron was incredible. I know it's stupid, but when he looked up at the glass, I felt like he was looking right at me. I wish I could meet someone like him one day..."

Taped right beside the neat handwriting was a worn, cut-out magazine photo of my face.

My mind exploded.

The booze in my blood burned away in an instant, replaced by a sudden, lethal rush of electricity.

Long before she ever set foot in this house, she had been staring at my face in the dark, dreaming about me.

I stood up, holding the journal tightly in my hand, my heart hammering a dangerous rhythm against my ribs.

A soft gasp shattered the quiet.

I turned slowly. Penny was sitting up, rubbing her blurry eyes against the light.

But as her vision focused on me—standing over her, reeking of rain and whiskey, holding her private diary—the color drained completely from her face.

"What... what are you doing in here?" she stammered, her voice thick with sleep, her chest heaving violently.

A lazy, arrogant smirk carved its way onto my lips as I took a step closer, holding the book out just enough for her to see what was in my grip.

"So," I rasped out, my voice thick and dark with alcohol, "you like me, huh?"

Her cheeks flushed a deep, violent crimson. Horror washed over her eyes as she looked from the journal to her open laptop.

"Give that back!" she cried, scrambling off the couch on unsteady legs, her hands reaching out desperately. "That’s private! Give it to me!"

I chuckled—a low, husky sound that echoed off the high ceiling. I lifted my arm, holding the book high above her head effortlessly.

"Private? You had my picture taped in here, Penny. You wrote about me. You dreamed about getting married to a guy like me..."

I stepped up to her, crowding her space until her back pressed against the edge of the velvet sofa, blocking her in completely.

"...and instead, you got my dad," I taunted softly, leaning down into her space.

"Stop it! Give it to me!" she yelled, lunging upward on her tiptoes, reaching frantically for the binding.

Her foot tangled in a stack of scattered books on the floor.

"Whoa—"

She lost her balance entirely, her eyes widening in panic as she tipped backward.

Before she could crash onto the floor, my arm shot out.

My hand clamped around her small waist, my grip locking her against my chest. The sudden momentum threw off my balance, dragging me down with her.

We slammed onto the velvet sofa, the journal falling from my fingers and slapping onto the rug below.

The air left both of our lungs in a ragged gasp.

I was flat over her, my heavy body trapped right between her legs, my hands braced on either side of her head.

We were so close our noses were almost touching. Her wild, wide brown eyes were locked onto mine, her breath hitting my mouth in short, frantic gasps.

The heat radiating off her was intoxicating, burning right through my clothes.

I felt her heart hammering against her ribs like a trapped bird and beneath my shirt, mine was matching it beat for beating.

I stared down at her trembling, flushed lips, every drop of logic, duty, and morality burning away into ash.

The air turned thick, suffocating, completely forbidden.

Slowly, agonizingly, I lowered my head until my lips were hovering a fraction of an inch from hers.

"Tell me the truth, Penny," I whispered, my voice a dangerous, gravelly thread that vibrated between us. "When you look at him... are you thinking of me?"

She gasped, her mouth parting, completely paralyzed under my weight, her eyes darting down to my lips.

"Penny?"

A sharp, familiar voice sliced through the darkness from the grand sitting room doorway.

Every muscle in my body snapped locked, the room freezing in an instant…