Chapter 6
930 Words
I knew the moment I saw his name on my phone.
Gavin.
My stomach dropped so fast it felt like the floor had disappeared beneath me.
I hadn’t heard from him since the night everything exploded. Since the whispers. The humiliation. Since he chose her over me without even the decency to pretend he cared.
And now he was calling.
Again.
And again.
And again.
The screen lit up for the fifth time while I stood in Coulten’s kitchen, staring at it like it was a bomb about to go off.
“Are you going to answer that?” Coulten’s voice came from behind me.
I turned slowly.
He stood at the kitchen island, sleeves rolled up, eyes sharp, unreadable. Calm on the surface. Dangerous underneath.
“It’s Gavin,” I said quietly.
Something shifted in his expression. Not surprise. Not anger.
Something colder.
“Answer it,” he said.
My heart started pounding. “Why would I—”
“Because I want to hear what he has to say.”
There was no arguing with that tone.
I swallowed and hit accept.
“Hello?”
“Oriana.” Gavin’s voice rushed through the speaker, strained, urgent. “Finally. Why the hell have you been ignoring me?”
The audacity.
I glanced at Coulten. He leaned back against the counter, arms crossed, watching me like this was a game he intended to win.
“I don’t owe you anything,” I said.
A pause. Then softer.
“Look… I know you’re upset. But what happened at the event—”
“You mean the part where everyone found out you cheated on your fiancée with her best friend?” My voice sharpened. “That part?”
His exhale came out harsh. “That wasn’t supposed to get out.”
I almost laughed.
Behind me, Coulten’s jaw tightened.
“Oriana,” Gavin continued, voice dropping into the tone he used when he wanted something. “We need to talk. In person. There are things you don’t understand.”
“I understand perfectly,” I said.
“You’re making a mistake,” he snapped. “Especially with him.”
My heart skipped.
“With who?” I asked carefully.
“With Coulten Finley.”
Silence filled the kitchen.
“How do you know about that?” I whispered.
“He’s using you,” Gavin said immediately. “You think this is coincidence? He hates me. Always has. You’re just… leverage.”
The words hit harder than I expected.
Because a tiny, ugly part of me had wondered the same thing.
I looked at Coulten.
He hadn’t moved.
But his eyes were locked on me now. Watching. Waiting.
“Oriana,” Gavin said, softer now. “Come see me. Just once. If you ever meant anything to me.”
I hung up.
The silence afterward was heavy.
Dangerous.
“Well?” Coulten asked.
My chest felt tight. “He thinks you’re using me.”
Coulten pushed off the counter and walked toward me slowly.
Every step felt deliberate.
Controlled.
“And what do you think?” he asked.
I opened my mouth.
Closed it.
Because the truth was… I didn’t know.
That hesitation was all it took.
His expression hardened.
“You think this is a game to me?” he said quietly.
“I didn’t say that—”
“You didn’t have to.”
He stopped in front of me, close enough that I could feel the heat of him.
“You want the truth?” His voice dropped. “Yes. I hate him.”
My pulse pounded.
“He worshipped me when he came into the league. Followed everything I did. And then he started running his mouth. Talking about how he’d surpass me. How I was finished.”
His eyes darkened.
“I don’t forget things like that.”
“So this is revenge,” I whispered.
“That started it.”
His hand came up, fingers brushing my jaw.
“But you?” His thumb traced my lower lip slowly. “You weren’t part of the plan.”
My breath caught.
“You were supposed to be a distraction,” he continued. “Something temporary.”
My chest tightened.
“Then why am I still here?” I asked.
His gaze dropped to my mouth.
“Because you stopped being temporary.”
And then he kissed me.
Not like before.
This wasn’t fire and chaos.
This was possession.
Slow. Deep. Intentional.
His hand slid to the back of my neck, holding me there as his mouth moved against mine like he was claiming something he had no intention of giving back.
I melted into him before I could stop myself.
Every doubt.
Every warning.
Every piece of logic.
Gone.
His other hand moved to my waist, pulling me closer until there was no space left between us.
“You’re not leverage,” he murmured against my lips. “You’re mine.”
The words should have scared me.
Instead, heat flooded through my body.
“What if he’s right?” I whispered. “What if this is just about winning?”
Coulten’s forehead rested against mine.
Then, quietly:
“I don’t chase things I don’t want.”
My heart stuttered.
“And right now?” he said, voice rough. “I want you more than the win.”
That was the moment everything shifted.
Because this wasn’t just revenge anymore.
This was dangerous.
Complicated.
Real.
And somewhere deep inside, I realized the worst part.
If Coulten Finley decided to walk away…
It would destroy me all over again.
- Writer
