005

Chapter 5

Sienna

“None of your business. Now give that back!”

I lunged for the envelope, fingers stretching toward it. Damian simply raised his arm higher—far beyond anything I could reach. I jumped once. Twice. Still nothing. The infuriating bastard looked thoroughly entertained by my failed attempts.

“Oh, this has very much become my business,” he said in that lazy drawl, waving the envelope through the air. “Proof that could get Lucas Kane kicked off the team. Maybe even out of the school entirely.” His smirk stretched wider. “Not gonna lie, he’s been a constant headache ever since I took the captaincy. Stirring up trouble in the locker room, splitting the team into factions, acting like he still runs the place. This?” He lifted the envelope again. “This could be extremely useful.”

His eyes gleamed with dark amusement. “And heaven apparently decided to drop this perfect little gift right into my hands through a tiny bird. What a great day to start believing in higher powers.”

He laughed.

My stomach dropped.

Oh no.

He now held the perfect weapon against his biggest rival. Lucas’s number-one enemy had enough evidence to destroy him completely. I should have thought this through. I should have cooled down before acting. Ruining someone’s entire future wasn’t revenge—not when I wasn’t even certain how much of the steroid claim was true.

“No.” The word came out sharper than I meant. “You can’t do that.”

Damian lowered his arm a fraction and looked at me. “Oh, but I can, little bird.” His voice stayed annoyingly calm. “You should have thought this through before making an emotional decision.” He took a step closer. “And now that you’ve made it, you’re trying to back out.” His gaze swept over me slowly. “What a coward.”

My temper flared hot and fast. “You don’t know anything, okay?” I snapped. “Stop acting like you know me. You have no right to take that from me.” I pointed hard at the envelope. “Give it back and I’ll forget this entire night ever happened.”

Damian tilted his head, studying me like I was some interesting puzzle he hadn’t quite solved. “Interesting.” His eyes narrowed slightly. “You’re the one who put this little package together.” He lifted the envelope. “Yet now you’re trying to protect him.” A short pause. “I can’t seem to figure out what it is you actually want.”

My patience was hanging by a single fraying thread. At this point I was exhausted—emotionally, physically, mentally.

“I don’t care what you understand or don’t understand,” I said through gritted teeth. “Just give me the envelope. I want to go home.”

For a long moment Damian said nothing. He simply watched me. And watched me. And watched me. Those dark eyes moved over my face as if searching for something hidden. Then, suddenly, his expression shifted. Like the final piece had clicked into place.

“You haven’t broken up with him.”

I froze.

Damian’s lips curved slowly. “And you’re pulling this whole stunt behind his back.” His gaze sharpened. “It’s simple.”

I hated how confident he sounded.

“He cheated on you.”

The words landed like a physical blow.

“And you’re trying to get revenge.”

Silence stretched between us.

I didn’t say a word. I didn’t need to. My reaction had already answered him.

The smug bastard knew he was right. His smile widened. “Well.” He sounded entirely too pleased with himself. “That explains everything.”

I folded my arms tightly across my chest. “Congratulations. Sherlock Holmes strikes again.”

To my irritation, he laughed. Then his expression turned thoughtful. “I can help you with this.”

My eyebrows shot up. “What?”

Damian stepped closer, dropping his voice. “I said I can help you.” The amusement was still there, simmering just beneath the surface. “I’ll handle it for you.” He tapped the envelope lightly against his palm. “Your name won’t be attached to any of it.”

“I don’t need your help.” The answer came immediately—firm, certain. “What I did was a mistake, Damian.” I drew a deep breath. “I don’t want this anymore. Okay? It was a stupid decision.” I pointed at the envelope again. “So please. Give it back.”

My calm tone was starting to crack, mostly because I was growing more annoyed and more tired by the second.

For a moment Damian simply stared at me. Then something changed. The amusement faded. The darkness returned. Something dangerous flickered across his face. The sudden shift made my stomach tighten.

“I will.” His voice was quiet. “But on one condition.”

I frowned. “What condition?”

Slowly a smile spread across his mouth. Not a friendly smile. Not even an amused one. A dangerous one.

Damian stepped closer—close enough that I could feel my pulse stumble, close enough that I hated the way my heart suddenly became aware of him. Then he leaned down until his gaze locked onto mine.

“Kiss me, Sienna.”

For a moment I thought I had misheard him. My brain is completely short-circuited.

“What?”

“If I like it,” he continued casually, as though discussing the weather, “I might just forget I ever saw you sneaking around the school tonight.” His eyes glinted. “And I might not tell anyone what you’ve been doing here.”

My mouth fell open. My eyes widened. “I am not going to kiss you. And are you seriously trying to blackmail me?” I stared at him in pure disbelief.

Damian didn’t look remotely offended. If anything, he looked entertained. “I gave you a choice, Sienna.” He shrugged, completely at ease. “What’s in it for me if I just hand this over and pretend none of this happened?”

I blinked. Once. Twice. Three times. I genuinely could not believe this guy.

“You’re unbelievable,” I said, shaking my head. “You’re worse than the rumors.”

A slow grin spread across his face. “Are you planning to start a new one after tonight?”

I glared at him. The fact that he seemed to be enjoying this made me want to scream. Or punch him. Possibly both.

“I’m leaving, Damian.” I pointed at the envelope still clutched in his hand. “And if you have even the tiniest shred of conscience, you won’t do anything to Lucas.”

For a moment there was silence.

Then Damian laughed.

Not a quiet chuckle. Not a short snort. A full, open laugh that echoed through the empty hallway and made my irritation spike even higher.

“Didn’t the rumors tell you?” he asked. He pushed off the lockers and took a slow step toward me. “I don’t have a conscience, baby.”

I physically recoiled. “Don’t call me that.”

His grin only widened. “You know what? I have a better idea. Now that you’ve accused me of blackmail…” He lifted the envelope slightly. “Let me show you what actual blackmail looks like.”

A tight knot formed in my stomach—the kind that appeared right before everything went horribly wrong.

Damian held the envelope between us. “Forget the kiss.”

I frowned.

Then he casually dropped the real bombshell.

“Date me.”

My brain stopped working. Completely.

Silence stretched between us. I stared at him. He stared back, waiting, as though he had just asked me to borrow a pencil instead of whatever insane demand had just left his mouth.

“What?” The word escaped before I could stop it.

“Date me,” he repeated patiently. “It’s not a complicated sentence.”

I continued staring. Surely he was joking. There was no way Damian Rhodes was standing in front of me demanding that I date him—as blackmail. That wasn’t a real thing. People didn’t do that.

“You’re insane.”

“Probably.” His agreement came far too easily. Then he tapped the envelope against his palm. “But if you refuse…” Tap. “I’ll post everything.” Tap. “The photos.” Tap. “The videos.” Tap. “The accusations.” Tap. “All of it.”

The amusement slowly drained from his expression—not entirely, just enough to reveal something colder underneath. Something that made my stomach sink.

His dark eyes locked onto mine. “And when it goes up on the school’s website, I’ll make sure everyone knows exactly who tried to destroy Lucas Kane.”

“Damian…” My voice came out weak, disbelieving. “What is wrong with you?”

“Lots of things, according to most people.” The jerk actually looked proud of that fact.

“Why would you want us to date?” I stared at him as if he had completely lost his mind.

Damian looked entirely too pleased with himself. “You wouldn’t let me ruin him with that piece of evidence, so you’re the next best alternative.” He shrugged casually, as though his logic made perfect sense. “I’ve seen the guy lose his temper over far less than this. Imagine what happens when he sees us together.” A smirk tugged at his lips. “I won’t get the satisfaction of destroying him through the envelope, but watching him lose his mind over you dating me? That’s still a pretty decent consolation prize.”

His gaze swept over me slowly. “And have a little confidence in yourself, bird. You’re pretty enough for me to date.”

Before I could react, he reached out and brushed his fingers against my cheek.

I slapped his hand away immediately. Hard.

The smirk only widened.

I glared at him. “I understand why he hates you.” The words came out sharper than I intended. “You showed up in the middle of the year and took his captaincy, but what exactly did he ever do to you?” I folded my arms. “Why are you so obsessed with ruining his life?”

Damian looked genuinely thoughtful for a moment. Then he smirked. “Because I find him annoying.”

I stared at him. He stared back, completely serious.

“That’s it?” I blinked. “That’s your reason?”

He shrugged. “He’s like a mosquito buzzing around my ear. Constantly making noise. Constantly creating problems. Constantly trying to ruin the game for everyone.” His expression remained maddeningly casual. “So yes. I find him annoying.”

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. “You’re telling me you want to ruin someone’s life because he annoys you?”

“Hey.” Damian held up a finger. “I backed down from the envelope idea.” He looked far too proud of himself. “This new scheme is much less harmful.” His grin returned. “Come on, bird. Think about it.” He stepped closer. “Dump him. Date me.” Another step. “He loses his mind.” Another. “I get entertained.” His eyes gleamed. “And you get revenge.” He spread his arms dramatically. “That’s what I call a win-win situation.”

“I refuse.”

The answer came immediately. Firm. Final. I was done being used by hockey players. First Lucas. Now Damian. Absolutely not.

Damian pouted. Actually pouted. Then he sighed dramatically. “Too bad.” He reached into his pocket and patted the envelope. “Then I guess I have no choice but to blackmail you.”

My jaw clenched.

“If you don’t agree to date me, I’ll publish everything under your name.” He tilted his head as though imagining it. Then he grinned. “Oh, I can already see the headline.” His voice turned mockingly dramatic. “‘Heartbroken Girlfriend Exposes Hockey Star After Betrayal.’” He paused. Then his grin widened. “‘School Divided as Student’s Revenge Threatens Athlete’s Future.’” Another pause. His eyes sparkled with mischief. “‘Was Lucas Kane the Villain… or Was His Ex-Girlfriend Even Worse?’”

My stomach dropped.

The worst part? The headlines sounded completely believable.

Damian slipped the envelope back into his pocket. “I’ll give you some time to think about it, little bird.” His voice softened—which somehow felt more threatening than before. “But I should warn you.” He leaned down until our faces were only inches apart. “I don’t like waiting.”

My pulse stumbled.

“Make your decision quickly.” The amusement returned to his eyes. “Because time is running out.”

Then, before I could react, he leaned in and pressed a brief kiss against my cheek.

I froze. Completely froze.

By the time my brain started working again, he was already walking away. One hand shoved into his pocket. The other swung lazily at his side. Whistling. Actually whistling. As though he hadn’t just blackmailed me into a fake relationship.

I stood there in the middle of the empty hallway, staring after him in dis

belief. The school doors closed behind him a moment later. Silence filled the building once again.

And I remained rooted to the spot. Completely stunned.

What.

The.

Hell.

Had just happened?