Page 20 of Ice-Cold Obsession

I shove my phone back into my pocket and push myself off the wall. I don’t know who’s messing with me, but I’m going to find out.

And when I do, they’re going to regret ever crossing me.

Chapter 10

SCARLETT

I FOLLOW GABRIEL AFTERpractice, keeping enough distance so that he won’t notice me, but I can still see where he’s going. The recording worked better than I expected. He’s no longer the captain, his teammates hate him, and his reputation is in pieces.

And I’m responsible for all that. I tore him down without much effort because he gave me everything I needed himself.

I can’t help the small smile that pops up on my face. This is what I came here to do, and it’s what Carla deserves.

But there’s still something I don’t understand. Why did Gabriel lie to Coach about Zyair in the first place? What does he get out of benching his own teammate? It doesn’t make any sense, and the fact that I can’t figure it out bothers me more than it should.

Gabriel keeps his head down and his hands shoved in his pockets. He’s not looking around or checking to see if anyone’s watching him. He’s too lost in his own head to notice me trailing behind him.

I round the corner outside the athletic center... and slam directly into him.

He reaches out, his hands gripping my arms, and I pull back immediately.

“Sorry, I—” I say.

“Are you following me?” he asks, tilting his head.

“What? No.” I scowl.

“Really? Because you’ve been behind me since I left the building.”

“I wasn’t following you. I was just heading this way.”

He moves closer, and I take a step back. But he keeps advancing until my back presses against the wall, and he’s standing in front of me with one hand braced next to my head. His body blocks out the light, and suddenly all I can see is him.

“You sure about that?” he asks.

My pulse quickens. For a second, I’m distracted by how close he is and by the way his eyes are locked on mine and the heat radiating off him. His jaw is tight, and there’s something in his expression I can’t quite read. Anger or frustration.

But then my instincts kick in.

I grab his wrist and twist, using his momentum against him to spin us around. Before he can react, I slam him against the wall and press my hand against his throat. It’s not hard enough to hurt, but enough to make my point.

“Don’t ever corner me,” I say, my voice low.

His eyes widen in surprise, and we don’t move for a moment. His chest is rising and falling under my hand.

His gaze lowers to my lips, and the tension between us turns into something dangerous and electric. The air feels thick, and I can’t tell if I’m angry or if...

I want to kiss him. His lips are so damn close, and I could just close the distance and...

No!

I let go of him and step back, putting space between us. “Stay away from me.”

I turn and storm off before he can respond, my heart thudding so loudly that I can hear it in my ears.

What the fuck was that?

I wanted to kiss him for real, and not for the mission or to manipulate him. Because for a split second, I forgot who he was and what he did.