Chapter 80: Secrets on the Ice
Micah’s POV
I should have known the very second I heard the name George Jenson.
It had sounded so overwhelmingly familiar when Eve first uttered it in the dim, red-lit VIP room of the club, but my ignorant, desperate mind had deliberately forced the realization far away. I had been too terrified, too drowned in my own panic, to make the obvious connection.
Jenson University was our school’s fiercest rival, the ultra-elite institution that was going to compete against us in every single athletic championship this semester. Simply put, anyone bearing that name on this campus was considered the enemy.
Yet right here, in the middle of the bright, bustling hallway leading to our ice rink, in front of dozens of gasping students, this exact enemy had just wrapped his broad arms around me like we were secret lovers. I felt an intense, burning heat surge straight up into my face, my cheeks flushing bright crimson as I tried desperately to blink away the horrifying memories of last night—his cold fingers clamping around my chin, his heavy gaze scanning my body, the suffocating atmosphere of the Phoenix Club.
"Can you not call me that?" I muttered through gritted teeth, my voice shaking as my eyes darted nervously around the crowd. "Not in front of these people."
George’s dark eyes gleamed with instant amusement. A slow, infuriating smirk spread across his handsome face. He took a deliberate, menacing step forward, invading my space without a shred of hesitation.
I instantly took a sharp step back, my heart hammering so hard against my ribs that I could hear it as my back nearly hit the cold wall.
"Why?" George asked, tilting his head slightly as he raised a dark brow. His voice dropped into a low, mocking purr that barely carried to the whispering crowd, yet rang like a gunshot in my ears. "Am I the only one who knows who you really are, Roxie? Am I the only one who knows the filthy things you do when the sun goes down? Oh, I’m feeling so very honoured already."
The cruel words slammed straight into my chest, knocking the air right out of my lungs. Shame, humiliation, and absolute terror twisted together into a sickening knot deep inside my stomach. I bit the inside of my cheek so hard that the sharp, metallic taste of blood burst across my tongue.
A wave of bitter regret washed over me. I shouldn’t have come to the rink today. I should have skipped coming, called in sick, or maybe even dropped off the media production team entirely. Anything would have been better than standing here, completely exposed to a predator who held my ruin in the palm of his hand.
I flinched, my eyes squeezing shut in pure dread as I saw his long hand slowly shoot out through the air, reaching straight toward my face to touch my cheek or stroke my hair.
I braced myself for his touch, my body locking up in terror.
Suddenly, before his fingers could even graze my skin, a heavy, powerful hand clamped around my shoulder and violently yanked me backward.
My eyes snapped open in complete shock. My breath hitched as I was forcefully slammed back against a broad, rock-hard chest. Strong, unyielding arms instantly locked around my body, pulling me tight against his warmth.
My wide, bewildered eyes stared straight ahead, my mind short-circuiting. I didn’t even need to look up to see who had grabbed me. That distinct, intoxicating scent of expensive cedarwood and faint tobacco hit my nose instantly.
Damon.
An overwhelming, embarrassing heat creeped up my neck, making my entire face burn violently as I realized how tightly I was pinned against him in front of everyone. My head was spinning. What was he doing here?! I thought he was sick. Wasn’t he supposed to be on his bed, unable to move?
"What is it you want from my brother?"
A cold, lethal voice echoed from directly behind Damon, sending a sudden wave of icy dread straight down my spine.
Noah.
Noah was standing right there. He was witnessing the entire thing, watching as I was pinned helpless and trembling against Damon’s chest. Was he really just standing by, letting Damon hold me like this? A violent shiver of fear racked my entire body. I suddenly tried to pull myself away from Damon’s grip, twisting my hips to break free, but his arm wrapped around my waist stayed completely locked in place, refusing to let me budge even an inch.
My entire body froze completely when Damon lowered his head, his warm, steady breath brushing directly against the sensitive skin of my ear and neck, making my hairs stand on end.
"Just stand still, my dear Micah," Damon whispered softly, his deep voice vibrating right against my back, laced with a strange, dark undertone. "Who knows... I might not get the chance to hold you like this ever again."
This hot and sexy bastard.
I gritted my teeth so hard my jaw ached, my cheeks burning with a deeper, furious shade of red. What the hell was he talking about?! Why was he acting like this right in front of Noah and an entire crowd of students?! God, I couldn’t even tell the rumour that was flying left and right about me. What if I end up in the paper tomorrow and father sees it?!
Across from us, George didn’t look bothered by the sudden tension at all. In fact, his smirk only widened as his eyes shifted past Damon to lock onto Noah.
"Noah Miller. It really has been a while," George said smoothly, putting his hands into his coat pockets with pure, unbothered grace. "I’m so happy to see you."
My stomach plummeted straight to the floor. So George did know Noah. They knew each other personally. That was why his eyes had flared with dark recognition the second I mentioned my full name at the club yesterday. A desperate prayer echoed in my head over and over again:
’Please don’t let him say anything. Please, God, don’t let him tell Noah where I was last night. Don’t let him tell Noah what I was wearing or what I was doing. If Noah found out I was working at a high-end VIP host club in a crimson dress, he would lock me away forever—or worse.’
I trembled violently in Damon’s iron grip, unable to move, unable to escape.
Noah stepped forward, his dark eyes fixed on George with an intensity so terrifying it felt like the air around us was turning to ice.
"I don’t know what polite way to reply to that," Noah rasped, his voice dropping into a dangerously low, threat-filled register. "Because I am not happy to see you."
George let out a low, smooth laugh that echoed loudly in the tense silence of the hallway.
"You don’t have to be," George replied, his eyes darting straight back to me, gleaming with malicious pleasure. "After all, I wasn’t here for you, I was only happy to see your brother."
Even without looking directly at his face, I could tell he was grinning like a wolf cornering a sheep.
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. At this rate, he was going to expose me right here in front of Damon, Noah, and half the university. My mind scrambled, terror clawing at my throat as I tried to think of a way to stop him, but I was completely powerless.
It suddenly felt as though the temperature inside the sports complex had dropped far below freezing. The air felt thick, heavy, and impossible to breathe.
"My brother?" Noah repeated, his voice laced with a lethal, quiet fury that made every single student watching take a step back. "How do you know my brother?"
Panic exploded like dynamite behind my ribs. Oh fuck. Oh fuck, please no. Please don’t say anything, George Jenson! Why are you doing this to me?!
"You mean... Micah?" George asked, tilting his head with mock confusion, playing with Noah’s patience like a toy.
"Who else is my brother if not him?!" Noah demanded sharply, taking another menacing step toward George, his hands clenching into tight fists at his sides. "How the hell do you know him?!"
My heart was beating so violently against my ribcage that I thought it was going to burst right through my chest. I pressed my eyes tightly shut, waiting for the devastating blow to fall. I completely stopped breathing, holding the air trapped in my lungs just to hear his response, terrified of the words that were about to ruin my life forever.
George smiled slowly, his sharp, dark gaze lingering on my terrified, closed eyes for a excruciatingly long moment.
"I found him at..." George began, his voice smooth and deliberate.
Then, he abruptly stopped, letting a loud, heavy pause hang in the freezing air between us.
He was doing it on purpose. He was playing with me, savoring every second of my agony. He was really, truly going to expose my secret right here, right now.