HE IS MY KARMA

ROWAN

The rink smelled like cold sweat,and ice exhaust.

My chest burned as I stepped off the ice, my skate guards clicking against the corridor behind the home bench, pulling my gloves off with my teeth. My knuckles were bloody from raw friction. I leaned back against the rusted storage lockers, my head thrown back against the wall, trying to get my breathing under control.

"You’re going to tear those laces again."

The voice sank straight into my marrow. I didn't move. I couldn't... My heart slammed against my ribs so hard it rattled my teeth.

I opened my eyes slowly. Standing three feet away in the shadow of the equipment rack was Theo.

He looked fucking lethal. Sharp jaw, dark hair messy from the damp air, his black coat tailored, his eyes burning with that same arrogant, beautiful malice that used to ruin me when we were seventeen. He looked like the absolute worst decision I’d ever made, and my body recognized him before my brain could even register the terror.

"Theo," I choked out, my voice thick and ruined.

"Say it again," Theo murmured, stepping directly into my space. He didn't hesitate. He thrust his hands inside my open jacket, gripping the fabric over my ribs, and pinned me flush against the brick wall. "Say my fucking name like you actually missed me, Rowan."

My breath hitched. My hands hovered over his waist, my fingers twitching. Three years of buried guilt, three years of filthy, secret muscle memory flared up instantly. 

"You shouldn't be here," I rasped, but I didn't shove him off. God help me, I couldn't. I was paralyzed. "If someone sees you…"

"Fuck who sees us," Theo hissed, leaning up until his lips were an inch from mine. His grip on my shirt tightened, pulling me down into him. "Look at you. Captain's patch. Big fucking hero on the ice. Do you still think about me when you're in this room, Ro? Do you still remember what you used to do to me on that bench over there?"

"Every fucking day," I breathed, my eyes dropping to his mouth. It was a compulsion. A sick, magnetic pull that made my head spin. "Theo, please…"

"I swore I’d kill you when I got out," Theo whispered, his breath hot and sweet against my jaw. He dragged his mouth along the line of my throat, slow, deliberate, making my whole body go taut as a wire. "I swore I’d come back and tear your pathetic fucking life to pieces. But then I get close to you... and you still smell like the only thing I ever wanted."

My head tilted in, yielding. I wanted to grab his jaw. I wanted to bite his lip until I tasted blood. We were two seconds away from tearing each other's clothes off against the concrete.

Then, a faint metallic click echoed down the hall. My eyes flicked past Theo’s shoulder.

Julian was standing at the end of the corridor by the skate sharpener. His grey hoodie was pulled over his head, his hands shoved deep in his pockets. His mismatched eyes were wide, taking in every inch of Theo pressed against me, every inch of my body yielding to him. A flash of raw, agonizing hurt cut across his face before he instantly locked it down into cold, dead indifference.

Panic hit me instantly as I slammed my hands against Theo’s chest and shoved him off me hard.

"Get the fuck off me!" I roared, my breath ragged, pulling my collar straight as I stumbled back.

Theo hit the lockers with a heavy thud. He straightened his coat, his dark eyes flashing with confusion until he turned his head and saw Julian standing in the shadows.

The chemistry in the hallway instantly turned rancid. Theo’s mouth twisted into a dark, cruel smirk, but his eyes were blazing with pure, green-eyed jealousy.

"Well, well, well," Theo purred, his voice dripping with venom as he looked between the two of us. "You pulled away from me... for him?"

"Theo, shut your fucking mouth," I growled, my heart battering my ribs.

 "Julian, listen to me…"

"Don't touch me, Ashcroft," Julian said, his voice flat, hollow, and colder than the ice behind us. He didn't even look at me his eyes were glued to Theo. "Save your speech for my brother, you both need the privacy I shouldn’t be here." Julian whispered in a hoarse voice, staggering backward and away from the locker room 

“Is that what this is?" Theo spat, stepping directly between me and Julian, his voice rising, sharp and nasty. "You get bored of wrecking my life, so you go low enough to target my little brother? You're really trying to fuck your way through my whole bloodline, Rowan?"

"I said shut up!" I took a hard step past Theo, ignoring him entirely. Ny feets racing after Julian out the door 

The sharp, loud ping of a text message echoed in the hallway. My phone vibrated violently in my pocket. I pulled my screen out, my eyes going wide as soon as I saw the pictures.

The first was three years old…dark, explicit, taken in my bedroom, it was me at seventeen, pinned to the mattress, my mouth buried in Theo’s neck while his hands held me down.

The second was from last night taken through my car window. My hand clamped around Julian’s jaw, forcing him to look at me in the dark.

Underneath the pictures, a text from an unlisted number burned into the screen

Stay the fuck away from my brother Ro. or your dipshit homophobic father  Senator Ashcroft's  gets this in his inbox by noon. Let’s see how long your hockey career lasts and how your lovely  sissy Maya gets burnt… we both know how daddy dearest takes out his anger. 

All the blood drained from my face. My vision blurred at the edges. Maya. The team. Everything.

I looked up, completely paralyzed.

Theo stood by the heavy metal fire exit, his hands tucked neatly into his pockets . He looked dangerous, handsome, and entirely in control. He gave me a low , mocking wink.

“I built you, Rowan, and I know exactly where to put the knife to bleed you dry. You stay away from Julian.  When I tell you to jump, you ask how high, and when I tell you to crawl, you drop to your knees. Step out of line once, and I will send those photos to your father."