Page 84 of Broken Romeo

I truly expected Kate to chicken out delivering the panties.

I had emailed her the drop-off details for the panties on Sunday morning after our kiss. The lockers outside of the school indoor pool were the perfect spot. They weren’t assigned to anyone specific, but I had been keeping my lock on 455 since the first week of school.

I did a shit ton of cross training at the pool to remain limber and help my breathwork as a quarterback. I’d felt fucking stupid when Dad made me train in the pool in high school, but I’d be goddamned if Dad wasn’t right about it.

But she didn’t come at all yesterday.

Sunday came and went and on Monday morning at 4:45 a.m., I came to the pool to warm up and work out before class. I eagerly went to locker 455 in the common area and my stack of hundred dollar bills was still there.

Mocking me.

Maybe she wouldn’t come at all? Maybe she was willing to take the loss on the cash? Or maybe she found another way to make a quick buck?

I slammed locker 455 shut and then opened up the one next to it to put my stuff into, since for obvious reasons, I couldn’t use 455 for my clothes and bag anymore.

Grumbling, I stomped into the men’s dressing room and put on my Speedo. Then, snapping my swim cap on, I took a quick shower to wash up before heading into the pool. Most guys skipped this step, but it was a rule for a reason.

More sanitary for Christ’s sake.

This is bullshit, I thought as I scrubbed myself down. What is she waiting for? And why the fuck was it bothering me so much.

I yanked the lever, turning the water off and didn’t bother to dry off as I grabbed my goggles and flung my towel over my wet shoulder.

Maybe I should email her again. Just to double check she was planning on coming—

Through the window of the men’s locker room door, I spied her.

My lungs seized their breathing. I swear my fucking heart stopped beating for a second.

My stomach leapt into my throat. She was here.

And there was only one reason she’d be here at the asscrack of dawn.

Unfortunately, she wasn’t alone out there.

She was being interrogated by Addison and another girl that I recognized as another freshman in our Method 101 class. Addison hovered over Kate like a vulture picking at a carcass on the side of the road.

Addison’s voice grated on my brain as she talked down to Kate. “Since you are neither swimmer nor dancer, I have to echo Bailey’s question and ask you what the hell are you doing here?”

Clearly she never thought in a thousand years this freshman would pose such a threat to her.

Because that’s what Kate was.

A threat to Addison.

Hell, she was a threat to us all just in very different ways.

“I, um…” Kate stuttered, searching for an answer. “Well…”

I pushed through the men’s locker room door.

“She’s here to see me,” I said, crossing to Kate and dropping my arm casually across her shoulders.

My eyes met the younger girl’s briefly.

I knew her. I knew her from something other than our class… but why? Where did I know that girl?

I didn’t have a lot of time to dwell on it because Addison screeched, “What?” Her eyes darted between me and Kate. “But she’s with Dave.”