“Y-yes?” My tone was high, surprised, and I had to resist the temptation to cover myself up.

“Are you all right all the way over here? You look a little lonely.”

She was so close now that her right arm pressed against my left, and scorching heat traveled from that spot and zipped through my entire body. There was no other possible explanation—she was definitely trying to kill me via random orgasm.

“L-lonely?” Why the hell did she think I was lonely? Because I hadn’t taken the shower right next to hers? Surely she knew the etiquette? It was like men in bathrooms—they wouldn’t take a urinal next to another guy unless it was the only one that was free. It was just the way things were. Plus I’d been doing a similar sort of thing for months, and she was just picking up on it now?

“Yeah, lonely. I thought perhaps you wanted some…company.” She practically purred the words at me, and I could almost hear the cogs in my brain turning and clicking into place. Eventually my mind offered up a solution.

She’s coming on to you.

What? No, she couldn’t be. Could she?

Taking a couple of healthy gulps of the drink in my hand, I hoped the booze would kick in soon and give me just enough of a buzz to loosen my tongue. But not so much that I thought karaoke and dancing on the tables was a good idea. Not that this do had karaoke—it was much too classy. Or at least it was classy at the moment—it was still early. I’d never been to a party full of world-famous athletes before. Perhaps things got messy after a while. I guessed I’d find out soon enough.

I glanced around the room, trying to look as though I belonged, as though I didn’t feel as awkward as fuck waiting for my crush to return. My gaze was drawn back to Nadia, so I let it be. She had her back to me, anyway, and I drank in the sight of her, her long brunette hair free from its constraints for once. And as for the knee-length black dress and strappy silver heels…well, let’s just say they made her look so gorgeous it hurt.

By the time she came back, I only had a tiny bit of my liquid courage left, so I finished it, put the glass down on a nearby table and took the one she offered with a smile.

“Thanks.”

She shrugged. “No problem. It’s not as if I paid for it. So, what did you think of today?”

“Um, well, it was great that Travis won, obviously…” I didn’t know what else to say. How could I discuss this subject without mentioning her knock-out?

“Hey, you don’t have to sugarcoat it, V. I had the women’s title within my grasp and I blew it. But I’m not bitter. Sasha Cross deserved to win. She played better than I did. It looks as if I’m not leaving the academy any time soon. Not least ‘til I’ve got a Grand Slam title under my belt. Hopefully that’ll be the Australian Open.”

My heart leaped and a warm feeling permeated through my body. I hadn’t thought of it like that. Yes, being beaten in the final was shit for Nadia, but brilliant for me. It removed some of the urgency from my plan, certainly. And if I got my head out of my arse and got on with it—and everything went my way, of course—we could have a few months together before she had to leave the country for any length of time.

Bringing myself back to the present, I pulled out my racket before dumping the rest of my stuff in my locker. Then I checked my laces and my hair—two things that could totally screw up a game if they weren’t right—and walked deeper into the area to see if there was anyone around who wanted to knock a few balls around. It was oddly deserted, and the only sound was a shower. I wasn’t about to barge in there, so I turned to leave. There was bound to be someone around. Just as I passed the little corridor that housed the showers, the spray was turned off and after a slight pause a figure stepped out.

I barely prevented my mouth from gaping open as I realized it was Nadia standing there in nothing but a miniscule white towel. Her long legs were on display from upper thigh, and I had to work hard to rein in my lust. Forcing a smile, I said, “Hello, Nadia. How’s it going?”

Returning my smile, she moved past me and toward her locker. She retrieved her bag and began pulling out everything she needed to get dressed. “Hey. I’m good, thanks. What about you? Glad to get back to training?”

As she spoke, she shamelessly dropped her towel and carried on as normal. And why wouldn’t she? It was a women’s changing room, after all. Nudity happened in here all the time. The worst part was that I’d known it was going to happen, yet I still hadn’t managed to prepare myself for the sight.

“U-uh, yes. Really glad. I’m just about to head out onto the courts to see if anyone wants to play. You’re the only one in here.”

“Huh. I guess it makes sense, though—after the Open, a lot of players and coaches head out to see family, take vacations for a couple weeks. Then they get back to it.”

I’d fixed my gaze firmly on her face just after she’d dropped the towel and, as a result, was clinging on to my sanity. Just. “Yeah, I never thought of that. So how come you haven’t taken a vacation?”