Page 28 of Red Zone

The lab was quiet save for the rustle of papers and the soft clink of equipment from the few people who were also using the space. I hesitated before approaching her, enjoying the moment I could take her in unnoticed. The girl was worth fighting for. That thought kept recurring despite her uncle being my head coach.

“Hey.” I slid into the seat next to her.

She started before a slight grin curved her mouth. “Hey, yourself.” She glanced at her phone, and her brows rose. “You’re early.”

I shrugged. “Looks like it worked out since you’ve already got everything set up for the experiment.”

I wanted to take it back the second I said it because that distant wall she wore when she tutored me snapped into place. It was probably for the best, or it was while we got some work done. I shoved my thoughts aside and focused on what she had to teach me. Halfway through our session, the lab cleared out until it was just the two of us.

Our hands touched a few times as she handed me chemicals or slides, and the slight brush of her skin against mine sent pings traveling up my arm and into my chest. Tension crackled between us until it was all I could think of. I moved closer until our legs touched, and awareness buzzed through my entire body—she didn’t pull away, and I heard the intake of her breath. Pinkstained her cheeks, telling me I wasn’t the only one who felt the current between us.

I set down the microscope slide to face her. I had to touch her. I couldn’t resist her another second. My hands slid into her long, thick hair as I cradled the sides of her face and the back of her head as I closed the distance. My lips grazed hers slowly. When her body softened and she leaned into me, heat exploded through me, and I deepened the kiss.

Her taste was intoxicating, an addiction I couldn’t shake. The sharp ping of my phone cut through the haze, relentless and demanding. Skye’s hands pressed firmly against my chest, pushing just enough to break the spell. Reluctantly, I let her go, and we gasped for air, our breathing ragged and uneven. No one had ever unraveled me like that—only Skye. She was everything I’d ever wanted, everything I’d been too blind or stubborn to admit I needed until now.

The kiss felt like stepping off a ledge into the unknown. Skye tasted like every dream I couldn’t afford to have. If Coach found out, it wouldn’t just be a slap on the wrist—it could destroy everything I’d worked for. But as I looked into her wide, confused eyes, I could only think how much I wanted to do it again.

“We shouldn’t have done that,” she whispered. But even as she said it, I could see the same hunger mirrored in her expression.

“We should’ve. And I hope we do again,” I promised.

But in the back of my mind, alarm bells blared. As much as I wanted to lose myself in Skye, a small voice warned me to pull back. I was playing with fire. I had to repeatedly remind myself that her uncle was Coach Becket, the man who held my future in his hands.And after what Thompson said about staying focused?The timing couldn’t be worse. But none of it mattered when she looked at me like that.

She shook her head, put some space between us, and got to work cleaning up the supplies on the desk, probably to escape the conversation we needed to have. Her phone rang, and she ducked her head, breaking eye contact as she moved away, bringing it to her ear as she answered. Her back was to me as she successfully avoided my gaze.

The dual responsibilities weighed heavily, and I finally picked up my phone to see who’d messaged just as a grad student I’d met in one of the TA sessions, Joe Riken, and a girl who was friends with Brittany, one of the cheerleaders, entered. They were deep in conversation, only sparing a glance our way.

I hadn’t meant to eavesdrop, but Joe’s voice carried across the lab. “Megan, you’ve been messing with the performance-enhancement study samples. Don’t think I haven’t noticed.”

Megan’s response was sharp. “Stop being paranoid, Joe. Everything’s accounted for.”

My gut tightened as I watched Megan storm back out, her face red. Joe slammed his notebook shut, muttering something under his breath. I didn’t like how his voice rose, or how Megan stomped out without looking back. Something about it felt off. I glanced at Skye, her head down as she spoke into her phone from the far corner of the lab where she’d moved, oblivious to the tension between Joe and the blonde. If anything shady was going down, I would make damn sure it didn’t touch Skye.

I finally glanced at my phone and winced at the group chat message as Skye ended her call and returned.

I told her quietly, not wanting Joe to overhear. “Coach called an emergency meeting.”

Skye whipped her gaze to mine, worry leaching the color from her face. “Do you think they got results for what happened to Jackson?”

“That would be my guess. Come on.” I grabbed the rest of the slides and chemicals from her, washed them, and returned them to the cabinet. “I’ll walk you to your car.”

Joe’s accusation lingered in my mind as we left the lab.Samples being messed with?It could’ve been nothing—just two students in a spat—but with everything going on lately, it was hard not to connect the dots to Jackson. I made a mental note to mention it to Fio since Skye said she’d been asking about the chemistry department, specifically Professor White. If something shady was happening in the lab, it was better to get ahead of it.

Reality popped the bubble we’d managed to create in the lab, and I gathered my thoughts. But as my hand grazed Skye’s elbow, she glanced at me with heavy-lidded eyes, and everything in me froze, instincts roaring to take her in my arms. She shifted closer, our pace slowing as tension built between us, and her intoxicating lightly floral scent grabbed me by the throat. My fingers brushed hers, a barely there touch that sent a spark zipping through me. She didn’t pull away. Instead, her breath hitched, and I couldn’t resist the magnetic pull drawing me closer. My hand slid to the small of her back, tentative but deliberate.

Her step faltered, a shiver rippling through her as if my touch ignited something beneath her skin. Slowly, she turned her head, her gaze locking with mine. The look in her eyes unraveled me—every unspoken word, every charged moment between us in the lab condensed into a smoldering intensity that left no room for doubt.

“Do we need to head out yet?” My voice was low, uneven, betraying my restraint. My eyes flicked toward a nearby door, half wondering, half hoping. “Or…”

She followed the direction of my gaze and shook her head, the movement slow, deliberate, and laced with everything shewasn’t saying. I wanted her—I couldn’t deny it. The tension between us snapped, and I closed the small gap separating us. Her breath caught as I moved into her space, but she didn’t hesitate. Her arms slid up, wrapping around my neck, pulling me closer.

I backed her toward the door, the cool wood pressing against her spine as my hand found her waist. For a heartbeat, time felt suspended in the charged air between us, her lips just a breath away from mine. Then I slanted my mouth over hers, claiming what we both knew had been inevitable. She melted into me, her fingers tangling in my hair as I deepened the kiss, heat roaring to life between us.

The door clicked open under our combined weight, and we stumbled into the dimly lit room. My hands gripped her hips, steadying her as I kicked the door shut behind us then reached behind me to lock it. The world outside ceased to exist. There was only her—soft, warm, and intoxicating.

I moved us away from the door and any windows, skirting around desks in the empty classroom, then my mouth found hers again in a frantic kiss that she matched. As our tongues tangled, my hands roamed, skimming over her soft curves. Everything about her drew me in—the soft noises she made, how she fit perfectly against me, and the uncontrollable passion that detonated from a simple touch. I wanted her—always. That had never changed. I wanted all of her.

I broke the kiss, our breaths crashing in the small space between us. “Are you sure about this?”Please be sure.

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