Page 15 of Stalked By the Coach

I roundthe corner toward the locker room and freeze. Mrs. Chen and Mr. Reed stand in the hallway, whispering to each other. "...anonymous emails...Dalton's losing it...thinks there's something going on between a student and coach..."

My heart leaps into my throat.They know. Shit, they know!

I duck behind the trophy case, pulse pounding. They can't find out about me and Lydia. Not now. Not when we're so close.

Mrs. Chen glances over her shoulder, and I shrink back into the shadows. "Who do you think it is?" she hisses.

"I have my suspicions," Mr. Reed says. "There's something off about that Thompson fellow. Always hanging around the girls' track practices, staring at that Hartman girl."

Rage boils in my veins. How dare they cast suspicion on me? On Lydia? We've been careful. So fucking careful.

They walk off, still deep in conversation, and I slump against the wall. We can't risk being seen together anymore. No more secret rendezvous in my office after hours. No more longing looks across the track as Lydia rounds the bend, blonde hair streaming behind her like a golden banner.

My hands curl into fists. They want to take her away from me. They want to destroy us.

But they can't have her.

Lydia ismine, and I'll do whatever it takes to keep her. Even if that means going to ground until this whole investigation blows over.

She's waiting for me in my office like always, perched on the edge of my desk with her long, tanned legs crossed. Heart-shaped face, rosebud lips, eyes like blue fire. Desire rips through me at the sight of her.

I lock the door behind me, and in two quick strides I'm pinning her to the desk, claiming her mouth in a savage kiss. She moans, arching into me, and I swallow the sound. "We have to stop," I growl against her lips. "They're onto us."

Lydia pulls back, eyes wide. "What? Who?" Panic edges her voice.

"The teachers. They suspect there's something going on between a student and coach. We have to be careful."

She bites her lip, and I fight back a groan. Even in the face of discovery, she still has the power to get me rock hard.

She buries her face in my chest, her body shaking with sobs. The sound tears at my heart, and I curse myself for being so selfish and dragging her into this.

Still, I can't find the strength to let her go. Not now.

"We'll get through this," I murmur, rubbing her back in slow, soothing circles.

Lydia looks up at me, eyes red-rimmed but filled with hope.

I cupher face in my hands. "You're my girl, Lydia Hartman. That will never change."

A ghost of a smile flickers across her lips before she throws her arms around my neck, clinging to me like I'm her lifeline.

I flex my jaw.

No one will take her away from me.

* * *

The next day I enter Rick Dalton's office, my heart pounding wildly in my chest. He looks up from his desk, eyes narrowing at my obvious discomfort.

"Have a seat, Burke." His tone is clipped, impatient. I sink into the chair across from him, wiping my sweaty palms on my jeans.

Rick leans forward, pinning me in place with his stare. "I've been hearing some disturbing rumors about you and Lydia Hartman. Care to explain?"

My mouth goes dry. I struggle to form a coherent response, panic threatening to overwhelm me. "There's nothing to explain," I say weakly. "Those rumors aren't true."

"Really?" He raises a skeptical brow. "Because multiple students and teachers have reported seeing the two of you in...compromising positions. And Lydia's performance has been suffering lately, which suggests she's distracted. By you."

I swallow hard, fighting to keep my expression neutral. "Lydia and I have a strictly professional relationship. Any allegations to the contrary are false and unfounded."

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