CHAPTER 2
The next day, the prep room door clicked shut behind them with a finality that made Riley’s thighs clench so hard she felt it in her stomach. The lock turned, a soft metallic snick that echoed in the empty wing of the convention center like a starting gun. Tournament day two, and the entire floor was theirs for the next forty-five minutes of “practice.” No teammates. No judges. Just the two of them, the scent of fresh coffee and printer ink, and three years of rivalry that had finally boiled over into something neither of them could name.
Riley backed up until her ass hit the long prep table, heart slamming against her ribs. “This is a terrible idea,” she said, voice already breathy. “We’re supposed to be running drills for the semifinals, not locking ourselves in a room like w
