Free Hooped (The Hooped Interracial Romance Series #1) by Claire Adams

that I’d be able to talk to him for at least a
couple of minutes.
    As my waiting dragged on, I started to doubt myself;
was I being stupid, hanging out like this? If I’d had Devon’s number—if I had
thought to get it from him—I could have just texted him to find out what he was
going to be up to after the game. I thought about how crushing it would be if
he saw me and then pretended like he didn’t even know who I was, like the girls had said he usually did. At least I won’t be making a scene because there’s practically no one here
anymore, I thought to myself, looking around nervously. If Devon didn’t
come out soon, they’d start locking up the arena, and I’d be kicked out without even having a chance to talk to him. But I
decided to wait anyway.

 
    Chapter
Ten
    After another fifteen minutes, having seen
everyone—even the coaches—leave the locker rooms, I had to know if I had missed
Devon altogether. Maybe I just missed him
while I was wandering around like an idiot. Maybe he takes really long showers,
and he’s still in the locker room. Maybe he was too busy giving interviews
after the game to get into the showers quickly. I knew at least that there
was no one in the locker room except for—maybe—Devon himself. Everyone else
that was even remotely affiliated with the team had already left. So I could
sneak in, see if he was in there.
    I hesitated only a few feet from the door. If I snuck
in that could look really creepy. I bit my bottom lip and considered the
situation. It could look really creepy, but it could also be a precursor to
more sex with a guy who was really good at it—not that I had a basis for comparison,
but I thought any guy who could get me off three times in one session was
definitely good at it. I grinned to myself at the thought of sneaking into the
locker room and finding Devon in the showers, taking off my clothes and
slipping underneath the showerhead next to him. It could be really hot—and at
least then, I thought, I’d have my answer one way or another. If he really
wasn’t interested in me beyond a one-night stand, then he’d just tell me to go
away. That thought gave me a little pause; it would be humiliating to be pushed
away by a naked guy.
    There was also the fact that I had to believe I wasn’t
the first person to think of that idea. There were probably plenty of
basketball bunnies who had done the same thing—and gotten a bad result. I didn’t
want to look like a groupie. I just wanted to talk to Devon and find out what
he really thought. I wanted to know whether the
warnings I had heard were accurate. I shouldn’t be thinking about
getting in some sneaky sex with Devon, even if he was incredibly hot. I should
be thinking about getting answers.
    I decided just to peek into the locker rooms. If the showers were on, I’d be able to hear it from the
door, and I’d know—since everyone else had already left—that it was Devon. I
could wait for a little while longer; the crew at the arena wouldn’t lock
everything up if there was still a player there. I might get kicked out, but I
could hang out in front, wait and talk to him. If he was still showering, he
obviously wasn’t in a huge hurry to get to a party.
    I took a deep breath and looked around; there wasn’t
anyone watching. I figured security would have already stopped me if they were
paying attention at all. I opened the door to the locker room and strained my
ears to catch any sound, any sign that there was someone inside. I couldn’t
hear anything at all. It was dead silent inside. Well, if nothing else, he definitely isn’t showering, I thought.
But he could be getting dressed. I took a step into the locker room, standing
on the balls of my feet, ready to dart out if a security guard or someone else
caught me.
    I peeked in. There was absolutely no one in there at
all; all of the lockers I could see were closed, locks fastened. The one marked
with Devon’s name was just as shut up as any of