Release (Off Balance 3)

"Katja, we may have come to this country to build our life together, but things have changed. We both have changed, and nothing will ever be the same. Now, get me hard and open your mouth."

Thick gasps and Russian words whispered through the air. I had to get out of there, the sounds, their voices, their words, were making me ill. But what set me over the edge was the sound of grunting, followed by a soft yearn of a moan that reminded me of sex.

"Ty moya lyubimyy." He spoke only for her ears, his tone instantly reminding me of when he said prosti to me, and it made my heart drop.

I kept my eyes trained on the linoleum as I made my way back to the gym. I wondered how often Kova and Katja had sex in his office at World Cup during training hours.

My head was foggy, like I was trying to feel my way through a cloudy maze with no more than a foot of visibility in front of me. I didn't know what to think anymore other than it was all a game to Kova. It had to be. What he made me feel, he made Katja feel the same too. What he told me, he told her too.

He made me admit to myself that I loved him. It wasn't fair. It was vindictive and unforgiving.

Stepping back into the gym, I looked up and spotted Hayden. He gave me a tentative smile, but I couldn’t find it in me to return the gesture. I wasn't sure how long my coach's romp would be, so I decided to work on the double layouts on the high bar over the foam pit instead of on the uneven bars. I hated climbing out of that thing, but I didn't have my coach there to spot me.

I also wasn't in the right frame of mind to risk landing on the actual floor. So there was that.

Coming up from the pit, Hayden was there waiting with his hand out. He was covered in chalk and looking so cute. My heart dropped for the second time in less than an hour. I missed my friend.

"Thanks," I said.

"I see he's got you working on a new dismount."

"Yeah."

We stood there, studying each other. It shouldn't be this weird between us. Yes, I’d had sex with my best friend, but there was a whole other issue we had to deal with.

"Where's your coach?"

"He's on lunch break. Yours?"

"Banging his wife in his office." I rolled my eyes, trying not to show how hurt I was knowing what Kova was doing—that he would do that—right now.

Hayden's brows shot up and his eyes flickered with mischief. Stepping closer, his breath tickled the curve of my neck. "Meet me in the locker room?" he whispered.

I tilted my head just slightly. A deep blush filled my cheeks.

"Please, Aid. We should talk. Let me explain myself and then we can have a happy ending." He smirked and I got the hint loud and clear.

"Hayden," I whispered. "Anyone could walk in there."

"Come on, let's go."

I stopped him and got serious. "Only if you tell me the truth about you and Reagan. I tell you everything, so it's only fair you tell me about the pills."

He hesitated for a split second, then agreed. "It's not like I sell pills to tons of people." Hayden kept his voice low as we walked toward the lobby. "And I'm not a dealer by any means. I only sell to a handful of people, and one of them is Reagan. She gets Adderall to focus and painkillers I never use."

I looked around nervously. No one could hear us, but I was still paranoid. "Why can't she just go to the doctor to get it herself?"

"Because you can't just walk into a doctor's office and ask for specific medication, and from what she's told me, she's tried and has been refused. I get a small pharmacy of medication every month, so does Holly. I sell Reagan what I have."

We stepped into the lobby and Hayden took my hand in his, pulling me toward the locker room. Drawing closer to Kova's office door, I shot a glance in that direction, my heart instantly dropping into my stomach, twisting into a dozen knots when I heard something fall to the floor. I forced myself to look in the other direction. They weren't loud, but since we were right across the hall, and I knew what was happening, I couldn't stop myself from thinking about it.

Swallowing thickly, I asked, "Does Holly know?"

"No, and she never will."

I shook my head as we stepped into the locker room. "But why, Hayden? Aren't you worried about being caught?"