Page 2 of The Recovery Coach
“If you leave right now, don’t bother coming back.We’re done,” he yelled after her.
“Good,” she said, and stormed out of the apartment, slamming the door behind her.
She’d maintained her dignity in front of Lance, but as soon as she pulled away from the curb, the tears poured.Olivia drove until her apartment complex was well out of sight before pulling into a mostly abandoned parking lot to cry.She cried and screamed and sobbed until her tears dried up and the resignation to starting over set in.She held the steering wheel and buried her face in her forearms, letting herself wallow until her head pounded and the stabbing sensation in her lower abdomen forced her to problem-solve.
She turned the key in The Reaper and thanked the universe when it started on the first try.Her mind didn’t consciously register her intention in direction until she arrived at her destination.
Parking in the middle of the ridiculous round driveway, she blocked in Connor’s gaudy G-Wagon.All that money couldn’t buy taste.She slammed the door on the shitty Honda Civic she’d been driving since high school and let herself into her best friend’s house.
It was dark.He probably wasn’t home.She flipped on the lights as she searched for him.
When she found him, she swore the universe was playing a cruel practical joke on her.The lights in the living room were dim, a sitcom playing on his massive TV, the volume reduced to inaudible levels.Connor sat in the dark, legs spread, arms along the back of the couch, head tossed back in pleasure as a silhouetted head bobbed in his lap.
Olivia’s heart sank, but she rolled her eyes and made herself at home, unsurprised by his debauchery.She dropped her bag on the kitchen floor and searched the cupboard for something to snack on.No way would she be able to sleep.Connor would make everything better; she just had to wait until he could shower her with affection.
Kicking herself for depriving herself of his company over the last six months, she sighed.She’d barely visited her favorite person in the entire world since moving to the same city.He’d been a huge part of the draw to Seattle, her head filled with fantastical ideas about going to all his games and hanging out in the off-season.
Lance met Connor once and nixed the idea.
Apparently, it was “highly inappropriate” for men and women to be friends.Olivia disagreed, but when forced to choose, you were always supposed to choose your partner.She’d limited her interaction with Connor to text messages and meme exchanges even though he lived less than half an hour from her apartment.Dodging his invitations to games and parties had killed her for months until he stopped inviting her altogether.
Olivia poured a bowl of Cocoa Puffs and slammed the cupboard shut when she put the cereal away.She chose the perfect spoon from Connor’s vast collection and sat on a bar stool facing away from the couch.The temptation to sneak a peek was strong.When would she ever have another opportunity to see him like this?Teenage Olivia would simply have died if she knew even that one quick glance was in her future.
Shit.She couldn’t be entertaining those thoughts.
Maybe Lance had a point about Olivia’s relationship with Connor.Her infatuation had started young, and despite time and distance, it never truly faded.Olivia had reassured Lance a million times that he had nothing to worry about from Connor, and that was true.On Connor’s end.But on Olivia’s?If she thought there was even the glimmer of a chance, she would have dropped Lance in a heartbeat.
She tapped her spoon on the counter, creating a steady, repetitive noise.There’s no way he missed the lights coming on or the sounds of the fridge opening and closing.She purposefully announced her presence.Yet his soft sounds of pleasure still filled the space, loud to Olivia’s ears.
She tried to focus on her cereal and took a massive bite.A gasp from Connor had her turning on instinct, whirling around on her stool to greet him.Every time they were separated for an extended period Olivia convinced herself that she misremembered how pretty he was.The man had no business being so damn beautiful.She thought he’d finally noticed her, but he remained occupied.His hands fisted in the girl’s hair, encouraging her to move faster; his hips moving with her rhythm.Olivia tried to rip herself away from the captivating show.He picked his head up to look at the woman going to town on his dick.
His eyes met Olivia’s before they could find his target.Immediately, his posture changed.Gone was the relaxed, pleasure-filled being she’d been inadvertently admiring, and in his place was her panicked best friend.His body jerked, shoving his dick down the girl’s throat.She gagged.Connor tore her mouth away from his cock and tucked himself into his sweats.
“Jesus Christ, Livy.I thought you were Lover.What the fuck are you doing here?”Connor asked, ignoring the girl who’d been servicing him and crossing the room to stand in front of Olivia.
Connor “Lover” Valentine was Connor’s linemate on the Seattle Freeze.The Freeze had a whole line the fans lovingly called The Connor Line since all three forwards shared the same first name.Valentine and Connor had become inseparable over the years, so it made sense that he would have assumed Valentine was the one making the obnoxious noise in the kitchen.
Olivia snapped her still-full mouth shut and wiped milk off her chin.
The girl he’d abandoned rose from her knees and faced them, wiping fluid from her mouth with the back of her hand in a much less embarrassing motion.She glared at Olivia, who waved and gave the girl a sheepish smile.
“Sorry,” Olivia told Connor.“I needed you.”The woman joined them, wrapping her arm around his waist in a possessive gesture.Olivia offered a handshake and said, “Hi, I’m Olivia.Didn’t mean to interrupt.”
Connor’s hookup left Olivia hanging.She dropped her hand to her side.“Connor, are you going to introduce your friend?”
It sounded like an innocent question, but the death stare Connor gave her confirmed Olivia’s suspicion.This woman could attempt to stake any claim she wanted.Connor didn’t even know her name.
“Oof,” she grimaced apologetically.“Didn’t think so.”
Connor unraveled himself from the woman’s arms and snagged her hand, pulling her toward the front door.He shoved the girl’s arms into a jacket and slammed the door in her face, giving false promises to call tomorrow.
Chapter 2
Hazy
Hazyshutthedoorbehind the woman and trotted back to the kitchen where he found his childhood friend had returned to her cereal.
“You didn’t have to stop on my account,” she said.
