Balance (Off Balance Book 1) (67 page)

Kova’s hand gripped my waist so tight that I knew I’d have a bruise tomorrow. Again. His orgasm flew into me and I took all of it.

Kova looked over his shoulder and gave Hayden a murderous glare, and yelled, “Get out!”

“Ah, oh…my…” Hayden stammered before slamming the door shut and leaving.

My head dropped to Kova’s neck. We were breathing so deeply when he asked, “What have we done?”

He pulled out, my legs slid weakly down his hips. His semen dripped down my inner thigh. I wanted to wipe it, but instead I tucked my boob back in and said, “I have to go. I need to find Hayden and make this right.” I didn’t have time for anything else.

Kova flattened his hand against the wall, caging me in. I looked up and locked gazes with his steely green eyes.

“You better fix this, Adrianna, this is your goddamn fault. I swear to God, if he utters a word of this to anyone, you will regret it.” He was seething with anger but with every right. “Do you understand? I will personally make sure your career is over.”

I nodded in understanding.

Quickly, I fled from his office. Luckily no one was in the hallway as I dashed to my locker. I threw on my sweats, jumping into the pant legs and then raced to the parking lot to find Hayden.

“Hayden! Hayden!” He was pulling open the driver’s side door when he looked over his shoulder. Disappointment. I saw nothing but disappointment laced in his eyes.

“Hayden,” I repeated breathlessly in front of him. “Wait.”

“What the fuck are you doing, Aid? Are you seriously sleeping with the coach?” My shoulders dropped. I wanted nothing more than to lie, but I refused. Hayden knew the answer. It was written on his crest fallen face.

He shook his head in disbelief. “Why, Aid? How could you?”

I didn’t respond—I couldn’t. There were no words for what he saw other than pure abandonment.

“Is he forcing you?” When I didn’t answer, he exclaimed, “Jesus, say something!”

I pulled my bottom lip between my teeth and contemplated what to say. Hayden just kept staring at me, waiting for an answer, but I was rendered speechless. I averted my gaze, ashamed of the truth. How did I explain I wanted everything without looking desperate?

Hayden placed both hands on my shoulders. “Answer me.”

I shrugged helplessly. “What do you want me to say?”

“You need to come forward and go to the police. This is rape, Aid.”

I shook my head frantically, my heart drumming against my ribs. “I can’t. It’s not rape, Hayden. It’s not.”

“Yes, it is. You’re underage.”

“He didn’t force me though.”

“Regardless if you consented or not, he still took advantage of you. You’re under his training, he preyed upon you like a disgusting sick fuck.” He ran a hand threw his hair. “I can only imagine who else he’s treated this way.”

“No, he didn’t. It’s not what you think. Please, you don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Hayden furiously yanked the car door open. “If you won’t do it, then I will.”

“No! Please!” I begged, on the verge of tears. “Please don’t. I’ll deny it if you do.”

He looked at me, stunned. “I think you need mental help. He brainwashed you, didn’t he? Threatened you if you told anyone?”

“No,” I lied. “I’ll deny it.”

Hayden slammed his door shut and stepped up to me. He cupped my jaw and I stared into his sincere blue eyes, my fingers laced over his.

“Did you do it to get ahead? Because you didn’t need to. You have what it takes, babe. You’ve improved greatly,” he said with such sorrow that my heart ached. “You’re a different gymnast, you’re not what you used to be. You’re so much better. Don’t be one of those girls who sleeps her way to the top. That’s not who you are.”

A fat tear slipped from my eye. Hayden saw it and pulled me to his chest, his lips pressed against the top of my head. I sobbed quietly on him, holding him. I needed him to understand the repercussions if he opened his mouth, but fear was taking over.

“Please, Hayden. Don’t tell anyone. You can’t.”

“You’re putting me in a tough spot. What he did is wrong. How long has this been going on?”

I swallowed. “Months.”

“How many months?”

I went with the truth. “I’m not positive, but about six months or so after I came here.”

Hayden cursed under his breath, hissing with anger.

“You don’t understand and it’s not what you think, I swear. There’s so much more to it than you know.” A heavy sigh burst from my throat and I said quietly, “He took me out of the meet for his own personal reasons.”

His brows bunched together. “What are you talking about?”

“He’s taking me out of my first meet, that’s what you walked in on. I went in there to yell at him and one thing led to another. He even called my parents and told them I wasn’t ready, even though he told me I was. He purposely took me out for his own personal reasons.” Tears began falling while I cried into Hayden’s chest. He wrapped his arms around me, comforting me and protecting me at the same time.

“He can’t do that.”

“He can, and he did,” I said between hiccups. “There’s nothing I can do about it now. At the end of the day, he has the right to take me out of a meet.”

Hayden cursed under his breath agreeing with me. “This is a big deal, Adrianna. We need to notify someone.”

I sucked in a breath and clutched his shirt in my hands. My heart was broken for two different reasons and I didn’t know how to deal with it.

“Please don’t get involved, Hayden. I’m begging you. This is my mess, not yours. I’ll explain everything to you if you promise not to speak a word of it to anyone.”

He groaned, torn between standing by his friend’s side and doing the right thing.

“You’re killing me here. Don’t sleep with him again. Okay? It’s not right. You’ll get caught eventually,” he paused. “We’ll figure something out together. Until then, be smart, focus on your love of the sport, nothing else. Fuck him—not literally.”

A sad laugh escaped my throat. Easier said than done.

Truth was, I couldn’t stop.

I didn’t want to…and I wouldn’t.

To be continued . . .

Read other books by Lucia Franco

To my husband, Tony
, who went into full attorney mode when I told him my idea for
Balance
. I’ll never forget your face, or the laws you started spouting off at the top of your head the night I told you what I was writing. Or when you pulled out one of your law school books and started flipping through it to answer my questions regarding the story. We both knew it was crazy from the get-go, but thank you for jumping on the bandwagon with me and allowing me to do my thing, and for the countless nights I spent sitting at the computer while you took over the family. Your support is most important and means everything.

Lisa Maurer.
You are a rare gem. Words could not express how much I appreciate the time and effort you put into
Balance
. The way you pushed me to dig deep and bring this story to life was exactly what I needed and I could never, ever thank you enough. You went above and beyond and tackled this beast with me, and fourteen hundred comments later, you helped bring
Balance
to fruition.
Balance
came out just how I envisioned. Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought asking you to beta, a virtual stranger at the time, would turn into an incredible friendship full of laughter and lifelong memories. Thank you for everything and more importantly, thanks for being my beta lifer.

Lori Scaman.
If you hadn’t messaged me that one day, I don’t know if I would be writing my acknowledgements right now. I wanted
Balance
to be more about the sport, more than a romance story, and more about what goes on behind the scenes, but realizing how much it had changed since I was a gymnast was overwhelming. I’d reached my breaking point, but your encouraging words, knowledge of the gymnastics world, and unwavering support made all the difference. You’re like my fairy-gymnastics-godmother. You heard my cries and reached out, offering your assistance any way you could. Thank you so much for all your help, the countless rereads to make sure every gym term was correct, and putting up with the mountain of questions I asked you.

Nadine Winningham.
I’m running out of ways to tell you how incredibly amazing you are as an editor. You’re a woman of many talents and never cease to amaze me. Thank you are two words that just aren’t enough for you, but I will continue to say them because I am so grateful to have you, not only as my editor, but as my very best friend. Thank you so much for the time you spent polishing up
Balance
and bringing out its true shine.

Alyssa West.
One of these days you’re going to learn how to use Track Changes for feedback instead of voice messages. You’ve been by my side since the beginning, not only with
Balance
, but with all my books. You’ve rooted for me and supported me. You’ve listened to me vent and cry and have always been there when I needed you, and Lord knows I needed you while writing
Balance
. Thank you for your honest and humorous critiquing, and the endless hours of brainstorming you did with me.

Author Micalea Smeltzer.
Your inspiring words about writing and not holding back helped push me to write
Balance
. You gave me hope, the courage to write this story how I wanted, and not how I was supposed to. I never forgot them, and I never will. You’re still my goal.

Author R.E. Hunter.
I asked you many questions regarding the law and you were always so quick to research them. Thank you so much for your help and for being patient with me.

Authors Leddy Harper, Stephie Walls, and Gabbie Duran.
I’m sorry my drafts were such a hot mess! Really, I’m so sorry, but thank you for not giving up on me and taking the time to critique
Balance
. I know it was a tough job and a daunting challenge, but you guys saddled up and took hold of the reins.

Author K.A. Linde.
I still think about that late night, many years ago, when we were looking for forbidden books to read and the idea for
Balance
came to me. You were the first to know about the series and probably one of the most excited. Thank you so much for your help and feedback. By the way, I’m still waiting for you to write that dance book. No one could pull that off better than you.

Author Elizabeth Grace
, my morning writing buddy. I’m so glad we found each other! But can we get on a better schedule once school starts up, please? We need each other!

Jessica Carnes and Jill Mac,
thank you for your early feedback. I know it was a disaster at the time, but thank you.

Emily Smith-Kidman.
Thank you for working so diligently on promoting
Balance
...and putting up with all my questions. Your selflessness does not go unnoticed, nor does all the hard work you put in for the book world. Thank you so, so much!

Cover Models Haley Scaman, Ethan Jose, and Madison Mooring of Madison Mooring Photography.
Thank you for taking the time out of your schedules to do a photo shoot. I know it was a busy time of the year for you all, but thank you so much for making it work. I appreciate it more than words could ever express. My goal for all my gymnastics covers was for them to be authentic and match, and now they will, thanks to you guys. Madison, thank you for all the extra photos you gave me. So generous of you!

To my amazing cover designer, Letitia Hasser.
You amaze me. I know I threw a mess of designs at you for the Off Balance covers. I almost want to say I’m sorry, but I won’t because it’s like you sifted through the haze and saw what I was going for. Seeing how you nailed all three covers on the first try was jaw dropping. They’re everything I thought they would be and more, and I have you to thank for that. Your talent knows no bounds.