Page 59 of Always Yours

“I didn’t realize it made you emotional,” he says, his eyes meeting mine. “It was just a dumb joke. I’m sorry.”

I wave him off quickly. “I told you, it’s fine. Shelli, it’s fine. I promise.”

She looks between us. “Are you two romantically involved?”

“Well, that’s none of your goddamn business,” Dimitri snaps, just as I say, “No, we’re not.”

Shelli doesn’t move her gaze from his. He’s so much taller than us, both of us have to look up at him. She then looks at me. “It would be inappropriate if you were.”

Before I can say anything, Dimitri declares, “Says the person pregnant by a player, and who has a sister who is a coach and is married to another player.”

She presses her lips together, meeting his gaze. “I was talking to her.”

He folds his arms over his chest, his jaw going taut. “Just because you don’t like me doesn’t me you get to start changing rules to make my life harder.”

Her brow perks, and I want to die right there. “I can do whatever the hell I want because this is my team.”

His eyes darken. “You’re right. But surely, as a leader, you know better.”

Now it’s her eyes that narrow to slits. “I know how to do my job. Do yours, Mr. Titov.”

“I have no issue with that, as long as things are as fair as they’ve always been.”

“Things are changing.”

“Yet you can’t accept that we’ve changed as people and we’ve grown?”

“What are you talking about?” she snaps, and even I’m lost.

“You are acting like this because of what happened between us when we were kids. Which, by the way, is pathetic and ridiculous—again, we were kids, Shelli. Stupid, horny kids.”

A flush burns Shelli’s face, and I step away. “I don’t feel this is a conversation for me to be a part of,” I announce. “Plus, I have a session today.”

Before either of them can stop me, I rush away, heading straight for the med wing. I don’t have a session, but after all this, I need one. Thankfully, I don’t see my sisters or anyone else on my way, and I pray Shelli and Dimitri don’t kill each other. Though, I wouldn’t expect anything less. I want to know the story. I want to hear what he has to say, but I don’t want to be nosy. I want to respect their privacy.

When I reach the therapy room, I am relieved to see Angela Paxton behind the desk. Alone. She has been training someone, and I don’t care for the other woman. Angela has a kind face, a sweet demeanor, and I just get the sense she feels things when she talks to someone. She reminds me of my therapist back home. We vibe, and I need that right now.

When I shut the door behind me, Angela looks up, her blondish-brown hair falling over her shoulders as a surprised look comes across her face.

“Austen? Are you okay?”

She knows my name from her weekly check-ins, but she’s about to really know me.

I start pacing, working my lip as I nod. “I need to unload.”

She only nods. “Did you lock the door?”

“I did.” I keep pacing, popping my wrist as I go back and forth. She lets me do so, doesn’t push or ask questions. I can feel her watching me as I verbally replay everything with Dimitri, my body going tight as my insides turn molten.

“I see you keep popping your wrist.”

I nod, still doing so. “It helps me think.” And usually it does, but all I can feel are Dimitri’s thick fingers there, stroking and preventing me from hurting myself. He wanted to lick me there. Lick me. I don’t even know if I could handle that. Tears burn my eyes as I sort through my thoughts and try to figure out what the hell I want to say.

I chance a look at Angela, and as I assumed, she’s looking back at me with nothing but patience in her kind eyes. Within seconds, I word-vomit all over her. “I escaped a cult five years ago, where I was beaten, bitten, and forced to give oral sex to any man who wanted to court me.” Her face doesn’t change like I figured it would. Her eyes stay on mine as I breathe out shakily. “I was taken advantage of by over twenty men—older men, men who should have known better. There was so much that happened, so much abuse. And eventually, I couldn’t take it, so I left. Thankfully, my sisters were able to get out too.”

Angela looks away, and I can tell she is uncomfortable. Hell,Iam uncomfortable.

“Trust me when I say I have trauma and some pretty hefty scars, but I’ve been in therapy since I left. Five years, I went. I still practice everything they told me to do, and I’ve done so well. Or at least, I thought I had. Though, I just went out with my sisters, and I learned they’re living their best lives. But I’m just living. I truly thought I was good. I thought I was ready for the real world, but then I met this guy, and soon, all the insecurities from before are coming back to haunt me.”

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