Distractions (The Rebound Series)
Read Distractions (The Rebound Series) Online
Authors: Emilia Winters
Distractions
(The Rebound Series #2)
By Emilia Winters
This book is a work of fiction.
Names, characters, places, and events are the product of the author’s imagination.
Any resemblance to actual events, places, or persons are purely coincidental.
All rights reserved.
This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the author except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
Copyright © 2013 Emilia Winters
Olivia Ward ran her hands under the cool running water of her sink, washing away any remnants of flour or butter as she prepared to wash the stack of baking pans to her right.
Livy’s Cupcakes
, her beloved cupcake shop, had closed a half hour ago.
Olivia sighed as she looked around her kitchen, mentally preparing herself for another long night of cleaning up.
Today had been a great day for sales, but not so great for her usually organized kitchen.
Halloween was tomorrow and all day she had felt like a headless chicken running around trying to fulfill her orders.
But it was great for business and exposure, so Olivia really had nothing to complain about.
And it gave her an excuse to keep busy.
For the past few days, Olivia had kept herself as busy as possible to keep from thinking about Alex, her—possibly—ex-lover.
But, embarrassingly enough, she failed most of the time.
Her mind somehow always wandered back to him one way or another.
After leaving Alex’s house in a rush a few days ago, Olivia had replayed their fight in her mind over and over again on a seemingly endless loop.
She remembered the way he wouldn’t introduce her to his friend, Luke.
She remembered how he shut down on her when she demanded an explanation.
She remembered the text he had sent shortly after, apologizing and asking for a chance to explain.
The same text she had yet to respond to.
Since then, she hadn’t heard from Alex.
And Olivia wasn’t confident she was ready to see him again.
No matter how much her body ached for him.
Alex Matlock already had too much power over her.
She shouldn’t like him as much as she did, but, like a rebellious teenager, her heart simply didn’t care.
Of course, Olivia wasn’t in love with him.
She had only known him for a couple weeks now.
But she knew that, in time, it would inevitably happen.
She was sure of it.
She felt a connection with Alex that she had never felt before.
And it scared her to the bone.
A loud knocking sound echoed around her kitchen and Olivia’s head snapped up from the sink.
It seemed to be coming from the front of her shop and Olivia briefly wondered if it was a customer.
Quickly drying her sudsy hands, Olivia rushed to the front, already preparing her
I’m sorry, ma’am, but we’re closed for the night
speech.
But she stopped short when she saw it wasn’t a customer.
It was Christie, her boisterous best friend, and she was currently pounding loudly on Olivia’s glass door.
Through the glass, Olivia saw her friend’s ever present bangles bobbing on her wrists excitedly.
Christie stopped when she spotted Olivia and waved cheerfully, pointing animatedly to the lock of the door.
Olivia smiled back, excited to see her friend.
She hadn’t seen her since their dinner last week, but Olivia had spilled her guts on the phone to her the night she left Alex’s house.
“Finally!
It’s cold out there,” Christie complained the moment Olivia unlocked the front door.
“Well, hello to you too,” Olivia replied teasingly.
“I thought you were a customer.”
“And
I
was worried about you.
I haven’t heard from you since Sunday, so I thought I’d swing by to check on you.”
“Christie, I’m fine,” Olivia said, dragging out the last word.
She closed the front door again and twisted the lock in place.
“But while you’re here, you can help me with the back.”
Christie pretended to pout, but tailed closely behind Olivia to the kitchen.
And as soon as the kitchen door clicked back into place, Christie immediately sprang into action, picking up a dishrag and heading to the sink.
“So, have you heard from Alex?” she asked nonchalantly.
At least, as nonchalantly as Christie could possibly act.
Christie and Alex had that in common.
The both of them weren’t subtle.
At all.
Olivia sighed.
She knew the interrogation was coming, but she was still unprepared for it.
“Nope, I haven’t.”
She paused and then hesitantly said, “But I did hear from Miles.”
Silence.
And then Christie exploded, “What?”
Olivia winced as the sound echoed around her kitchen, but she couldn’t blame her friend for her reaction.
It had surprised—and angered—Olivia herself.
She nodded, not daring to look at Christie, “He sent me a text on Sunday.
Asked me how I was doing because he was worried about me.”
Even now the brazenness of his actions infuriated her.
Christie snorted, the sound completely unladylike, as she furiously scrubbed the flour encrusted counter.
“What a asshole,” she muttered.
“I can’t believe the nerve of him!”
Then, she looked up, a look of complete horror etched into her face.
“You didn’t respond, did you?”
“Of course not!” Olivia replied vehemently.
Christie threw up her arms in a sign of surrender, “Just checking.”
She tossed the damp rag on the countertop and leaned her hip up against it.
She crossed her arms, her bracelets jingling, as she studied Olivia from across the kitchen.
“I wonder what he wants.”
“Who knows,” Olivia murmured.
“But he’s nuts if he thinks I’ll respond.”
They worked in companionable silence until the majority of the kitchen was sparkling.
But just as Olivia was shelving her now-clean pans, Christie broke it, “Have you responded to Alex yet?”
“No,” Olivia murmured immediately.
“Aren’t you going to?” she asked in response, her curious—yet frustrated—gray eyes flashing under the florescent lighting of Olivia’s kitchen.
Olivia hesitated, her hand coming up to brush off a stray speck of sugar left on her clean counter.
“I will,” she replied eventually.
And she knew she meant it.
Olivia’s main motivation for establishing some distance between her and Alex had been to see if her feelings would change.
And they hadn’t.
Christie seemed content with her answer because she clapped her hands together, looking around the kitchen in satisfaction.
“Well, I think that should do it,” she loudly proclaimed.
“Thanks, Christie.
You’re the best,” Olivia said in relief as she took in her spotless kitchen.
“This would’ve taken me another hour by myself.”
Olivia gathered her purse, jacket, and keys off the table by the kitchen door and waited for Christie to step out of the kitchen before turning off the lights.
After Olivia locked up the front door, they stepped out into the cool Autumn air.
“Come on, I’ll give you a ride home,” Christie said, fishing her keys out of her purse.
Her car was parked right in front of Olivia’s shop.
Feeling the wind pick up, Olivia agreed.
In less than five minutes, Christie’s car idled outside Olivia’s apartment building.
“Thanks, Christie,” Olivia said, gathering her belongings in her arms as she prepared to push the door open.
“Let me know if you’re free to get dinner sometime this week, okay?”
“Hey,” Christie murmured.
Olivia immediately cast her a look of surprise.
Christie was hardly soft spoken, but when she was, Olivia knew she was being completely serious.
“Even though you said Alex hurt you, and even though I haven’t even met the guy, I still think you should give him another chance.”
“Christie…,” Olivia started.
“Look, when I saw you at dinner last week, you were happier than I’ve seen you this whole month.
Even happier than when you were with Miles.
And yeah, it may have been the amazing sex you told me about, but I still think it was good for you.”
Christie paused, the sound of her engine rumbling filling up the air.
“You’ve always been so serious, Livy.
You’ve always done things the right way and followed all the rules.
But this one time, you let yourself loose…and I liked seeing you that way.
I think this guy is good for you.”
“Miles was good for me once too,” Olivia murmured softly, fingering the rough material of her thick jacket.
In the beginning of their relationship, when everything was new and exciting, he had been wonderful.
“Just have some fun, Livy.
Okay?” Christie asked, pleading with her eyes.
Olivia smiled, but it felt a little forced.
“I already told you I would respond to him.”
Christie didn’t say anything.
Then a smile broke out over her face, “Good.
And I’ll let you know about dinner.”
“Okay,” Olivia replied.
“See you later.”
She pushed the door open and climbed out of Christie’s tiny car, waving as she sped off.
As Olivia walked up to her building and let herself inside, she thought over Christie’s words.
Agreeing to a no-strings-attached affair with a sinfully handsome man was definitely
not
up her usual alley.
But Christie was right.
It had made her happy.
Alex
made her happy.
And the sex was definitely amazing.
The elevator dinged at her floor and she stepped out smiling.
But her heart sputtered in her chest in shock, excitement, and nervousness as she turned and noticed a man sitting outside her door.
One knee was drawn up, his arm casually resting on top of it.
He was still in his business clothes, with his perfectly tailored black suit and tie.
Olivia’s eyes wandered the hard lines of his masculine form as she struggled to walk towards him.
Her legs were frozen in place even as desire flooded her body.
Just seeing him triggered something in her.
He turned his head when he heard the elevator doors shut behind her and Olivia swallowed as his intense hazel eyes zeroed in on her.
Even from this distance, Olivia could make out the sharp angle of his jaw line and his deliciously scruffy chin.
His black hair, usually styled neatly, was messy, as though he had run his hands through it one too many times.
He gracefully rose to his feet when he saw her approaching, simultaneously straightening his suit as he stood.
Beautiful
.
When she reached him, she managed a shaky smile as nerves coursed through her.
“Alex,” she greeted.
He gave her a small smile, even as his sharp eyes drew her in.
His reply was quick, but butterflies erupted in her stomach as he spoke two simple words.
“Hi, darling.”
Alex Matlock drank in Olivia as she stood before him.
The sight of her summoned a fierce, harsh longing in his chest that radiated throughout his body.