Page 11 of Unbroken Promises

“How can we be of service, Kitty Cat?” Eyebrows wagging suggestively, Bash playfully squeezes the top of my arm, his lewd undertones perfectly clear. Choosing to ignore him as I always do, I place a hand on each of my guys, firmly squeezing their thighs.

“Bash, this is serious. Listen.”

Eyebrows furrowing in concern, I can feel Bash shift in his spot, turning to face me more fully. Finn, whose gaze had been glued to his computer screen, quickly glances up at me in acknowledgement before turning once again to his screen. Unfazed by his apparent lack of consideration, I know Finn is listening, even with his attention apparently focused elsewhere. He can’t help it. When he is in the zone, he fixates hard on whatever has drawn his attention. It’s only through years of practice that he has been able to divide his focus enough to show me he is listening by looking up at me. I press on.

“I need you to teach me how to fight.”

Bash’s jaw drops, the shock of my words apparently too much for him. Finn just hums as he mutters under his breath, continuing to type away on his laptop.

“I know you guys know how to fight. I’ve seen you on the ice. You guys get in fights all the time. I need you to teach me how to fight like you do.”

“Wh- where is this even coming from?” Standing abruptly, Bash starts pacing back and forth in front of the couch, running a hand through his hair in agitation. “Why do you want to learn to fight so badly? And why us, for that matter? Why not ask Caleb, or Theo?”

I roll my eyes as I bring myself to stand, forcing Bash to stop abruptly in his pacing. Reaching out, I grab his hand that is not currently messing up his hair. “You know how it is. Caleb is, well. . . Caleb. He wouldn’t understand. And Theo? Well, I don’t exactly know what is going on with him right now but something is different. He’s been distant lately, stressed. I’m not sure if it’s the transition of him moving to Seattle soon that is bothering him or what, but he won’t open up to me about it.”

I squeeze Bash’s hand while gazing up at him imploringly. “Please Bash. This is important to me.”

Shifting his hand in my own, Bash intertwines his fingers with mine. “You still haven’t told me why you want to learn to fight, KC. I can’t, in good conscience, just teach you how to fight without having any context. Give me something to work with here.” He implores me with those gorgeous brown eyes of his.

I bring our joined hands up, hold them against my chest, my expression earnest as I lay my fears out before me. “I can’t do it again, Bash. I can’t play the victim anymore. Twice, I have had the shit beat out of me. For most of the last year I have been a victim, trapped in a cycle of abuse that I couldn’t defend myself against. You guys all helped me through that, helped me get out of a situation that I thought would be the death of me, and I am forever thankful for all your help. But I am so much more than that, I am more than just a victim or a survivor. And I don’t ever want to find myself in a situation again without knowing how to take care of myself. So please, pretty please, would you teach me how to fight?

A sense of relief fills me, and I grin, sensing his walls of defense crumbling before me. I didn’t go to Caleb because despite all that I have been through, Caleb wouldn’t understand. If I asked him for his help, as my overprotective older brother I’m sure he would simply insist that it wasn’t necessary, that he would protect me in the off chance anything ever came up again. And Theo? Well, I know he absolutely would be willing to teach me how to take care of myself, but I wasn’t lying when I said that something has been off with him lately. Whatever it is has been weighing on him, and I don’t want to add to that burden.

I don’t know what it is, but ever since hockey season officially ended, he has been. . . distant. I don’t know, stressed doesn’t seem like quite the right word. For weeks now, he has been closed off. We still spend every free moment we can together, but when he is with me, he seems preoccupied. Even the nights we spend in each other’s arms, it’s as if his head is elsewhere instead of with me in the moment. I have tried talking to him about it, but he insists he is just worried about the transition to the NHL, and our potentially having to navigate a long-distance relationship, depending on where I go to school.

Without a glance up from his screen, Finn interrupts my musings, not giving Bash a chance to respond. “You don’t need to learn to fight. You need to learn to protect yourself. You need Jonathan.” My brows furrow in confusion. I have no idea who he is talking about, but I trust Finn; he’s never failed me yet.

Chapter Ten

Danica

Present Day

Jonathan dances in front of me, dancing lightly on his feet in a taunting manner. He has gotten several good jabs in, but then, so have I. Focusing on my breathing, maintaining an even rhythm, I just notice the subtle shift of his footing and manage to swerve to the left, missing his gloved fist as it aims for my jaw. I counter his punch with a kick to his side, forcing him to dance away from me, a few steps backwards towards the rope border.

I grin, now in a much better mood than when I first arrived this morning. Jonathan returns my grin with a knowing smirk, and I quickly loosen my gloves, dropping them to the ground. Without giving him a chance to move, I sprint to his corner and jump up, wrapping my legs around his waist and grabbing his neck, my mouth connecting with his in a heated kiss.

He holds me easily in his arms, one hand running up my back before reaching up and grabbing my ponytail, firmly pulling on it to pull my head back. Neck exposed; he runs his tongue from the base of my neck up to my ear before nipping gently at my lobe. His other hand, helping hold me up, squeezes my ass firmly and I moan at the feel of him. I can feel his cock pressing against my pelvis, and I squeeze my legs more tightly, grinding into him and eliciting a groan in return.

Letting go of my hair, he brings his hand around to my front, lightly squeezing my breast over the fabric of my sports bra before trailing his hand down my stomach, to the elastic waistband of my shorts. His mouth connects with mine once more as he moves his hand to my thigh, sliding up, underneath the leg opening to squeeze my ass and run his fingers along my seam. Our tongues intertwine in a tangled frenzy and he nips lightly at my lip before setting me down.

Making quick work of it, I discard my shorts and bra, all the while watching the floor show as he slowly raises his shirt over his head, exposing his rock-hard abs and the happy trail that I know leads to a large, rock-hard dick.

His grin is cocky as he watches me, watching him. And then I see him swallow, Adam’s apple bobbing as he takes me in. Completely naked, my toned body has a light sheen of sweat after our vigorous training session, wild curls escaping out of what had once been a tightly pulled back ponytail.

“God damn, woman! Wow!”

“You just gonna stand there staring, or are you going to come over here and fuck me?” Arching my brow, I give him a look and that is all the encouragement he needs before once again stepping over to me and lifting me up into his arms.

Our mouths move together, breaths heavy as I wrap my legs once more around his waist and run my fingers through his hair. Breaking free from the heated kiss, he trails light nips down my neck and across my chest before taking my generous breast in his rough hand and sucking my nipple into his mouth. Waves of pleasure course through me, rippling down into my core as the tightness starts to build.

He grazes his teeth lightly over the tight bud before releasing it, and I suck in a sharp breath at the cool air on my sensitive skin as his mouth moves languidly to the other side, making sure to give generous attention to my other breast as well. “Pants. Off. Now.” The words are a gasp, escaping my lips as I pull firmly on his hair, drawing his head up and bringing his attention back to my face.

“You want this fucking cock, Ellis? Want this dick to fill you up and pound you until can’t fucking walk straight?”

I groan. “God, yes. I need you to fuck me. Hard. Now.”

My words of affirmation are the consent he needs, and mentally I roll my eyes. I know how cocky he can get when I demand his dick, but damn if it doesn’t hit the spot-on days like this.

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