Page 49 of Unbroken Promises

With that, he shoots off a quick text to Jayce, and I make my way over to the employee entrance, letting myself in with the ID that Finn had given me at the hospital yesterday. Looks like my girl already closed everything up for the evening, I observe, as I make my way through the darkened halls. Having memorized the layout from the materials Finn briefed me with, it takes me very little time to find my way to the auditorium from here.

The first thing I note is Jayce standing off to one side, silently monitoring his surroundings. The second thing I notice, is my breathtaking girl as she makes herway through a complicated bar routine. I nod once at Jayce to dismiss him, and my breath catches in my throat as I turn back to watch my girl in all her glory.

I have always loved watching her practice. Her toned muscles shift as she transitions seamlessly through the various flips and turns of the complex elements that she has mastered on the uneven bars. With one last flip, she flies off the bar, landing gracefully on the mat below. I can’t help but clap as a grin spreads across my face.

“That was. . . incredible.”

She turns to face me, her breath a bit more labored than normal from the exertion of her practice routine. “Oh. Thank you.”

“Mind if I keep watching?” As if she could make me leave. It has been years since I have been able to watch her up close like this, and it will take more than a few contrary words to get me to turn away now.

“Uh. . .” She bends over to swipe at her water bottle, taking a quick gulp before replying. “Sure. I mean, I guess so.” She shrugs, looking a little more unsure now. “I just have the balance beam left, and then I can call it a night.”

I nod in response, quirking my eyebrow questioningly. “No floor routine?”

“No. Not today. I’m too tired after how the last few days have gone. Think I am gonna cut it a little short tonight so we can go home.”

Sowecan gohome. Damn it feels good to hear her say that, even if she doesn’t mean it in the way I want her to.

“Right. I guess I’ll just. . . wait here then.” I shrug out of my leather jacket, removing my hoodie underneath as well. It is a lot warmer in here than it is outside. I can’t help but grin smugly as I catch her ogling me out of the corner of my eye. I know I look good in these jeans and t-shirt. I work hard to stay in top shape for the game, but at times like this? Yeah, it feels good to know my girl is still warm for my form.

Danica blushes, turning away abruptly to walk over to the balance beam. After chalking her hands, she walks to the middle of the beam before mounting. She moves towards the far end, doing a back handspring and a series of other complicated twists and flips. She is absolutely stunning, and I find myself enraptured as I watch her going through the various exercises. She does another series of back flips across the beam before launching herself off the end, twisting repeatedly through the air before landing in a solid dismount.

“Holy shit!” I can’t help the exclamation as it escapes my lips. “That was so fucking incredible, la mia diavoletta. What the hell wasthat move?”

Danica takes a minute to catch her breath before responding. “A roundoff into a free cartwheel, transitioned into two back handsprings before dismounting with a full twisting double-back.” She gestures towards her water bottle, and I move quickly to grab it, and pass it her way. She gulps greedily at the water before continuing. “I have been working on that dismount for months. It’s the one I messed up at Worlds last year.” Shaking her head in a self-deprecating manner, she glances down at the floor with a sigh.

“Hey.” I move closer, stepping into her space, grabbing her chin, and forcing her to look up at me. “You were incredible at Worlds, and you are phenomenal now.”

Her brows narrow in confusion, “You saw my Worlds routine?” She chuckles, but there is no humor in her voice, “Of course you did. My screwup was all over the news, so why wouldn’t you have seen it?”

I frown, grabbing her arms to pull her into me. “I saw it, Danica, because I was there. Not because it was all over the news. And I stand by what I said. Your performance was incredible. Just because you made a mistake with the dismount on the beams, don’t let it take away all your other successes. You did incredibly well on the uneven bars and in the all-around.”

Chapter Fifty

Theo

Her eyes widen in shock as my words register in that beautiful head of hers. Yeah baby, I was there, cheering you on. Even if you didn’t know it. Unable to resist, I tuck a loose curl behind her ear, and watch her gaze flicker down to my lips before looking back up to meet my gaze. Intent on not letting this moment slip past me, I pull her closer, slowly lowering my head and giving her every chance to pull away from me. She doesn’t.

I brush my mouth softly against her trembling lips. Once. Twice. Her mouth parts open on a soft sigh and I take control, tilting my head to deepen our connection. I run my tongue along the seam of her mouth, urging her silently to open wider for me, and she needs no further encouragement. With a gentle nip on her pouty lips that I have dreamed about for years, I slide my tongue inside her mouth to dance with hers in a tangle of heated passion.

My hands slide up from her arms, and I reach up to tug lightly at the end of her wild ponytail, tilting her head further. With my other hand, I gently circle the base of her neck, giving just the slightest squeeze, eliciting a moan of pleasure from that sweet mouth of hers. I groan in response, my cock growing hard, desperate with my need for her. Danica’s hands, which had been resting gently against my abs, now slide up to my chest and a wave of pleasure courses through me at the friction of her hands playing with my pecs through my shirt.

As her fingers connect with something hard, she jerks back slightly in surprise, breaking the kiss. “Is that-? Oh my God, Theo! Do you have anipple piercing?”

Her voice raises at this last part, and I lower my head to nip and lick a path up her neck. Nibbling on her ear, I growl, “Why don’t you find out,” before taking her mouth in my own once more. She whimpers against my kiss as she begins playing softly with my piercing through the fabric of my shirt, andfuck me, that feels so incredible.

Grabbing her hands, I pull them down lower, sliding them under my shirt. Danica wastes no time as she glides them up my abs, and once more finds her way to my piercing. I moan from the electricity coursing through me at her touch. Fuck!

We stay like this for several minutes, lost in the heat of our kiss, our electric connection. But I need more. I needher.Apparently, she feels the same way. Danica breaks the kiss once more, pulling and lifting at my shirt, desperate for more contact, and I oblige her, stepping back slightly to rip the fabric over my head. I grin, watching her jaw drop and eyes widen as she takes me in.

Shirtless, jeans hugging my trim waist, she gives me a once-over, slowly moving from my feet, up my legs and the jeans which have become unbearably tight as my cock presses desperately against my fly, trying to get free. Continuing upward, she bites her bottom lip and visibly swallows as she takes in my packed muscles, before landing on my nipple piercing.

“Theo.” She stops, breathless. “I-”

I shake my head, stepping closer once more. “Don’t. Don’t do that, la mia diavoletta. Just be here. In this moment with me.” I place a quick kiss, urgently, against her lips. “Please.” My voice is strained, thick with my need, mirroring the desire I can see clearly in her eyes.

“This is a bad idea. . . I know it is. But fuck it.” With that, she reaches up to wrap her arms around my neck, pulling me down and giving in to her own burning desires. Our lips meet once more, our kisses frantic, like we were both drowning without one another.

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