Chapter Thirteen

Danica

W hat the fuck was that? In all my years of watching my brother and his friends play hockey, I have never seen a game with quite so much fighting. Hell, I have never seen Theo act like that on the ice, period. He was always the player with the cool head, never one to back down if his teammates needed him, but still, violence was always a last resort. Tonight, he was completely unhinged. I have never seen him lose it like that on the ice, and he completely pummeled the shit out of Bash. I grimace. Poor Bash.

A hand squeezes my shoulder, and I jump slightly. With a guilty look, I glance up at Jonathan. I had completely forgotten he was here with me as I got lost in watching the game.

“Well. . . that was something to see alright. Your man sure knows how to pick a fight.” Jonathan stares pointedly at me, eyebrows raised, and I glare back at him.

“He is not ‘my man.’ He hasn’t been mine for a long fucking time, you know that.” Jonathan doesn’t even have to say anything, I can see the look in his eyes. “No. Don’t say it. Don’t you dare fucking go there.”

A small smirk pulls at the corner of his lips, cocky arrogance exuding from every pore of his body. “What? You mean, don’t mention how he seemed to get all jealous and pissy when he finally noticed you flirting with Seb? Or that he went off the rails when he saw another man holding you, a man that for all he knows, could be your boyfriend?”

“Ew. Don’t even go there. Forget it, okay? I don’t know what the hell that was but it had nothing to do with me. It couldn’t. He left me, remember? He chose this, his career, over me. So don’t go making up stories in your head of a romantic happily ever after because there is nothing there, got it? ”

Standing, Jonathan reaches out to take my hand in his own, fingers interlacing with mine as he guides me out of the bleachers and we make our way to the corridor where the guest team locker room awaits. Leaning against the wall, he casually drapes his arm across my shoulders, pulling me into his side before dipping his head to whisper in my ear, “That’s not why he left and you damn well know it.” Jonathan places a soft kiss to my temple before abruptly standing, his body radiating a tension that I can feel even as he displays a cool sense of detachment.

“Who the fuck are you?” An angry voice speaks from behind me.

Stiffening at the harsh tone, I release a breath as I feel Jonathan’s arm still draped around me, his hand squeezing my shoulder in reassurance. Still not letting go of me, I turn slightly, in time to see Jonathan reach out his hand to Theo.

“Quinteros. Jonathan Quinteros. Nice to meet you.”

His politeness is met with a harsh glare. No pleasantries. No reply. I roll my eyes. “Theo, this is Jonathan. Jay, this is Theo “Slick” Giovanni, left defenseman for the Sabretooths.” I try, unsuccessfully to hold back the bite in my tone.

Theo glances over at me now, stance cocky and self-assured. “You forgot ‘star,’ Kitty Cat. I’m the star left defenseman.” I bristle at his words, a reminder of a bygone era, a momentary flashback to the night we first met at that party all those years ago.

“Don’t. Don’t call me that.” Shoulders tense, I can feel Jay’s thumb trying to work at a knot in my shoulder blade even as I feel the ticking in my temple, letting me know that a migraine is imminent.

“What are you doing here, diavoletta?”

His tone is harsh as we glare daggers at each other. I don’t know what the fuck his problem is. He has no right to be upset about anything. It’s not like I left him. If anything, I should be the one upset here. I am the one upset. I have just as much right to be here as anyone else. How dare he accost me like this, when I am trying to support my friend?

Unable to control my emotions any longer, I step forward, out of Jonathan’s comforting embrace and angrily jab my finger into Theo’s chest. “How. Dare. You. I-”

Before I can continue my tirade, Bash walks out of the locker room, interrupting my heated words even as Jay is once again pulling me back, into his side. “There they are! Two of my favorite people! Together, in the same room, at last!” Bash steps up, throwing an arm around Theo’s shoulders, the wide grin on his face at odds with the split lip and the shiner that Theo gave him on the ice just a short time earlier. “How perfect is this?”

Bash throws me a slightly distorted grin, his fat lip pulling tightly into a crooked smile. “Hey hotness,” he nods over to Jonathan, “Jay. Long time, no see, man. How ya been?”

Jonathan nods at Bash in response, his tone light as he answers. “Been good. This one here keeps me busy, quite the demanding taskmaster, ya know?” Though his words are joking, even as he hugs me closer to his side, I can see Theo’s eyes narrow as his lips pull into a frown. I cringe slightly, digging my elbow hard into Jay’s side, a silent warning. I know he wouldn’t say anything, not in this setting, not in front of Theo. But it still makes me edgy as his words hint at more than I am comfortable sharing.

“Yeah, that girl of ours can be quite demanding. Don’t I know it.” Bash winks at me in response, his tone light despite the tension radiating off his friend standing next to him.

“And T! My man! It has been way too fucking long!” Bash, whose arm is still thrown over Theo’s shoulders, gives him another squeeze.

“As if we didn’t just see each other on the ice?” Theo steps out from under Bash’s arm, transferring his frown from me to his friend, before wincing slightly. “Sorry about your face, man.”

Sebastian shrugs, brushing off the apology. “Don’t sweat it. I get it. But you do owe me one.” His voice trails off as he gives Theo a pointed stare. “Come to dinner with us.”

“What?” Theo’s voice is flat as he questions his friend.

“What?” My own tone is incredulous, the pitch a little too high. “Bash, I mean-”

“Come on, man. Come to dinner with us. It has been way too fucking long since we have all seen each other, been in the same room together. Don’t you guys think it’s time we all moved on with our lives? We should be able to tolerate being in the same room together for an hour.” Looking pointedly between Theo and myself, I feel my cheeks flush slightly at the slight reprimand in his tone, and I sigh.

I feel a soft kiss brush the top of my head, a gentle reminder that I am not alone, and I breathe in Jonathan’s comforting scent. “Alright.” My acceptance is quiet, but I have no doubt that the three men that I care so much for all heard me. Theo glances over at us, eyes narrowed before turning once more to face his friend.

“Yeah, sure. Fine. Let’s do dinner.”