Dropkick My Heart: Powerhouse M.A. Series

by Winter Travers

  “Fuck off,” Roman growled. “You know that’s not what I fucking meant. I just wonder why chicks have to change everything. Kellan is going to start dating Molly, and then we’re never going to see his ass except for when he’s teaching. It’s bullshit. I can guarantee you, if I were ever to get a chick, I wouldn’t disappear off the face of the Earth.”

  “Dude, he just wants to go on a date with her, not marry her and have fifty kids,” Tate laughed.

  Roman pointed a finger at me. “And that is where it all begins. One date and she sucks you in.”

  Tate scooted forward on the couch and looked down at Roman. “How drunk did you get last night? Are you sure you still aren’t buzzin’?”

  “I’m hungover, not drunk. And Kellan has shit for food in the house, so I’m suffering for the next half an hour until the damn pizzas show up.” Roman draped his arm over his eyes. “All I’m saying is, just don’t turn into one of those pussy whipped douchenozzles that can’t see ten feet past their woman.”

  Dante chuckled. “Tell us how you really feel, Ro.”

  I chuckled. These were my boys. The guys who, no matter what was going on, had always been there for me. It was me who had first talked about opening Powerhouse, building the dream up in their minds until they decided it was something they wanted too. I wasn’t about to fall for some chick and leave them behind. “You guys have nothing to worry about. I don’t plan on going anywhere.”

  “That mean you’re not going to go after Molly?” Dante asked. “Her cookies are more than a good reason to date her.”

  I pointed my finger at Dante and leveled my gaze at him. “Stay away from Molly’s cookies.”

  Dante held his hands up. “The only cookies of hers I want are in her bakery case, man. I’ll leave the rest to you.”

  I stared at the TV. “Fucking better be.”

  “And so it begins,” Roman mumbled.

  He was wrong. It had started the instant I had kissed Molly and had been unable to forget the taste of her lips.

  I needed to taste her again.

  **********

  Molly

  I was dying. Seriously.

  Why do people do this to their bodies? It was Friday morning, more than a day since I had gone to karate class, and I was in more pain than I was yesterday.

  I had barely made it through work Thursday, spending most of the day on a stool when I wasn’t manning the espresso machine. Thankfully, Sage had helped and picked up the slack.

  “Why don’t you go lay down in the storeroom? Things have slowed down for a bit.”

  I rolled my eyes at Sage. “I’m not going to lay on the floor in there. It’s clean, but it’s hard ass tile. I really doubt that is going to help how I feel.”

  “At least take the stool back there and moan in peace. You’re starting to scare the customers. Every time you move, I have no idea what sound is going to come out of your mouth. Frank asked me if you were dying or having sex this morning.” Sage snapped a dish towel at me. “Get, I’m serious. I’ll holler if I need anything.”

  I mumbled under my breath and shuffle/pushed the stool into the storeroom. Why I couldn’t stay up front was ridiculous. I wasn’t moaning and grunting that much.

  “Ugg…” I moaned as I sat down. Okay, I take that back. Maybe I was groaning more than I realized.

  I reached out, grabbing the shelf in front of me, and tried to stretch my arms. It wasn’t right, me being this sore. Adding some more physical activity to my day probably wouldn’t be a bad idea. I was twenty-nine years old, and I was moving like I was ninety.

  “Hey.”

  Oh shit. I looked over and saw Kellan leaning against the door, with his arms crossed over his chest. “Hey. Did you come to watch me die?”

  He shook his head. “Well, I came to see you. The whole dying thing I hope doesn’t happen.”

  “Well, after Wednesday night, it’s possible. I hurt in places that should be illegal.”

  Kellan pushed off the door. “I probably should have stretched you out more. Give me your hands and turn towards me.”

  I quirked an eyebrow. “Why?”

  Kellan laughed and grabbed my hands. He twisted me on the stool, and my legs dropped open. He stepped in between my knees, and slowly raised my arms over my head. “Because you need to stretch out now. It’ll help, I promise. Your muscles are contracting, and you need to keep moving. Have you been drinking enough?”

  “Wine and coffee.” Kellan laughed. Well, he asked. Coffee got me through the day, and the wine helped to numb me at night.

  “You might want to add some water in there, too.”

  “Duly noted,” I groaned. My arms were directly over my head, and while it hurt, it also felt damn good. “I didn’t think I’d ever be able to raise my arms over my head again.”

  Kellan snickered and slowly lowered them. “You could always come to class once a week, and you could make me coffee in exchange.”

  “I highly doubt a cup of coffee equals the price of one of your classes, Kellan.”

  He smirked and dropped my arms to my sides. “You’re right, but I’m willing to work something out.” He put his hands on my thighs, and rubbed his way down my legs and cupped my calves. “Legs sore, too?”

  I nodded and tried to swallow the knot that had formed in my throat. Kellan’s hands on me were like magic, even if all they were doing was helping me stretch.

  “Probably the side and dropkicks you were doing. When you’re not used to doing something like that, you really feel it the next couple of days.” His hands worked their way back up my legs, rubbing and kneading.

  I licked my lips and closed my eyes. “Is this something you do for everyone in your classes?”

  I heard Kellan laugh, and I opened my eyes. He was pressed close to me, and his hands were moving up my sides. “No. Only for people I make an exception for.”

  “Oh really,” I whispered as I tilted my head back to look up at him. “So Bess and Cam didn’t get the same service after their first class?”

  He slightly shook his head. His hands delved into my hair, and he leaned down. “I’d have to say this is a first.”

  “Oh.”

  A smirk crossed his lips, and his eyes crinkled. “Oh is right, Molly. I’m going to kiss you.”

  “Oh.” That was the extent of my vocabulary at the moment. Kellan touching me forced all thought from my head, and all I could do was focus on his touch.

  “I’m gonna take that as an okay, Cookie.”

  I slightly nodded, and that was all he needed. His lips were on mine, and I moaned as his taste reached my tongue. Kellan was like no man I had ever kissed before. He took what he wanted, nipping and licking, but he also gave back. His hands roamed over my body, and I arched my back, yearning to be closer to him.

  “Kellan,” I gasped. His lips kissed their way across my jaw and down my neck.

  “Put your arms around my neck,” he whispered in my ear.

  My arms had a mind of their own and instantly wound their way around his neck. His arms circled my waist, and he lifted me up, my feet leaving the ground. “Wrap your legs around me,” he growled. His face was buried in my neck, his mouth sucking on my earlobe.

  Holy fuck. Who would have thought a little ear play would have me in a puddle at this man’s feet doing whatever he asked? My muscles protested as I lifted my legs, but there was no way in hell I wasn’t gonna get my legs around him.

  “Molly!”

  I whimpered and locked my ankles behind Kellan. “Shh…maybe she’ll go away.” I tilted my head, giving Kellan more access to my neck.

  His body shook against mine. “You’re a nut, Cookie.”

  “Molly, there’s someone here to see you,” Sage called again.

  “Son of a bitch,” I mumbled.

  Kellan patted my butt. “Go see who it is. I’ll stay here.”

  I groaned and slowly dropped my feet to the floor. “It’s probably the milk guy wanting to show me pictures of his grandk
ids,” I complained. “They’re adorable, but do I really need to see pictures of them every week?”

  Kellan laughed and pressed one last kiss to my neck. “Go on.” He patted me on the ass, and I slowly shuffled out to the front counter.

  I was in a haze from Kellan’s kisses, and I didn’t even notice who was waiting for me until they said my name.

  “Oh, Gavin. It’s you.” Not who I had been expecting at all. Gavin hadn’t crossed my mind, well, ever. “I wasn’t expecting you.”

  A sly smile crossed his lips, and it took everything in my not to wince. When I had first met him, I had thought he was good looking, but now, he didn’t do anything for me. “Thought I would drop in to get a coffee and see you.”

  “Well, here I am,” I said, laughing nervously. “What can I get you?”

  “Do you have green tea?”

  Huh, he was a tea drinker. Nothing wrong with that, just not what I had expected. “Yup, I sure do. Iced or hot?”

  “Iced, no sugar.”

  I gagged a little and nodded. I wasn’t a fan of tea to begin with, and then to not add sugar made it sound even more gross to me. “Coming right up.” I could brew tea in my sleep, but I tried to look like I was concentrating really hard so Gavin wouldn’t try to talk to me.

  My plan didn’t work.

  “So, this is your place, huh?”

  Don’t roll your eyes, Molly. Don’t do it. “Yup, she’s all mine.”

  “Pretty impressive.”

  It was impressive. “Sure is.” Talk about a strained conversation.

  “So, do you have any plans tonight?”

  Shit. Hell. Damn. Fuck. I snapped the lid on his tea and set it in front of him. “Not really sure yet.”

  Gavin nodded, and I realized I had just set myself up. Damn, I should have told him I have plans for the rest of my life, and none of them included him. “Maybe we can grab some dinner tonight?”

  Shit! Abandon ship! “Oh…um…I’d love to…but…well. I’m just going to be straightforward, Gavin. I have to wash my hair tonight.”

  He laughed. “Then how about another night.”

  Gah, get a clue man. “I have to wash my hair every night, for the rest of my life. It’s a disorder. You know.” I caught a glimpse of Sage over Gavin’s shoulder, and she had her hand over her mouth trying not to laugh.

  Gavin shook his head. “All you had to do was tell me you don’t wanna go out with me, Molly.” He grabbed his cup and stormed out.

  Sage rushed to the counter and burst out laughing. “You did not just tell that poor man you have a disorder where you have to wash your hair every night, did you?”

  I shrugged. “I panicked. The guy couldn’t take a hint. He asked me out after class, and I told him no. Then he comes here and asks me again. What the heck was I supposed to do? Go out with him?”

  “He’s not bad looking. Although, he is no Kellan.”

  And that was the damn truth. Gavin had nothing on Kellan. One look from Kellan had me begging for him to touch me. “Speaking of Kellan, I left him in the storeroom. Try not to bother me unless the cafe is burning down, okay?”

  Sage saluted me. “Aye, aye captain. I’ll let you get back to Kung Fu Hottie.”

  I basically skipped back to Kellan, hoping we could pick up where we left off. I know I had thought I just needed one more kiss from him, but I knew that one more kiss would never be enough.

  Except when I walked through the door, he wasn’t there. “What in the world,” I mumbled. I plopped down on the stool and looked around.

  What happened?

  **********

  Kellan

  “Who pissed in your Cheerios?”

  I growled and fell onto the couch in the office. “No one.”

  Dante leaned back in the chair behind the desk and steepled his fingers in front of him. “I think the punching bag you just beat the hell out of would disagree.”

  “I was working out, you got a problem with that?”

  Dante raised his hands and shook his head. “Nope. I just don’t want to be the next thing you hit.”

  I flexed my hands, knowing they were going to be bruised later. I had snuck out of the cafe after hearing Molly agreeing to go on a date with Gavin, and I had to hit something. As much as I would have liked that something to be Gavin’s face, I settled for one of the punching bags.

  “So, you gonna tell me what happened, or just sit there glaring at your hands?”

  I balled up my fists and growled. “I went to the cafe this morning.”

  “I’m gonna assume that things did not go well.”

  “Oh, they were good. Fucking fantastic. Until fucking Gavin showed up, and Molly agreed to go on a date with him not even a minute after we made out in the storage room.”

  “Say what?”

  I scoffed and hit the cushion next to me. “You heard that right, man. I thought I had her. She was all over me, moaning my name, and I was ready to take her right there if she would have let me.”

  “Hold on, hold on. So, where did Gavin come into this?”

  “He fucking came to see her. I was standing in the storeroom, listening to them talk when he asked her out. She said she would love to, and then I booked it out the back door. I didn’t need to hang around any more than that.”

  “I don’t believe you.”

  I rolled my eyes and leaned back. “Well, you fucking better start. I know what I heard.”

  “And I know what I heard after class on Wednesday. He cornered her, and I could tell just by the way she looked at him that she wasn’t interested.”

  “Well, something must have changed from then to now. “She said yes, Dante.”

  Dante shook his head and stood up. “Then he pressured her into it, Kellan. She doesn’t like the fucking guy.”

  I waved my hand at him, twisted around and laid down on the couch. “It doesn’t matter. I’m over it.”

  “Yeah, real over it,” Dante scoffed. “Why didn’t you stay and ask her what was going on?”

  I draped my arm over my eyes. “Cause I’m really not into torturing myself, Dante.”

  “So, you’re just going to tap out?”

  I gave him a thumbs up. “Yeah. I need to focus on the school right now anyway. Molly was just going to be a distraction I didn’t need.” Now that I knew she didn’t want me, I wasn’t about to fight for her. I wasn’t into sharing either.

  “Now you sound like fucking Roman.”

  “He had a point.”

  “Who had a point?”

  I lifted my arm and saw Tate and Roman standing in the doorway. “Roman.”

  Roman puffed out his chest and patted himself on the back. “About time that happened.”

  Tate elbowed him in the side. “You’re a douche.”

  “Oh well.” Roman replied.

  “What are you two doing here?” Dante asked.

  Roman pushed off the door and walked over to the trophies in the corner of the room. “Wanted to see if you guys wanted to go to Palmer this weekend. Regionals are this weekend.”

  I sat up on the edge of the couch. “You competing?”

  Roman shrugged. “I don’t plan on it, although that could change when I see who’s all there.”

  Dante pointed at me. “You have the meeting tonight, and we have classes tomorrow.”

  “I wasn’t planning on leaving until after the meeting. I got the car packed already.”

  “I’m in.” I stood up and clapped my hands. This was what I needed.

  “Seriously?” Roman asked. “You were the last one I thought who would say yes.”

  “I need to get out of here.” I would only have to see Molly at the meeting tonight, and then I could get the hell out of dodge.

  “I still think you should talk to Molly,” Dante replied.

  I shook my head. I didn’t want to fucking talk anymore. I wasn’t interested in begging to be with her. “No. I’m done, Dante. You can handle class tomorrow. We’ll be back Sunday.”

>   Dante threw his hands up. “Fine, what the fuck ever. I guess I’ll be the responsible one this time.”

  I grabbed my keys off the desk and tossed them in the air. “I’m gonna pack a bag, and then I’ll meet you guys at the meeting.”

  “Wait, don’t you think we should talk about what we’re going to do tonight? At least have some type of plan?” Tate asked.

  “She can’t shut us down. We’ll just have to figure out a way to work around each other.” I didn’t fucking care. Molly wasn’t going to get her way.

  **********

  Molly

  “How do I look?”

  “Like Molly!” Sam shouted. He was once again camped out on the couch with Mr. Mittens, feeding him kitty treats.

  I tilted my head and squinted my eyes. “I guess you’re right about that, buddy.”

  Sage laughed and crossed her legs. She was sitting on the toilet, lid down, and helping me figure out what to wear tonight. “Are you sure I shouldn’t just stick with the clothes I usually wear? I think I look like I’m trying too hard.”

  “Nonsense. You look fine. So you’re not in your regular apron and khakis. It’s not like you are going there in a wedding dress.”

  I was wearing a pair of skinny jeans, black satin flats, and a white, stretchy top that seemed to accentuate every inch of me. I wasn’t dressed up by normal standards, but compared to what I usually wear, I looked like I was going to a grand ball. “I’m just putting on what I normally wear.”

  Sage grabbed my hand and tugged me back in front of the mirror. “I don’t think so. You’re wearing this because you don’t have time to change.” She looked at her watch and shook her head. “You need to be there to open the shop up before anyone gets there, so you better get going.”

  She pushed me out of the bathroom, and I glanced at the clock on the microwave. Damn, I had five minutes to get to the cafe. “Lock up when you leave?” I grabbed my keys and slung my purse over my shoulder.

  “We’re right behind you again. Sam needs to get home and take a bath,” Sage shouted so Sam would hear her.