Puck, Pain & Promises

CHAPTER 7: Learning to Say No

Eden...

“Jax, I need you to teach me how to say no when I mean no.”

The words left my mouth the second the locker room door shut behind us. My voice sounded stronger than I felt, but I meant every syllable. I was done being the girl who swallowed everything just to keep the peace.

Jax turned around slowly, his eyes darkening with heat and approval.

“There she is,” he said, voice low.

“Finally asking for what you want.”

I dropped my bag on the bench and pulled out my notebook. We had a deal. Academics first. I sat down and waited for him to join me. He did, sitting close enough that our thighs touched. His body heat soaked through my jeans.

“Economics assignment,” I said, opening to the page. “Market structures. You mixed up monopoly and oligopoly again. Let me explain it clearly.”

I went through it step by step, keeping my words simple. He listened, actually listened, nodding when something clicked. Every time he got a question right on the practice

problems, a small burst of pride warmed my chest.

He needed me for this. His grades, his spot on the team, his whole future depended on these sessions. The dependence felt heavy but also good. Like I had power for once.

“You’re patient with this…,” he muttered after solving one correctly. “Most people would have given up on me.”

“I’m not most people,” I replied. “And you’re not giving up either.”

When the academics part was done, Jax stood and pulled me up with him.

“Your turn. Self-defense. Someone grabs your wrists from the front. Show me what you do.”

He wrapped his big hands around my wrists. The hold was firm but not painful. His closeness made my pulse jump. I twisted like he had shown me before, breaking free and stepping back.

“Better,” he said. “Now say it. Say no while you do it.”

“No,” I said, firmer this time. “Let go.”

We practiced move after move. His body pressed against mine to demonstrate, chest to my back, arms around me. Each contact sent sparks across my skin. Sweat started to bead on my neck. The physical closeness mixed with the assertiveness training made something inside me wake up even more.

During one hold, a flashback hit hard. My mom’s voice from her phone call last night played in my head.

“Eden, that library scene is already causing talk. You cannot afford any more drama if you want to keep your scholarship. Fix it quietly. Be useful”.

The pressure had always been there. Perfect grades. Perfect daughter. Perfect girlfriend who put Riley’s needs above her own. One slip and everything my family sacrificed would be wasted.

I broke the hold harder than before. “No,” I said louder. “I won’t do it anymore.”

Jax let me go and studied my face. “What’s going on in that head?”

I sat back on the bench, breathing fast. The words poured out.

“My family expects me to be perfect. Always. One bad grade or one public mess and my mom reminds me how much they gave up for my scholarship. I put Riley first for years. I did his work, covered for him, lent him money, smiled through everything. And he still chose Brooke. They both laughed at how easy I was to use.”

Raw anger twisted in my chest. I had buried it so deep for so long. Suppressed rage at always being the reliable one. The one who never said no. The one who fixed everyone else’s problems while ignoring her own.

Jax sat beside me. He didn’t try to fix it or tell me to calm down. He just listened, his hand resting on my knee. That silence felt safer than anything Riley had ever given me.

The tension between us shifted. He leaned in and kissed me. The possessive kiss hit like fire. His mouth claimed mine, tongue sliding deep. I kissed him back just as hard. His hands moved under my shirt, rough palms on my bare skin. Heat flooded my body.

“Touch me lower,” I whispered against his lips. The words felt bold and scary, but I said them anyway. “I want your hands on me.”

Jax groaned and pushed me back against the lockers. The cold metal shocked my back. He popped my jeans open and slid his hand inside my panties. His fingers found me wet and slid over my cl*t. I gasped at the contact.

“Like this?” he asked, circling slowly.

“Harder,” I breathed. “Please.”

He gave me what I asked for. Two thick fingers pushed inside me while his thumb rubbed my cl*t. The pleasure built fast and intense. Every stroke made my legs shake. I felt truly desired, wanted in a way that had nothing to do with being useful. Just wanted for me.

“Jax…” I moaned, hips rocking against his hand. I didn’t hold back the sounds. The orgasm crashed over me suddenly, sharp and powerful. My body tightened around his fingers as waves of heat rolled through me. I cried out, shaking hard against him.

He kept touching me gently until the last tremor passed, then pulled me into his chest. His arms wrapped around me. We stayed like that, breathing together. For the first time, I felt seen. Safe. Not like I had to earn it.

“You’re changing,” he said quietly. “I like watching it happen.”

We talked more. He listened as I shared even deeper pieces of the family pressure and the full betrayal with Riley and Brooke. How they had used my need to please against me for months. He didn’t offer empty words. He just held me.

Later, when he drove me back to the dorm, we couldn’t keep our hands off each other. In the dark parking lot, he pulled me onto his lap. The heated make-out turned wild fast. I ground against him boldly, kissing him deep while his hands squeezed my as... The friction made me come again, smaller but still intense, moaning into his mouth. I was getting bolder, asking for what my body wanted.

Back at the dorm, Mia was just coming out of her room. I introduced them quickly. “Mia, this is Jax. Jax, my roommate Mia. She’s the only person who tells me the truth even when I don’t want to hear it.”

Mia looked him up and down, then gave a small smile. “Treat her right, hockey boy. She’s been through enough. Hurt her and I’ll bury you.”

She gave me a quick hug and left for a late study group, shooting me a look that said we would talk later. Her cautious approval meant a lot. She had seen me at my lowest after the library.

Alone in my room, I sat on the bed and let out a long breath. I was starting to depend on Jax in ways that scared me. Emotionally. Physically. His strength helped me fight my old habits. His touch woke up parts of me I didn’t know existed. The dependence felt real now. Addictive.

My phone buzzed on the nightstand. An unknown number.

The text was short and vague:

“Careful who you trust now.”

I stared at the screen, heart picking up speed again.