Break Me (Caged Hearts Book 2)

by West, Heather

  “I could go for some sparring,” Jasper nodded. He liked the idea of punching out some of his tension. He was still annoyed over his conversation with Kait that morning. He hadn’t heard from her since he’d left. He could only imagine how angry she must have been when she came out of the shower and realized he was gone, but he couldn’t think about that now. He had to focus on training, on becoming strong.

  “Good, keep going,” his trainer urged him.

  Jasper ran hard and fast. He ran as though he was being chased instead of remaining in one spot. He pushed through the pain in his knee and ignored the throb in his muscles as he began to push them too hard. All that mattered was staying in top form. He had to remain the best. He had to prove to everyone that he was still a champion.

  “I like this new found grit,” his trainer said with a clap of his hands. “Okay, take ten.”

  Jasper lowered the setting on the treadmill, and soon he was walking briskly before stopping all together. His legs felt like jelly as he stepped off the machine.

  “This is the Jasper Duboix I was expecting to meet,” his trainer pointed enthusiastically at him, grinning wildly.

  Jasper shrugged modestly and wiped off some of his sweat with a nearby towel.

  “I look forward to seeing what power you bring in to the ring.”

  “You’ll see soon enough,” Jasper said as he waited for his heart rate to regulate now that he’d stopping exercising. It was in the ring that he always excelled. Despite his dominating physique, he was light on his feet and able to dodge incoming shots with ease. At least that was usually the case. He could still hear the crunch as his opponent’s fist smacked into his body when he’d been too slow, too sluggish to move out of the way in time. But that wouldn’t happen again. No matter how much it took from him, Jasper was going to train harder than ever to prove that he was still on top.

  Chapter 17

  Kait groaned with frustration as she checked her phone for the tenth time that morning. It had been two days since she’d last seen Jasper, and in that time she’d barely heard from him apart from the occasional, vague message. She had thought that now they were seeing each other things would be different. She was starting to lose hope when her phone suddenly chirped upon her desk. Kait reached for it with such intensity that she almost sent it skittering towards the floor.

  With the device safely in her hands, she read the incoming message. It was from Jasper.

  Had a brutal day training. How about I come round yours tonight for some TLC? Xxx

  Kait couldn’t stop smiling. He did care. They were together. She was grinning madly as she typed back that of course he could come over. Her heart was already thumping like crazy with anticipation. In her mind, she started to stress over what to wear, what to cook, and even what music to put on. Somehow now they were together, the stakes were oddly higher. Kait felt like she had to prove to him what a good girlfriend she could be so that he wouldn’t regret his decision to be with her. She told herself to stop being so needy, yet she spent the rest of the afternoon planning out her evening with Jasper in finite detail.

  Chapter 18

  The apartment smelt delicious. Kait had finished work early, which was a rarity for her, so that she could cook a whole chicken and lay out a roast dinner for Jasper. She just hoped that he would like it. Anxiously, she checked in on the roast potatoes which were already starting to turn golden. Everything looked and smelt amazing. Feeling pleased with herself, Kait poured a glass of white wine. She was wearing her favorite navy dress which clung to her curves with just the right amount of intensity. A slick of red lipstick finished the outfit. She looked glamorous but still casual. She could almost have gone to work in her dress though in reality, she’d spent a good forty minutes pouring over every item in her wardrobe. And she was wearing her best underwear – an expensive lacy set she rarely wore.

  Kait was almost bursting with excitement. She’d lit candles around the apartment which flittered magically bathing the whole space in a warm, golden glow. A table had been set for two, with long stemmed candles and her best cutlery and china. The stage was set for a perfect evening.

  Promptly at eight, a knock came at the door. Kait giggled to herself. He was on time; that was a good sign, right? She hurried over to her front door and let Jasper in. He kissed her lips as he walked in, cupping her cheek with one hand and pulling her close. The kiss was intense, and Kait had to fight her way out of it else she knew she’d lose her head. With her lips still tingling, she gestured towards the kitchenette in her apartment.

  “I’ve cooked dinner,” she smiled shyly. She watched Jasper sniff the air and register what she was saying. But when his gaze settled upon her, she sensed that he was hungry for something other than food.

  He was still wearing his clothes from the gym – baggy blue shorts and a tight white vest top. His muscles bulged sexily beneath it. Beside him Kait felt ridiculously overdressed. She knew they were only in her apartment, but she had hoped that Jasper would make a bit of effort for their evening together.

  “You look amazing,” he told her as his eyes eagerly drank her in.

  “Thanks,” Kait smoothed a hand nervously down the front of her dress. “Dinner is pretty much ready. Want me to pour you a glass of wine?”

  “I’m not hungry,” Jasper growled the words as he reached for her, pulling her close to him. The cologne he’d hastily sprayed in the changing room struggled to cover the musky odor of sweat which clung to his toned physique.

  Kait wanted to insist that they eat dinner first. She’d spent ages preparing the meal, but as his lips began to caress her neck she could only groan in pleasure. With one hand, Jasper began to feel his way up her leg, brushing against the tops of her thighs. Kait trembled against him. He found the edge of her lace panties and expertly moved them aside so that he could touch her directly. Kait gasped and melted as his fingers began to pleasure her. She was no longer thinking about the dinner or the dress she was wearing. Jasper kept kissing her neck, and soon she was at the point of climax.

  “Come for me,” Jasper breathed the command directly into her ear. Kait willingly obliged. Fireworks erupted throughout her body. She was overwhelmed with desire. She was hungrily kissing Jasper as his hands became tangled in her hair. At some point, they both fell to the floor when she straddled him as he had his back against the floor. She hoisted up her dress and cast aside her panties so that his hands could cup her bare buttocks.

  Throwing back her head, Kait came once more as Jasper grunted and thrusted beneath her.

  “Oh, Jasper,” she breathlessly panted his name as she climbed off him. He was wearing a satisfied smile and watching her intently. Kait loved how it felt to be the center of his attention, but she was suddenly distracted. She could smell burning. With lightning quick movements she sprinted over to the kitchenette and threw open the oven door. Instead, her potatoes and chicken were black and charred. Dark smoke billowed out and was promptly followed by the shrill beeping of the fire alarm.

  “Damn it!” Kait shouted over the din. Jasper appeared behind her and threw open the windows, allowing most of the smoke to disperse into the cool evening air. After several minutes, the alarm stopped. Kait looked down in dismay at her ruined dinner.

  “I’m sorry,” she said forlornly, her shoulders slumped, “dinner is ruined.”

  “It’s okay,” Jasper looped an arm around her waist and gave her a squeeze. “I wasn’t hungry anyway, and I need to be getting back.” He leaned close to kiss her on the forehead.

  “You’re not staying?” Kait spun around to face him, her eyes wide with surprise.

  “No,” Jasper shook his head and released her from his grip. “I’m training first thing tomorrow. I need a good night’s sleep.”

  Kait’s gaze darted between him and the ruined dinner.

  “I thought…I thought you’d be staying.”

  “Next time,” Jasper promised with a smile as he kissed her lips.

  Chapter 19
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  Only he didn’t stay next time. Or the time after that. It was always the same excuse – he had to get up early for training, he had a really important fight coming up. Each night, Kait lay awake in bed feeling the emptiness beside her creep into her bones. This wasn’t what she had wanted. Yes, she wanted Jasper, but she wanted all of him not just the part time version she was getting. It almost felt like he was using her.

  “You’re a booty call,” Anna said simply over lunch the next day as she shoved a fork into her chicken salad.

  “I’m not,” Kait protested with a shake of her head.

  “Please,” Anna rolled her eyes and put down her fork so that she could start listing things off on her fingers which boasted pristinely manicured nails.

  “He doesn’t stay over, you guys don’t go out anywhere, you don’t schedule any dates, and when you’re together you just have sex. Booty call.”

  “No,” Kait could feel her face starting to burn. She was more than a booty call to Jasper. They were an actual couple, weren’t they?

  “We’re seeing each other,” Kait said defensively, cringing with how lame she sounded. “We are an actual couple.”

  “Please,” Anna rolled her eyes again. “Robert and I are an actual couple. Last weekend, I met his parents. Tomorrow night, he’s taking me to the cinema. When did your fighter last take you on a date?”

  Kait already knew the answer. It was when they went for a meal together. Somehow that night felt like a million years ago.

  “See,” Anna angled her fork towards her friend as she picked it back up. “Booty call, and you know it.”

  “It’s not like that,” Kait insisted, but her voice lacked the conviction she’d hoped it would have. Was she just a booty call to Jasper? He seemed to only come around when he wanted sex, and he never stayed over. Kait had to admit that what they had certainly didn’t feel like a relationship.

  “Maybe this is a relationship for him,” Anna offered with a light shrug. “Maybe this is as serious as he gets. But if that is the case, will it be enough for you?”

  Kait said nothing, but she knew that of course it wouldn’t. She wanted what Anna had with Robert. She wanted to go out on dates and feel like she was a legitimate part of Jasper’s life, not just a place for him to find physical comfort.

  “I can still set up that double date you know,” Anna suggested brightly. “But you’d need to be quick. Robert’s friend is a handsome guy, and he’ll get snapped up soon if you don’t move on him.”

  Kait dropped her gaze to her own salad and pushed the plastic container away. She had suddenly lost her appetite. Her blonde hair fell around her shoulders as she chewed her lip and tried to ignore her friend’s concerned look.

  “I don’t like seeing you like this,” Anna said softly. “You don’t seem happy.”

  “When I’m with him, I’m so happy,” Kait recalled Jasper’s last visit with a bittersweet smile. “In his arms, he has the power to make the whole world melt away. And I…I get lost in him. But then when we’re apart, it kills me.”

  “Sounds intense.”

  “It is!” Kait insisted fervently. “It’s almost…too intense. It’s either all or nothing, and I kind of want the in between stuff. The cinema trips. The meals out.”

  “Have you told him how you feel?”

  “What do you think?” Kait grumbled. Jasper was hardly easy to approach on matters of the heart. A part of her remained wounded from their encounter at his gym when he’d told her she would always come second to his training.

  “Well, maybe you should,” Anna coaxed gently. “If you guys are like together for real, he’ll hear you out. He’ll want you to be happy.”

  “You think so?”

  “Sure.”

  Kait’s phone buzzed noisily on the table between them. Reaching for it, Kait was unable to suppress the smile which pulled at her lips when she saw that the message was from Jasper.

  Hey beautiful, can I see you tonight? Xxxx

  “Ooh, from lover boy?” Anna asked teasingly.

  “Uh huh,” Kait bit her lip and looked down at the message. She knew that what Jasper was really asking was if he could come round and ravage her. That was all they ever did. They had intense, passionate sex, and then they returned to their respective lives.

  “So?” Anna prompted her friend.

  “He’s going to come around later,” Kait was suddenly blushing like an embarrassed school girl.

  “Ooh,” Anna mocked with a raise of her pruned eyebrows. “Will he be staying over?”

  “No,” Kait sighed, already knowing the answer to that question. “He’s got a huge fight tomorrow.”

  “That sounds like an excuse.”

  “No, it really is a huge fight for him. One that will make or break his career.”

  “You sound convinced.”

  “I am,” Kait nodded furiously.

  “Then why are you so upset about being a booty call if you’ve already made peace with it?”

  “I’m not a booty call,” Kait ground her teeth and put the phone back down. “I’m his girlfriend.”

  “So are you going to watch this big fight?”

  Kait fumbled for a response. Jasper had yet to invite her to come and watch his latest big match, but surely that’s what a girlfriend would do? Go along to support her man?

  “My advice for what it’s worth is surprise him at the fight. Turn up to support him. If he’s pleased you’re there, you’re his girlfriend. If he’s angry you turned up, you’re his booty call.”

  Kait absorbed her friend’s suggestion, knowing that deep down Anna was right. She was just terrified that if she turned up at the fight Jasper would only be mad at her which would confirm all her fears about them as a couple.

  Chapter 20

  “So, are you feeling ready?” Carl asked, his voice fringed with concern. Jasper leaned forward, resting his elbows upon his knees. They were in the changing room at the venue for his next fight, and he could already hear the distant chanting of the eager crowd.

  Jasper tensed the muscles in his arms. He certainly hoped he was ready. But despite all the hours he’d put in at the gym, each time he walked, he felt sharp stabbing pains in his one knee. Back at his apartment he’d topped himself up with pain medication, but he doubted it would be enough to numb himself for the duration of the fight.

  “You have to win this,” Carl warned, growing pale when Jasper failed to respond to him. “I made it very clear how important this fight is.”

  “Yes,” Jasper looked up at his agent, annoyed. “You’ve made it clear, Carl. I get it. Trust me.”

  “Let’s just hope all these extra hours you’ve put in at the gym have been worth it.”

  “Tell me about it,” Jasper agreed. He felt like he was constantly on the verge of exhaustion. He didn’t spring out of bed after a day of excessive training the way he used to when he was younger. What if he was just too old to fight? He couldn’t think like that. With a brisk shake of his head, he banished the negative thought to the back of his mind.

  “Just go out there and give this guy hell,” Carl offered encouragingly.

  “I intend to.”

  Jasper remained sat rigidly on the sofa of his changing room. This was the time when he needed to focus, to descend down a black hole of thought focusing only on the pin prick of light at the end. He had to visualize winning, convince himself that he’d already won. He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, expecting to hear the thunder of applause in his ears, but instead he heard Kait gasp in pleasure. He was thinking about her again. He clenched his hands tightly together as they had started to shake. Why was he thinking about her now? His mind needed to be clear. He needed to be focused.

  Carl had already left, aware of Jasper’s pre-fight ritual and needed for solitude before he entered the ring. Only Jasper wasn’t currently alone; Kait was in his mind polluting his every thought. When he tried to imagine throwing a crucial punch, he thought of the way she smelt, of how sof
t her hair was when he ran it through his fingertips like spun gold.

  “Focus,” he snarled angrily at himself. But it did no good. Kait was all he could think about. Getting to his feet, he started to anxiously pace about, thinking that some movement might help banish Kait from his mind, but it didn’t. With each tense step he took, fresh images of her popped up in his mind’s eye.

  “No, no, no,” Jasper was shaking his head as he walked back and forth. “Focus.”

  A brisk knock on the door caused him to cease pacing. The door opened, and Carl was standing there, his expression unreadable.