Beyond the Cage

by Alana Sapphire

“Finally. He’s trying to convince me that nothing happened between him and the chit.”

  “Jas…he’s telling the truth.”

  “Don’t –”

  “No…after I threatened to kick her ass, the trick admitted that she came on to him but he wasn’t having it. He was trying to kick her out when she dropped her dress.”

  I shake my head in disbelief. I can’t believe she’s taking his side, all on the word of that bitch.

  “That’s what I was trying to tell you that night, but you just Usain Bolted it outta there. After I saw what happened, Jared got her to admit that some guy paid her to do it. She said he approached her that night we first saw her. I guess we know now who that was.”

  Shit. I played right into Mikhail’s plan.

  “Look…” Chels continues, “I’m gonna go. You two need to talk.”

  She steps out, closing the door behind her.

  “I swear to you,” Cameron pleads. “Nothing happened or was going to happen.”

  I look up at him in awe, watching his lips move, hearing the smooth baritone of his voice. He even sounds hot. Fuck!

  “Why should I believe you?” I know I’m being stubborn, but I’m still angry.

  “Jasmine…”

  Why does my name sound so sensual rolling off his lips?

  “I love you. You’re the only woman I need. Twice, I stood and watched as you walked away…I won’t let you do it again.”

  He takes a step forward and I take one back. I can’t let him touch me. There’s no way I’d be able to hold on to my anger if I allow him to.

  “The first time…I was so scared that I would hurt you. You don’t know what that was like for me. I haven’t been scared of anything since I was a kid. Not even when I was in the Marines.”

  I watch him as he begins to pace in agitation. For a man who hasn’t spoken in years, he’s sure making up for it right now.

  “I was fucking terrified! Me! I tried to stay away from you. I tried. The moment I made the decision, though, I knew I wouldn’t be able to do it. It killed me every minute of every day to not see you or hear your voice.”

  He turns to face me once again, desperation written all over his features. I just watch him, trying to absorb everything.

  “Every day, I got on my bike to come to you, but I’d talk myself out of it. I wanted to give you time to figure out what you wanted. I finally gave up because I realized that…I can’t live without you.”

  His words are barely registering. His voice is like music to my ears – classical music…Beethoven, Mozart, Bach, Brahms, Chopin, Wagner, all combined to create one super, melodic, orchestral masterpiece.

  “Jasmine?”

  Huh?

  He takes my hands in his and stares at me with pleading eyes.

  “The other night…Melinda…she just walked in and was all over me. What you saw me reaching for was her dress…to pull it back up. Please, don’t do this. I swear…nothing happened.”

  “Nothing happened?”

  “Nothing. I haven’t even looked at another woman since the night I met you.”

  “Really?”

  “Really.”

  My anger begins to dissipate. He looks so distraught…like he can’t bear the thought of losing me.

  “When Chelsea told me that they took you…I almost died. If I hadn’t let you run out of there…”

  Without warning, he pulls me into his arms and kisses me with a desperation that speaks volumes. He pulls away just as brusquely, leaving me reeling. Running a hand through his hair, he stares at me in frustration.

  “I swear you listened to me more when I wasn’t talking.”

  “Speaking of…what was that all about?”

  “When I began studying Ninjutsu, Master Wu made me take a vow of silence in order to sharpen my other senses…physical and mental.”

  How very anti-climactic. That’s what I get for jumping to conclusions. “Here I was thinking you’d been traumatized or something. Why did you get so upset when I asked about your childhood?”

  “I was mad at myself, not you, for not being able to talk to you.”

  Oh. “So…you broke your vow for me?”

  “You don’t know how much I’ve wanted to say to you…to tell you how beautiful you are…all the sweet nothings you wanted to hear…”

  He reaches out to touch my cheek and I step out of his reach. Taking a deep breath, he pulls his T-shirt up, exposing his Chinese symbol tattoo.

  “You wanted to know what my tattoos mean. This one means ‘fight’.”

  “So what? You’re a frickin’ MMA fighter.”

  “No. Not in the literal sense. It means fight hard for a dream…for what you believe in…what you love.” He drops his shirt and takes my hands once more. “I believe in you. I love you. I’m not losing you over this. I’m going to fight for you.”

  As his words sink in, my heart begins a steady pitter-patter then escalates to a deafening pounding. He loves me. He really loves me! He wasn’t just saying it to diffuse the situation. Or maybe I was too angry to truly hear him before. Now I do – loud and clear.

  “You love me?”

  “For years, the cage was my life. I lived it, breathed it, loved it. It was all I knew, all I saw…until you. You made me see beyond the cage to another, better life. And I want that life…with you.”

  “You love me?” I’m stuck on that one piece of information, unable to let it go.

  His lips curl up in a smirk as he realizes he’s finally gotten through to me.

  “Of course. You’re pretty to look at, you cook, and you’re the bomb in bed. What more could a guy ask for?” he repeats my own words to me.

  I swat playfully at his chest, and then launch myself into his arms. When he picks me up, I wrap my legs around his waist, and my arms around his neck.

  “I’m the bomb in bed?” I smirk.

  “The best I’ve ever had.”

  “Oh, Cameron. I love you, too.”

  “I know.”

  It wasn’t cocky, just an affirmation.

  “How?” I ask.

  “You told me.”

  “When did I do that?”

  “Our first night at Babel,” he replies. “You were falling asleep, so I guess that’s why you don’t remember.”

  “You knew all this time and you never said anything?”

  “I wanted you to say it while you were fully conscious.”

  “In the shower…is that what you wanted me to say?”

  He nods, tightening his arms around me.

  “Cameron…” I cradle his face and kiss his lips softly. “I love you. I love you, I love you, I love you.”

  “You got me, babe. I’m down for the count.”

  “When did you know?”

  “The moment I saw those bruises and decided I had to protect you from me. I’ve wanted to tell you for a while. I just didn’t want to say it in a text or note…you deserve more than that.”

  My heart swells with emotion and I try desperately to blink back the tears.

  “I’m sorry. I’m sorry I doubted you.”

  “It’s okay. I know how it looked. If the situation was reversed, I know I would have killed the motherfucker.”

  I believe him. I mean, he almost threw Jamal over the railing at the club just for touching me.

  “I have something for you,” he states.

  I raise my brows suggestively. “I bet you do.”

  A fire burns in his eyes but he blinks, extinguishing it…for now.

  “Later.”

  I uncurl myself and watch as he walks to the chest of drawers once more. After rifling through a drawer, he comes back with an envelope.

  “What’s this?”

  “Open it,” he urges.

  He looks a bit uncertain, so I pull out the document cautiously. It’s a receipt…of sorts.

  “You didn’t!” I exclaim. “How did you even…”

  “Your dad. I wanted to give it to you on your birthday, but…”


  I can’t believe he did this…all my student loans…paid in full!

  I throw my arms around his waist, squeezing him, and pressing my cheek to his chest.

  “Thank you!”

  He breathes a sigh of relief and kisses the top of my head. I step back and stare up at him lovingly.

  “Now I’m gonna have to do something special for your birthday…which is just a couple weeks away. Know what you want?”

  He smiles and points to me. Are we back to this again?

  “You already have me, silly.”

  He shakes his head and points to me again. What? He falls to his knee before me, taking my left hand in his. Oh, God. Oh. My. God! He’s proposing! I shriek as he slips the emerald ring onto my finger.

  With shivering breaths, I join him on the floor. As tears of joy stream down my cheeks, I take a page from his book and simply nod. Yes!

  “Say it,” he urges.

  “Yes, I’ll marry you.”

  “Fuck, I love you,” he mumbles against my lips before totally owning them. “I promise I’ll get you another ring tomorrow.”

  I grab the hem of his shirt, not wanting to waste any time getting him out of his clothes. A ring is the last thing on my mind right now. He keeps our lips joined, parting for only the briefest moments to remove a piece of clothing.

  “Make love to me, Cameron,” I plead.

  He scoops me up and pushes to his feet, taking me to the bed. After laying me down horizontally, he slowly removes my remaining clothes and stares down at me, his eyes burning a trail down my body. His gaze is like a touch, and I writhe beneath it as my body pulses with need.

  “Please…”

  Leaning in, he whispers against my neck, “You’re so beautiful.”

  I quiver as he presses his lips to my skin, moving at a snail’s pace down to my sternum. Sliding my hand through his hair, I try to urge him along, but he’s not having it.

  “I love your skin, your scent…” Moving to the curve of my waist, he growls and bites into my flesh. “I fucking love your body.”

  He buries his face in my neck once more, his warm breath sending shivers down my spine.

  “Since I took that vow, I’ve never met anyone who made me want to break it. Not until you.”

  I moan, wrapping my arms around his neck.

  “Every time I got inside you, I wanted to shout every compliment I could think of.” Sliding his way back down my body, he parts my thighs. “You’re always so wet,” he says, gliding his thumb across my clit. “Your taste…” He slips his thumb inside me. “‘Honey’ is the perfect name, because you have the sweetest pussy I’ve ever tasted.”

  “Oh, God…” I clench around his thumb, needing him inside me.

  When his tongue swipes at my clit, my entire body trembles. “Cameron…” I grab a handful of his hair, pressing his lips into my pussy. As his tongue swirls, his thumb pumps in and out, intensifying the sensations racing through my body. He moans, pulling my clit into his mouth, sucking on my tender flesh.

  “Fuck! I’m –”

  He halts, ripping my orgasm away from me. I groan like a petulant child, and he leans over me again.

  “Not yet. You’re going to come on my dick.”

  Fuck. I thought his sex was great before, but add in that heavenly voice of his? Fucking amazing. “Yes, I need you in–” I moan as he enters me with one, smooth stroke. “…side me…”

  “So fucking tight,” he groans.

  “You’re really making up for lost time, huh?”

  “I am. Before the night is over, you’re going to hear everything I’ve been holding in since I met you.”

  “First things first.” I wrap my legs around his hips, pulling him in to me.

  “You got it, beautiful.”

  He starts to move, and I get lost in him. The events of the last few days fade away and all that’s left is this – us, in this moment. Just two people in love, expressing it in the most basic but also most profound way. My moans and whimpers mix with his groans and grunts, the sound of our bodies colliding playing a song as old as time. I grab at his back, dragging my nails against his skin when sound is not enough to express my pleasure.

  Cameron curls one arm around my thigh, planting the other on the bed by my shoulder, working his hips in a circular motion. Gripping him with my muscles, I match his movements.

  “Fuck, baby,” he groans, increasing his speed.

  Standing upright, the hand from the bed splays on my stomach, and his thumb presses down on my clit, making tight circles.

  “Cameron!”

  “I love when you scream my name.”

  Yeah, well, I’ll be screaming it again pretty soon. Feeling my orgasm quickly approaching, I clench around him, gripping the sheets. “I’m coming. I’m coming…Cameron!” I cry out, my body convulsing beneath his.

  “Jasmine!”

  He grunts and, for the first time, I think we came together. The fact that he came with my name on his lips makes it even more earth-shattering.

  Breathing heavily, he leans in and pulls my nipple into his mouth, circling it with his tongue before collapsing on top of me. When his breathing calms, he picks me up, throws the covers back, and climbs in, cradling me in his arms. I pull the covers over us and settle against him once more, my head on his chest.

  “Want me to shut up yet?” He chuckles.

  “Never.”

  He sighs in contentment, tightening his arm around me. “I love you, Jasmine.”

  “I love you, Cameron.”

  Snuggling up to my future husband, I fall asleep, the happiest woman in the world.

  EPILOGUE

  The purpose of our lives is to be happy. – Dalai Lama

  9 years later

  “Jackson! What are you still doing here?”

  “That would be Dr. Jackson, thank you very much,” I reply.

  Damon’s smile lights up his blue eyes.

  “My apologies, Dr. Jackson. How are you?”

  “I’m fine, Dr. Richards. How’s your gorgeous wife?”

  “You tell me. You seem to talk to her more than I do…especially now.”

  He’s right. It seems we’re on the phone every free moment I have. Well, the ones when I’m not with my husband. After that day he spoke to me, I was the only one he talked to for a while. Gradually, he brought more people into the circle – Manny, Damon, and then the other guys he works with. Everyone pretty much had the same reaction I did. When he gave his first interview, it made all the papers and the news.

  He’s still fighting, though not as much as he used to. He’s transformed the gym into a dojo and became a certified martial arts/mixed martial arts instructor. He still enters the Ultimate Warrior competition and is still undefeated. Oh, and he’s still dangerously hot.

  “You look like you’re about to keel over where you stand.”

  Damon’s concerned gaze travels down to my protruding belly. I place my palm on my bulge, stroking it in a circular motion.

  “Comes with the territory of being nine months pregnant. She’s been acting up all day. I swear she’s as strong as her father.”

  “You should go home…get some rest.”

  “I have rounds to finish.”

  “I’ll take care of it.”

  “Sounds tempting, but –”

  A sudden kick sends me leaning on the closest wall. Damon takes my hand.

  “Come on…let’s get you to a chair.”

  A few steps later, I stop and stare at Damon in wide-eyed horror.

  “What is it?” he asks.

  “I think a bed would be a better idea. My water broke.”

  “Nurse! Can I get a gurney here, please?” he shouts.

  “Call Cameron for me, would you?”

  “Oh, man, I bet he won’t know what to do with himself.”

  “Did you?”

  “The first time? Hell no. I have a feeling this time won’t be any different.”

  Yup, Chels is eight an
d a half months into her second child with Damon. This is my first, and I need my husband. Nervously, I twist both the diamond ring and wedding band on my finger. My emerald ring is on a necklace I wear every day. Damon motions to me from the nurses’ station.

  “He wants to talk to you.”

  The nurse arrives with the gurney, watching cautiously as I waddle over to the phone.

  “Baby, are you okay?” he asks when I pick up the phone.

  “Yes, but I’ll be better when you get here.”

  “I’m on my way.”

  I hang up, and Damon helps me onto the gurney. Half an hour later, Cameron sticks his head into my room and I motion for him to enter. He drops my duffle by the bed and takes my hand.

  “Are you ready?”

  “Are you?” I raise a brow.

  “In case you don’t remember, I’ve been ready, Jasmine. I’ve been waiting for this for a long time.”

  “You’re right. And yes, I’m ready. I can’t wait to hold her.”

  I remember the day I told him I was pregnant. I’d walked up to him and told him I needed help with a math problem. He’d pulled me down onto his lap and wrapped his arms around me.

  “It starts out really simple. The first step is one plus one.”

  “That is simple…two.”

  “Okay…this is where it gets tricky. The second step is two”—I took his hand and placed it gently on my then-flat stomach—“plus one.”

  “Well, that’s –”

  His words were cut off when I pressed down on his hand.

  “You mean…you’re…we’re…”

  “Yes. We’re going to be parents.”

  He was so happy. I can still see his elated expression in my mind.

  An intense pain in my chest jerks me from my reminiscing. All of a sudden, I don’t feel so good. I’m dizzy, short of breath, and my vision is blurry. This is not good…it could be hypotension. The machines start beeping like crazy.

  “Cameron…get the doctor.”

  His eyes open wide in fear and he rushes out of the room. He returns with my OB/GYN, Dr. Chang, along with Damon and Chelsea.

  “Doctor, what’s happening?” Cameron asks.

  “Her blood pressure is dropping fast, and so is the baby’s heart rate.”

  “I…can’t…bre…breathe…”

  Cameron and Chels rush to my side but are quickly pushed out of the way as Dr. Chang clears the room and yells for a nurse. What’s going on? What’s happening to me, to my baby? My chest…the pain…am I having a heart attack? I reach for Cameron, but he’s not there. The noise fades, and then the room goes dark.