by Reina Torres
She fought the hope inside of her. It would only be so easy to believe what he was saying, but she could barely trust herself some days. What if she ruined his life because she couldn’t find the courage to give herself to him?
Maggie grit her teeth and asked him. “What if I never get there? What if I don’t want to be tied to you forever?” Her heart raged against her as if it was a living thing. It wanted to shake her, hard.
She could hear her mind arguing with her. She’d loved him her entire adult life and even before that, but still she wouldn’t give in.
The same stubborn streak had gotten her in trouble as a teen and then kept her alive through detox and rehab, and now, she couldn’t decide if it was trying to save her life or ruin it.
Either way, she knew she’d made a decision.
“I want you, Cage. Of that I’m dead certain.”
“Then have me. I’ll give you whatever you want. If that’s just sex for now, then I’ll give that to you.” She saw his eyes travel over her body and strangely, she didn’t feel all that self-conscious. He said he loved her curves and seeing the look of lust in his eyes, she knew he’d told the truth.
Again.
And just like that, her eyes raking over his naked body kneeling between her legs, the fire reignited, roaring through her blood.
“Then make me scream, Cage. Show me you know how to make me come.”
He nodded, a kind of grim determination on his face. “Do you have-”
“In the drawer,” her eyes darted to the table beside her bed, “it’s not like you had someplace to hold them.” A little bit of sarcastic humor and she felt her self-confidence begin to rebound.
He didn’t question her. He didn’t ask to go without. No, Cage Gamble leaned over and pulled open her top drawer and looked inside.
“There’s nearly a dozen in there.”
She shrugged and reached out her hand. “Can you blame me for being a little over-prepared?”
He dangled a blue foil packet from his fingertips. “I like the way you think.” Taking a hold of his shaft with his left hand, Cage slid his hand up to the tip and then slowly reversed the action, and she watched the long shaft of his cock twitch in his hand. Tearing open the packet he rolled the condom on with one hand while the other kept a hold of the base of his erection.
Maggie felt something in her throat, and when Cage met her eyes she knew what it was.
A moan.
That he heard. It was written in the smug smile on his face. Leaning over her, he tucked his hands under her and drew her closer, her thighs spreading wider with the motion.
She saw him look down at her, his eyes moving over her in a caress.
“Look later,” she egged him on, “much later.” She saw the thick rise of his erection curving toward his taut belly. “I need you.”
The smile that graced his lips made her flesh ache and tighten all over her body. Like that moment right before diving into deep water roiling with foam, she sucked in a breath.
“I want to see.”
His smile deepened, and he rose up higher on his knees, moving one hand under the small of her back, he used the other to place the tip of his erection against her folds.
Tears gathered in her eyes as he pressed forward, and the wide head of his cock pushed just beyond her opening.
“Oh,” it was a shock, a surprise that took her breath away. Barely inside of her, she was already full, working to relax so that she could accommodate his size.
He leaned closer and another inch slid deeper into her body and she sighed, reaching out toward him.
“More, Maggie?”
She nodded, and he pushed deeper, his free hand brush over her stomach. Another inch and his hand moved up to her breast.
She wanted to close her eyes and be lost in the sensation, but she wanted to watch him more.
Wanted to see his eyes glitter like gems as he leaned over her. Wanted to see the beads of sweat on his skin, watch them collect and slide down his face, collect and spill from the stubble on his cheeks.
And when he sank his last long inch into her body, when he bottomed out in her heat, she felt the groan that rolled through him.
She felt the purr that came from somewhere deeper.
Maggie drew in a breath and when it passed back through her lips she heard the same purr from deep inside her soul. The surprise was likely written across her face, but before she could say a word, his lips were on hers, drinking her in.
His hand moved to the side of her face, holding her in place for his kiss, turning her head so that he could sweep his tongue in to tangle with hers. Once he’d found just the right angle, she felt his hand drift down over her neck and then down to her breast.
Cage swallowed her gasp as his finger closed over her nipple, pinching it ever so slightly so there was only a swift sting of pain before he released some of the pressure as he drew himself out of her. The next stroke of his hips he tightened his fingers around her nipple again, giving it the tiniest twist.
Her hands reached for him, finding every possible inch she could and holding nowhere. She was searching, exploring.
And with every sweep of his hips, every thrust into her body, she squeezed him tight with her fingers and the slick heat between her legs.
Maggie wanted to hold him close and yet, bring him deeper, hold him inside of her forever, but when he pulled out of her she knew that in the next moment, he’d be deep inside of her again and it made the loss bearable.
Until it became nearly impossible to breathe.
She sighed his name deep in her throat and he pulled away, looking down into her eyes.
“Are you there, Maggie? Are you up there in the air about to fall?”
She dug her fingers into his arms and chanced a glance down and saw him pushing into her body again and again.
“Oh, yes,” she moaned, “so close, so-”
Her head fell back on a cry and a tremor shook her to the core. It wasn’t what they were destined for, but it came close to pushing her over that edge.
“Harder, Cage. I need it harder.”
And he gave her what she needed.
“Look at me, Maggie. Fucking look at me.”
And she gave him what he needed. Her eyes on him. Wide and open like her body under him.
Another bead of sweat worked its way down over his temple and down to his jaw. He moved his free hand to the mattress by her hip and pushed harder into her body as if he was trying to climb inside of her.
She panted and begged him for more… for so much more… and he gave it to her and as she watched, that bead of sweat trembled on the edge of his jaw until she lost her battle to hold on.
It fell, traveling through the distance between them like quicksilver. When it landed on her skin, shattering into a thousand bits against the lush curve of her breast, she shattered too.
And took Cage with her.
Chapter Ten
The diner was humming. There was hardly an empty seat in the dining room that wasn’t filled. It would have been too much for her to handle all on her own, but Frances fit right in. Her quick reflexes had also helped quite a bit. Spills happened less when she was around, her hands saving plastic tumblers and utensils from the laminate flooring. And thank goodness for her keen sense of smell.
When both Maggie and Frances were busy up front taking orders, Frances knew just when to dash back into the kitchen and pull the bacon off of the flattop.
Mr. Foley sat back in his chair, enjoying the last few minutes of his free time and the last sips of his cup of coffee. He turned when he heard a horn out front.
“Maggie?”
“Mmhmm?” She mumbled into the pass through. “You need something, Mr. Foley?” His pause brought her eyes up to look through into the dining room. The older man pointed toward the front windows at the old Chevy muscle car out on the road.
The driver leaned across toward the passenger seat and gave her a wave.
“Oh!” She wav
ed back and took a few steps toward the back. “Frances, Dino’s here!”
“Damn,” her voice was muffled through the door, “one moment!” And in truth it was just the one, because Frances threw open the door and bounded out into the kitchen area. “Thanks again, Maggie.”
With a one-armed hug and a kiss to Maggie’s cheek, Frances burst out of the front door. “Hey, Uncle Barney!”
Maggie sighed and grabbed an apple off the counter and darted toward the door, pushing it open with her elbow. “Frances!”
The girl had one foot in the car and stopped. Turning she looked back.
Maggie held up the apple and Frances lifted her hand in the air with a wink.
“Oh great,” Maggie sighed, “if I make this throw I’m a hero. If I don’t, there’ll be apple guts all over Dino’s car.”
“You can do it, Maggie,” Mr. Foley laughed along with her.
“Okay, here goes nothing.” She wound up like she did back in Bobby Sox and let fly.
Frances dropped her backpack on the passenger seat and jumped in the air, plucking the apple out of mid-air. “See you for dinner!”
Maggie waved and watched as Frances ducked into the car laughing. With a big grin she pulled the seatbelt across her chest and set the lock. A moment later the car started to move.
A soft disapproving sigh came from behind her.
She turned around. “What’s wrong, Mr. Foley?”
“That,” he tilted his head in the direction of the street, “is a classic Trans Am. It should be peeling away from the curb with a roar!”
Maggie shrugged. “Maybe usually, but right now, Dino’s taking Frances to school. If Cage thought he was driving anywhere near the speed limit, he’d ground Dino from fights for a month.”
Folding his newspaper up, Mr. Foley set it beside his plate. “Sounds like Cage has got this over-protective father thing down pat.”
She couldn’t help the warm blush that colored her cheeks. “He’s doing everything he can to help her through this big move.”
He leaned forward and smiled at her, setting his arm on the counter. “I think you’re doing wonders with her too.”
Waving off his words, she went back to the counter and picked up his travel cup. Taking it to the coffee pot, she filled it up. “I’m glad she’s letting me help. I see so much of myself in her and then I see so much more. You know?”
She set the cup down and he re-covered it.
“I raised three of my own. I do. I just don’t know what it’s like to raise ah… um… I don’t know the proper term for it.”
“Shifter?” She nodded. “It’s a big shock for me too.” She hesitated. Maggie couldn’t tell him she’d known about all of this for more than a decade. Her father’s unit and their missions were top secret. She just knew because she was too sneaky for her own good. “But I’m getting used to the idea of my work and home being more of a menagerie than a regular job and apartment.”
He nodded thoughtfully as she handed him his bill. Reaching into his wallet he pulled out a few bills. “Is Dino another lion? Or a jaguar like Cage?”
She shook her head and took the money to the old-fashioned cash register. Pushing the cashdrawer button, it sprang open and she reached for his change.
“Go ahead and keep it, Maggie.”
She set aside the tip and turned back to him with a big smile. “Thanks. No, he’s not a cat, Dino is a wolf, not many of those around this part of town.”
He nodded in reply. “Then why the ‘Uncle Barney’?”
Maggie rolled her eyes. “Well the ‘Uncle’ because practically all of the guys who fight at the venue for Cage, they’re all like uncles now. Taking turns driving her to school so she won’t be late after helping me with the morning shift. She knows whoever pulls up in front about this time is her ride to school. And Dino, well, that’s because it matches with dinosaur.”
“Ah...” He chuckled and stood. “My three were too old for that show when it started, so thankfully I missed it.”
She grinned back at him. “My cousins watched Teletubbies so be glad you missed those too.”
Late in the afternoon, Cage stepped outside for a little fresh air, and yes, to look up at Maggie’s apartment. It was too early for her to put on any lights in her place, but he didn’t have to look for lights to know what she was up to. His mate was fast asleep, taking one of her ‘power naps’ before Frances returned home from her tutoring session.
Folding his arms across his chest he brought up an image in his head. Maggie, in an oversized t-shirt and a pair of bikini panties, her limbs tangled with an old thin sheet that she needed to get to sleep. Some old hospital blanket from her last time in the hospital before rehab.
She’d balked when she’d tried to tell him the story and that was fine, he’d wait. He’d wait forever for her.
He blew out a breath and thought over his plan for the night. He’d already talked to Frances and she’d given her approval to the plan. Tonight, he was going to invite Maggie out for a night on the town, whatever night she was free. Hell, Frances had even picked out clothes for him to wear. That had been quite the shopping trip. It seemed that his teenaged lioness was pleased as she could be torturing him with trying on all sorts of shirts and jackets… and ties, just to make the ‘right’ impression on Maggie.
And he didn’t complain. Not much.
Not when he couldn’t wait to see Maggie’s face when he took her to a restaurant with candlelight and food he couldn’t pronounce. He knew how to make her shiver and sigh, but now he was going to learn how to romance the hell out of his mate.
She deserved it and more for putting up with him and helping Frances find her footing in Sylvan City.
The only thing keeping him down on the sidewalk and not using his key to let himself into Maggie’s apartment was the fact that he was planning on keeping her up for hours after Frances went to bed. She needed her sleep.
He blew out a breath and sighed.
A rumble in the distance caught his attention.
Cage knew every car owned by his fighters by sound. He also knew the same for the owners of the other buildings around. The sounds echoing against the hard walls and into his ears from the car coming down the road had no business being here, even on a night where they were having fights, it was too early for anyone out of the ordinary to come by.
That had him out of his office door and onto the concrete open area in front of the Club. The shiny black Hummer looked like it rarely saw the outdoors. It was a damn waste.
Still, by the way he drove straight up to the curb in front of the Club, Cage felt a little itch in his gums. Fangs on the verge of pushing through his skin, he advanced on the car and made sure to angle his approach to keep his eye on the driver.
The man stepped out and Cage saw the fancy shoes and what looked like a suit that cost more than his car. He didn’t have to ask the man what he was doing there. His whole demeanor screamed lawyer.
Yeah, Cage had known it wasn’t a social call, but he was fairly sure he was going to have to keep himself from ripping the man apart.
He was, after all, a foster dad. Killing a man in cold blood might just be an issue. So, he stood there and watched the man approach with a packet of papers in his hand.
“Cage Gamble?”
Cage made the man wait. There was no way a man with that much money would come all the way out here without knowing exactly what his target looked like. This man may look like an ass, but he didn’t look stupid.
Then the man decided to poke the bear before him. “I said, are you-”
“You know exactly who I am. Why don’t you tell me why you’re here?”
The man’s smile wasn’t just smarmy, it was predatory. “Here you go.” He held out the packet of papers and Cage took it in his hand. The lawyer’s eyebrow quirked up a for a moment, more ominous than a wink. “You’ve been served.”
Cage stared at the back of the process server as he walked out to the curb and into his H
ummer. “Yeah, Hummer, bet you make the big bucks, huh?”
He shook his head and looked down at the papers in his hands. “What kind of unholy hell is this?”
“Hey, Boss.” The unmistakable bulk of Truck’s shadow preceded him across the pavement. “What’s going on? What did that suit want with you?”
Cage blew out a breath and held the packet up in his hand. “Some kind of shit from Frances’ mom’s family. I bet they’ve got a big stick up their ass about something.”
Truck came around front, blocking the view of the retreating Hummer down the street. “Can I take a look?”
Darting his gaze down at the papers in his hands, he handed them over to the taller man. Truck was as big as he was good from the inside out. He was also sharp and much more intelligent than most people would think given his size and muscle bulk. He looked like the big guy from ‘Green Mile’ if you added about a hundred pounds of muscle and a good foot onto the big guy. He trusted Truck with his life and at one time or another, Truck had pulled every other member of their unit out of the frying pan. “Here.” He set the papers into his hands. “If you get a headache, you know where to find the pills.”
Cage turned and heard the first page flip as he started to walk away and came to a complete stop a moment later.
“Boss.”
Shit. The tone of Truck’s voice said it wouldn’t wait.
Turning back, Cage waited for his friend to speak.
“You need to get a lawyer, now.”
“What is it?”
Truck held the papers out to him. “They’re suing you for custody of Frances.”
Cage snatched the papers back from his friend and followed Truck’s large finger as he pointed out the relevant lines on the first page of the packet.
He was angry. Livid. Blood thirsty.
Truck could feel it in the air. “Go, Boss. I’ll take care of things here.”
Cage was gone seconds later, running down to the gym, determined to see the Colonel. The man who’d led him through hell was the first person he’d go to now. He needed the man’s cool head, otherwise he’d chase down the process server and eat his way through to the man’s spine for bringing him this news.