The Fighter

by Reina Torres

Devlin narrowed his eyes. “I know.”

  She felt a wan smile touch her lips. “That’s a lot of faith to put in someone you don’t really know.”

  His smile was genuine. “You’re Cage’s mate. If you were using, he would have put a stop to it.”

  The tone of his voice was so matter of fact it had a bracing effect on her.

  Paige immediately jumped in to smooth it over. “Because it would hurt you, he’d find a way to stop you from hurting yourself.”

  Maggie felt Frances lean her head on her shoulder and Maggie turned to place a kiss on the crown of her head. “I know,” she looked up at the group. “I know what you mean. It’s just hard to imagine someone lo- caring for me like that.”

  Cage reached out from his place beside her on the chair and set his arm over her shoulders. She turned, and he placed a lingering kiss on her lips. “Forever, Maggie. I’m never going to let you go.”

  A knock on the front door turned the attention into the house.

  Coming out of her sudden stupor, Maggie flushed and met Paige’s knowing smile. As the two humans in the area they had a connection that she hoped would grow with time.

  Devlin and Cage exchanged a look. Devlin moved for the door. “I’ll get it.”

  While he walked away, Maggie turned to Cage. “Hey, while we’re out here, do you think I could just stop in next door and check in on Willa before we go home.” She blushed even deeper. “I mean back to our apartments.”

  Cage didn’t need to answer, Paige did. “No need,” she told them, “that should be Willa now.”

  Maggie got up from the couch and flushed to the roots of her hair when Cage’s hand smoothed up and over her backside as she moved into the open. Paige joined her, and they leaned their heads together.

  “Do you ever get used to… you know?”

  Paige laughed. “You mean how touchy feely they get?”

  Maggie sighed. “Exactly.”

  Linking her arm through Maggie’s, Paige shook with laughter. “No… and he makes me shiver every time.”

  Maggie smiled. “Me too.”

  Devlin reappeared walking beside Willa who was progressing slowly with her rounded belly. Behind her a young man, who was even taller than Devlin, walked close enough to look like a bodyguard more than a guest.

  Paige reacted first, almost squealing with happiness, “Cobb!”

  Willa started down the steps to the patio and the taller young man took hold of her right elbow as Devlin took hold of the left. The very pregnant woman gave Paige a slightly sour look. “Oh fine! Forget about me.”

  Paige rolled her eyes and moved close enough to take Willa gently in her arms. “Silly girl.”

  “Silly incubator,” Willa laughed and met Maggie’s eyes. “Hi.”

  Maggie stepped up and pressed a kiss to Willa’s cheek. “So glad to see you. You have to let me know when it’s a good time to return the favors. I owe you and your family a bunch of meals for the help you’ve given me.”

  Paige’s curious gaze spoke volumes.

  Willa answered. “With all of the meetings with the lawyers, I took a couple of shifts at the diner.”

  “I owe them dinners, a lot of dinners.”

  “Can I get a raincheck for after the baby is born?”

  Maggie nodded. “That sounds great.”

  “Can I come too?”

  Maggie’s surprise was a happy one. “Frances, really?”

  Frances shrugged her shoulders. “Sure. I like babies.”

  Willa stepped closer to the couch and Maggie took over elbow duty, helping Willa sit down beside Frances.

  The pregnant cook smiled at the younger woman. “You might have to fight off some of my boys, they’re all trying to get at the top of the list as favorite big brother.”

  Sitting back against the cushion, Frances laughed. “I can take them.” She waved her fingers in the air. “I’ve got claws.”

  “So do we.” The young man that came in with Willa stood near her elbow and looked down at Frances. “We’re all bears.”

  Maggie saw the way that Frances reacted to the young man. It was subtle, but there. She lifted her chin a little more. She drew in breaths with a little more force than she let them out. And her lips pressed together, ever so slightly. “I’m a lion.” She smiled then, her lips peeling back to reveal an impressive set of fangs.

  Willa smiled at Maggie. “She sounds like she’s right out of Downton Abbey.”

  “Ha,” Frances laughed, “not quite that posh, Miss.”

  Cobb offered a small smile. “You sound more like Rose to me, Rose Tyler from-”

  “Hey, I know where Rose Tyler’s from,” she laughed. “I’m British, I’ve seen Doctor Who a few times and I think you just earned yourself a friend. Rose is my favorite companion.”

  Cobb grinned right back. “She’s mine too.”

  Maggie saw movement on the other side of Frances and she sucked in a breath. She wasn’t the only one seeing the connection between the two younger people. Cage had eyes and he certainly had an over-developed protective streak.

  The tall lanky teenager beside her was easy going, his manner said so. And the fact that Willa’s mate trusted her in the young man’s company spoke volumes to her.

  But she saw the look in Cage’s eyes and knew what he saw. A male near his daughter. About the same age, handsome, and male. Male being the operative danger here.

  Before Cage could get between them, Maggie put her hand on Cobb’s shoulder. “I’ll admit I don’t know the first thing about this Doctor Who. What’s it about?”

  That got both of the teens talking and Cage sat back down in his seat. To make sure he stayed there, Maggie moved over and started to sit on the end, but Cage had his own distracting methods. He pulled her right down onto his lap.

  As Frances and Cobb spoke in animated tones, she draped her arm over Cage’s shoulders and felt his warmth beside her.

  She knew this whole problem would work out, it had to. When it did, they could settle into a life… like this. Friends. Family.

  Maggie couldn’t wait.

  Chapter Twelve

  The fervor over the custody case seemed to fall into a lull over the next couple of weeks, so much so that Maggie was constantly jumping over the strangest things.

  A car broke down outside the diner and she had a little bit of a freak out, calling over to the gym to find her father and Cage came running, nearly scaring the nice old man to death.

  A noise late at night had Cage putting some teens looking for a place to drink some of their dad’s alcohol nearly in the nuthouse.

  Basically, she was on the verge of losing it… because nothing was happening.

  Even poor Mr. Foley had almost ended up with a lap full of coffee when a delivery man knocked on the back door of the diner and made her jump. He’d handled it all in stride, but Cage and Frances had begun to worry about her, a lot.

  Dinner had been a tense affair and Maggie, well, she’d fallen asleep halfway through the meal. If it hadn’t been for Cage’s quick reflexes, she would have hit the floor. Instead he pulled her onto his lap and tucked her head down against his shoulder.

  “Hey,” Frances leaned back in her chair, “do you mind holding her like that for a little bit?”

  Cage’s smile was genuine. “Mind? You going somewhere?”

  Frances pointed a finger up at the ceiling. “Thought I’d set you two up for some… quiet time.”

  She laughed at the dubious look on his face. “Keep calm, Cage. It’s not like I’m going to go looking through her underthings and show you where she keeps the toys. You two haven’t had a chance for the fancy restaurant, but I can at least go upstairs and help you make the night a relaxing one. Hmm?”

  Cage grit his teeth at her. “Go on.”

  Picking the key ring up off the table, Frances stood up and made for the door. Right as she took the handle in her hand, Cage spoke.

  “When you get upstairs, knock on the floor so I know you’re ins
ide.”

  “You’re afraid I won’t make it upstairs? That’s rubbish and you know it.”

  He shrugged his free shoulder. “It is what it is. Make a noise on the ceiling so I know you’re up there and then another before you come back down.”

  Frances leaned forward on the table, her eyes boring into his. “You can hear me through the floor, you know that.”

  “I like the idea of you following some directions.” His upper lip pulled back to reveal his fangs and Frances… she returned the favor.

  “Fine. Noise on the floor.” When it was open in her hand she turned back with a half scowl and held up her freehand with her thumb and forefinger about an inch apart. “This is how close you are to being a proper wanker,” she uttered a loud heaving sigh. “You don’t know it, but I could kick your arse.”

  That earned her a pointed look.

  “But you’re holding Maggie, so I’ll overlook it this time.”

  Maggie roused when she felt her bare feet touch cold tile. Her eyes fluttered open and she saw the candlelight surrounding her. “What’s all this… where did these candles come from?”

  She looked down and watched Cage’s fingers unbutton her blouse. “You lit all of these?”

  He looked up into her eyes with a smirk. “You like it?”

  Drawing in a breath she sighed and smiled. “Oh, yeah.”

  Cage’s smile eased. “Then I wish I could say it was me.” He finished with the buttons and took hold of the collar. “Frances wanted you to relax, so she set it up.” The shirt peeled easily from her shoulders and down her arms.

  “If I’m lucky, I won’t drown in the tub, especially if it’s warm.” She leaned back as he tugged the button on her waistband loose, lifting her feet when he stripped her pants and panties down her legs.

  “I thought you were getting enough sleep.”

  She saw his furrowed brow and she lifted her hand to the deep crease and smoothed it down. “I’m just worried about the custody thing. I don’t want you to lose Frances. I don’t want to lose Frances. And if it comes down to it, if it’s going to be my past that lets them take her away, I’ll-”

  He snaked a hand around the back of her neck and pressed her forward until their lips smashed together in a desperate kiss.

  When he moved back, it was just enough to give him room to look directly into her eyes. “You’ll trust that this is going to work out. Adrian knows what he’s doing, and I am going to take care of things. What I need you to do,” he slanted his mouth over hers again, his tongue rubbing against hers like he was inside of her, building her passion to a fevered pitch. And when her hands grabbed at his arms trying to hold herself upright on the seat cover, he pulled back to take a breath. “I need you to relax a little.”

  “Right now?” She gasped in a breath that sounded like she could barely manage to pull the air into her lungs. “Right now it feels like you want me excited,” she pulled herself closer, spreading her legs so his hips could fit between them, “like you want me aroused and needy.” She reached out and yanked at the bottom of his t-shirt and pulled it out of his jeans. “I can promise you that I’ll get some really good sleep if you take off these clothes and let me give you a bath in my tub.”

  The tiled wall of her bathroom echoed with the vibrations of his growl. His head lifted up and she saw that his eyes had gone midnight dark. She knew it wasn’t just Cage looking at her and wished she had an animal inside of her as well.

  Cage’s smile twisted on his lips, and she knew she’d said the words out loud. “Baby, if you want an animal inside of you,” his voice purred from his lips, “you’ll let me bathe you and then let me fuck you until we both see stars.”

  She didn’t answer in words, she grabbed for the button on the waistband of his jeans.

  When she woke up the next morning, Maggie had no idea how quickly her life was going to change.

  Just after breakfast when Frances bounded out the door to jump into yet another Uncle’s car, Maggie’s father pushed open the door and stood just inside the diner.

  “Hey, Maggie.” He didn’t seem to understand how shocked she was. “How about a hug?”

  “A hug?” She wiped her hands off on a dishrag and ran out to hug him. “Sure! Goodness, it’s been awhile since you’ve come in to eat.” She stepped back and gestured to the dining room. “Pick a chair and tell me what you want, I’ll have it right up.”

  Before she could step even further away he reached out a hand and caught her arm. “No, that’s okay, I’ve already eaten breakfast. Hildie made me something to eat before I left the house this morning.”

  “Oh? What’s up?” She looked carefully at his face. “Is something wrong?”

  He waved her off. “Don’t get all worried about me, I’m fine.”

  She narrowed her gaze at him. “Dad?”

  He held up his hands in surrender. “I just wanted to stop in and see how you’re doing. You know, with Frances?”

  Laughing, she shook her head. “You know how I’m doing with Frances. Are you really that curious about how I’m doing or just about Cage?”

  To his credit, her father maintained the same casual expression. “He told me that he’s taking care of you.”

  Whoa. Her mind went all the way to the wrong place at the wrong time, because yes, Cage took care of her the night before. Over and over.

  “Maggie?” Her father’s voice cut through her thoughts and she barely staved off a blush as she focused on his face.

  “Yes, he is. Taking care of me. So, what’s this visit for if you don’t need a good meal. Hmm?”

  Her father looked away for a moment before looking back at her with a shrug. “I’m going on a trip. Heading to London actually.”

  That caught her attention. “Why London, why now?”

  He walked to her side and touched her arm. “You know that if I can help one of my men, I’ll do anything I can for them.”

  “And one of them needs you in London?”

  He winced a little. “I can’t tell you the specifics. He asked me not to.”

  Maggie ducked her head and stared into his eyes. “Dad, if there was something wrong, you would tell me, right?”

  “Do you trust me, sweetheart?”

  The endearment staggered her back a bit. They’d come a long… long way from her teenaged years but this was… wow. “Yeah.” She smiled at him. “Yeah, Dad. I trust you and I love you like there’s no tomorrow.”

  Well, it looked like she staggered him right back. “Great. And when I come back from London, you and I are going to have to go to dinner, just you and me… and maybe hit some balls at the batting cages.”

  That made her day. “That sounds like the best night ever, Dad. You and me.”

  Her dad pulled her in for a tight hug and then he was gone, leaving Maggie feeling like she’d just missed something really important.

  Dinner was another ‘pick me up’ that she needed after the odd conversation with her father. The first one back was Frances who fairly danced in the door with her backpack in front of her. “Guess what I’ve got in here.”

  Maggie narrowed her eyes at the younger woman. “It better not be a puppy.”

  Frances’ expression held more than a hint of mischief. “Ohhh, that’s a great idea for next time.”

  “Frances…”

  The door swung open and Cage filled the space. “You two look happy.”

  Maggie gestured toward Frances. “It seems like she has some news for us.”

  “So do I,” he nodded, “but you first.”

  Stepping up to the table that Maggie had set, Frances put her backpack down and opened the main zippered compartment. Reaching in she pulled out a stack of folders, divided them in half and handed Maggie one stack and Cage the other.

  Maggie stepped up beside him and they went through each folder, one for each of her classes. By the time they reached the bottom they were both smiling.

  “Well?”

  Maggie shook her head. �
��Looks like you’re fishing for compliments.”

  Frances grinned. “Hoping.”

  Cage was the one who reached for her first, tugging the teen into his embrace. “Your father would be so proud of you, your mom too.”

  “I couldn’t have done it without you two.”

  Maggie stepped forward when she saw some tears in Frances’ eyes. “Hey, you okay?”

  When Frances didn’t immediately answer, Maggie pulled the girl into her arms and hugged her tight. “You were always this girl, Frances, you just got a little lost for a bit. We all know how that feels. The point is that you put yourself on the right path. That you saved yourself is the best gift you could give us. It’s so wonderful to see a smile on your face.”

  Cage stared at both of them as Frances’ tears streamed down her face.

  “I thought it was all over when they told me… when they said my parents were gone. I thought everything was over. And then my uncle and my grandmother, they didn’t want me and I thought I’d just curl up and die.

  “And then they said you were coming.” She looked up at Cage through her tears. “When you got there and said I was going home with you, I didn’t believe it. I didn’t want to believe it in case you left me behind too. But you didn’t leave me. You brought me here.”

  Cage swallowed, hard. “I thought you hated it here.”

  “I hated feeling alone.” She squeezed her eyes shut and slowly opened them again. “Every night I’d go to sleep knowing that when I woke up, I’d be back in the home. Alone again. Waiting for… nothing. But you,” she wiped the back of her hand over her face, smudging her tears, “you were still there. You tried so hard to make me feel… okay. And I didn’t know how to be okay.” Frances dragged in a breath and reached for him. “But you didn’t give up.”

  Cage pulled her back into his arms. “Never, Frances. I’ll never give up on you.”

  Frances began to cry in earnest and Maggie could only stand back with her hand pressed over her heart until she smelled something in the kitchen. “Oh, my rolls!”

  Dashing off into the kitchen she opened the stove to a big puff of dark gray smoke. “Damn it.” Her shoulders slumped as she grabbed a hold of her dish towel from the top of her apron. Using it to grab the pan from the oven. When she got it on the counter she had to admit, as much as it galled her, that she’d burnt the biscuits to holy hell.