Beyond the Cage Page 2

  “Slow down.”

  I lean forward and gently press my lips to his. He remains still. Slowly, I run my tongue along his bottom lip, and that catches his attention. He covers my lips and his tongue ventures into my mouth once more.

  “Mm,” I moan.

  He may be a killer but he’s an incredible kisser. A killer kisser? Returning his kiss, I suck on his bottom lip then tangle my tongue with his. One hand moves down to cup my ass, and he gives it a light squeeze. His other hand slides into my hair, pulling me deeper into his kiss. I moan again as he traps my bottom lip between his, sucking gently. This is more than incredible. He is some kind of a kissing god! His hand in my hair moves back down to curl around my waist and he tightens his hold…too tightly. It pulls me out of my lip-sucking bliss.

  “Ow!”

  His eyes widen in shock and, if I’m not mistaken, a bit of fear. Definitely not what I expected to see.

  “Put me down.”

  He complies, placing me on my feet and releasing me. Okay…this guy can really hurt me whether he wants to or not. I don’t think I want to take that chance.

  “I…I’m leaving now,” I tell him.

  He steps back and allows me to pass by him. When I start chewing, I realize I’ve acquired his gum. I pop it and turn to him with a cheeky smile.

  “Thanks for the gum.”

  I spin on my heels and run through the door. Taking a tentative peek behind me, I see him leaning on the frame of the door, watching me walk away. I want to go back the way I came, but I keep moving. Something tells me he’ll make my life more complicated than it needs to be.

  Taking a deep breath, I head off to find Chelsea once more. I don’t even know how I’m able to walk on these jelly legs. K.O. also packs quite a figurative punch.

  “Jas! Where the hell have you been? I’ve been looking all over for you!” Chelsea shrieks.

  “I was with K.O.”

  Her eyes widen in surprise for about a millisecond before she jumps excitedly.

  “Oh, my God! What happened?”

  “C’mon. Let’s go and I’ll tell you all about it.”

  During the drive back to our apartment, I fill her in on what happened in K.O.’s dressing room.

  “Did he say anything?” she asks.

  “No. He just stared at me the whole time…smiled, shrugged…like I’m supposed to read his mind.”

  “I can’t believe you kissed him.”

  “Well, I didn’t have much of a choice the first time.”

  “Is he a good kisser?”

  “Yeah…he is,” I answer wistfully. “Why do you think I went back for seconds?”

  “Are you going to see him again?”

  “Umm…no.” Why would I see him again?

  “Do you know what I would give for a night with K.O. Jackson?”

  “Well, if you see him again, you can have him.”

  “He doesn’t want me. He wants you, you lucky bitch.”

  We both burst out laughing and I crank up the music. Enough K.O. talk for one night.

  Once we’re in our apartment, I remove my jacket, shoes, and socks then head for the bathroom to wash off my makeup. Chelsea follows and falls onto my bed.

  “So…how was your first MMA match?” she asks as I put my hair up and turn on the water.

  “It was okay, I guess. Some of the moves were great, but the blood and broken bones…not so much.”

  “Hang on. There’s someone at the door.”

  As I’m drying my face, she walks back in with a confused frown.

  “Umm…Jas…I think it’s for you.”

  “Who is it?”

  I walk into the living room and almost have a heart attack when I see the person waiting for me.

  “What are you doing here?”

  CHAPTER 2

  Some warriors look fierce but are mild. Some seem timid but are vicious. Look beyond appearances, position yourself for the advantage. – Deng Ming-Dao

  “I just remembered I have this…uh…thing,” Chelsea stammers. “I’m just gonna go.”

  Chelsea, don’t you dare leave! I shoot her a deadly glare. She turns on her heels and races out the door. Fuck! I take a deep breath and turn back to my…visitor.

  “What can I do for you, Mr. Jackson?”

  He smiles…a stunning, sexy, heart-melting smile. No. No melting, Jas!

  Reaching into his pocket, he pulls out a Kit Kat bar. My Kit Kat. I guess I left it back there when I bolted.

  “You did not come here to return a chocolate bar.”

  He shakes his head and steps forward.

  “Wait…how did you even find me?”

  He looks away awkwardly and scratches the back of his head.

  “Did…did you follow me?”

  I take a cautious step back, keeping my eyes on him. He’s a goddamned stalker and Chelsea left me here with him all alone! Oh, God! If I can just get to my bedroom…wait…what good would that do? He can easily break the door down. Watching me, he calmly reaches into his pocket. I get ready to run, but it’s a piece of paper he comes up with. He extends it to me, raising his free hand in a motion of surrender. Fuck, man. Why won’t he just talk?

  I take the proffered paper and step back a safe distance. Safe. Yeah, right. As long as we’re in the same time zone, I’m not safe from him. Reading it, I see it’s Chelsea’s information from when she purchased the tickets – name, address, the works. Well, that explains how he found me. Now for the why.

  “Okay. Why?”

  He raises an inquiring brow.

  “Why are you here?”

  He extends his hand once more and points to me.

  “What about me?”

  Turning his palm to the ceiling, he motions with four fingers for me to come to him. I don’t want to, but I feel the need to do it anyway. Fuck! I hope I don’t regret this. Taking tentative steps, I make my way toward him. When I stop a few feet away, he quickly closes the gap between us. Oh, God, I’m gonna die. I’m gonna die! I close my eyes, trying to control my heavy breathing. He grasps my chin, gently tilting my head up. The soft touch prompts me to open my eyes. He has the same look in his that he had after our first kiss. My fear dissipates and I’m transported back to the arena, to his room, and being in his arms. That’s when it hits me. This man enjoyed kissing me so much, he tracked me down. It’s hot as hell.

  “Why are you here?” I repeat.

  My voice is breathless and shaky. That is not caused by fear. Gently, he runs his thumb across my lips.

  “My lips?”

  He nods. I lick them involuntarily and my tongue touches his thumb. At the contact, he gasps. Wow…I’m actually affecting him. Okay…let’s play.

  “You came here for another kiss?”

  Again, he nods.

  “Why would I kiss you again?”

  Is that a smirk? Oh…Mr. Big Shot thinks he’s irresistible. Who am I kidding? He is.

  “Ask me.” I step away from him and his brows furrow. “If you want another kiss from me…ask for it.”

  He gives me a knowing smile, then wags his finger and shakes his head at me.

  “Fine. Have a safe drive home, Mr. Jackson. Thank you for stopping by.”

  I motion to the door and he shakes his head, a mischievous smile on his gorgeous lips.

  “What do you mean ‘no’?”

  As he approaches me, I back away, moving in the direction of the kitchen – lots of sharp instruments in there in case I’m wrong after all. Then again, if he wanted to hurt me, he would have done it already. Wouldn’t he? For the second time tonight, he has me backed against something. This time, it’s the kitchen island. Once again, he picks me up, placing me on the counter. Ooh…that gives me a rush, but I can’t let him know that.

  “Will you stop doing that?” I snap. “I already know how big and strong you are.”

  Nudging my legs apart, he steps between them and wraps his arms around my waist. Okay, no more games, especially now when my brain isn’t f
unctioning properly. He smells good – some kind of musky scent that’s driving me crazy. I rest my palms on his chest, peeking up at him as he licks his lips, and preparing myself as he leans in. This time when our lips meet, he moans. Startled, I pull back and stare at him.

  “Did you just moan?”

  He shrugs. Hmm…maybe I can make him talk after all.

  “There may be hope for you yet, Mr. Jackson.”

  I slide my palm to the back of his neck and pull his lips back to mine. His kiss is feverish, demanding. His rough hands roam across my back, my arms, down my sides, my thighs, anywhere he can reach. My body is on fire, craving this…stranger’s touch. He fists his hand in my hair and my hair clip clatters to the floor. Pulling my head back, he bares my neck for his lips. Oh, God, that feels good! His tongue moves across my neck, his lips kissing, sucking, teeth nipping at my flesh. I’m on oxytocin overload right now.

  He pulls back, and I watch as he reaches for something next to me – my Kit Kat. After ripping the wrapper, he breaks off a piece. Dear, God. Now when I hear the jingle ‘break me off a piece’, it's going to have such a naughty connotation. He wedges it between his lips and leans in once more. I close my lips around the piece jutting out of his mouth and bite down gently. He keeps his lips on mine as we chew. Heavens. As soon as I swallow, his tongue darts past my lips. Mm…chocolate and K.O…quite a delish combo. His fingers dance up my spine, making me shiver. I moan, sliding my hands under his T-shirt and sinking my nails into the small of his back. He pulls me forward and wedges his crotch against mine. As I wrap my legs around his hips, my crotch connects with the wrought-iron pole in his shorts. My pussy is twitching, and at this point, there’s only one thing in the world I need – a nice, hard dick. As luck would have it, there’s one pressing against me right now. I desperately want him to rip my clothes off and fuck me into oblivion.

  No. I need to stop. Now. Maybe he’s reading my mind, because he breaks away. I open my eyes and meet a hungry stare. Jesus. I feel my panties melting. But…I realize he’s not looking at my face. I follow his gaze and see that my bandeau has slid past my breasts, exposing them for the entire world to see.

  “Oh!” I exclaim as I quickly cover them with my hands. “No, no, no, no. No!” Great, Jas. You’re not scolding a child. I hop off the counter, turn my back to him, and pull my top up.

  When I turn to face him, he steps forward.

  “No.” I take a deep breath. “That’s enough for tonight.”

  He nods and looks around, obviously perturbed. What is he doing? He reaches for the pen and notepad on the kitchen counter, writes something down, and pushes it toward me. It’s a phone number.

  “Your number?”

  Another nod.

  “How am I gonna call you when you don’t even talk?”

  He smiles and shakes his head.

  “Text?”

  Nod.

  “Fine, I’ll text you, Mr…wait…what should I call you? Mr. Jackson?”

  His expression says no.

  “K.O.?”

  No.

  “I know! King Kong!” That earns me a smile, so I run with it. “That’s it then. Kong it is.”

  He moves toward me, shaking his head at me like he would a naughty child. Inserting his index finger into the waist of my shorts, he pulls me to him.

  “You’re such a caveman.” I roll my eyes. “Ooh! What about that?”

  He brings his face down to my level and shakes his head once more. My breathing has accelerated again. Jeez…

  “N-no?” I stammer. He plants a soft kiss on my lips. Maybe I should drag this out a bit if that’s what I get for a wrong answer.

  “How about CJ?”

  He presses his lips to mine, nipping at my bottom lip. My mind is reeling. Okay…there are…how many bones are there in a human body again? I can’t think. He makes me want to not think.

  “Um…Cam?” I try again.

  He smiles and sucks on my bottom lip, then runs his tongue along the top one. Um…what was I doing? Oh, yeah.

  “Cameron?”

  He nods and leans in once more.

  “Okay,” I whisper.

  He teases my lips with his, while his fingers move lightly up my sides. I whimper as a chilling sensation darts up my spine. Fighting the urge to wrap my arms around his neck, I pull back from his kiss.

  “You should go.”

  That didn’t sound convincing at all.

  Regardless, he stands upright and turns around. As I follow him to the door, I observe the massive expanse of his shoulders. It’s strange how he can be so violent in the cage but was so gentle with me. My gentle giant. When he steps through the door, he turns to face me.

  “Goodnight…Cameron.”

  He kisses me on the forehead and then he’s gone. With a dreamy sigh, I close the door, then grab my phone and call Chelsea.

  “You can come back now, Judas,” I say when she answers.

  “He’s gone?”

  “Yes, he’s gone. What did you think was gonna happen?”

  “I’m on my way back, so break out the wine. I need details.”

  I hang up and head to the kitchen, unable to stop the smile that spreads across my lips when I look at the island. But…what am I doing? What are we doing? Are we going to start dating now? Or does he think I’m going be his fuck buddy? I don’t do casual sex. No matter how hot…sexy…

  I shake my head to try and rid my mind of the thoughts I’m having. The man is a serious distraction, and that’s something I don’t need with finals coming up. Being pre-med is hard enough. But he went through all that trouble to find me. I guess I can at least give him a chance.

  When Chelsea returns, we take the bottle of wine to my room and climb into bed.

  “He still didn’t say anything?” she asks.

  “Nope. Is it weird that it’s a turn-on for me?”

  “Nah, it makes him all dark and mysterious. You know how we women are cuckoo for that crap.”

  “Yeah, but every conversation will be a game of charades. Ain’t nobody got time for that.”

  “I doubt you’ll be doing much talking.” She smirks.

  “Chelsea!”

  “I bet he’s got a big dick. He looks like he’s got a big dick.”

  Judging by what I felt earlier, I’d say that’s a certainty.

  “If it was me, I’d be on top of him right. Now.”

  I can’t help but laugh. “Oh, my God, you’re such a ho.”

  “Hey, hoes be winnin’.” I break into a fit of giggles as she mounts my pillow and starts grinding. “Yeah, K.O…knock me out, baby!” she says on an exaggerated moan.

  “I’m gonna need a new pillow.”

  We both collapse on the bed, laughing hysterically. Yeah…too much wine.

  ***

  A sound jerks me awake. What the hell? Sitting up, I look around with half-open eyes. The room is dark, thanks to my blackout curtains, but my door is open so I can see the living room is dimly lit by the early morning sun. Chelsea is knocked out next to me. There it is again. Someone’s at the door. According to my phone, it’s 6 a.m. After stumbling out of bed, I stagger toward the offending sound. I wrench the door open and stare blankly at the man in front of me. It’s the same one from last night – K.O.’s ‘messenger’. I groan in annoyance.

  “What does he want now?” I ask.

  “He sent me to get you, ma’am.”

  “To get me? It’s frickin’ 6 a.m!”

  “I’m sorry. I thought you knew.”

  “No, I’m sorry you have such an infuriating boss. I’m going back to bed.”

  “But…what should I tell him?” he asks hurriedly as I shut the door.

  “What’s your name?”

  “Jared.”

  “Jared…you tell him that I said if he wakes me up this early again…I’ll kill him.”

  Maybe I did have too much wine last night, or maybe it’s the lack of sleep, but I don’t know what possessed me to issue that kind
of threat to that kind of man. Oh, well. The shocked look on Jared’s face is priceless. I close the door and head back to my room. The fuck he wants to do at 6 a.m? Got me fucked up.

  When my phone alarm goes off at 8 a.m., I jump out of bed. Chelsea’s gone, so I brush my teeth and hop in the shower. My hair still smells like smoke from last night, so I give it a vigorous scrubbing. By the time I’m done blow-drying it and applying my makeup, I have just enough time to get dressed. I fish out jeans and a tank top and pull them on. Thank God for built-in bras. Grabbing my backpack, I hurry out the door. On the way to my car, a motorcycle—a Harley—pulls up at my feet. I look over and, before the rider removes his helmet, I know it’s him. He’s wearing jeans, a white T-shirt and a black leather jacket. Trying to bring order to the chaos, he runs his fingers through his hair. Fuck. It’s too damn early to be this sexy. I place my hands on my hips and give him a stern stare.

  “Why are you stalking me?”

  He just smiles and chews his gum as his eyes travel over my body seductively.

  “I know I’m hot. Tell me something I don’t know.”

  His smile grows bigger.

  “And what’s the big idea sending your henchman to my door so early?”

  He ignores me, jerking his head toward the bike.

  “I can’t. I have to go to class, which I’ll be late for. Unless…” I raise my brows in optimism. “You wanna give me a ride?”

  I clap my hands in delight as he passes me his helmet.

  “You know how to get to the Northwestern campus, right?”

  He nods and takes my backpack. After swinging it over his shoulders, he slides back in the saddle. He’s putting me in front? Awesome! I climb on, and he covers my hands with his as I curl my fingers around the handlebars. The contact sends that now familiar shiver down my spine. The helmet smells of him, and I breathe in deeply. I’m a sucker for a man who smells good. His chest is molded against my back and I realize that, in our position, his dick is playing cuddle buddies with my ass. Dear, Lord. This is going to be the longest trip ever.

  As we exit the parking lot, he slides an arm around my waist, laying his palm flat on my stomach. His fingers circle my exposed navel, playing with the ring there. My muscles jump and so does my pussy. Oh, no. I grab his hand and place it firmly on the handlebar, drawing laughter from him. Well, at least I got another sound out of him. When we finally arrive on campus, I hop off, remove the helmet, and shake out my hair. He turns off the ignition, kicks the stand down, and leans against the bike.