Beyond the Cage Read online

  “Thanks for the ride.”

  Hmm…I don’t know this look. I don’t know what it means. He looks…uncertain?

  “What?”

  Sticking his finger in my waistband, he pulls me close, and his expression changes. This one I know.

  “You want another kiss?”

  Nodding, his hands move to my hips.

  “Say please.”

  He stares into my eyes and it’s as if he had shouted the word through a megaphone. How can I say no? I lean forward and take his bottom lip between mine. There’s that shiver again. I keep it PG because God knows I can’t deal with class while I’m horny. When he attempts to turn the heat up, I pull back.

  “I skipped breakfast. Wanna take me to lunch?”

  This time, I get a nod and a smile.

  “Okay. Pick me up here at one.”

  Turning away, I head off to class, hoping my scattered brain doesn’t cause an explosion in the Chem lab.

  CHAPTER 3

  Both speech and silence transgress. – Zen saying

  I spot him the moment I walk out of the building. It’s hard not to, because he towers over everyone here. Besides, the group of boys surrounding him, begging for autographs, makes it even easier. As I make my way to him, my phone vibrates in my pocket. I pull it out and see Chelsea’s name flashing on the screen.

  “Hey, Chels.”

  “What you wanna do for lunch?”

  “I uh…I have plans.”

  “Mr. Jackson?” she asks with a giggle.

  “Yeah.”

  “Get it, girl!”

  I glance up at Cameron and when our eyes meet, he begins pushing his way through the sea of boys.

  “I gotta go,” I tell Chels. “Talk to you later.”

  “Okay, Mrs. Jackson.”

  Before I can reply, she laughs and ends the call. She can be such a child sometimes. Despite that fact, she did put a smile on my face.

  “Hi,” I greet him as he approaches, a question his eyes. “Yeah, I’m ready.”

  He acknowledges my answer with a nod. Okay…I shouldn’t get too good at this expression-reading crap because he just might never talk to me. The secret is in the eyes. They are the windows to the soul after all. He takes my backpack and we head for the motorcycle. His adoring fans are staring at us wide-eyed and slack-jawed. The imp in me rears his head and I slip my hand into his. Tension radiates from his body but he doesn’t pull away.

  “Let me guess. You’re not into PDA?”

  He shakes his head.

  “Well, I am, and since it seems you plan on spending time with me, you better get used to it.”

  He smiles and his fingers curl around mine.

  “Good boy.”

  When we reach his motorcycle, I realize he wants me to sit in front again. Oh, no, you don’t, mister. Not after what he did to me this morning. A tiny shiver races down my spine as I recall his fingers on my skin.

  “No. I wanna sit on the back.” He gives me a knowing smile. “Hand me my bag.”

  He places his helmet on my head before he climbs on, extending his hand to help me up. Seated, I wrap my arms around his waist and smile. It’s my turn now. Once we’re off the campus, I lift his shirt and place both hands on his stomach. His entire body goes rigid. Slowly, I move my hands, trailing my fingers up and down the hills and valleys of his abs. His muscles jump beneath my fingertips and I grin in triumph. Then again, maybe I shouldn’t be distracting him. He just feels so good! I skim my nails across his stomach and that’s when he grabs my hand. Uh-oh. Playtime’s over. I remove my hands and place them at his sides. A few minutes later, he turns into my apartment complex, confusing the hell out of me. I thought we were going to lunch? When he stops, I climb down and remove my helmet.

  “You promised me lunch, mister…and I’m hungry.”

  “K.O., my man!”

  We both look toward the voice. A delivery guy, who looks my age, walks up carrying a plastic bag with food containers inside. I look back to Cameron with a raised brow. He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a wad of cash, peels off a few bills, then hands them to the guy.

  “Thanks, man,” he says with a grin, stuffing the cash in his pocket. As he walks away, he tips his hat to me. “Have a nice day.”

  “Thank you. You, too.” I smile at Cameron as he motions for me to precede him. “Aren’t you slick?”

  With a grin, he curls his arm around my shoulder and we make our way upstairs. Inside the apartment, I point to the coffee table.

  “You can set up over there. Can I get you something to drink…juice, water?”

  He nods and I roll my eyes. “Juice?” This time, he shakes his head. “Water it is, then.”

  How does this man function in society without talking? Sign language? I’m already getting frustrated with it and I’ve only known him a day. I grab two bottles of water from the fridge and head over to him. He’s removed his jacket and is stretched out on the floor, his back against the couch. He bought me a chicken Caesar salad, and in his boxes—yes, plural—I see steak, potatoes, asparagus, and fruit salad.

  “Do you know sign language?”

  He shakes his head. There goes that theory. We eat in silence for a while until I can’t take it anymore.

  “You know, on my first dates we usually talk…get to know each other better.”

  He throws a glance my way and gives me the ‘be my guest’ gesture.

  “Okay, let’s see. First of all, last name’s Carter. I’m twenty-two, my birthday’s September twenty-fifth, so that makes me a Libra. I’m a senior, pre-med, majoring in Biological Sciences, and Chemistry. My favorite color is green, and I like music and long walks on the beach. Your turn.”

  All I get is a smile. You know what? Two can play this game. I concentrate on my salad, which is delicious, and ignore him completely. After a while, he touches my arm and I look over at him. His brow is creased with worry. What’s wrong? You want to know what’s wrong? I shrug. His frown deepens and I raise a brow at him. Trying to figure me out, huh? He sighs in exasperation and I smile. Don’t like the taste of your own medicine? I clear the remnants of our lunch and take it to the kitchen. When I turn around, he’s standing there staring at me. In dramatic fashion, I flip my hair and walk off to my bedroom.

  I have no more classes today but I need to change for work, so I close my door and wiggle out of my jeans. While I’m searching my closet, the door opens and he steps inside.

  I try to cover myself, but what’s the point? He’s already seen me. Not to mention he’s seen a whole lot more.

  “Don’t you knock?”

  Oh, crap. That ‘melt my panties’ look is in his eyes again. I place my hands on my hips, determined not to fall for it.

  “What? See something you like?” I ask sardonically. He takes a step forward, but I stop him in his tracks. “Too bad you can’t tell me what it is.”

  I grab a pair of pants but before I can put them on, he’s right in front of me.

  “What?” I ask in frustration.

  Taking my hand, he leads me to the bed, and I sit. He drops to one knee between my legs, looking up at me with pleading eyes. An apology. Fuck. There goes my resolve. I cradle his face and stroke his cheek with my thumb. Just look at that face! How can I stay mad at him when he’s looking at me like that?

  “It’s okay. I’m sorry. I’ve only known you a few hours. I have no right to pressure you.” With a sigh, I rest my forehead on his. “Come ’ere.”

  We don’t need words for kissing. Besides, his kisses tell me more than any words ever could. I slip my tongue between his lips and get hit by the taste of mangoes.

  “Mm…”

  His hands slither up the sides of my thighs, inducing that increasingly familiar shiver. I think I’m going to call it ‘The K.O. Reaction’. What is it about him that turns my brain to mush when he touches me? He grabs my hips, pulling me off the bed, and onto his knee. I wrap my arms around him and lean closer, trailing my fingers along his
nape. His breathing changes, coming hard and fast as he slides his hand up my spine, palming the back of my neck. Resting his other hand at the small of my back, he twists his body. Before I can say ‘floor’, that’s where I am, trapped beneath him. His dick is cradled against my pussy and it presses against me, big and hard. Rock hard. He growls like the lion he is and thrusts his hips forward, grinding against me. It’s almost as if we’re skin to skin, my flimsy boy shorts offering no resistance. I’m already wet. All he has to do is… Fuck!

  “Wait.”

  I’m breathing so heavily, the word is but a mere whisper. He moves down and drops a soft kiss on my stomach, below my navel. Pleasure radiates from the spot through my entire body, and I moan.

  “Cameron…”

  Slowly, he trails his tongue up my stomach as his hands push my top in the same direction. My back arches and I bury my fingers in his hair. The closer he gets to my breasts, the more my back arches, my nipples anticipating his touch. Yes…yes! Yes? No!

  “Cameron, wait.”

  He moves back up and looks down at me with hooded eyes.

  “I can’t.”

  He tilts his head to the side, a curious expression on his face.

  “Why? Because I’m not a ‘sex on the first date’ kinda girl.”

  His reply is to press his hips down on me, holding the position, and I feel the full impact of his erection bearing down on my pussy.

  “Oh, shit,” I whisper. “No fair.”

  Great. Now I sound like a whiny five-year-old. With a smirk, he lowers his head. I turn away to avoid his kiss, but his lips only end up on my neck. While his tongue swirls, he flexes his hips, rubbing on my already aching pussy. I don’t know how much more I can take. My breathing is out of control and my pulse is racing. Wrapping my legs around him, I raise my hips and match his rhythm. Oh, God. Look at us, dry-humping like a couple of teenagers. It might be juvenile, but it just feels so fucking awesome!

  “Kiss me.”

  With a soft moan, I succumb to his total domination of my lips. His tongue sweeps into my mouth, forcefully tasting. When he catches my bottom lip between his teeth, a soft growl sounds from deep in my throat.

  “Fuck…”

  A shiver runs up the length of my body and back down. That can only mean one thing. He reaches up, cups my breast, and pinches my nipple through my top. That’s it. I’m gone.

  “Oh, my God!”

  I hold him tightly as my body trembles beneath him. It’s like nothing I’ve ever experienced before. I mean, I thought I had orgasms before but apparently, I was wrong. This is an orgasm – a mind-blowing, muscle-clenching, tremor-inducing orgasm. I sink my nails into his shoulders as sensations of untold proportions rip through my body. He moans, grabbing my thigh. Returning the gesture, his fingertips dig into my flesh. When I come down from my high and open my eyes, he’s looking down at me with a huge, smug grin.

  “Definitely not fair,” I whine. I cover my face and whimper, embarrassment taking over. He pulls my hands away and gazes at me tenderly.

  With a half-smile – you know the one where only one side of your lips curls up – he strokes my hair. I don’t know what it is but, lying beneath him, staring up into his eyes, I feel like this is where I belong. He places a lingering kiss on my forehead and moves up onto his knees. When he stands, he extends his hand to me, pulling me to my feet when I take it. My knees wobble, and I grab his forearm to keep myself upright. He wraps his arm around me, but I wave him off.

  “I’m good. I’m good.” Yeah, right. “Yes, I’m sure,” I add when he raises a concerned brow.

  He jerks his head toward the door and starts moving in that direction.

  “You’re leaving?”

  Why do I sound so disappointed? The way he makes me feel, I should be pushing him through the door. No man has ever made me want to toss my morals out the window, yet he’s made me question them multiple times in only twenty-four hours.

  “Okay.”

  I walk him to the door, sulking the whole way, even though I know it’s for the best. What’s the point of keeping him here? That would only be torture for the both of us. He stops at the door and turns around, so I quickly fix a smile on my lips. As he runs his hand through my hair, his eyes roam my face. He’s looking at me with such…adoration. I can’t deal with it, especially in my ‘post mind-boggling orgasm’ state. Stepping forward, I wrap my arms around his waist and bury my face in his chest. He curls an arm around my shoulder and kisses the top of my head. Taking a deep breath, I commit his scent to memory. I don’t think I’ve ever been this attracted to a man before. This is definitely the shit they write about in romance novels.

  “Okay, go.”

  Before I do something I shouldn’t. He nods, turns, and disappears around the corner. Shaking the cobwebs out of my brain, I head back to my room because I need to get ready. Three days a week, I work down at Dr. Jensen’s doing office work and generally helping him out. I don’t really need the job, but it’ll look good on my résumé; plus, I don’t want to have to hit up my parents for money when I want something. Chels and I both work to help out with expenses since our parents share the rent for our apartment. She’s an Economics major and works in the school’s Bursar’s office.

  Checking the time, I realize I need to get a move on. First, I need to get out of these wet panties…and take a shower.

  ***

  When I arrive home from work, Chels is eagerly waiting for me.

  “How was your lunch?” she asks, waggling her brows.

  Why does she have to make it sound so dirty? Well…it was a little dirty.

  “Good. I had a delicious chicken Caesar.”

  “Spill the beans, Carter. Did you…?”

  “No, we didn’t. Well, I did…he didn’t.”

  “What the hell does that mean?”

  When I tell her what happened, she grins at me. “Well, now you have to! Can you imagine what the real thing will be like?” she squeals.

  “I don’t have that luxury right now. I have to study…and so do you.” I give her a pointed stare and she rolls her eyes at me.

  “Okay, Mom.”

  As I walk to my room, I pull my phone out of my pocket and text Cameron.

  Jasmine: Don’t think you’re off the hook, mister. You owe me some info. I deserve to know something about the man who just gave me the most amazing orgasm I’ve ever had ;).

  A few minutes later, a reply comes in.

  Cameron: 34, July 25, Leo, mixed martial artist, blue. I like fighting and…you.

  Wow! Just…wow! He likes me. Well, I knew that, but at least now I have some sort of acknowledgement. And he’s a Leo – a lion, just like I thought. Great! Leos and Libras are very compatible. Thirty-four…that’s quite an age gap. Well, what does it matter, anyway? It’s a little late. I’m hooked. I’ll have to wait and see if he can reel me in.

  Jasmine: Wow…actual words!!! Thank you. I guess you already know that I like you, too :).

  Okay, enough. I silence my phone and try to get into a studying mood. Grabbing my Physiology textbook, I put him out of my mind and get down to business.

  CHAPTER 4

  The mark of a true crush…is that you fall in love first and grope for reasons afterward. – Shana Alexander

  I pick up my vibrating phone and try to hide a giddy smile when I see the name of the person texting me. Cameron. We’ve been texting every day this last week, but he’s been out of town so I haven’t seen him. He returned late last night, and I woke up to a text saying he was back. Professor Walton’s voice becomes background noise as I read his message.

  Cameron: Hey, pretty lady.

  Jasmine: Hey, handsome :). What’s up?

  Cameron: Up? You really want to know?

  Jasmine: Yes, please.

  Cameron: Only if you promise to put it down.

  Jasmine: I’ll try my best.

  His next message is a picture of his crotch with a mammoth-sized bulge in his shorts. Holy shit! I
t’s like there’s a snake lying on his thigh. The phone falls from my fingers and clatters on my desk noisily. Everyone’s eyes turn to me in annoyance.

  “Sorry,” I announce to the entire lecture hall, embarrassment almost crippling me.

  Jasmine: My phone just fell on my desk and disrupted my entire class.

  Cameron: I’d send you the uncensored version but then you’d REALLY disrupt your class.

  Jasmine: I think you’re right. Maybe we should continue this later.

  Cameron: Ok. Can I come over?

  Jasmine: Sure. 8 ok?

  Cameron: See you then. Pay attention!

  Yeah, right. That’s going to happen. I look around to make sure no one is peeping over my shoulder then go back to the picture. Goddamn! ‘Blessed’ doesn’t even begin to describe what my eyes behold. My body is tingling just looking at it. By the time my class ends, my mind is totally fucked. I walk through the doors in a lust-filled haze, staggering through the halls. I don’t understand this effect he has on me. No one and nothing has ever distracted me like this before. I’ve certainly never even thought about having sex with anyone this quickly. It’s a constant struggle to not throw myself at him. Sure, he’s hot, but it’s more than that. I just can’t explain it. I better head home because I won’t learn a thing for the rest of the day. I wonder what he’s doing…

  Jasmine: I’ve decided to play hooky. What are you doing?

  Cameron: I’ll be there in 15 minutes.

  Well, damn. At least I’m not the only one who’s eager.

  Jasmine: Ok.

  I hurry home so I can freshen up a bit before he arrives. As I step into the apartment, I receive another text.

  Cameron: Put on your bathing suit.

  It is a nice day. The beach sounds like a great idea…if that’s where we’re going. Who knows? He could have a pool at his house. I think I’ll wear my blue bikini since that’s his favorite color. While I’m changing, there’s a knock on the door.