Amplify

  Her breath catches. "Oh."

  I watch as I run a fingertip along her jaw, then up over her lips. I will never share her. I think of Ben Kingston and immediately banish the thought. That’s something we’ll discuss when we get home.

  "Yeah, ‘oh’."

  She blows out a breath. What a bunch of bullshit. All that wasted time over a misunderstanding and if she—if I—had stopped her from running long enough to tell her what was going on, none of this would have happened.

  "I need you to trust me, Fee."

  She meets my gaze and I see that vulnerability again.

  "You know that’s a lot to ask of me."

  "I do," I agree with a nod. "I think you know you can. Deep down anyway. You just need to get your conscious to agree with what your subconscious already knows."

  "Those psych classes you took in college are sure paying off."

  "No dodging." Not this time. There’s no joking or hiding.

  She blows out another breath. "Well, you’re just calling me on everything today, aren’t you?"

  I nod. "I’ve waited long enough. I don’t want to wait anymore, Fee. No more dancing around what we both want."

  "Dancing can be so much fun."

  "Not that kind."

  "No," she whispers, "not that kind."

  It’s time to lay it all on the table. Either she accepts what I want or we stay how we are. For me, it will always be her.

  "It’s been long enough, Sera. I want to be with you. Only you."

  I hold my breath, hoping like hell she doesn’t say no.

  She nods and I breathe.

  "It’s been long enough," she agrees.

  I lean in and press my lips against hers, softly, lingering. Resting my forehead against hers, I continue.

  "We’ve been unofficial for a couple years now, Fee. It’s time to make it official."

  "Uh, what does ‘official’ mean?" she asks nervously.

  I laugh when I see surprise and a little panic flare in her expression. "Not what you think it means, unless you want it to mean that." I watch her closely. I wouldn’t be opposed to that. Making her mine and only mine. She hesitates and I see her considering.

  I lift a brow and smile. "Good to know."

  "Stop that!" she scolds, swatting at my chest.

  "Bully. You’ve beaten me up enough today," I tease.

  "I’m so sorry, Cage. If I’d known—"

  No. No more sorries. I cut her off with a press of my mouth to hers and this is no chaste kiss. This is the tongue dueling, heart stopping, arousing kind of kiss that has your pulse kicking up a notch or a thousand and leaving nothing to the imagination. I want her to know I want her and only her and I want to be more than friends.

  I pull back, just barely, my lips still touching hers, and she lets out a sigh. It’s not disappointment, it’s not discontent, it’s a happy sigh. Her eyes snap open to meet mine and watch me knowingly.

  "Okay?" I ask, knowing she could panic at any moment.

  She nods. "Yeah."

  Slowly, ever so slowly, a smile starts to pull at her lips. Sera wraps her arms around my neck and we hold each other close.

  "Fee," I whisper, every bit of what I’m feeling poured into that one word.

  She nods. "Yes."

  It’s my turn to blow out a breath of relief. Thank God.

  "Finally."

  She snorts into my neck and I snort in return.

  "I love that you snort like me," she tells me.

  "I love that you love something about me," I say softly, trailing a finger down her cheek.

  I want so much to say it, those three words as they linger on the tip of my tongue, but I don’t. She’s not ready.

  "God, you smell so good."

  "Are you going to jump me again?" I ask with a laugh. That was so sexy the way she just went for it this morning, how she fucked my fingers and came. She’s so beautiful, but when she comes, she glows.

  "I might," she teases.

  "Not on my couch, you’re not. Go home and fuck," Xander says from the doorway where he’s leaning a shoulder against the jamb.

  "Spy!" Sera chides.

  He shrugs and walks into the room.

  "Can I just say one thing?" Xander asks.

  "Would it matter if we said no?" I ask with a grin.

  "Hell no."

  As if I’d expect anything less.

  "Then, by all means, have at it."

  "I have just the one thing to say: It’s about fucking time. I mean, how fucking long were you two gonna keep playing the denial game? Shit, it’s gotta be a couple years now, right?"

  Sera swats at his arm. "Nevermind. Brat."

  "Hey, I let you beat up on my dummy—then you beat up on your own," Xander says and laughs at his own joke.

  I let out a sigh of feigned exasperation.

  "If you’re done, Xander, I’m going to take my woman home, help her shower, and then take her to my bed," I say, my gaze locked with Sera’s, my tone leaving no room for doubt.

  "Shit. That was hot, Cage, dude. Go. Get the hell outta here and bang your woman. She’s in need of some serious orgasms if the dent in the dummy over there is any indication," Xander teases.

  "Oh, Xander, there’s no need to worry about that. She’ll have more orgasms than she can count before the night is over," I promise, picking Sera up with me as I stand. She pulls a Lucy and wraps herself like a monkey around me. I don’t want to let go and apparently neither does she, I realize, as her hold tightens and she buries her face in my neck again.

  "I’m all for orgasms," Sera says to Xander. "Lots and lots of orgasms. Screaming orgasms, toe-curling orgasms, mind-numbing orgasms. Cage Nichols delivers all of the above and more."

  Oh, I’ll be delivering exactly that.

  "Hell yeah. Go do some fucking. I’ll talk to you in a couple days or a week... Whenever you two can pull yourselves out of bed long enough to come up for air."

  "Let’s start with a week," I tell Xander as I shut the door behind us.

  WE’RE AT A RED LIGHT when I turn to her, lift our joined hands, reach into my pocket with my free hand, and place the key in her hand.

  "That’s yours. I don’t want it back," I tell her with a raised brow. She gets that defiant look in her eye and I smirk.

  "Bossy."

  I nod. "Get used to it."

  She rolls her eyes. "Please. You think I’m going to let you boss me around?"

  "Yeah. I do."

  Sera laughs. "You’re delusional."

  "Oh, I don’t know, Fee," I say, tapping her on the tip of her nose, "you like me bossy in bed." It gets her crazy and hot and I love how carefree she is when we fuck.

  She flushes a pretty pink, just as I knew she would, and I chuckle.

  "That’s different and you know it," she chides.

  I shrug. "You still let me boss you around."

  "Hmm," she murmurs.

  "And you enjoy it."

  "Yep. I do. The driver needs to hurry up and get there so you can boss me around some more," she tells me with a grin.

  "In a hurry?" I ask.

  "Kind of."

  "Any particular reason why?" I’m curious now. Why the rush? Is she afraid I’m going to change my mind? That’s not going to happen.

  She turns in her seat to face me, resting our joined hands on her knee.

  "I miss being with you."

  "And?" I ask, knowing there’s more.

  "And, it’s been a while," she reluctantly admits.

  I raise my brows. "How long’s ‘a while’?"

  "You just want it all, don’t you?" she asks with a huff.

  "Damn straight, but I’ll give you the same." I’m nothing if not fair.

  "Fine. Since that night with you," she looks away.

  My brows lift higher. I thought for sure she’d been with Kingston. I grin on the inside. This makes me happier than it should. I’m a dick. I admit it. But I’m glad no one’s touched her since me.

  She’s l
ooking out the window, her body turned slightly away from me now when she states plainly, "You’ve been with Carina."

  Ah. My turn for revelations, not all of them just yet, though.

  "I don’t want anyone but you. I haven’t for a very long time."

  "But—"

  "But nothing. It’s straight up how it is."

  She slumps back in her seat, her jaw slack, her brow furrowed with confusion as she stares blindly out the windshield. I wasn’t exactly forthcoming with the whole truth, but I didn’t lie. I don’t want anyone but her.

  Being with women has always come easy for me. I’m efficient at charming them out of their panties, fucking them, and sending them on their way. Unless there’s an agreed upon arrangement where we meet to fuck, and only fuck, nothing more, nothing less, I’ve never been with a woman more than once.

  Fee is my exception. From the day I met her, she changed the rules. She just didn’t know it until we both gave in that night. So many times I denied myself, knowing she wasn’t ready. I would never pressure her because I know the minute she feels backed into a corner, she turns tail and runs and it’s hell catching her.

  We pull through the gates and park at the door. I nod to the driver then wait as Sera slides over before I reach for her hand to help her out. When she’s standing, I tug her into me, hold her face in my hands, and meet her gaze.

  "I’ve been waiting patiently, Fee. All this time I’ve been waiting."

  She gasps and nods.

  "I didn’t think you wanted that—this. And I’d rather have you as a friend than nothing at all," she says, softening against me.

  I nod. "I knew that and I knew you weren’t ready to believe me, even though you know I will never lie to you. But seeing that key on the table today... I knew I waited long enough, almost too long." I can’t lose her. I won’t. No matter what.

  She leans into me and wraps her arms around my middle and hugs me tightly. I hold her close and breathe her in. She always smells like coconut and pineapple.

  "What do you want to do?" she asks softly.

  "Right now what I want to do is get you in the shower and wash your incredibly sexy body, finger you until you come, fuck you against the shower wall until you come again, and then I’m going to come hot and hard inside you."

  "Well then."

  I nod and lead her inside.

  "Joan," I greet with a smile, then make a mental note to find out where Joan was earlier and just how the fuck Carina slithered herself into my home. Again.

  "Welcome home, Cage," she greets in return. "Miss Sera. It’s so good to see you."

  "Good to see you too," Sera says and leans in and hugs Joan. Joan has been taking care of me since I was thirteen. She put up with some real fucked up shit from me. She hated when I started working for Giovanni. She nearly kicked me out when she found out I was carrying a gun, and at the time I would have expected nothing less from anyone. I mean, no one else ever stuck around. Why would she? I still don’t have the answer to that, but she’s still here.

  "Sera’s going to be staying with us for a little while. I’m going to keep her locked up in my room for the unforeseeable future, but we’d be grateful if you’d leave whatever smells so delicious on a couple plates for us for later."

  Sera gasps and slaps at me.

  I chuckle and Joan smiles.

  "It’s good having you here, Sera. He’s better with you around," she tells her with a wink and walks down the hallway.

  I silently lead her down the hallway to my room, pausing only to close the door to the green bedroom with a soft click when what I want to do is slam Carina’s head through the wood.

  When we reach the bathroom, I turn the water on and step back to look at Sera. She’s fidgeting and it’s endearing. She has no need to be nervous with me. Ever. I will never, ever judge her. It’s not that she can do no wrong, because we all do wrong. It’s because I accept her completely—flaws, mistakes, everything. She’s my Fee.

  Leaning forward I press my lips to hers, softly at first before deepening the kiss. She toes off her shoes. I lift the black Blush t-shirt to reveal red lace. Fuck. After this morning I know she’s wearing matching panties and Sera in red lace is truly a sight to behold.

  She pushes my suit coat off then reaches for my tie and I grip her hips.

  "Are you feeling alright?" I ask, not wanting to push her if she’s unwell.

  "Nope."

  I nod. "We can just shower and—"

  "Not what I meant, honey," she tells me, just before she reaches out and pulls my shirt apart, buttons flying in different directions.

  "Jesus, Fee. That was fucking hot."

  "You haven’t seen anything yet," she teases as she slowly slides down her yoga pants.

  I close my eyes, breathing deep before reopening them.

  "You’re so beautiful."

  She reaches for me but I stop her with a hand. I want her to stand there for me to look at while I finish undressing.

  She tilts her head in question.

  "I love looking at you, knowing I can," I admit, tossing my suit. I toe off my shoes, and my pants and boxers join the pile of clothes on the floor.

  She reaches behind her back and removes her bra, then shimmies her panties down her legs. I want her so badly I hurt. My cock throbs in anticipation. It’s been so long—too long. I need her.

  I reach for her and she comes willingly. I smash my mouth to hers, patience long fled. I walk her slowly backwards into the shower, water cascading over us, enveloping us in its warmth.

  I cup her face in my hands and kiss her one more time before I reach for the body wash—her body wash. The fact that she stays here more than she does at CFD lately, had me shopping for her, stocking her favorite toiletries, foods, and drinks. I love that my house is quickly filling up with all things Fee.

  I begin washing her body—her shoulders, her chest, I linger at her breasts, teasing her nipples, and when she presses her thighs together, I know she needs more.

  My hand drifts between her thighs and I cup her before slipping a finger between the folds of her pussy and thrusting inside her. She cries out in relief when I add another finger to the first and pump them hard and fast into her. God, she’s incredible. So responsive and sexy.

  Within minutes, she’s coming around my fingers, squeezing them tightly from inside and I can’t wait. I need her around my cock. Now.

  I lift her up and she wraps her legs around my waist, reaching for my shoulders with her hands, and pressing her mouth to mine. She doesn’t bother with just lips. Not my Fee. She takes what she wants and right now she wants passionate tongue-tangling kisses.

  Reaching between us, she positions my cock at her opening.

  "Are we okay without using a condom?" I ask. I will always protect her.

  "Yes. We’re fine and it’s something we need to talk about later, but right now I want you deep inside me," she purrs.

  "Far be it for me to deny you."

  I slowly push inside her, her wet heat surrounds my cock, the tight grip has me gritting my teeth so I don’t lose control but she’s having none of it. I smirk and gently bite her bottom lip as she pushes herself farther down onto my dick, then lifting and lowering until I’m fully seated inside her.

  I hold still, her pressed against the wall, and she watches me. I’m trying to gather control but failing.

  Her murmured, "Take me," has me losing it. I pull out, then thrust back in hard and deep, the warmth of her pussy massaging my cock in a way like no other. I thrust again and again, all the while she’s matching me as I fuck her like an animal in heat, pounding into her until we’re both on the edge of coming.

  "Fee," I groan. "You feel too good. So incredibly hot around my cock." I grunt and thrust again. "You make me lose control."

  Her breasts bounce with each thrust and I lean down to take a nipple into my mouth.

  "In case you missed it," she moans, "I have no control with you." She cries out when I gently bite her ni
pple and moans again when I suck it hard and deep into my mouth while I fuck her hard and fast.

  "Cage," she whispers, her eyes misting as she starts to come. I watch, mesmerized, as she throws her head back and moans out her pleasure.

  I’m close, so close, and when her pussy clenches tighter with her orgasm, I lose it. The first spurt of cum jets out of me and I can’t breathe. The pleasure, so intense as I pour myself inside of her, each burst of cum weakening my knees until I can barely stay upright.

  I rest my head in the curve of her neck and she has her arms around me, her fingers running over my neck in the way she knows I like, and I let out a sigh of complete contentment.

  I love her. I do. I have loved her since the moment I saw her, before she even saw me. She’s the piece of me that’s missing, the piece that makes me whole.

  I slowly lower her to standing and lean in to kiss this incredible woman who just gave me everything. I know what it means for her to give so much of herself and I’m so thankful she’s entrusted it to me.

  "Fee," I whisper against her lips.

  "Hmm?" she murmurs drowsily.

  "Let’s get you washed up, clothed, and fed before you pass out."

  "That’s a very good plan."

  We wash each other and just before I’m about to turn off the water, she hesitates.

  "What is it?"

  She shakes her head.

  Cupping her cheeks and looking into her eyes I whisper, "Tell me."

  "Just... thank you."

  "For what?"

  "Not giving up on me," she whispers, those gorgeous brown eyes filling with tears.

  I press my lips to hers softly, tenderly, giving her a moment to gather herself, knowing this moment right here is a defining one.

  I pull back. "I will never give up on you, Fee. Never."

  "Promise?" she asks.

  "I promise."

  She nods and hugs me tightly. I turn off the water and towel us dry. Joan has soup and bread waiting for us in the kitchen, which I watch Sera devour. She hasn’t eaten like this in such a long time I can’t help but feel relieved. She even manages to eat the peach Joan cut up for her.

  "Wow, I was starving. It feels like I haven’t eaten in a year."

  "Not a year, but definitely weeks. That medication is helping so quickly?" I ask.

  She shrugs. "I don’t know if it’s that or the fluids they gave me. Maybe it’s all the ass kicking I did earlier," she smirks.