Reckless (Bound by Cage Book 4)

by Brittany Crowley

  “Just show her with your actions and her walls will be down before you know it. And if that doesn’t help, she loves chocolate cheesecake from Deedee’s downtown.” She pats me on the shoulder and heads for the stairs.

  I think I just got her blessing to date her daughter. This is weird and not at all what I’d expected. I thought she would want to rip my balls off and wear them for earrings, not give me hints on how to get Sophie back in my life.

  “What’s going on princess? Still hurting from this morning?” Zander laughs as he follows me down the stairs and it takes everything in me to hide the limp from a killer Charlie horse on my thigh.

  “Okay, here’s the deal.” I turn to face him. “You whooped my ass and I need you training me full time. I’m clearly not ready yet for Gibson and I need to focus. I also want to talk to you about coming to Vegas and helping me out. It baffles me how I’ve gotten win after win all these years without you in my corner.”

  “Kyle, give yourself some credit. You’re one of the best there’s been in the business. You work hard and it shows in the octagon. Don’t sell yourself short. You had a bad morning, it happens to all of us.”

  “It can’t happen to me. What do you think?”

  “Of course, but I’m not taking it easy on you.”

  “I don’t want you to.”

  “Then we have a deal.” We shake hands and walk towards where the kids are laughing.

  Fast forward to an hour later and I’m sprinting as fast as I can. You might be asking yourself why? Why am I sprinting straight for my in-ground pool and jumping in the air tucking my limbs tightly against my chest?

  To impress my boy of course.

  The kids jumped in the pool with every flotation device known to man secured to their little bodies and I decided to make a grand entrance.

  Once I hit the water and pop out I’m met with applause and cheers. I wipe my eyes and see that Gabe has a massive smile on his face that makes me fucking ecstatic.

  “Dad, that was AWESOME!”

  “Thanks bud…” Then I’m sputtering after a tidal wave slams me sideways.

  When I finally catch my breath, I look over and see Jay emerging from the water with a look of arrogance.

  “And that’s how it’s done baby Cage.”

  “You’re an asshole.”

  “Uncle Jay, you’re an asshole!” I hear Gabe repeat my insult and cringe. Damn this kid soaks everything up like a sponge. I tread the water and head for him. Halfway there I hear a battle cry and when I turn I see Z sprinting for the pool.

  “Oh no, he’s gonna clear the pool with his fat ass!” Jay yells trying to swim away causing me to laugh.

  The kids go crazy once he hits the water. Man can that guy cause a splash!

  “Alright, alright, we’ll give it to you Zander.”

  “Hold the phone. How can you award the winner when I haven’t gone yet?” Josh questions as he starts taking his shirt off.

  “Easy, you’d be the worst. We figured we’d save you the embarrassment.” Jay yells.

  After he runs and jumps in the pool our suspicions were confirmed. Weak.

  “Man, how are we twins?” Jay jokes as I see Sophie standing at the edge of the pool.

  Fuck. She’s wearing a teeny tiny black bikini that leaves very little to the imagination. If I weren’t in the pool right now everyone of my family members would know just how much I appreciate her choice in swimsuit.

  “You’re all pussies, watch the master at work.” She realizes what she said and quickly looks towards the kids but they don’t notice because they’re playing with some pool toys.

  “Damn, that was a close one.”

  Soph backs up to get a running start, and keeps backing up… and keeps backing up.

  “Gabe, are you ready to see your mama kick your Daddy’s butt?”

  “Yeah Mommy, they’ve got pussies!”

  I see her wince as me and my brothers all start laughing. She takes off at a run and I’m mesmerized. Her tits are bouncing and the whole scene plays out in slow motion for me. Christ, when did her rack get that big? She always had a modest amount but now she has a heaping handful.

  Once she gets some air and lands in the pool I’m amazed by her skills.

  “Damn, another girl that can kick our ass? First Savvy with arm wrestling and now Soph with cannon balls? Is nothing sacred anymore?” Jay whines. Clearly Savvy’s little arm wrestling victory all those years ago still has his ego bruised. It should, what a pussy. Who loses an arm wrestling match to a girl, even if she did cheat.

  “Ain’t no thang Jay baby.” She laughs after emerging from the water.

  That’s it, I can’t take it anymore. I’m swimming over towards her to show her how badly I want her right now when something catches my eye. I look over towards the fence and notice a long black camera lens peeking over.

  “Motherfucker. Guys come here.” My brothers and Sophie apparently thinking she’s gonna be included, swim towards me.

  “What’s up? Want another go to redeem yourself?” Zander laughs.

  “The only one that embarrassed themselves was Josh but this is serious. There’s a pap over by the fence. Jay don’t fucking look! We need to get him and wipe his camera clean.”

  “What’s the big deal? Just ask him to leave.” Sophie asks.

  “Do you want yours and Gabe’s faces plastered all over the tabloids in an hour? Because that’s how long it’ll be until your thrust into the spotlight and scrutinized for having my kid.”

  “What’s the plan?” She asks immediately and I see her mama bear protectiveness come out to play.

  “You are going to stay with the kids, we’ll handle this.”

  And those were my famous last words before we ended up in a jail cell a few hours later.

  CHAPTER 11

  Kyle

  “I can’t believe she fucking annihilated that guy’s dick yet here we are sitting in a jail cell.”

  “Was I supposed to let the mother of my child take the fall?” I question.

  “The mother of your child who kneed that guy so hard in the nads that he threw up? Gee, you’re right. We should definitely be in here.”

  “I don’t know what you’re complaining about Josh, I’m probably gonna get my fight cancelled and kicked out of the league over this.”

  “Any regrets?” He eyes me skeptically and I’m trying to figure out how he got a black eye.

  “None.”

  And ain’t it the truth. I could lose everything over Soph’s lack of listening to stay in the backyard yet she still made me proud today. Sure, we had everything handled before she came flying through the yard like an Olympic sprinter and nailed the guy with a flying knee to the nuts. Damn, I’m still experiencing phantom pains in my dick.

  “That was fucking awesome. Damn she’s a bad ass.”

  “She is. I can tell you I won’t be messing with her at all.” He cringes and I know he’s feeling the phantom pain too.

  “Josh, how the hell did you get a black eye?” Zander laughs and takes a seat next to me.

  “After she got him good and took out the hose to spray him like he was a blazing fire…” He waits a second as if debating to tell us. “I slipped in a puddle and took the bird bath to my eye.”

  Me and Z start cracking up as Josh tries not to laugh with us. “Who the fuck has a bird bath in this century? Christ.” He loses his fight and starts laughing.

  “Preston will handle this, hopefully it hasn’t gotten out yet.”

  “That’s a long ass flight, I wouldn’t hold my breath.”

  “He’s in Boston, hopefully on his way. I told Mom to call him and fill him in on the situation.”

  A door creaks open and we all turn towards the cell door. Preston comes into view with a look of malice, I don’t know why. He’s not the one in jail right now.

  “You’re all free. I sweet talked the arresting officer into seeing this was all a big misunderstanding.”

  “Thanks Pres.�
��

  “Kyle, what the fuck? You’re supposed to be staying out of the spot light. You could lose your career over this!”

  “If there’s no charges then I don’t see how that’s going to happen.”

  “I knew this kid was going to fuck everything up.”

  “Watch your mouth Preston, have some respect.” Zander growls like a papa bear.

  “I don’t know, maybe I should leave you guys in there for the night to think things over.”

  I storm to the cell door and grab his shirt collar. “Let’s not forget who pays who here Preston. Get the officer and get me the fuck out of here.” I let him go with a little throw and he looks dumbfounded.

  “Okay, I’ll go find him.”

  “Motherfucker!” I really have the urge to punch something but refrain because Josh already has a black eye.

  “He shouldn’t have brought up Gabe.” Josh defends me and they all nod in agreement.

  “I’ll talk to him about it. He’s either gonna have to get on board or I’ll find another manager. My relationship with Gabe trumps my friendship with Preston. What the hell’s gotten into him? First the paternity test and now this?”

  “Paternity test?” Zander questions and I shake my head not wanting to drudge into that right now. “Is he always like this with you?”

  “Not this bad and only when it comes to my career.”

  “Oh, you mean his money?” Zander questions and I nod my head. “Sounds like a great friend.” He adds.

  “Whatever, let’s get out of here, I’m starving.”

  I opt to ride back to the house with Pres as our Mom drives my brothers. I need to have a few words with him and set some shit straight.

  “What was that back there? You’ve never put your hands on me before man.”

  “If I hear you say another negative thing about Gabe you’re fired.”

  “What? I can’t believe that! After all we’ve been through?”

  “Yes, no question he wins every time. Do you even know me Pres? If you did, you’d know I would want to be in my child’s life.”

  “Really? Because when she showed up all those years ago saying she was pregnant you sent her packing real fast.”

  “You knew about that?” He must know from my tone how fucked he is.

  “Listen, we were young and stupid. I was respecting your wishes when you told her to leave. You can’t fault me for that.”

  “Preston…”

  “I’m sorry. It won’t happen again and I’ll respect your relationship with your kid.”

  “And Sophie.”

  “Fuck, are you hitting that again?”

  I pinch the bridge of my nose and take a few deep breaths. Once we get to my house I quickly exit without waiting for him. Hopefully he’ll just leave.

  Sophie comes running outside and freezes when her eyes connect with something behind me. And I know exactly what that something is.

  “Soph, what’s happening girl?”

  “Why the hell is he here?” She questions.

  “You know I’m friends with Preston and…”

  “I’m his manager. He called me to bail him out of jail.”

  She nods her head and goes back into the house. I know they hate each other but it feels to me like something else is going on.

  “Can you tone it down for five seconds man?”

  “Yeah, of course. Let’s go meet your offspring.”

  “Please, just act normal.”

  “Once upon a time you didn’t have a problem with my personality. What the hell’s happened to you over the last few months?”

  “A lot Pres, a lot.”

  I’m met in the front foyer with Gabe crashing into me with a bear hug. “Hey little man, what’s going on?”

  He looks up at me and smiles. “How was the slammer?”

  I look around and glare at Sophie.

  “Sorry, he overheard me talking to Ash about how we were gonna get you out.”

  For the next hour I explain to Gabe that no I didn’t kill anyone and that yes, I’m still one of the good guys. Apparently Soph had a long and drawn out talk about stranger danger, bad guys and the cops. It’s not exactly working in my favor right now.

  Preston’s phone rings and he looks at the screen then looks at me with a smirk. “Well hello Maggie. Why yes, he’s right here.”

  “Wipe that smile off your face asshole.” I whisper before placing the phone to my ear.

  “Mags…”

  “Why the hell am I staring at your mug shot and a picture of you and two of your brothers in handcuffs?”

  “Listen, everything was dropped and no one’s pressing charges.”

  “I don’t care, the league is still going to hear about this!”

  “Then tell them what happened. There were no prostitutes and not one drug around. This should make them happy that I was doing something admirable.”

  “I’m sure that’s exactly how they’ll see it. And about the kid… is it true?”

  “Fuck, the photographer leaked that?”

  “It’s everywhere Kyle. You and your baby mama are front and center as breaking news. She’s lucky she looks hot in that bathing suit because it’s going to be on the front of every tabloid tomorrow morning.”

  “Shit. Okay.” I hang up and look at Preston.

  “You need to call Stevie and get his team down here as fast as possible.”

  “Why would you need a guard down here?”

  “Because it’s out. Everyone knows I have a son.”

  “For crying out loud, what the hell else could go wrong today?”

  “Yes, because this has all impacted your life.” Sophie whisper yells when she steps up to him.

  Preston looks like he wants to say more but Sophie’s looking for an opportunity to lay into him. Smart man, keeps his mouth shut.

  “I’ll take care of it.” He excuses himself then walks outside already dialing someone’s number.

  “What are we going to do? Is it gonna get bad?”

  “Do you want me to lie?”

  She looks around and sees Gabe within earshot so she grabs my arm and pulls me from the room. With purpose in her step she barrels down a hallway and decides on the first door we come upon. I laugh when she pulls me inside.

  “If you wanted to make out in the laundry room all you had to do was ask.”

  She smacks my chest and gets as far from me as she can. It’s not far, we are in a laundry room.

  “I don’t want Gabe hearing about any of this. So, what’s the plan? How bad will this get?”

  “It’s gonna be a shitshow. You know how they portray me in the tabloids.”

  “Portray is a bit of a stretch don’t you think? I’m pretty sure the stories are fairly accurate.”

  “Fine, I’ll give you that. But I’m MMA’s golden boy, one of the most sought-after bachelors in the world. People will go crazy that I’m off the market.”

  “Getting pretty full of yourself aren’t ya.”

  “I’m stating the facts so you know what we’re dealing with. I’m used to the spotlight; you and Gabe are not.”

  “Okay, sorry. I’m just freaking out.” Then she narrows her eyes at me. “And you aren’t taken. You can still live as the most beloved bachelor in the world.”

  She’s biting her bottom lip and driving me fucking crazy! I reach with my hand and release her lip with my fingers.

  “I can’t explain anything while you’re doing that. It’s too distracting.” Her face goes red and I know I should explain before I lose all of my resolve.

  “We’ll discuss that topic more in depth a little later when you’re ready. Okay, so the media is going to go crazy over this. I have a kid and a woman that could mean something to me. That’s how they see it anyway. They’re all gonna be flocking here to see who gets the first picture of Gabe, you, of the three of us together. I won’t lie to you or down play it, it’s gonna be bad. For Gabe’s safety I can’t sugar coat this.”

  “I would
n’t want you to.” She walks over to the dryer and hoists herself on top of it. “Okay, I can pull Gabe from preschool, it’s not a necessity. It’s the summer anyways and it’s just camp. I can work at Mom’s place either early in the morning or late at night.”

  “Soph…”

  “I can call and get my groceries delivered so I don’t have to leave the house. Maybe we can make a tunnel going under all our houses for easy access.”

  “Soph.” I walk over and step between her now opened legs. My fingers lace through her red locks as I stare into her eyes. “Everything is going to be okay. I promise. No quitting camp, no becoming a hermit. I won’t let anything bad happen to you guys.”

  “How can you ensure that? You can’t be with us every second of the day.”

  “I can talk to the school about their security measures and make sure a guard is posted on him at all times. The security detail will be on you at all times now, where you go they go and it will be doubled up when you’re together. You’ll each have your own set of guards.”

  “Christ.” She looks down so I tip her chin up with my fingers.

  “Babe, trust me.”

  “I don’t know if I can.” She whispers.

  “I swear on everything that I’ll never let you down again. Please, just let me in. Give me a chance.”

  “But…”

  “Give us a chance.”

  “We can be friends, I already told you that.”

  “Fuck friends.”

  Then I crash my lips to her unsuspecting ones.

  ***

  Sophie

  The breath rushes from my lungs when our mouths meet. I have half a mind to push him away but I’m taken back to our first kiss. It just feels… right.

  I’m expecting Kyle to start slow, almost hesitant. This kiss is anything but. There’s no hesitation to the way he works his lips, devouring mine as he thrusts his tongue deep into the depths of my mouth. My tongue adds to the madness as we get reacquainted. It’s been so long since I’ve had this feeling and I don’t ever want it to stop. It’s a feeling I’ve only ever gotten with Kyle Cage and it brings me back to our brief relationship all those years ago.

  Kyle moves his hand from my face and traces along my collar bone before dipping a little lower. Teasing me. His feather light touch massages just above my breasts and I feel my panties dampen in anticipation. Finally, his hand moves lower to cup my breast through my shirt and I gasp.