She shook her head and turned around. “If you have to explain, it means you’ve done too much. I don’t have time for this. Goodbye, Cage.”
She hurried back inside the cafeteria to where Lisa was waiting. She was glad to see that Ted had moved on. She didn’t think she’d be able to face him like this. What she felt for Cage was more than she wanted to admit, even to herself.
“What was that all about?” Lisa asked quietly.
Whitney shook her head. “I just can’t deal with him.”
Loud music thumped outside, and she looked at the window.
In horror, she watched as Cage slowly made his way to the passenger door and climbed in awkwardly. She didn’t know how she hadn’t noticed before.
“His leg’s messed up,” she said. She gasped. It’s not like she hadn’t seen a lot of wounded guys, particularly vets, in the building. It was the best place in the city to get a therapy dog after all.
“Shit,” she groaned. “I am so stupid sometimes.”
Lisa patted her on the back.
“Yes, yes, you are.”
Chapter Seven
Cage let the loud rock music pumping through his earbuds fill his head and drown out the words from earlier.
He’d royally fucked up, and this time, it wasn’t even his fault. That was the real kicker.
His leg burned as he pressed hard against the leg weight. He had to get it working right. There wouldn’t be any chance a return to his life before if he didn’t.
Sweat ran down the side of his head as he pushed hard against the weight. He could do this. He could push through the pain, and it would build the muscle. The bullet took his strength from him, but he could get it back.
Whitney leaned over him.
He jumped. All the strength in his leg gave out as his concentration was lost. Pain tore through him, and he grunted.
She frowned at him, her face upside down as he lay against the bench.
Cage closed his eyes for a moment as he tried to focus his way through the pain and the surprise. The workout room at the security firm was about the last place he expected to see her. His leg started to throb.
When he opened his eyes, she was no longer standing over him. He blinked, wondering if he’d just been seeing things, but that made no sense. Sure, his leg hurt, but not enough to make him hallucinate.
He jumped as something cold touched his knee. He sat up quickly.
Whitney said something, but he couldn’t make it out. He realized that she was indeed truly there, and he still had the music blasting in his ears.
“What?” he asked and popped the headphones out.
“Shouldn’t you be resting it?” she said and pointed to his knee. She’d squatted to place the ice pack.
Cage turned his head. It wasn’t often that he was embarrassed, but having her talk so directly about his leg made him irritated. He’d done everything he could to keep her from finding out, and now she knew. He didn’t want or need her pity.
“How did you get in?” he asked, not really certain what to do.
Seeing her was about the last thing he expected, especially there.
Whitney nodded to the door. “Trent let me in,” she said. “He said to let you know he’ll be back later to get you.”
She blushed a little, but he tried not to read anything into it. Last night he’d wanted so much more, and it didn’t happen. Everything had gone to shit instead.
“Cage,” she said quietly.
He couldn’t make himself look at her.
Her thumb brushed the tender skin along his knee and traced the scar there. He turned quickly. There was no escaping her seeing the scar. Even with the wrap, his knee poked through the hole, revealing the bright, puckered scar.
“It’s warm,” she said quietly. “You shouldn’t push it so hard.”
Cage glared at her as his heart thumped in his ears.
“I don’t know what it matters to you,” he said quietly. “You already made that clear.”
He hated his voice, hated the whine that came out as he tried to push down all the insecurities he felt. She needed to respect him as a man, and whining wasn’t the way to achieve that.
“I didn’t know,” she said quietly.
“And if you had known?”
He stared at her, not really sure if he wanted to hear the answer.
Whitney chewed on her bottom lip and glanced away.
“I wouldn’t have said those things,” she said.
Cage leaned forward and stared at her. When he stood suddenly, she gasped and leaned back.
“It’s fine,” he said and walked over to the lockers, ignoring the pain in his knee.
Whitney frowned at his retreating back. For a second, she had thought he was going to kiss her.
“Fine?” she said, following him.
He pulled open the door to a locker and retrieved a bottle of water from the inside. She watched as he gulped down the contents. His neck moved to swallow, and she fixated on the firm line of his neck. The sight made her beyond thirsty.
A droplet of water leaked from the side of his mouth and trailed down his neck before disappearing into the collar of his shirt. She could see the water trailing down his body over his pecs in her mind.
She bit her lip, trying to clear her thoughts.
“Want a drink?” he said.
He gave her a cocky smile, and she blushed at getting caught.
Whitney shut her mouth and shook her head.
“Sure?” he asked and placed the bottle close to her mouth.
As silly as it was, she tried not to think about how his mouth had just been on it.
“I’m good,” she said.
Cage paused for a moment before putting the bottle back on the shelf.
Whitney heaved a sigh of relief.
“I just wanted to say—” she said, stopping as he reached down for the hem of his shirt. “What are you—”
It was over his head before she could even get the question out.
A smattering of hair covered his wide and muscled chest. Her fingers twitched to run along the hard planes.
“Whitney?” he said.
She had no idea what he was asking. She looked up at him but couldn’t even form what to say.
Her eyes fell back to his chest. She licked her lips and tried to find something other than all the gorgeous skin in front of her to concentrate on. Was he purposefully messing with her?
She jumped when Cage slammed the locker closed. His eyes were fixed on her, and the same burn as the previous night swept through her, threatening to consume her.
He took a step closer and she backed up.
“Why didn’t you let me take you home yesterday?” he asked. His voice was low and hit a tone that made her nipples pebble under her white blouse.
“I—I,” she stammered. She looked back up at him and tried to find what little piece of sense she could maintain. “You seemed busy.”
He nodded and moved a step forward.
“I wanted to be busy with you,” he said.
She shook a little as she stepped back a bit more. Something about the way he spoke pulled her body toward him.
“I don’t think your friend would have liked that,” she said and glanced around.
Despite the hope that someone might pop in, she knew it was dead in the building. Trent had so much as told her so. The men were all out in the field or at home.
“I don’t give a fuck what Sheryl wants,” he said roughly. “I didn’t want her and told her as much. Several times.”
Whitney swallowed hard. The backs of her feet reached the wall behind her. Her heart started to pound.
Cage moved a little closer.
Whitney watched him, not really sure what she wanted. A part of her wanted to run and get away from him before she risked too much. But a larger part wanted to just give in like she had the night before. Her body wouldn’t let her deny that the spark was there.
She looked down at his chest and then back up to his
face.
“Was that your boyfriend?” Cage asked. He placed his hand against the wall by her head.
Whitney turned the other way and huffed. Despite her traitorous body, she wasn’t about to give Cage easy satisfaction.
He brought his other hand to the side of her face and pulled it back to where she was staring at him once again.
Whitney tried to breathe, but the air around her seemed thin and made her lungs ache.
“I don’t…” she started but stopped as he continued to look at her. “No,” she whispered. “I just have coffee with Ted. He’s a friend, nothing more.”
She silently cursed herself. Why had she told him that?
Cage moved a little closer. His body pressed lightly against hers.
“He wants you,” Cage said. His voice was rough, and she wondered if he was trying to hold back. “I could see it in his eyes.”
“Ted wants more,” she said. Her body trembled as she spoke.
“Tell me you don’t want him,” Cage said. The hand that had been on her cheek trailed down her side and wrapped around to the dip in her back. She gasped as he pulled her tightly against him. The outline from his gym shorts was hard to miss.
Cage tilted his head down a little more. Whitney stared at him through half-closed eyes, her lust beginning to cloud her thoughts.
“Tell me, Whitney,” he said.
She licked her lips, trying not to remember the searing kiss from last night but somehow unable to think of anything else.
“I don’t want him,” she whispered.
“Good,” he said.
His hot mouth attacked her own. Unlike the tender sweet kiss from last night, this one was hungry. She moaned against his mouth and rested her hands against his hot chest. She never knew that just running her hands along a man’s chest could excite her so much.
Cage deepened the kiss as her hands explored his well-defined muscles. She grazed his nipple with her nail and jumped when his hands reached down to grip her ass. His thick length pushed hard against her. She tilted her head back and gasped as his mouth worked its way down her neck. Cool air chilled her as he left wet marks on her heated flesh.
“Cage,” she whispered. Her voice sounded strange, far away, as if it weren’t even her own.
When his hand slid along the bare skin of her leg, Whitney’s eyes shot open.
This was going to happen. She was going to let him touch her in the middle of his work place, in the middle of a gym.
The moment his hand slipped into her panties, all those thoughts vanished. All that mattered was his gentle finger sweeping back and forth over her wet center.
Whitney gripped his arms and panted as Cage rubbed her aching clit with his miraculous fingers. He slowly circled her, drawing out little sounds she didn’t even know she could make.
Her nails bit into his arms, but she couldn’t seem to stop. She was so close to release.
“Shit,” Cage grunted near her ear. She could feel him tremble. It matched her own body.
Whitney cried out as he pressed hard against her clit. The pressure she wanted was there. He rubbed back and forth against her, pushing a finger into her with each stroke.
It was maddening. The more he rubbed, the more she wanted to feel him in her. Deep. So deep that when she came, he’d be able to feel her squeezing him.
The more those thoughts filled her head, the more excitement built in her. This wasn’t her. She didn’t think those kind of things. But at that moment, there was nothing else she wanted more.
“Now,” Cage said. His voice was strained as he pushed two fingers deep inside.
Whitney came crashing over the edge. She cried out against his shoulder and breathed heavily through the rolling waves of pleasure. Every now and again, Cage would curl his fingers, causing a new ripple.
Sweat beaded on her brow as Whitney pulled herself back from bliss.
It was only then that she noticed how badly he was shaking.
“Cage,” she said quickly. The tremors from earlier still rippled inside her. “Maybe you should sit.”
“I’m fine,” he said quickly, trying to keep the irritation out of his voice.
He sure as hell wasn’t fine, but there was no way he could say that. How the hell was he going to make love to her if he couldn’t even stand to put pressure on his leg long enough for her to get off? Pathetic.
“It’s really okay,” she said.
He could feel himself bristle at her concern. That wasn’t what he wanted. Hearing her moan his name as she came on his fingers, that’s what he wanted. Only this time he’d like it to be his dick and maybe spend the rest of the night repeating that fun.
“It’s fine really,” she said and urged him over to the bench. “Maybe we can just rest for a minute.”
Anger lanced through him, and he pulled away. The cold air between them helped dampen the irritation.
“I’m good,” he said and turned his back.
He heard her rustling behind him but stayed the way he was. She couldn’t see him like this, shaking and pale from pain. It made him weak.
“Well,” she said, “I think I’ll be going now.”
He turned quickly as her heels clicked on the floor.
Cage gritted through the pain to catch up with her.
“Wait,” he called out.
She stopped at the door but didn’t turn around.
All the ease from earlier had disappeared. Tension lined her back, and he bit back his irritation with himself.
“Whitney,” he started but stopped when she turned around.
“I don’t understand you, Cage,” she said. “What do you want with me? Is this some sort of joke? Am I just another notch after all?”
He shook his head and paled at her words. She was just talking to him, and there he went fucking it up.
“It’s not like that,” he said. “I like you.”
The world around them went silent as she stared back at him in disbelief.
“What?”
He took in a deep breath. “You’re different,” he said and looked away. Talking about his emotions wasn’t something he was very good at. “I want us to get to know each other better.”
The sight of Whitney crossing her arms drew his attention back, and he swallowed.
“Know each other better?” she said, raising a brow. “And we do that by having sex?”
“No…” He stopped when she scowled. “Yes.” Cage sighed. Things weren’t going at all like he hoped. “Can’t we do both?”
Whitney shook her head. “I don’t work that way,” she said. “Sex isn’t something that just happens. It means something to me. I need to know things before I jump into bed with someone.”
She sighed and turned back toward the door.
“I just don’t think I’m the woman for you, Cage.”
A lump formed in his throat as she disappeared out the door.
Chapter Eight
Whitney’s eyes stung as she stepped away from the door into the darkness. There was no way she should feel bad, and yet there she was.
She took a deep breath. The recent rain made for cool nights, and it helped fight off the tears that were very close to falling.
“No.”
Her heart leapt into her throat at the sound of Cage behind her.
She picked up her pace to get to her car.
“There is no way in hell I’m letting you get away with that,” he said and kept pace with her. She knew his leg had to be killing him after standing on it for so long and now chasing after her.
“Cage¸” she said, not looking at him. Only a few more steps and she’d be at her car. Then she could drive away and leave this whole mess behind her. “Just let it go.”
Strong hands spun her around as she reached her door, and once again she found herself pinned against Cage and something hard.
“There is no fucking way I’m letting things go after the way you just kissed me.” He leaned in, and his hot breath spread out acros
s her face and made her shiver. “Not after the way you came for me,” he whispered. “We are so not done. I know that, and you know that.”
Her nipples tightened, and she cursed them for betraying her like that.
“I just don’t think…” she said and groped around for the handle of the car. “I just don’t think we’re a good idea. I’m not saying I’m not attracted to you, but I go on more than just attraction.”
She nearly jumped for joy when she finally found the open loop to pull.
“I’m not buying it,” he said quietly. “I’m going to show you—”
He stopped as something clattered against the ground and jingled as it bounced.
They looked down at the shiny object.
“Bracelet?” Cage asked as he knelt down to pick it up.
Whitney shook her head.
He opened his large hand, and she frowned.
“A collar?” she said.
They looked up and down the street, as if some lost dog might pop out of nowhere. She didn’t recognize the collar.
Something inside her twisted as she stared at the sparkly little rhinestone collar. She’d seen so many collars in her time as a vet, but she had never felt so odd about one.
She gasped as her mind finally processed what she was seeing.
“This collar was cut off,” she whispered.
* * *
Cage paced the meeting room as he tried to think. None of this made sense.
“Is this a dog you know?” Trent asked Whitney as she sipped on some hot tea to calm her nerves.
Cage stopped to look at her.
Her hands trembled as she shook her head.
“Not that I can remember,” she said quietly. “I’d have to look it up, but it’s rare that I don’t know one of my animals, and that’s a pretty distinctive collar.”
Cage believed her. She cared about the animals that came into her clinic. He knew that to be true from the follow-up calls Meg had received. Even after Harley had totally healed, Whitney called just to check in.
“What about enemies?” Trent asked.
Whitney stared blankly at him.
If Cage had to guess, she likely didn’t even know how to have an enemy. It wasn’t exactly like veterinarians made the kind of enemies that security contractors did.
Cage Page 5
