Taking Tessa

by Aria Cole

  "Cage." My hands went to his cheeks, instantly only concerned for his breaking heart. "Is she…?"

  "She passed away a few years ago. Lung cancer." He shook his head and swiped at his eyes.

  I pressed myself against him, my arms around his neck, holding and hugging him so tightly I thought I might lose what little breath remained in my lungs. I cried on his shoulder, sobbing as I felt the pain and truth of my past shredding me.

  "I could have been her. Why wasn't I her?"

  "I don't know, baby. Maybe deep down there's some shred of good in him. He couldn't bring himself to destroy you."

  "No, not someone that can do that to an innocent woman. That's evil." I shook my head, suddenly feeling the same fire that burned in Cage's gut light in mine. "I hate him. I hate him for what he did to her."

  "I did, too, for a long time." His palms spread across my back and rubbed in wide circles. "Hate only breeds more hate, Tessa. You can't lose yourself in it. You just have to find the good things in life and hold them a little tighter." He breathed into my neck, holding me harder and tighter than he'd ever done.

  "What now?"

  "Not a thing, baby. We move on with our life. This will all fall dead behind us. But first thing I need to do is get a security system installed. No way am I risking…" He paused, his eyes searching mine as he gazed down at me. "Not risking you."

  13

  Cage

  I tapped on the edge of the empty orange juice glass, the only thing I could manage to stomach this morning. I’d had a long chat with my supervisor and explained the entirety of the situation with Tessa. He’d assured me that it wasn’t the big deal that the broadcast had made it out to be, and only encouraged me to keep her safe. I'd already made the call to the security firm and they were headed out tomorrow. I'd been a dumbass not to get this done before now, but at least she'd been safely locked up in my house. On the other hand, that's the last thing I wanted for her, to be locked up. Maybe we could move, head across the country. I was a good cop with a decent reputation, I also had family connections I could use if need be.

  The bottom line: I'd move for Tessa. If taking Tessa away was the only way to keep her safe, then I'd do that.

  I headed out the back door and down the porch, remembering the first time I'd had her in my arms and connected with her body a few nights ago. She was everything, and the thought of losing her was like a knife to my heart. I needed her in my life, I'd drop everything I owned in a second to keep her with me and out of harm's way.

  And if I could get a ring on her finger and a baby in her belly, I'd be a damn lucky man.

  Crossing the yard to my shed, I pulled out the push lawnmower, thinking a little exercise and upkeep on this lawn would do me good. I'd work up a sweat in this heat for the next hour, then revisit Tessa and see what I could do to make this better in the short term.

  I pulled the rope and the engine roared to life. I took off down the rows of the lawn, losing myself in the smell of the fresh cut grass, my thoughts on the beautiful girl tucked away in my bed, heart breaking as she tried to heal from the life that'd been pushed upon her. Row after row the sun beat down, my thoughts churned up my gut, my heart ached because at this moment she was hurting and I couldn't heal her. After a dozen rows, I finished the back lawn, turning down the side yard before the engine gurgled then choked to a stop.

  Sounds of violent shrieking tore through my eardrums. I launched into a dead run into the house.

  Tessa.

  14

  Tessa

  His thick sausage fingers gripping at my throat left me choking for air. I was dying. I was going to die right here up against this wall. The sound of the beautiful man who'd sworn to keep me safe mowing the lawn just yards away. This can't be, this isn't happening.

  "This is why I couldn't let you out, Tessa. You see that now, don't you?" He loosened his grip on my throat and tipped my chin with his fat fingers in a nodding motion.

  "I hate you," I gritted out when I had a breath.

  "A daughter can never hate her father." His foul breath burned across my face and made me shut my eyes, sucking in lungful’s of breath, and I tried to scream, my hoarse throat not yet recovered from his stronghold. "I saw you coming, Tessa. You're Eve incarnate. This body doesn't belong on a child. You have the body of a woman, and that cannot be hidden. You make men think perverse thoughts, tempt them to sin, Tessa. You couldn't handle that. You spread your legs for the first man that knocked on the door. I can see the bloom dead on your cheeks. You've lost your innocence, and it breaks my heart. You think he loves you? He's just using you, Tessa. No one loves you like I do." His forearm crushed my windpipe, his words dripping with vile disgust and chilling pleasure. "I heard him defiling you. Heard your cries of pleasure. You'll need punishing. How many weeks for letting him put his hands on you, Tessa?"

  I closed my eyes, bile burning up my esophagus when I thought of him hiding out in the basement, or wherever he'd waited all night to catch me alone, listening to us make love. Listening to us in the bathtub, listening to Cage open the most intimate part of myself. I wished I could die, melt right into the carpet and give up. But even more than that, I wanted Tom to die. Not only had he stolen my life, but he'd stolen Cage's mother's, too. He was evil, vile, and deserved to rot in the ground. I swallowed, thinking I had to do what I'd always done. Had to do what I'd learned to survive with Tom, or I wasn't going to get out of this alive. I had to play my cards smart.

  "Yes, Father," I choked, swallowing a few times to rid the pain from my throat when he released his grip.

  "That's what I like to hear, sugar." He patted my cheek, his fist clutching my elbow, and he pulled me down the stairs. "Let's get you home." I followed along, shaking violently, thinking how I could stop this, how I could alert Cage so he'd actually hear me.

  We hit the bottom of the steps, my eyes on the window where Tom had pushed through last night, unlocking the door and letting himself in. Just as Tom tightened his grip on my hand, the lawnmower sputtered to a halt, then died. I took the chance and launched out of Tom’s hands, screaming as loudly as I could. Running down the hallway, I sped through the kitchen and smashed shoulder first into the back door, rattling the handle open until waves of fresh air hit my face.

  "What the fuck are you doing here?" Cage's giant voice bellowed through the hallway as I heard the echo of his boots aiming for Tom. I curled into a ball, watching in horror as Cage landed on top of Tom, knocking the air out of his lungs. With one fist holding him down, he pummeled his face. His cheekbone. His ear. His eye socket. His chin. His eye socket three more times for good measure.

  Cage stood, fists shaking as he looked down at Tom, then over to me. His eyes widened as he took in the sight of me. He looked back at Tom and landed two more devastating kicks to his abdomen. Tom lay on the floor, crimson seeping from the wounds in his face, only small moans puffing past his lips.

  "Is he dead?" I squeaked from the corner.

  "Not yet." He fished in his pocket for his phone and dialed.

  Within minutes cruisers and ambulances were descending upon Cage's home, more bodies than I'd seen in all my life packed into the small space. Medics hauled Tom off, while another crew tended to a small cut I had on my forehead from hitting the door in my rush to get out. Apparently, it was that cut that Cage had seen. He’d thought Tom had put it there and had gone wild with anger.

  It wasn't a moment too soon. With every blow to Tom's body, I'd felt a little safer. A little more protected. My future a little brighter.

  I'd known the minute he'd picked on me as I'd entered Cage's master bedroom that he'd been waiting for this moment, and no way did I have a chance of escaping him as long as he was free. I couldn't believe he actually had it in him to wait quietly in Cage's house for hours, maybe even a day or more. I'd only known the side he'd shown to me, but apparently there was another even darker side to him that raped and violated women.

  "How're you feeling, little lamb?" Cage approac
hed me after spending the last twenty minutes talking to a police officer.

  "My head hurts, but otherwise I'm great."

  "Thank God." Cage placed a lingering kiss on my forehead.

  "Thank God for you." I nuzzled into his neck, my muscles finally loosening as I relaxed into his embrace.

  He was my home. Living hand in hand with him was all that mattered to me. He'd been right when he’d said you can't hold on to hate, you need to release it and squeeze the people you loved a little longer.

  I was squeezing him. I would never let him go.

  He'd saved my life again, and I only hoped I could show him even a fraction of the love he showed me each and every day.

  Cage West had caged my heart.

  Later that evening, tucked safely into this master bed and curled into his arms, I sighed with incredulous relief. “Is it really over? Just like that, I'm free? It sounds too good to be true.”

  “You'd better believe it's done. I told Carson everything and he agreed we’re going to do everything in our power to get him behind bars. We are going to run his DNA against cold cases, Tessa. If even a single one comes up, coupled with the wrongful imprisonment charges, he's going away for good.”

  My eyes trained on Cage's deep blue ones. “I can't believe he was hiding out in the basement the whole time.”

  Cage's face turned dark. “Just the thought of that man in my house, listening as we… He's lucky he's alive, Tessa. I saw red when I came in on him chasing you. I couldn't have been responsible if I had killed him. You're my life, and when he threatened you he threatened me.”

  I nodded, snuggling in deeper to his body. One heavy forearm draped across my stomach, drawing lazy circles around the concave of my bellybutton.

  “Maybe now we can get on with our lives,” he crooned.

  A blush crept on my cheeks as I imagined one day wearing his ring, being his bride, mothering his children.

  “I can't wait for our future, Cage West.”

  His beautiful sideways grin tipped up before he stretched his hard, muscular form above me, his hands locking my wrists together above my head as he tasted my skin with his tongue.

  “We've got a beautiful future, baby. Been planning it since the day you walked into my life.”

  Every beat of my heart knew it was true.

  First Epilogue

  One Month Later

  Tessa

  “Lookin' good tonight, mama.” Cage's hand pressed at the small of my back as we stepped out of the cab.

  “Thank you.” I grinned, still not used to his constant compliments.

  “I, on the other hand, feel like a jackass.” Cage twisted at the thin tie circling his neck. I paused to push his hands away and straightened it.

  “You look absolutely delectable.” I pressed up on my toes and nipped at his bottom lip.

  “If we weren't celebrating tonight, I'd run you right home and peel every scrap of this sparkly dress off you and fuck you into next week.”

  “Cage,” I whispered, conscious of the doorman's eyes on us.

  “Let's give them something to whisper about.” He pushed a hand into my hair and cupped my neck, taking my lips in a searing kiss that curled my toes and sent my heart soaring.

  “No way the food is gonna be better than that,” he whispered when he finished, making me smile shyly.

  After spending weeks studying, I'd taken an admissions test and passed with flying colors—I was on the accelerated path to earning a nursing degree in under three years. It would require a full work schedule, but I was so ready. My mind was already running wild with all the possibilities ahead.

  “Behave yourself until we get home.”

  “I thought you liked me a little wild.” He snaked his arm around my waist and walked me past the doorman giving him an indulgent wink.

  “Maybe less wild and a little more cautiously unpredictable.” His laugh was like music to my ears. I lived to hear him laugh, the soothing tone of his voice, that and the way his hands splayed across my body, sent me to heaven every time.

  “Mr. West?” Cage nodded when the attendant addressed him. “Right this way, sir.”

  We were led up a private winding staircase away from the chaos of the restaurant below. Cage had insisted on bringing me here to celebrate my acceptance into the program. I would have been content to go home with him for a quiet dinner, but he'd been insistent, so I'd happily relented.

  “Cage…?” I breathed when we entered a private dining room, set for two, overlooking the floor below. Soft music piped through hidden speakers, and despite the low hum of the restaurant below, it was incredibly intimate.

  “Thanks,” Cage said as the attendant walked away. “It's nice, huh?”

  “Nice? It's like the nicest place I've ever been.”

  “Told you you'd need that dress.”

  “I don't know whether to smack you or kiss you!”

  “Smack me?” He laughed.

  “You shouldn't be spending this kind of money on me.”

  “Bullshit, there's nothing better in my life to spend it on.” He placed a kiss on my knuckles. “But I'm also hoping for one hell of a thank you later.”

  The giggle fell from my throat just as our waiter brought a carafe of water and took our drink orders. I pressed a hand beneath the table and over the crotch of his suit pants, delighting in the shiver that raced across his body at my touch. I smiled sweetly up at the waiter as he left, Cage's cock rock hard and mouthwatering beneath my fingertips.

  “I can't wait to get you home and fuck that smirk off your face.”

  “Why wait?” My eyes gleamed with challenge.

  “I've got a feeling there's a private restroom around here somewhere. Don't tempt me, beautiful.”

  “Temptation is my favorite of all the sins.”

  “Don't I know it.” Cage reached for his cock, readjusting it not so subtly.

  “I'm thinking about crawling under that table and wrapping my lips around your beautiful cock,” I purred, eyes dancing while his gaze darted from my lips back to my eyes.

  “Sweet Jesus, Tessa.”

  Just then the waiter came back in, delivering our beverages before taking our order. Cage nearly choked on his tongue while I stroked the ridge of his cock the entire time. I watched his jaw tick, his eyebrows pushed together as he tried to focus on anything but my hand. I smiled, taking a sip of my water with my other hand, feigning innocence while Cage's erection thickened and jumped beneath my fingertips.

  As soon as the waiter smiled and turned away, Cage's hand was between my legs, his fingertips pushing up my dress to make contact with my soaked pussy.

  “Jesus Christ, Tessa. Where are your panties?” I heard the thinly-veiled restraint cracking his voice, and it turned me on even more.

  “A wise person once told me they only get in the way.”

  “Smart person that was.” The rough pad of his thumb slid between my lips and swirled at the stiff little bud of my clit. A tiny moan escaped me before I could stop it.

  “That's a girl, I dare you to keep a straight face next time he's in here. Such a naughty minx rubbing my cock while I was ordering.” He added a second finger to his assault, then pushed them inside my body.

  “Cage, oh my God,” I gasped as my fists clutched at the side of the table. I never expected him to take it this far, to actually fuck me with his fingers in public.

  His fingers hooked somewhere deep inside me, the pads of his digits grating against raw nerves and causing my thighs to shake with pleasure. His thumb pressed full force at my clit, his grin deepening as my eyes slammed closed and I gnawed on my bottom lip.

  “No hiding that face, baby. Come for me.” A third finger slid past my entrance, and a series of hums fell past my lips, only the teeth piercing my flesh holding back the chorus of moans that usually accompanied my orgasms.

  “Fuck, baby.” Cage leaned over, his lips sucking at the hollow of my neck as his hands slowed and he removed his fingers from my bo
dy. “The day I stop getting that out of you is the day you have permission to leave me.”

  My chest heaved, my nipples still hard and aching as they pressed against the tight dress. “Can I get that in writing?”

  “Sure thing, gorgeous, but I can guarantee you won't need it.” He slapped his finger, soaked with my arousal, past my lips and waited as I sucked and swirled the flavor off. “I hope you cleared your schedule tomorrow. I want you naked all day.”

  I grinned, my breathing finally settling into a normal pattern. “Still celebrating?”

  “We've got a lot to celebrate.”

  I smiled, tipping my glass of water to my lips. Cage pulled something out from beneath the table and set it in front of me.

  “I was supposed to wait, but just like everything else when it comes to you, I'm jumping the gun because I can't waste another day.”

  My eyes darted from his searing ones to the box on the table. The little black leather box.

  “Cage…”

  “Don't Cage me, baby. Just say yes.” He opened the box and a large canary yellow diamond sparkled back at me.

  “Oh my God.” My hands shot to my face, covering my tears as they surged in torrents down my cheeks. “Oh my god, Cage.” My fingers shook when his smile deepened and he plucked the diamond from its case.

  “Say yes, baby. You're mine and I'm yours, let's make it official. I swear to love you more than myself every day of eternity. Will you marry me?” He slipped the ring on my finger, his eyes trained on mine.