Uncaged

by Harper Sloan

  Chapter 6 - Melissa

  Exhausted.

  That is the only way I can explain what I feel like being halfway through my seventh month of pregnancy. Don't get me wrong; I love almost everything about being pregnant. Even the stuff I don't love about carrying around an extra forty--cough, fifty--pounds of baby still brings a smile to my face every time I feel one of my girls kick my kidney, squeeze my bladder, or stick a head in my ribs.

  Yeah, I love carrying around my girls.

  The best part, the part that keeps that smile on my face even when I feel as though my body is about to split in two, is knowing that these two little princesses are a product of the love I share with their daddy.

  There isn't a single day that goes by that I don't thank God that Greg was set in my path. I was living a life that was half empty, and now, my glass is overflowing.

  I finally pull my car into the driveway and smile when I see that the lights are on, flooding the yard with their warmth.

  "Daddy isn't going to be happy we've been gone all day, little ladies," I whisper to my belly, running my hand across my hard abdomen, and smile when I feel my girls give some solid kicks.

  It takes me longer than normal to pull my body out of the car. I was driving around Greg's truck until it became too hard to get in and out of the cab. I miss driving that monster around, but it was impossible to heave my weight into the driver's seat anymore. I hate this damn car. I feel like I sit so low to the ground that I'll be run over by every vehicle that comes near me. Luckily for me--or unluckily, considering I never pictured myself owning a mini-van--Greg promised we would go car shopping soon.

  "Well, well... It looks like my wife decided she still loves her men after all." I smirk when I hear my husband's deep voice coming from behind me. I don't turn; instead, I spend a second relishing in the soothing tones that wash over my tired body, firing alive every single inch. Even with his teasing tone, my body recognizes its mate, causing my skin to pucker with tiny goose bumps.

  "Turn around, Beauty."

  I visibly shutter when his demand hits my ears. Slowly, I turn and take in all six foot three inches of solid male perfection. His dark brown hair is all over the place, a sure sign that he's been playing with Cohen and running his fingers through his silky locks. I avoid his eyes and let mine travel slowly down his body. A tight black tee hugs every single inch of his chest, arms, and abs. I can literally see each and every muscle outline through the thin cotton. Letting my eyes wander lower, I have to bite my lip when I can see his thick erection straining the front of his sweats, just begging for my touch.

  It isn't until I hear his groan that I look up to meet his blazing eyes. The beautiful blue eyes I love so much have darkened to the point that I know he's hanging on by a thread.

  My tongue slips past my lips, rolling against my bottom lip before pulling it between my teeth. His eyes flash with warning, and the energy in the garage hits new levels of desire.

  "If our boy weren't sitting in the next room, ready to cook his mom dinner, I would have you spread out on the top of that damn car. Fuck. Melissa, baby, you have no idea how much I wish I could sink into your body right now." He crosses the space that separates us, takes my purse from my hands, and lets it fall to the floor before pulling me close. "My cock is begging, baby, weeping to be inside your tight, slick pussy." He lets out a tortured moan before shoving his head into the crook of my neck.

  "God, Greg. You can't go all Beast mode on me when you know there isn't anything we can do about it for hours! Hours, Greg. My hormones are going insane right now."

  "Someone isn't being very patient." I can feel his lips tipping up against my neck before he presses small, hot kisses against my skin. "Does my woman want my dick? Huh? Do you want me to take it slow, letting each one of my piercings rub against you, rub inside of that wet pussy until it hits that spot that always makes you fly through the roof? Hmm?" His lips keep kissing. Tiny, wet, closed-mouth kisses against my shoulder and neck. With each word he speaks, I feel as if my body were being set on fire. My clit is throbbing against my soaked panties. "Or do you want me to take you hard, letting my balls slap against that perfect ass of yours?"

  When his hands snake around my body and roughly squeeze my cheeks, I swear I come. Right then and there, with just his words, I feel the waves of my orgasm crashing over me. His head shoots up and his eyes question, but the cocky smile on his face tells me that he knows exactly what his words caused.

  "Or maybe we should just pour some tea and talk?"

  Arrogant jerk.

  I playfully smack his chest before I drop my forehead to his chest. Yeah, those pregnancy hormones I mentioned also turn me into a complete basket case. I don't do embarrassed, but with flushed cheeks and desire still racing through my veins, I start bawling. Not cute tears and soft sniffles. No, these are body-shaking, breath-gasping, puffy-face, and snotty-nose emotions.

  "Hey, what the hell, baby?" His hands cup my cheeks and bring my head up so that my eyes meet his. "Melissa? What's this all about?"

  "I'm... so sor--sorry." I hiccup.

  "Why on earth are you apologizing?"

  I can tell he's worried. His eyes are almost panicked from trying to figure out what set his crazy, hormonal wife off this time. He pulls me away just far enough so that he can look down my body and check for some visible reason for me to be losing my mind.

  "I wah-wah-was hoping yo-you would take me."

  His thumbs wipe my tears away, the worried look still very much present. "Take you where, Beauty?"

  "Tay-tay-take me... on the car!" I wail. Oh, God. He's going to think I'm some sexy-crazed loon.

  With wide eyes, I watch the fear bleed from his face and his cocky smile returns. "You need me, Beauty?" That voice. That full-on Beast-mode voice. That is exactly what makes me go from zero to ready to be taken hard.

  "Every second...of every day."

  His smile grows at my words, and then his lips press roughly against mine and his arms wrap around my body, pulling me as close as he can without pushing too hard against my belly.

  Just like always, he knows how to deliver every promise to come in just one kiss. A kiss that is so powerful and all-consuming that I'm climbing right back up that peak and about to tumble over into another orgasm.

  "Ew! Daddy! Mommy is touching your butt!"

  I groan against Greg's lips when Cohen's voice comes from the doorway to the house. I pull my lips away, give Greg a heated look, and then step around my husband to wrap my arms around Cohen.

  "Shh, C-Man. He had ants in his pants, and I had to make sure I got them all."

  He giggles, kisses my cheek, and then presses two kisses against my stomach before running back into the house. "Come on, Mommy! We're having sketty!"

  Hours later, I am just coming down from my third orgasm in a row. My body is slick with sweat, and my heart is still racing. My toes may be permanently curled.

  "I'm pretty sure I can't move my legs."

  Greg laughs from where he is lying--or more like collapsed--next to me. "I'm pretty sure I can't move anything."

  I turn to my side to relieve the pressure my growing belly is putting on my back. I look over at his profile. His are eyes closed, hair wet with perspiration, and his chest is still moving rapidly.

  "Thank you," I whisper so softly I didn't even think he would be able to hear me.

  His eyes open and he turns towards me giving me all of his attention. "For what?"

  My cheeks heat briefly before I answer. "For loving me."

  "Hey, that is one thing you never need to thank me for. Beauty, do you even have a clue to how much I love you?" He shifts, moving so that he can pull me against his side. I rest my head against his chest while one of his hands wraps around my shoulders, holding me close and his hand resting against my belly. "Melissa, I tell you daily--many times--how much I love you. Knowing that you're my wife, that the perfect little boy asleep down the hall is my son because of you, and these little ang
els are a gift our love made... Those are just some of the things you have given me that makes my life worth living." He pauses, removing his hand from my stomach long enough to lift my chin up so he can look into my eyes. "You never need to thank me for loving you, Melissa. You make it effortless."

  I close my eyes, letting the tears that had been pooling tip over and run down my cheeks.

  "God, Baby... Don't cry. There isn't anything in our lives that warrants those tears. As far as I can tell, we're about one step from perfect. Once Lillian and Lyndsie get here, there isn't much of anything that could make our world any better. That is, unless you want to give me more babies."

  I smile at his attempt at bringing the crazy hormones back down. "Do you ever worry? Things have been going so well that I'm almost afraid to believe that it's finally time for us to have our happily ever after." He snorts, and I know that he's thinking about all the books I always have my nose stuck in. "Don't you make fun of me, Greg Cage."

  His laughter quiets, and he looks down into my eyes. "There isn't a damn thing in this world that can keep us from our happily ever after," he vows before kissing me sweetly. "Sleep, Beauty. Tomorrow's going to be crazy enough, so you need to rest while you can."

  I cuddle as close as I can get, letting the sound of his heartbeats lull me to sleep.

  Chapter 7 - Greg

  Of course, the one day I promise Melissa that I won't do anything work related, I get a call from Axel about an issue at the office. A damn 'issue' is the last thing I want to deal with today, especially knowing that it more than likely has to do with Mrs. Hutchins, our newest and most aggravating client.

  Mrs. Hutchins first came to us about a month ago, convinced that her older husband was sleeping with every female around. She calls constantly. She stops by the office daily. There isn't a damn thing we can say to convince the woman that her husband is very much faithful. She doesn't believe it. I'm starting to get the impression that she is only comes around because she has her eyes on Asher.

  During the first meeting we took with her, she all but offered to pay Axel and me to sleep with her. Even if I weren't the happiest damn married man around, there isn't a check large enough that would convince me to sleep with her. She has something evil scratching the surface, and I want that as far away from me as possible.

  If only Asher could see things the same way. I know that he hasn't yet, but he's thinking about it, and I know that if he sinks into that woman, she will leave him with something he can never wash off.

  Shaking off the creepy-as-hell feeling Mrs. Hutchins always leaves me with, I jog up the stairs in search of my wife. I can hear her and Cohen's laughter coming out of our bedroom and head that way.

  "Why do my angels have a party when they're still in your belly? They can't open any presents when they're in your belly. Do you think we'll get cake? I love cake. Will Dilbert be there?"

  I smile, walk over to Melissa, and wrap my arms around to rest against her swollen belly as Cohen continues his random questioning.

  He finally stops talking and jumps off the bed. Without even a word, he takes off running out the bedroom door.

  Melissa and I both laugh at the tornado that is Cohen Cage. Damn, I love that kid.

  "Sometimes I wonder if he just talks because he likes the sound of his voice. You know, almost every time he starts on his twenty questions, they end in him running off without even having one answer."

  I laugh because she isn't wrong. But Cohen is a boy full of energy, and if asking a million questions and fighting imaginary villains is what it takes, then hey, I can work with that.

  Melissa turns with her smile beaming. I thought I was being careful to mask my expression, but she must have noticed that my mood was off because her smile slips and she looks at me with wide, hopeful eyes.

  "Beauty..." I start.

  "Don't you Beauty me, Greg. You promised you would make it clear to Axel that you weren't doing anything work related today. It's my baby shower, and while I know this isn't something you have any interest in attending, it means something to me. Everyone is excited. Cohen is through-the-roof excited. And I was excited until I realized that you're not going to be there."

  She takes a breath, but before she can continue, I interrupt her. "Melissa, if it were any other client, I wouldn't even think about it. I need this woman taken care of before our girls get here. Axel can't deal with her alone, Beck can't deal with her at all, and Asher isn't allowed to deal with her. With Maddox gone, it's only me." I lean my forehead against hers and take a deep breath. "She's one of our highest-paying clients, Melissa, and even though we live a comfortable life, I can't help my worries with our girls coming. We're going from a family of three to one of five overnight."

  Her face softens and her eyes lose their wounded look. I know she wants me there--hell, I want to be there--but I'm not lying.

  "It's that terribly nasty trophy wife, isn't it?"

  She may think she has me fooled with that bored tone, but I know she and the other girls secretly plot ways to make Mrs. Hutchins disappear.

  "Yeah, Beauty. It's her." I brace for it because I know it's coming.

  "I hate that plastic, home-wrecking, troll-trotting, skank bitch," she seethes.

  She isn't unjust with her hatred either. Between her, Izzy, and Dee, each of them has witnessed her attempt at getting their men to stray. We joke about it, because they know we would never even think about it, but when it comes down to it, we all want her out of our lives.

  "I know, and you aren't alone. We agreed a few weeks ago that we wouldn't take meetings with her alone anymore. She threw herself at Beck, which is why he flat-out refuses to even be near her. Asher is out of town so he can't help. It's just me, and baby, as much as I hate it, I can't let Axel deal with her alone."

  She nods her head in understanding, "I know. I get it, I really do, but that doesn't mean I like it." She hugs me close, and I rest my chin on the top of her head.

  "I'll be there before you even open your first gift or play your first game. Promise."

  She smiles, though it doesn't quite reach her eyes. "I know you will. Now, go get Cohen dressed, please. No rain boots with shorts though!"

  After getting Cohen dressed and waiting until Melissa was finally ready to go, I helped her buckle Cohen into her car before pulling her into my arms and giving her a deep kiss.

  "Before the first gift, I'll be there," I remind her, hating that I'm letting her down, even just a little.

  "I know," she smiles. "I'm not upset, I just wish you didn't have to go. I love you and everything you do for us. Missing a baby shower really isn't a big deal. I'm sorry I made you feel bad earlier, but my hormones are all over the place." She laughs, and the blush she seemed to adopt when she got pregnant spreads across her cheeks.

  "I love you and your crazy hormones."

  She smiles and gives me another deep kiss. "I love you, too." Laughing, she folds herself awkwardly behind the wheel.

  I make a mental note to go straight to the dealership before the week ends and get her the minivan we've been talking about for a while now.

  ~~*

  "But, Greg, isn't there something else you can do? I just know that Harry is sleeping with that woman. I saw the way she looked at him. There is no way that a woman who hasn't seen him naked would look at him like that."

  "It's Mr. Cage, Mrs. Hutchins, and as Mr. Reid has gone over with you already, there is no evidence that points to any infidelity on your husband's behalf. We've been watching him closely since the day you walked into our office for the first time. There hasn't been a single grain of proof that we could even offer to you. I'm positive that this is a good report, correct?"

  We've been playing this game for the last thirty minutes. I keep checking my watch, knowing that Melissa should be at the country club that the girls are using to host her shower by now. If I plan on keeping true to my promise, I need to get this woman out of our building as soon as possible.

  "Oh, don't
be silly, Greg. I told you to call me Alison," she purrs. Literally purrs. Axel rolls his eyes from his perch across the room. He's about to blow, and I'm not far behind him.

  "Mrs. Hutchins, how about this? We will put the cameras back up inside your home as well as his office for another two weeks and then reevaluate at the end of that time?"

  She instantly brightens when I confirm that we aren't cutting her loose. Shit. Axel's going to flip.

  "Darling, that is just perfect." She makes a move to touch my arm and I pull back roughly.

  After another five minutes of bullshit, she finally agrees to a time for us to come and reinstall the equipment in her home. Another pain in the ass, but this time I wouldn't make the mistake of showing up alone.

  "Swear to Christ, I'm ready to just say to hell with the ridiculous amount of money she's paying us and cut her loose. She's like a fucking parasite."

  I laugh at Axel and flip the lock on the front door. "Give her another two weeks of babysitting her monk of a husband and that's it. If I weren't in a rush to get to the baby shower the girls are throwing Melissa, I wouldn't have even given her that."

  Axel follows behind as I make my way down the hallway and into my office to grab my keys and the files I need to go over at home tomorrow for the upcoming week.

  "You aren't telling me anything I don't know. Izzy almost took off my head when I told her I would be late for the shower," he laughs, palming his keys and following me out the door. "That woman actually offered to 'service' me before you showed up. It's a shame it isn't the husband who hired us. Wouldn't even take five minutes before we had a stack full of proof."

  "Pain in the ass. That's all she is. But right now, I couldn't care less," I chuckle, pausing my steps off the sidewalk when my phone starts ringing. My brow pulls tight when Axel's own cell starts ringing too. "Popular, I guess."

  He snorts and we both pull our phones out.

  "Izzy," he smiles.

  Looking down and seeing Dee's name across my screen has my stomach dropping. I can't shake the feeling that something isn't right as I stare at Dee's smiling face on my phone.

  I swipe my thumb across the screen to answer, but before I can speak, I notice Axel's look of pure terror as he stands a few feet in front of me with his phone pressed against his ear.