Bear To The Bone (Bear Claw Security 1) (7 page)

C
arrie’s heart
pounded as she looked down at Cage, dark hair covering his face as he slowly pulled down the zipper of her jeans and then eased them over her hips and off her legs.

“Cage, wait…” She didn’t even know what she was waiting for; she just knew she felt her heart would explode if this went on any longer.

He looked up at her, his sapphire eyes burning, his expression curious as he tilted his head.

His face was so handsome. All sharp angles and smooth skin. Those dark lashes and brows, those full lips.

From his expression, she could tell, despite having her mostly naked, his hand touching the top of her panties, he really would stop right now if she asked him to.

But she didn’t want to. A part of her wanted to stay true to herself and not get too involved with Cage as long as he was a member of the Aces.

Another part of her would take him any way she could get him.

That part of her had spent so many nights alone, using her vibrator and dreaming of him doing things to her.

Things between her and Cage weren’t perfect, but so far, he’d been there for her every time she needed him. He’d been there to rescue her when Harvey came, and he’d promised, despite being in the Aces, he wasn’t going to do anything bad.

His lips twisted slightly, his eyes serious. His irises looked like water at the deepest part of the ocean, vivid and dark, his black lashes contrasting the blue just beneath them. “Carrie, if you don’t want this, you have to tell me.”

She shook her head. “No. I want this. I want this more than you’ll ever know.” She bit her lip and took a deep breath. “But, Cage, if I trust you like this, don’t hurt me.”

His face tightened. “Never.”

She let herself relax back on the bed. “Okay then,” she said. “Do what you want.”

He dipped down and caught the top of her panties with his teeth, giving her a wicked glare. “No, what
you
want.” Then, to her utter shock, he pulled them easily down over her legs, leaving her bare.

“It’s not fair,” she said, resisting the urge to cover herself as he surveyed her naked body. “I’m naked, and you’re fully clothed.”

He frowned. “You want me to get naked, too? I’m not sure that’s a good idea.” He leaned forward, flicking his tongue over one sensitive nipple. Even that one small move sent fire surging through her.

“Why not?” She gasped.

“Because I want to focus on you,” he said, working his way down her soft stomach, where she felt self-conscious, and then to the cleft of her legs.

“Wait,” she said. “I don’t know.”

“There’s nothing to feel self-conscious about, Carrie,” he said, putting a hand on each knee and pushing her thighs gently apart, baring that last part of her to him. She flushed and turned her head to the side.

He reached over and caught her chin, making her face him before settling again between her legs. He gave her a long, hot, head-to-toe look. “Every part of you is beautiful to me.”

She felt a full-body blush moving over her but had barely any time to think of it before she felt his mouth moving between her legs.

Hot damn, that was sensitive. She nearly jumped off the bed, but his hands over her thighs held her down as the wet strength of his tongue swiped out to touch her in a place she’d only touched with her fingers. And gently.

But that was nothing compared to the rough, wet heat of his tongue, giving her pleasure that felt like being electrocuted, but in a good way.

“Oh, Cage,” she said, reaching into the sheets on either side of her as her hips tried to squirm away from the extreme sensation. His hands didn’t let her, keeping her thighs in place as his tongue flicked out again and his sapphire eyes stayed locked on her, amused by her overwhelmed state.

“That’s right,” he said. “Say my name. I’ll never get sick of hearing it.”

She put her hands in her hair and pulled as his lips moved forward and touched her intimately, taking her completely in a long, sensual kiss that racked her body from the inside out. How could he make her feel that way with just his lips and tongue?

How much more could he do with… the rest of him?

She loved the feel of his hands, soft and steadying, as his tongue took her on a rising journey she felt almost too sensitive to bear. She’d had orgasms before, especially while thinking of him, but she’d never felt anything like this, and she was slightly afraid of what lay on the other side of all this intense feeling.

She felt a sense of complete disconnect as she looked down at his dark head buried between her legs, making sensation shoot through her.

Cage was home. He was really here with her. He was—

The happiness of knowing he was back combined with the pent-up pressure of what he’d done to her with his mouth made her body kick over the edge into a free-fall of pure pleasure, so strong she couldn’t think or breathe. All she could see was his face; all she could feel was her love for him, her joy at them being together.

And then he was around her, holding her, encouraging her to hold on. She dug her nails into his back, wanting to know he was really there, that after all those years, she wasn’t alone anymore.

It felt like a dream, but the emotions flooding her body, the throbbing between her legs, was all too real.

“Oh, Cage,” she murmured. “I’m so glad you’re home.”

“So am I, sweetheart,” he said, holding her close.

She could feel his heart beating, pounding against hers as they stayed chest to chest. She loved the feel of his covered pecs against her breasts and only wished he were nude as well.

“I’m never going to leave you again.”

She simply gasped out the rest of her release, holding on to him like he was all she had in the world.

And maybe he was.

When she finally felt her orgasm ebb away, she slumped in his arms, and he pulled back to look at her.

“You know, normally I’d want to go further, but I get the feeling you need a rest.” He helped her lie back on the pillows, drew the covers over her, and rested next to her on his side, cuddling against her and watching over her.

“What do you mean normally?” she asked sharply.

He shrugged. “In my fantasies.”

“One was overwhelming enough,” she said. But she couldn’t help wondering just how many he’d given her when he’d thought of her.

“Oh, trust me, Carrie. You’re going to have more than one, next time we do this.”

Her eyes flew open. “Next time?”

He looked down at her from where he rested on his elbow. He was so handsome it physically hurt to look at him. “Of course, next time. Again and again and again, as much as you can take.”

She sat up, clutching the blanket around her. “But…”

“But what?” he asked, sitting up with her, his eyes narrowing in concern. “You aren’t having second thoughts?”

She let out a deep breath. “No. I’d like to say I was just caught up in the moment, but I knew exactly what I was doing.” She flopped back against the bed, but he caught her with an arm around her back and scooted them back against the headboard, her against his chest.

“And what was that?” he asked.

“Accepting you,” she said. “Accepting this isn’t perfect, or what I wanted, but I want you however I can get you.” She sighed and put her hand in his. “I guess I’m weak.”

“I think it’s the opposite of weak to love someone who isn’t perfect,” he said. “Someone who could hurt you.”

She nodded.

“But I’m not going to hurt you,” he said, kissing the top of her head. Her heart was still pounding. She couldn’t stop trying to remember the intensity of the orgasm she’d just had. Their first together. But…

“Shouldn’t I do something for you?” she asked.

“Later,” he said. “Right now, I just wanted to do something for you. I wanted to show you how good we are together.”

She rested her head against him. “Very good. So don’t screw things up by acting like one of the Aces.”

He frowned. “I’ll do whatever it takes to protect you. But you should know I’m not really one of them. The jacket on my back doesn’t change that.”

“Then why are you with them?” she asked.

He ran a hand through her hair thoughtfully. “I have something I have to do.”

“If you really aren’t one of them, I’ll try to believe it,” she said. “But don’t act like them. I don’t think I could handle it.”

He was quiet for a moment, and she reveled in the feel of his hard chest, his huge arms around her, his body keeping her safe after so many years alone, waiting.

“I’ll do my best. I love you, Carrie.”

“I love you, too, Cage,” she said. “But I want you to know something. Just in case.” She lifted up to look at him, resting a hand on his chest and twisting her body. “I won’t give up my bar to them. I need it to help Willow and the kids.”

He sighed and wrapped his arms around her and forced her to sit against him again. Just being with him soothed her. “I know how much Willow means to you,” he said. “Part of the reason I love you is because you love lost causes. I was a lost cause once. I wouldn’t let harm come to anyone or anything you cared about.” He frowned. “But I need to talk to you about the bar.”

“What do you mean?” she asked.

“They want it. They aren’t going to give up. But I think I have a way to stall them. You aren’t going to like it, though.”

“What?” she asked, feeling her heart start to race again. “What do you mean?”

He hesitated and then sat up, knelt across from her, and looked her in the eye. “I need you to take my jacket.”

She blinked. “What?” She started scooting away from him. “Oh no. No way. That’s too much, Cage. Not in a million years. How could I face Willow? How could I…”

“I know it’s too much,” he said. “But if I don’t take the job, they’ll give it to someone else. Someone who’ll want to claim you along with the bar. My boss, Pete, wants me to work on it. If you wear my jacket, he’ll know I’m working on it.”

Her eyes went wide in confusion. She bit her lip, not knowing what to say.

“I… I’m doing something at the club. And I need time,” he said. She opened her mouth to interrupt, but he put a finger softly to her lips to stop her. “No, don’t think about it. Don’t see me as anything but an Ace. I need you to only see me that way. You got it?”

She nodded slowly. “Got it.”

“I’ll work everything out. I promise. I’m not leaving this time, Carrie. Not until I’ve made it so we can be together forever.”

“We could if only you weren’t in the Aces,” she said, cupping his cheek.

He stared at her. “You really believe that? You would leave here, leave Willow and the kids?”

She shook her head slowly. “I guess not.”

“Just believe me,” he said. “It’s going to work out. But I need you to wear the jacket. Otherwise, I won’t know you’re safe.”

“How does wearing a jacket that proclaims me your
property
make me safe?” she asked.

His eyes narrowed, going so dark they were almost black. “Because I protect what is mine.”

She raised her eyes to his. “I don’t know if I’m yours yet. I can’t be as long as this thing with the Aces is going on.” She gestured between them. “I like this. I want to keep exploring it, but I can’t think of anything long term as long as you’re in those leathers.”

He nodded. “I know. I’ve always known. But I need you to trust me on this. Take my patch. At least pretend to be my old lady. That’s all I’m asking.”

She stared at him, biting softly on her bottom lip.

“Give me the right to protect you,” he insisted. “Even when I’m not there.”

She finally sighed. “It’s a fucked-up world with these Aces in it.”

He nodded. “That’s why I need to know you’re safe. And I’ll do anything to ensure that.”

She saw a fiery determination in his eyes and wondered if there was a part of him she hadn’t seen. Something that had grown in him while he was in the military or something that had always been in him.

Whatever he was doing with the Aces, it meant a lot to him. And he clearly wasn’t going to let her in on whatever that was.

Which was fine. She wasn’t even sure she wanted to know. She just wanted to live in Fantasy Land, where Cage was back and everything was fine.

The jacket made it hard to do that.

“I’ll come to the bar with the guys tonight. I’ll bring you the jacket. I want you to wear it so Pete can at least think things are on track.”

She let out a long breath. “All right.” Cage wasn’t going to let it go, and she didn’t see any way around it. “But I’m not wearing it around town or anywhere Willow or the kids could see it.” She tightened her hands into fists. “So many of them have been abused or neglected because of the Aces. I refuse to let them think even for a minute I represent their abusers.”

Cage’s expression tightened, perhaps remembering his own abuse. “I understand. Just wear it at the bar. That’s enough.”

“Okay,” she said as Cage stood and got ready to leave.

“I have to go back to the compound and explain the fight with Harvey. Telling Pete you’re taking my patch should smooth things over a little, hopefully.”

“I hope so,” she said, taking her clothes as he handed them to her and pulling them on.

When she was dressed, he came to her and held her shoulders. Her knees nearly went weak again at his touch.

“So I’ll see you tonight for sure?” she asked, hoping that was the case. She felt safer when he was there. She’d been able to take care of herself for a long time, and others, too, but that didn’t mean she preferred it.

Having someone on her team was nice.

He dipped his head and took her in a soft, intense kiss that shook her to her core, despite it being only a simple touching of lips.

“It’s a promise,” he said, pulling back, leaving her lips tingling.

No other man in the world could ever make her feel like that.

“Okay,” she mumbled, touching her lips as she followed him down the stairs to the front door. No matter how much she had of him, it would always hurt when he left.

He turned back at the door. “Carrie?”

“Yes?”

“Thanks for trusting me,” he said.

The way he said it gave her a moment’s trepidation, but then he was out the door, shutting it behind him. She ran to open the curtains on the front window so she could see him leave. He walked down to the road to where he’d parked his bike before the fight with Harvey. Then he straightened his collar and sleeves, pulled on the leather jacket he’d left on his seat during the fight, and started the bike with a loud rumble.