Caged (3 page)

Chapter 5

Lily

I wake up groggy but still glowing from all the orgasms I had last night. I snuggle deeper under the covers as thoughts of Cage swirl happily through my head. Someone (Cage?) must have tucked me under the covers while I was asleep. I feel cared for and happy.

The only thing bothering me is that Cage and Tripp aren’t still in bed. Cage has one of those clocks that projects the time on the ceiling. I check it and see that’s its well after nine. I’ve slept in late. The Garrett’s are fighters, so sleeping in doesn’t come naturally to them. I can only hope they’re in the kitchen making coffee.

As soon as I think it, the door to the bedroom opens and Tripp walks in with a cup of coffee that smells incredible.

“Is that for me?” I ask.

Tripp gives me a smile. “All for you, baby.” He hands me the coffee and I take a sip. It’s just as good as it smells.

“Where’s Cage?” I ask.

Tripp’s face falls and he rubs the back of his head. “Gone. Probably training at the gym.”

“He doesn’t start training until one,” I say. Then it hits me. He hasn’t left because he needs to train. He left to get away from me. My good mood shrivels in my chest. I set the coffee down beside me since my stomach is now twisted into a tight knot and coffee is the last thing I want. Tripp snatches it up before it can spill on the bed.

“He wasn’t in a hurry to leave last night.”

“Lily…”

“Don’t ‘Lily’ me. He got what he wanted and he left. It figures.” I didn’t feel taken care of any more. I just felt cheap and used. I clamber out of bed and look for my clothes.

“That isn’t it.” Tripp rakes a hand through his hair then mutters, “Dammit, Cage.”

“What, he left because he likes me so much?” I yank on my underwear, trying not to think about how it was taken off.

“Yes!” Tripp gestures so hard with the coffee cup that it splashes over the side. “He likes you, Lily. He likes you so much he’s afraid of you.”

“Right. Because that makes a lot of sense.” I pull on the rest of my clothes. Walk of shame time. I’ve laughed at my friends for doing this before, but I’ve never had to go through it myself.

“Lily.” Tripp sets the coffee on the floor and grabs my shoulders. “Listen to me. Last night was fun for me. You’re sexy, smart and beautiful and you’re a great friend. But that’s all last night was to me. Fun. Nothing serious. It’s different for Cage. He’s the settling down type, and he has real feelings for you.”

I shove him away. “Why hasn’t he ever asked me out then? You’re the one who asked me out last night. You’re the one who hit on me and asked me to come back here with you. Not Cage.
You
.”

“I was trying to force Cage’s hand. He was never going to make a move on you, so I thought if he saw me going for you he’d get his ass in gear and snatch you up.”

“Well, he didn’t, so plan failed.” I elbow my way past him and out the door. I can’t deal with any more Garrett brother drama. And considering I’m about to break down in tears, I would rather not have him see that.

Three hours later, I sit at work feeling hollow inside. Cage isn’t even at the gym. He could be anywhere. He probably isn’t even thinking about me. Last night was one of the most incredible experiences of my life. I can’t stop thinking about Cage. The way he smiled, his strong arms around me, the feel of his cock inside of me.

Tripp is sweet, but he’s not Cage. He can’t make my heart beat with a single quirk of his lips like Cage can.

I slam my fist down on the stapler and pretend the paper is Cage’s stupid face. The stapler breaks with a crunch. “Sonofabitch,” I mutter.

One of the fighters, a wiry guy in his early thirties named Brad, leans on the desk in front of me. “Tough day?”

“I don’t want to talk about it.” I pretend he’s Cage and glare at him.

Brad steps back. “Whoa, got it. Just trying to be polite. Have you got any membership forms? I’ve got a buddy who’s thinking of joining up.”

I huff as I search through the desk drawers for the form then slam it down on the counter in front of him. “Here. Don’t lose it.”

Brad shakes his head as he walks away.

I’m being rude and I know it, but I don’t want to pretend politeness today. Cage left me, and everyone else is going to hurt as bad as I do right now.

“Lily?” My dad steps out of his office and calls my name. “Can I talk to you for a minute?”

My cheeks heat and I look down. He saw me being rude to a customer and he’s calling me out on it. Great, just what I need. I stand up reluctantly and shuffle into his office. “Need something, Dad?”

“Sit down, honey.”

Uh-oh. He only calls me ‘honey’ when he thinks I’m up to something. I take the seat in front of his desk.

“Is something wrong?” he asks. “You seem pretty upset today.”

I look everywhere except for at him and consider lying. I settle on a half-truth. “I have feelings for someone I shouldn’t. He’s a fighter, and after the way Davis got injured… I can’t go through that pain again. And even if I was willing to try, I don’t think this guy I like reciprocates, anyway. So I know I need to shut off these feelings, but it’s hard.”

Dad settles back in his chair and studies me closely. “You can mark the reciprocating part off your list of worries. Cage has been in love with you for two years.”

I go cold then hot again. “What?” I say faintly. “I never said I was talking about Cage.”

“Of course you were talking about Cage. I’ve seen you two making puppy eyes at each other since the day he walked into this gym. I’ve been waiting for that boy to grow a set of balls and ask you out. I think he was worried that I’d kick his ass, or that you’d choose his brother instead. But...” Dad smiles. “If he makes you happy, then you have my approval. And you need to stop worrying about Davis so much. Your brother is strong, and he’s healing more every day. Your brother would kick himself if he found out he was the reason you were choosing fear over happiness, and so would I. Cage and Tripp’s mom was hit by a car and killed while crossing the street when she was thirty-seven. You need to grab what makes you happy, and not let it go. You could do much worse than Cage. He’s dedicated, hardworking, and he cares deeply for you. And if he doesn’t take care of you, I really will kick his ass.”

I don’t think I’ve ever heard my dad give such a long speech in his life. I bite back a smile. “Thanks, Dad. I, umm, guess I need to talk to Cage.”

I walk out of Dad’s office feeling buoyed by the speech he gave me. The part about Cage being in love with me made me feel even better, but I can’t let myself believe it’s true. Cage might hate me for sleeping with both him and his brother last night. He did leave her this morning. No matter what nonsense Tripp spouted, Cage could have left because he’d realized that he didn’t have feelings for me after all.

Chapter 6

Cage

My knuckles are raw from all the punches I’m throwing at the bag. I didn’t want to go to the gym and risk seeing Lily, so I’m training in my basement. I’ve still got some mats down here from back before Tripp and I went semi-pro and joined the gym. I throw a jab at the bag again.

I shouldn’t be wasting my energy on this before my fight tonight, but I need to hit something. Preferably Tripp. Since I can’t beat my brother to a pulp, the punching bag will do.

Last night was a mistake. I want to be with Lily on my own, not with Tripp. I need to show her how good we could be together. Just us. I know she has a prejudice against dating fighters, but I could be loyal to her. We could have a good life together. I just don’t know how to explain it to her.

“Cage?” Tripp calls down the staircase.

I ram my fist into the bag.

Tripp walks down the stairs and frowns at me. “Thought I’d find you here. Should you really be doing that? Don’t you have a match tonight?”

“Yes.” I hit the bag with a roundhouse kick.

“Yes to which?”

“Doesn’t matter.” I don’t want to talk to Tripp. I still can’t believe he horned in on Lily after I told him I was going to make a move.

Tripp catches the bag. “You mad at me?”

I don’t answer. I know if I hit the bag while Tripp is holding it my anger will get the best of me. I’m mad at him, but I’d rather not injure him, so I take a pause to catch my breath.

Tripp snorts. “If anything, I should be mad at you. You left me alone with Lily this morning.”

“Lily is none of your business.”

“Yeah, she is.”

I shove past Tripp and head up the stairs.

“What’s wrong?” he calls after me. “You a coward?”

I rush through the house and hit the sidewalk running. I needed to do laps before the match anyway. I continue making up excuses for why I’m running away for the rest of my workout.

* * *

My fight is at my favorite local stadium. They also host poker tournaments and a few musical productions. They don’t host MMA fights often, but when they do they give the fighters a free buffet. Which is why it’s my favorite stadium.

The spotlights feel like they’re on too hot tonight. I’m sweating even as my cornerman is applying Vaseline to my face.

“Is Lily here?” I ask him. I regret the question as soon as I ask it. I don’t even know if this new guy, Harry, knows who Lily is. Usually Tripp is my cornerman, and I do the same for his matches, but I sent him a message not to come tonight. I can’t deal with both Tripp and a fight right now.

“Dunno,” Harry says. “Is she a ring girl?”

“No. She’s not a ring girl.” I have to resist the urge to punch Harry. My anger is out of control lately. I need to resolve this situation with Lily so I can get back to normal. I’m not exactly an average guy. If my anger gets out of control I actually can hurt someone.

I can barely hear the announcer over the bad PA system, but the referee is standing up so I assume it’s time to start the match. I walk into the ring to the cheering of the crowd and get a good look at my opponent. He has a couple pounds on me, but I’m nearly an inch taller. Reach makes a big difference in this game. I flex my muscles. The ref shouts for the match to begin and steps back.

I step quickly in a circle and my opponent mirrors the action. I like making the first move. It forces the other guy to follow what I’m doing and react while I call the shots.

I lunge for the first punch, but my opponent is fast. I barely graze him before he dances out of the way. Instead of counter attacking he holds his defensive position and quick steps away. Doesn’t he know this is a contact sport? I grin.

I go at him hard, letting the punches fly. He’s so far on the defensive I don’t expect him to strike back. That’s why it surprises me when his fist slams into my jaw. I stagger back a step, my bells thoroughly rung. He follows up with a quick punch to my shoulder and a hard one to my ear.

A scream distracts me for a split second longer than it should. I know that voice.

Lily
.

She’s at the match and she’s terrified. For me.

I charge back at my opponent hard, bearing down on him with everything I’ve got. I’m desperate to end this match fast now. My opponent gives under my flurry of blows. He hits the floor and doesn’t get back up. I barely comprehend the words when the ref screams that it’s a knock out.

I search frantically for Lily in the crowd. She’s in the front row, her face washed out with fear. Her mascara streaks a black trail down one cheek.

Fuck. I want to go to her, to comfort her, and promise her that everything will be okay. Explain why I left last night, tell her that I want her. 

But as I watch her draw a shaky breath, I realize I can’t do this to her. She isn’t cut out to date a fighter. Every time I get in this ring she’ll worry that it’s going to be like her brother’s last match all over again.

The only decent thing to do is let her go. We’ll both have memories from the one night we spent together. Those will have to be enough to sustain us as we part ways for good.

Chapter 7

Lily

The heels I decided to wear tonight are already hurting my feet when I get to the bar. I stopped at my place before I came here to fix up my face. I made a mess of my makeup in my panic when I saw Cage take those hits.

My hands have finally stopped shaking. He took that punch and it had looked exactly like the punch my brother took before he never fought again. My heart almost broke in that instant.

I overreacted. I get that now that I’m calmer. Fighters take hits. They get injured. Mostly they don’t end up as bad off as my brother, especially when they’re only semi-pros like Cage and Tripp.

Besides, Cage won the match. I need to be happy for him. That’s why I decided to head to the bar I know the fighters hang out at when they’re celebrating a victory. The place is a dive, but all the guys from the gym go there. I made the mistake of asking why they go to this bar once, and they all looked at me blankly. “Because it’s our bar,” they said.

I smile to myself. Sometimes it really is just that simple. Things with Cage definitely aren’t simple, but I’m hoping some alcohol will cure that.

When I walk in I see Cage sitting at the bar. He’s showered and his hair is still damp. He laughs at something Tripp says, and I can see a bruise forming on his jawline. I want to check on him to make sure he’s okay, but he hasn’t even glanced in my direction.

I slide into a seat at a booth. After that conversation earlier with my dad, I was ready to talk to Cage. To try and understand what last night meant, if I mean anything to him at all. But the reality of the situation slams into me. He’s ignored me all day, and even though he saw me walk in, he turned his back, like he wanted nothing to do with me.

A waitress swaggers over to me. “What’ll you have, sweetie?”

“The strongest drink you have.”

She rolls her eyes but leaves to get me a drink. Hopefully she doesn’t decide to get snarky and bring me a lemonade.

Tripp slides into the seat across from me. I don’t want to talk to Tripp. I stare a hole through the table.

“You okay?” he asks.

“Not really.” The waitress slams down a shot in front of me. I take it without looking then grimace. Tequila. It’ll do.

Tripp’s eyebrows climb his forehead. “Take it easy, tiger.”

“Don’t want to.” I wave the empty glass at the waitress. “One more.”

“Hey.” Tripp catches my hand. “Have you talked to Cage yet?”

“No. We don’t have anything to talk about.”

The waitress brings me another shot but Tripp pushes it out of my reach before I can down it.

“I think you should talk to Cage. And you shouldn’t be drunk when you do it.”

“Talk to Cage,” I say in a nasally whine. “That’s what you sound like.”

Tripp rolls his eyes. “Real mature, Lily. Between you thinking the solution to your problems is pushing people away and Cage running from everything, it’s a wonder you two ever crashed into each other at all.”

“We didn’t. We both crashed into you. Or maybe you guys crashed into me? I’m never having a three way again. The semantics get too confusing.”

Tripp smiles and suspicion begins to rise in my mind.

“Wait. Did you crash us into each other? Is this whole thing a set up?” I can’t believe it, but now that I’ve thought of it, it makes sense. The whole three way thing was a set up. Which officially made it the weirdest set up ever. “You had sex with me to try to get me to date your brother? Couldn’t you just have sent me a text message?”

Tripp shakes his head. “I never said it was a set up. You’re jumping to conclusions. And if the whole thing was a set up, I would like it noted that I was only driven to such extremes because both of you are idiots.”

“Hey, didn’t you call me smart earlier today?” I make a grab for my tequila shot but Tripp keeps it away from me. “And no matter what fancy speech you give me, it doesn’t change the fact that Cage wants nothing to do with me. If he’s been secretly longing for me for two years, why is he sitting over there instead of talking to me?”

“Oh, fuck it,” Tripp says. He picks up my tequila shot, and downs it himself, then stands up.

“That was mine,” I say in shock. Tripp is never anything less than polite. I can’t believe he’s doing this. He walks away from me. So much for being my hero.