Cage's Misconduct (NHL Scorpions #3) (29 page)

Lacey was still putting food away when I got back to the kitchen. “My little niece is all nice and fresh again.”

“Thanks, Karen. So you and Cage sure seem to be fitting together nicely, huh?”

“We really are. We’ve only had one argument and it was a small one.”

“Yeah? What were you arguing about? If you don’t mind me asking.”

I could feel my face getting flushed. I looked outside to make sure everyone was well away from the house and was pleased to see the guys and the boys hitting the volleyball around. “Well, Cage had decided he wants to wait until our wedding night to be intimate.”

Lacey was shocked into silence as her head spun around to stare at me with eyes wide open. After a second, she found her voice. “Come again? Cage? Cage Booker? The guy who oozes sex wants to wait? How is that possible?”

“He says that I’m worth the wait and he wants it to be perfect, but Lace—I don’t want to wait. I’m healed now. One hundred percent. I’m good to go, and Jesus …have you seen the man? And when he touches me, well, I can’t think of much else.”

“Then just seduce him. Do you need it to be perfect the first time? Although really, what’s the definition of perfect?”

Even though my cheeks were still going up in flames, I told her the truth. It was nice to empty my naughty brain to someone. “Perfect right now would be the back of that door and about sixty seconds. Maybe less. I can’t wait another month. You know how all the boys in high school would say they’d die if they didn’t get it? I think there might be some truth to that. I’ve never been so…so…”

“Horny?” She snorted when I nodded my head yes.

“I’m telling you, I can’t take it.”

“When is everyone else due to arrive?”

I looked at the clock on the stove. “In about an hour and a half, why?”

She shrugged. “No time like the present. Call him in here. I can give you sixty seconds.” She laughed at my expression. She couldn’t be serious. “Karen. If you want him that badly, call him in here. Take him into his room, slam him against the door and have your way with him. There’s plenty to entertain us for a while out there. I can keep us all occupied.”

“You’re serious.”

“Hell yes, I’m serious. We girls have to stick together, and right now, I see a girl in need. Serious need.”

Before I’d agreed, she went out and yelled for Cage to come back in. She went out as he slipped in.

He had thrown off his shirt and was slick from playing out in the sun. He looked unbelievably sexy. I didn’t have to fight with my brain a second longer. “Come here, please.”

I took his hand and led him up to his room.

“What are we doing?”

“Shut up.” I slammed the door shut harder than I’d meant to, causing a picture to fall off his bureau. The lock clicked closed with a turn of my hand and I was on him. My lips slammed against his while my hands slid across his gorgeous, naked, sweaty chest.

I pulled back just long enough to sling my shirt over my head. Next I flung off my bra, watching Cage’s eyes widen with each piece of clothing gone. Not even thinking about my new scars or anything else, I dropped my shorts and my panties. Once I was completely naked, I plastered my body against his again, reaching for his shorts.

“Whoa. Wait.” He tried to push me back. “Let me look at you.” I slipped my hand inside his shorts and grabbed his cock. It only took three strokes to have him pulsing in my hand. “Fuck. Karen, slow down.”

I couldn’t get to him fast enough. I wanted him inside me more than I wanted my next breath. “No. Shut up and take me. We can save making love for the wedding night.” I tried to push his shorts down, but he grabbed my arms to stop me. “Cage. I can’t take it anymore, I’m going to explode! Now. I need you now.”

“Aw, hell.”

We could hear noises beyond the door, but I didn’t care. “Ignore that.” I pulled his head down to mine and captured his lips again in a searing kiss. We heard more noises from outside.

Cage lifted his head up to listen. I reached down and freed him from his shorts, pleased to feel the moisture already beading on the head of his cock. “I said ignore it.”

“Yes ma’am.” In one swift move, Cage lifted me up and helped me wrap my legs around him. He backed me up against the door and entered me with one well aimed thrust. “Did we talk about this? I’m clean. I have a clean bill of health. I was checked for everything when we got together. Okay?”

“Jesus Christ, Cage. Yes. I trust you. Now please. Less talking, more fucking.” I swiveled my hips taking him deeper, eliciting a moan from both of us. I was a heartbeat or two away from shattering. I wanted him too badly and for too long to have needed much warming up.

“You have to slow down or I’m going to come, Karen.”

My hips were moving faster against his thrusts. “Now, Cage. Ah, God, now!”

He continued to thrust into me, his breathing growing more and more ragged. I could tell he was holding on by a thread. I felt my newly healed muscles begin to tighten around him. It was euphoric. In the back of my mind I’d been afraid I’d never have another orgasm. I couldn’t have been more wrong. “Yes! Oh, God. That’s it. Just like that. Yes.” I flew apart when I heard him groan, banging my head back against the door. He slammed into me once, twice, groaning louder each time until he slowed and eventually stopped, just holding me up against the door.

“Jesus. I’m shaking.” He was. He was shaking all over. I was feeling pretty smug.

“So, you’re not mad I jumped you?”

“Mad? No, that’s not the word I’d use.” He slid slowly down to the floor, still inside me with my legs still wrapped around his waist. It was getting a little uncomfortable, to be honest.

“I need to get up.” I started to unwrap my legs when his arms banded around me.

“Wait. Just a second.” He buried his face in the crook of my neck, still breathing hard. “Thank you.”

“You’re thanking me? It’s me who should be thanking you. I don’t know what I would have done if you’d said no again. I mean it.”

He looked up at me and brushed my hair back, fingering the thin scar on my face. “Thank you for not being able to hold back. Thank you for wanting me. I’ve never felt like that before.”

“Surely women have gone nutso over you before, Cage.”

“Never like that. That wasn’t just sex, Karen. We may have did it in less than two minutes up against the door with people just outside, but we did not simply fuck. We made love.” He winked at me in that way of his. “We made love hard and fast, but make no mistake, it was still making love—and it was incredible.” He kissed my nose and then helped me get up.

When we made our way back outside, I saw that Vlad and Zoe had arrived with Crystal and her best friend. They were batting the volleyball around with Jaden and Ethan. Off to the side, I saw Lacey trying to catch my eye.

“Well?” I wasn’t close enough to hear her, but could read her lips well enough. I made eye contact with her and mouthed “thank you”. She laughed, drawing Jody’s attention.

Jody gave Cage the evil eye as we strode up next to the group. “Where’ve you been, Booker? We’re looking to start a game here. You can have the kids.”

Cage was strutting like he’d conquered—well, me. And he had. Or I had him. Whatever, it didn’t matter. “Sure, LaGrange. I’ll take the kids. There’s nothing on the planet that could dampen what I’ve already experienced today. Bring on whatever you’ve got. Hell, I’ll even let you win.” He gave me a toe curling kiss and took his spot on the other side of the net, grinning like a goddamn fool.

Best picnic ever.

***

Cage

At the end of the kids’ visit, I was ready to get rid of them. I enjoyed having them, really, but Karen and I didn’t get another minute of alone time. And since I had a small taste of what was to come, I was getting more frustrated by the day.

It was so much worse since our quickie in my bedroom. My nerves were stretched about as tight as they could go, I think. If I didn’t have her beneath me soon, I didn’t know if I’d make it. You know guys can die if we don’t get to have regular sex, right?

We were waiting by the boarding gate for our flight to Texas when I noticed Karen wringing her hands. The boys were busy staring out the window at the jets coming and going. “Hey.” I clasped her hand in mine. “Are you okay?” I’d never given it a thought, but maybe she was afraid of flying.

“Huh? Oh, yeah. I’m fine.” She looked past me out the window. Now her free hand was fidgeting with her skirt. Yeah, and about that skirt. I wanted her back in her pants. I thought she looked hot in her yoga pants? Well, fuck me. You should see her legs in that skirt. Ugh.

“You can’t keep still. Are you afraid to fly?”

“What? No. I guess I’m just nervous about meeting your mother. It’s not every day I meet the mother of the man I’m going to marry. What if she doesn’t like me when she meets me in person?”

She couldn’t be serious. “Not like you? How could she not like you? She already likes you. I think you’ve talked to her more than I have in the past month.”

“I know, but it’s different going to her house. Meeting her in person.”

“Karen, one look at me and she’ll never have anything but happy thoughts about you.”

“One look at you? Why you?”

“Look at me. What do you see?” She looked at me and smiled. Her hand squeezed mine, and her eyes got bright.

“I see you, Cage. I see a man who cares for me. I see a man who takes care of his family, and I see those lines around your eyes that you get from smiling and laughing.”

“Yeah. Would you say I look happy?”

She tilted her head, not understanding where I was going with this. “Yeah. I’d say you look happy.”

“Well, you’re the reason I’m happy. You put this look on my face. Once my mother sees that, she’s all yours. You’ll have her wrapped around your little finger like you do me.” She did, too. Totally wrapped. Already I can’t remember what it was like without her. All those countless women. The amount of sex I’d had that meant nothing. It was amazing how much better everything was with her than it was without her. I had no idea life could be this good.

Satisfaction pursed her lips. I could tell her feelings for me were intensifying. If I was very lucky, she’d fall for me like I had her. I knew she cared for me. Loved me even, but I wasn’t sure she was
in
love with me yet. I was going to do my damndest to make that happen, though. I was hoping my mother could push her in that direction.

It was after dinner time by the time we pulled into my mother’s driveway. The stucco and brick house looked just like all of the other houses around it. My mom lived in one of those cookie cutter housing developments. Her house was one of the first things I bought for her with the wealth I’d acquired from being a hockey player.

I had wanted to get her a bigger place with security on the premises, but she wanted to live like ‘regular people’, as she called them. She’d never forget how we grew up so poor that we couldn’t use our electric most days, or even the washing machine. She worked her ass off taking care of us after my father left. She never complained, but as I got older, I’d notice her looking at the housing developments just like the one she lived in now with longing. They were modest ranchers, but it was all she ever wanted. So that was what I bought her. Unbeknownst to her, I had just about everything upgraded before she moved in.

“And there she is.” Ma was running out of the house before the car had even come to a complete stop. She spared a quick hug for Jaden and Ethan before making a bee line for the passenger door.

Karen was smiling as she took in my mother’s appearance. She was a tiny little thing. Karen would tower over her. If my mom was the five-foot-one she claimed to be, I’d eat my hat. Her wispy, auburn curls were long and held back in a banana clip from the eighties. Her clothing was reminiscent from the eighties, also. She insisted they would be back in fashion soon.

“Oh! Look at you, sugar! You’re beautiful.” Karen got out of the car and Ma grabbed her hands. “Oh my. You are a tall drink of water, aren’t ya?” She put her tiny arm around Karen’s waist and turned toward me. “Aren’t we just the cutest? And we’re almost the same height!” She giggled like a school girl and ushered Karen into the house.

“Oh wait, Mrs. Booker. Let me help Cage get the luggage.”

She slapped Karen’s arm lightly and continued to pull her into the house as I followed them in with one of Karen’s bags. “Oh, nonsense. And please, sugar, call me Ma. Everyone does. Anyway, Dalton’s got all those big muscles. Let him use them.” Jaden was sitting on the couch with the video games already on when we crossed the threshold. “Jaden, go help your brother bring in the luggage.”

“Yes ma’am.” He got up, leaving his game on pause, and ran past us out the door.

“How was your flight, sugar? Did ya’ll have a quiet ride or did the boys talk your ears off? Oh, where are my manners? You probably want to freshen up after your trip.”

I could hear my mother rambling on and on to Karen. At this point, I was sure Karen figured out where Jaden got his propensity for long-winded chatter. “I’m going to put you in Cage’s room.” She looked back at me and shook my finger. “Not
with
you. You can have the couch.”

“Ma. Really.”

“Really, Dalton. And that’s the end of the discussion.”

Karen smiled at me and placed her arm more firmly around my mother’s shoulders. “You heard Ma. You get the couch.”

Great. So I was destined to wait until we got home to have her again. I was beginning to wish she’d never attacked me up against the door. By the way—I was totally lying about that.

***

Karen

“Your mom’s great, Cage. Really great.” His mother made me feel like part of the family from the time I set foot in the door. I liked not being treated as a guest. As soon as Mrs. Booker ascertained that I was indeed fully healed, she put me to work cracking eggs for an overnight breakfast casserole she was making for the following morning.

“Thanks. If you haven’t noticed, she’ll talk your ear off.”

“That’s okay. I don’t mind. It fills the silence. I don’t really like silence. It seems lonely to me.”