Passing His Guard (Against the Cage #2) (43 page)

EPILOGUE

R
yann sat on the deck of their two-bedroom beach house, a few feet from the shore of Kauai, watching her “husband” learn how to surf. As she sipped her coffee, her hand absently glided back and forth over the slightly rounded curve of her belly. These past few months had been the happiest of her life. Never had she imagined such joy and contentment could be possible. But life would not remain on hold forever. Someday they would have to return to the real world again, and Aiden would be called to testify against his father and Vincent Moralli. But for now, they were enjoying their new home, starting over and forging a new life together. If there was one thing she’d learned since meeting Aiden, it was to embrace life and cherish each day for the blessing that it was, and not let the worries of tomorrow ruin the joy of today. With this man she’d found her heaven on earth, whether living on the beach of Kauai or amid the hustle and bustle of Vegas. As long as she and Aiden were together, her world was perfect.

When the wave Aiden was riding expired, she watched him take a dive headfirst into the ocean, and giggled. He was such a kid sometimes. Since he wasn’t fighting, he’d needed another physical challenge and had taken up surfing. He was actually rather good at it. Occasionally, she’d ask him if he missed fighting, missed the CFA. He’d sacrificed so much for her; how could he not miss his friends, or at times yearn for his old life? But he never said anything to make her believe he wasn’t happy or content. If she pressed him, he’d most often shrug noncommittally and tell her it was only temporary, and as long as they were together, that was all that really mattered. Maybe when this was all over he’d return to MMA.

When Aiden resurfaced, Tucker, their “real” Chesapeake Bay retriever, thought Aiden’s splash meant surf time was over. The dog gave an excited
woof
and charged into the water after him.

She watched the two roughhouse in the breaking waves, smiling in utter contentment. She never dreamed life could be this good, this peaceful . . . As Aiden trudged out of the ocean, his board shorts sitting low on his waist, revealing those narrow hips and sculpted abs, she thought he looked like a water god. Sun shimmered on the droplets clinging to his sun-kissed skin. As he started up the beach, he shook his head, sending a spray of salty water everywhere.

Tucker followed suit, sending his dog spray all over Aiden. She laughed at the look on his face. He must have heard her, because he shot her a
think that’s funny, do you?
glance. He shoved his hand into his pocket, sending the waistband of his shorts dangerously low. She froze, mug suspended halfway to her lips as she watched in ardent fascination, waiting for those shorts to slip lower. Just a liiittle lower . . . Damn.

He pulled a red rubber ball from his pocket and Tucker went wild, running in circles around Aiden and barking excitedly. Aiden gave the ball a hard throw and like a shot, Tucker bolted down the beach.

“That oughtta keep him occupied for a while.”

Aiden climbed the stairs, giving her a totally drool-worthy show of hard-bodied, gorgeous male. “You know you love that dog,” she teased, bridging the distance from her lips to the cup.

“Not a fraction of how much I love you.”

He bent and brushed his lips over hers. Mmm . . . she loved the taste of his briny kiss when he came out of the water. The scent of the ocean air clinging to his skin . . .

“How are you feeling?” he asked, placing his hand over her belly and then kissing her again before she could respond. This time his lips lingered, tongue teasing the seam of hers until she granted him entrance and was rewarded with a kiss that sent shivers of delight into every nerve ending in her body. His hand slowly glided up, capturing the heavy weight of her sensitive breast through the thin cotton of his Superman T-shirt. She wore a pair of red matching panties that were already damp from the gorgeous show on the beach.

When his thumb teased over her nipple, she moaned, everything more heightened since her pregnancy. She was enjoying her body’s changes, and so was Aiden. “I feel good . . .” she told him, answering his question when his mouth glided down the side of her neck.

A low growl of agreement rumbled in his throat. “You sure do.” He slipped his hand inside her panties and discovered her secret.

“I’ve been watching you.” She whispered the confession, then moaned when he slipped a finger deep inside her. Her core contracted around his offering, but she wanted more, needed more. Her pregnancy hormones were making her appetite for him insatiable, not that Aiden was complaining. It seemed neither one of them could get enough of the other these days.

His wicked, throaty chuckle rumbling against her ear was pure auditory sex. “You like to watch . . .” he teased, playfully nipping the sensitive flesh of her neck as he untied the string of his board shorts.

“Sometimes . . .” Her answer was breathless as she waited for him to tug them lower, past the outline of his straining erection to free that steely length of gorgeous male flesh. His mouth was hot on her neck. He put one hand between her legs; his other torturously teased her as his hand retreated to languorously slide over his chiseled abs and then back down to his cock. He gripped it through his shorts, and his touch was not as gentle as hers was, not adoring or worshipful. There was a primal roughness in the way he handled himself that was so erotic.

“Take them off . . .” The pressure inside her was building. The power Aiden commanded over her body never ceased to amaze her.

He lifted his head and arched his brow, a brow made all the more devilish by the scar slashed above it. “Out here?” He glanced behind him, checking to make sure they were alone. They lived on a private stretch of beach, but that didn’t mean they still didn’t get their share of wanderers passing through.

When she gave him a coy grin, he shrugged and stood to his full height. She should have known this man wouldn’t have a modest bone in his body. Not that he needed one. Taking a step back so she could enjoy the show, he finished working his laces loose and let those blessed shorts fall to the ground. Her pulse quickened at the sight of him—like flesh-covered steel. Mercy, he was gorgeous . . .

“Take your panties off, Ryann.”

“Here?” she squeaked, glancing left, then right. Now that they were talking about her, this exhibition was a whole other story. She,
for one,
did
have a modest bone in her body—a lot of them, actually.

“Yes, Ryann, here.” His husky, commanding voice was too seductive to resist.

She checked one last time to make sure the coast was clear and slipped off her panties.

“Come here, sweetheart.”

He didn’t need to ask her twice. In two seconds, she was out of that chair and in his arms. Aiden lifted her up, circling her legs around his waist as he backed her up against the patio door. She was already so hot, so close, it didn’t take more than a few deep thrusts to send her spiraling over the edge. She shattered against him with a broken cry, and Aiden’s harsh bark of release was right behind her.

As she slowly floated back down to earth, her high was crushed by the sound of a startled feminine gasp, followed by another. When she felt Aiden tense, she knew he heard it, too. Ryann lifted her head from his shoulder and found two joggers standing on the beach, mouths hanging open in shock as they stood there blatantly appreciating the bare backside of Ryann’s husband.

“Oh, no . . .” she groaned, dropping her forehead back to his shoulder. He held her braced up against the glass. Thank God she was still wearing his T-shirt, but there was no help for him.

“Is it as bad as I think?” he asked, recovering his breath from coming so hard.

“Worse. It’s Mrs. Kent and Mrs. Miller.”

“Are they still there?” He couldn’t move, not without giving them an even bigger show.

She lifted her head and peeked over his shoulder again, then ducked back down. “Yup. They’re still there. They’re staring at your ass.”

Aiden groaned. “Well, I guess this is a good way to scare away the neighbors.”

“Or maybe keep them coming back,” she giggled.

“You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?” he accused.

“Maybe a little bit,” she teased.

“We’re going to hell for this,” he grumbled.

“Oh, come on, now. It’s not that bad. Besides, now they know what I already do.”

“Oh, yeah, and what’s that?” he asked.

“That my husband has the nicest ass on the island.”

“You’re funny.”

She busted out laughing, unable to hold it in anymore. Perhaps her husband was more shy than she gave him credit for. “Don’t tell me you’re self-conscious. I’m sure this isn’t the first time you’ve been caught in a compromising position.”

“Maybe not for Disco, but that’s not who I am anymore. The only woman I want admiring my ass is my wife.”

“Aww . . . that’s so sweet.” She wrapped her arms around Aiden’s neck and hugged him tight. After giving him a scorching kiss that would send any self-respecting woman running for the hills, she lifted her head and peeked over his shoulder again. “I think they’re gone,” she whispered.

“Yeah, but after that kiss, I’m just getting started,” he growled, rocking his hips to prove his point.

“Maybe we should take this inside?”

“I like how you think.” He kissed the tip of her nose and whispered, “I love you, Mrs. Fisher.”

“And I love you, Mr. Fisher.”

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

First and foremost, I want to thank God for blessing me with the opportunity to pursue my passion. Many thanks to my wonderful editors, Hai-Yen Mura and Melody Guy, and the amazing staff at Montlake for your dedication and commitment to Aiden and Ryann’s story. To my agent, Nalini Akolekar, you’ve literally made my dreams come true overnight. I can never thank my fabulous critique group enough for all your hard work. Sally, Mikayla, Linda, John, and Lyanne, you make my stories shine, and I love you dearly! Last but certainly not least, I want to thank my wonderful family for your patience and continual support, for all the times you’ve heard “In a minute” or “Just a second” and patiently waited for me, knowing it was going to be another hour. I love you with all my heart!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Melynda Price is a multipublished author of contemporary and paranormal romance. What Price enjoys most about writing is the chance to make her readers fall in love, over and over again. She cites the greatest challenge of writing is making the unbelievable believable, while taking her characters to the limit with stories full of passion and unique twists and turns. Salting stories with undertones of history whenever possible, Price adds immeasurable depth to amazingly well-crafted books. She currently lives in Northern Minnesota with her husband and two children, where she has plenty of snow-filled days to curl up in front of the fireplace with her Chihuahua and a hot cup of coffee to write.