Total pages in book: 78
Estimated words: 73454 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 367(@200wpm)___ 294(@250wpm)___ 245(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 73454 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 367(@200wpm)___ 294(@250wpm)___ 245(@300wpm)
I head to my apartment to take a shower, washing off almost two and a half days of jungle, sweat, and dirt. I wonder what Jaime would think if I just went straight to her apartment from the airport, dressed in my dark green cammies, encrusted with dirt, and stained with sweat. I’d sit my ALICE pack on the floor, prop my HK MP5 against the wall, and say, “Honey, I’m home.”
There’s no stopping the smile that comes as I can imagine her expression if that were to occur. But it quickly fades as I get in an Uber to take me to her apartment, knowing that, come tomorrow morning, I’m going to be a happily wedded, blissful man, or I’m going to be torn to pieces.
I doubt there is any in between.
CHAPTER 19
Jaime
My hands are sweating, my heart is hammering, and yes, I’m nervous.
But excited.
Nervously excited.
Cage texted me twenty minutes ago to say he was on his way to my place, and he’ll be here at any moment.
There are so many things I want to say and to happen, and I’m not sure what order it should go down.
Most likely, I’ll kiss him.
Then hug him.
I’ll tell him I missed him, and I’ll try to put the insecurities I’ve developed over this past week he’s been gone out of my mind—that feeling I might be missing something really important.
Yeah… we should sit down and have an immediate talk. I need to be able to tell him I’ve been troubled by the fact I really don’t understand his profession. He’s never talked that much about it, doesn’t want me to meet his coworkers, calling them misogynist pigs, and I just can’t understand why he travels so much in that line of work. It isn’t adding up, and I need him to look me in the eye and tell me I’m seeing ghosts where none exist.
There’s a knock at the door, and I practically jump out of my skin. I wipe my damp palms on my yoga pants, then have doubts about my chosen outfit. I had thought about wearing something nice to welcome him home. I’d considered everything from a pretty dress to a slutty negligee.
But then I decided to greet him in what I’d normally be wearing on a Saturday early afternoon if I was hanging around the apartment, so I put on a pair of black yoga pants and a loose V-neck t-shirt. My hair is in a ponytail, and I don’t have any makeup on.
I’m just me, and I hope Cage will just be him.
Reaching out, I note a slight shake to my hand as I unlock the door and open it.
In a massive rush, all of my doubts and insecurities evaporate the minute I see Cage standing there. He’s wearing jeans, a lightweight crew-neck sweater under his leather jacket, and holds a bouquet of flowers in his hands.
His hair is swept back from his face, his beard perfectly trimmed short, and those green eyes are eating me up as he runs them down my body and back up again.
All thoughts as to how things should go down seem to melt away with my insecurities, and I just react.
I run and jump, knowing he’ll catch me. He does so effortlessly, hands under my ass as my legs wrap around his waist. I’m vaguely aware of the flowers falling to the floor, but I couldn’t care less because our mouths fuse together in a hot kiss that speaks all the words necessary right now.
Cage groans, a sound of longing and desire that shoots straight through to my core. He steps further inside the apartment, kicks the door shut with his foot, and takes one hand off my ass to reach back to flip the bottom lock.
Then walks us to my bedroom.
I mean, our bedroom. As we leave the tiny space of living area, I see the gorgeous flowers lying discarded in the foyer. I’ll make sure to come back and rescue them later.
“God, I fucking missed you,” he growls as we fall to the bed. His lips come back to mine, which is amazing but inconvenient because I can’t talk.
But then he starts pulling at my clothes as I do his.
“I missed you too,” I huff, desperate to feel his skin. I pull a little too hard at his sweater, hearing the seam rip.
Oops.
Soon enough, we’re both naked, rolling on the bed, kissing and touching. Not able to get enough of each other.
I end up on my back, Cage over me, settled in between my legs, so I feel the hard length of him and just how much he missed me. He stares down at me, hands framing my face. “I love you.”
Oh, my heart. It’s fully taken by this man. “I love you, too.”
“And we need to talk,” he says earnestly. “There are some things I need to clear up with you.”