Total pages in book: 69
Estimated words: 64366 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 322(@200wpm)___ 257(@250wpm)___ 215(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 64366 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 322(@200wpm)___ 257(@250wpm)___ 215(@300wpm)
Read Online Books/Novels: | Kage Unmasked (Kage Trilogy #3) |
|---|---|
Author/Writer of Book/Novel: | Maris Black |
| Language: | English |
| ISBN/ ASIN: | 1519527241 (ISBN13: 9781519527240) |
| Book Information: | |
Can their love survive the most shocking revelation? Sexy college senior Jamie Atwood has fallen hard for MMA dark horse Michael "the Machine" Kage. With his hot muscled body, intoxicating green eyes, and proclivity for rough sex, Kage is a potent aphrodisiac to the innocent boy-next-door. The danger, the intrigue, the feel of his strong hand around his throat, the knowledge that his fighter would kill or die for him. From the moment Kage grabbed onto his hips and channeled all that masculine aggression into claiming his body, Jamie was ruined for anyone else. Passions run high as the lovers try to assimilate into each other's lives: coming out to family and friends, blending into the high-profile MMA world, dealing with Kage's sketchy uncle. But behind Kage's mask of strength and indifference lies a crippling vulnerability, and a devastating secret. As the mask comes off, past traumas surface, dark desires spin out of control, and the damaged fighter is driven to hurt the man he loves more than life itself. | |
| Books in Series: | Kage Trilogy Series by Maris Black |
| Books by Author: | Maris Black Books |
Chapter 1
(KAGE)
“KAGE, wake up.” Jamie’s voice cut through my dream like a knife, sending the pieces scattering into the night. “What did you say you just did? What did you do to your brother?”
I shook my head and looked around. Strange window, bedside table, bed… I was on the floor. And there was Jamie, naked and looking at me with wide eyes full of fear.
“Jamie.” I breathed. “Sorry, just having another bad dream. I didn’t mean to wake you.”
He opened his mouth, his lips forming words that were never spoken. In the gray glow of dawn, his brown eyes were warm and familiar. The only real comfort I could ever remember knowing.
I reached over and pulled him close, loving the way he folded against me. My sweaty skin slipped against the dry warmth of his, and I tried to focus on that instead of the horror I’d just woken from. It was enough that the dreams were coming more and more frequently, but now they were starting to take on the distinct feel of childhood memories. But they couldn’t be memories, because that wasn’t how things went down.
“You’re almost as sweaty as when you had to cut weight in the sauna,” he said. “But I don’t mind.”
He rested his head on my shoulder and dropped soft kisses there. I couldn’t believe how tender he was, how his lips whispered over my skin, bringing me comfort when he could have just told me to shut up and go to sleep. For once, I was the child and Jamie was the mature one.
“I think I’m a terrible bedfellow,” I admitted. “I’ve never really done too much sleeping with someone else. Not before you.”
He left off with the kisses and leaned back to study me in the gloom. “Do you always have nightmares? Even when I’m not with you?”
I shrugged. “How the hell would I know? It’s not like I can wake myself up.”
“True. But have you ever woken up feeling like you just had a bad dream?”
“No. I don’t know. Dammit, why the third degree? If my dreaming bothers you that much, I can go get a hotel.”
Jamie launched himself at me, throwing his arms around my neck and peppering kisses down my cheek and along my jaw.
“What are you doing?” I growled, sounding more amused than the angry I was going for.
“Trying to keep you here,” he said, earnest eyes locking on mine. “You can stay in my bedroom, and we’ll just lock the door and have mad sex twenty-four-seven.”
“Yeah, because I don’t have a brand new UFC career to build or anything.”
“I’ll let you out for fights.”
“We’d be at each other’s throats within a week. I’m a moody bastard, you know, and I can get mean when I don’t get my way.” I was teasing, and he knew it. But both of us also knew there was some truth to my words.
“We’ve already been around each other twenty-four-seven at the Alcazar,” he pointed out. “Do you remember me having any problems with it?”
“No,” I admitted. “Neither one of us had a problem with it at the time. But it’s different now, don’t you think? Your job is over, and there’s really no reason for us being around each other except for—”
“Except for I told you I love you. Do you think I would say that to someone I didn’t want to be around all the time? I don’t like not knowing when I’ll see you again.” The alarm in his voice tightened the knot in the pit of my stomach that had just barely begun to unwind from the nightmare.
“Has it been that bad since you came back to school?”
“Miserable.” His mouth hinted at a sad smile as he tickled my arm with his finger, tracing the tattoo of his initials that I’d traced a thousand times myself. “Look, I don’t care anymore about putting on a front or seeming cool or whatever. I’ve had enough time to think and mull shit over in my head, and the truth is, I just want to be with you. If you don’t want me, then go ahead and tell me so I can start trying to get on with my life.”
“You could do that, huh? Just get on with it?” I squeezed him to my chest.
“Sure, if I had to.”
But I felt the truth in the way his heart pounded between us. He wouldn’t be able to let go any easier than I would.
“What if I asked you to just lay everything down and come back to Vegas with me? Just quit school and move into the Alcazar with me, live on Enzo’s cooking, lie around naked and look pretty… Would you do it?”
He contemplated for a moment, emotions at war on his face. At first he looked excited, his breathing speeding up and getting shallower at the same time. Then excitement gave way to disappointed resolve, and he shook his head.