together between my knees as I digested the shortened version of her life story. "So help me God, I'll do everything in my power to make sure you never have to look at that man again."
“I don't ever want to live there again, but seeing him… In some ways, I feel sorry for him. When my mother died, all hope vanished from his eyes."
"Wait, you mean to tell me you want to see him again?"
Tessa paused, thoughts working in her mind before she replied, "Maybe. After a while. I feel like I want answers, like I need closure, and for some reason , he's the only one who can give it to me."
"Tessa, I don't think that's a situation that ever brings closure. There's no good goddamn reason he did it. He held you captive against your will. Whether he harmed you physically or not, he harmed you. We are going to the station. That bastard is getting reported, and you are going to help lock him up. Is there anything else you can remember, or is there anything else you need to tell me?"
Tessa's eyes, wide with fear, turned up to meet mine. "No, no, I don't think…"
"Tessa…" I caught her wrist in my hand. "What if he does it to someone else?"
"No, he would never—"
"You don't know that."
Tessa frowned, her beautiful eyes clouded with thoughts. "I think I'm going to lie down for a while. Is that okay?"
"Absolutely." We both stood and she turned to go before I stopped her. "Tessa." I pressed a gentle hand at her elbow. "You don't ever have to ask me if it's okay to do something. You're a free, independent, and very strong woman. I can see it in your eyes. Don't ever be afraid to say anything to me, got that?"
She nodded, her eyes burning with more of that unspoken kinetic energy that bounced between us. "Thanks for a great day."
"The pleasure was all mine." I let a happy smile pull at my lips. My gaze cast down to her lips again, and there was that gnawing urge to pull her into my arms and kiss her until she was breathless.
This girl had grabbed me by the balls and she didn't even know it.
I was a goddamn helpless puppy dog with her, but truth was, I loved every single second of it. Being with Tessa made me the happiest damn man alive.
5
Tessa
* * *
I woke the next morning , determined to be out of bed and cooking breakfast in the kitchen for Cage when he woke. Not only did I feel like it was something I had to do because it'd been so ingrained in me these last years, but I wanted to repay him in some small way. I pulled a carton of eggs from the fridge, along with cheese, and a bag of fried potatoes from the freezer.
"Mornin', beautiful. Got something for you." I turned at the sound of Cage's voice. His eyes ate up the space between us, stealing my breath and leaving me begging for more of that feeling. He held a little white box in his hands and waved it back and forth.
"You got me a phone?" My eyes bugged out when I finally realized what he'd done. "Cage, no, I can't accept—"
"Forget it. You need a phone if you're going to stay safe. You've got to stay in touch with the real world, Tessa. Plus, I had the guy set it up for you. My name is listed as your emergency contact. I ducked out to the phone store for a few minutes while you were trying stuff on."
I stood speechless, taking the box he'd pressed into my hands and opening it to reveal the latest smartphone. "You're crazy, Cage. I can't take this. I can go get a cheaper phone."
"Enough complaining, more thank you'ing, please." He grinned and pulled me across the space to him, wrapping an arm around my shoulder. "Are you cooking?"
"Yes," I giggled and set the phone on the counter, unable to resist the call of his flesh against mine. My arm snaked around his waist in a one-armed hug as I continued, "I wanted to contribute somehow. I feel like such a loser accepting all your incredible support and not giving anything back."
“'Nuff of that. I wouldn't have you anywhere else, and I sure as shit don't believe in that business about a woman's place in the kitchen.
“I don't ever want to live there again, but seeing him… In some ways, I feel sorry for him. When my mother died, all hope vanished from his eyes."
"Wait, you mean to tell me you want to see him again?"
Tessa paused, thoughts working in her mind before she replied, "Maybe. After a while. I feel like I want answers, like I need closure, and for some reason , he's the only one who can give it to me."
"Tessa, I don't think that's a situation that ever brings closure. There's no good goddamn reason he did it. He held you captive against your will. Whether he harmed you physically or not, he harmed you. We are going to the station. That bastard is getting reported, and you are going to help lock him up. Is there anything else you can remember, or is there anything else you need to tell me?"
Tessa's eyes, wide with fear, turned up to meet mine. "No, no, I don't think…"
"Tessa…" I caught her wrist in my hand. "What if he does it to someone else?"
"No, he would never—"
"You don't know that."
Tessa frowned, her beautiful eyes clouded with thoughts. "I think I'm going to lie down for a while. Is that okay?"
"Absolutely." We both stood and she turned to go before I stopped her. "Tessa." I pressed a gentle hand at her elbow. "You don't ever have to ask me if it's okay to do something. You're a free, independent, and very strong woman. I can see it in your eyes. Don't ever be afraid to say anything to me, got that?"
She nodded, her eyes burning with more of that unspoken kinetic energy that bounced between us. "Thanks for a great day."
"The pleasure was all mine." I let a happy smile pull at my lips. My gaze cast down to her lips again, and there was that gnawing urge to pull her into my arms and kiss her until she was breathless.
This girl had grabbed me by the balls and she didn't even know it.
I was a goddamn helpless puppy dog with her, but truth was, I loved every single second of it. Being with Tessa made me the happiest damn man alive.
5
Tessa
* * *
I woke the next morning , determined to be out of bed and cooking breakfast in the kitchen for Cage when he woke. Not only did I feel like it was something I had to do because it'd been so ingrained in me these last years, but I wanted to repay him in some small way. I pulled a carton of eggs from the fridge, along with cheese, and a bag of fried potatoes from the freezer.
"Mornin', beautiful. Got something for you." I turned at the sound of Cage's voice. His eyes ate up the space between us, stealing my breath and leaving me begging for more of that feeling. He held a little white box in his hands and waved it back and forth.
"You got me a phone?" My eyes bugged out when I finally realized what he'd done. "Cage, no, I can't accept—"
"Forget it. You need a phone if you're going to stay safe. You've got to stay in touch with the real world, Tessa. Plus, I had the guy set it up for you. My name is listed as your emergency contact. I ducked out to the phone store for a few minutes while you were trying stuff on."
I stood speechless, taking the box he'd pressed into my hands and opening it to reveal the latest smartphone. "You're crazy, Cage. I can't take this. I can go get a cheaper phone."
"Enough complaining, more thank you'ing, please." He grinned and pulled me across the space to him, wrapping an arm around my shoulder. "Are you cooking?"
"Yes," I giggled and set the phone on the counter, unable to resist the call of his flesh against mine. My arm snaked around his waist in a one-armed hug as I continued, "I wanted to contribute somehow. I feel like such a loser accepting all your incredible support and not giving anything back."
“'Nuff of that. I wouldn't have you anywhere else, and I sure as shit don't believe in that business about a woman's place in the kitchen.
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