Outside The Ropes: OtherSide Of Fear Part 25

He slid his hands into my hair, gripping my head. "Fine." His eyes dropped over me, the fire in them morphing into something different, something primal. "Just say it again," his grip tightened as he dropped his head to my ear. His voice was a low growl, sending s.h.i.+vers of sensation over me, radiating from my core. "Whos are you?"

I leaned back, my laugh mixing with a moan as his lips attached to my neck, sucking on my skin. His hands slid down my back, supporting me so I could arch into his lips. In the pleasure he started, I let go of the pain, of my worry, and sought escape in him. But I saw it, how crazy we were. We both whipped from one emotion to the next, dropping it all for this, for each others touches and caresses.

He nudged my s.h.i.+rt down with his chin and dipped his tongue into my cleavage for a moment before pulling back, his firm hands gripping me. "Whose, Regan?" His rasp was demanding and something in it made me ache between my legs.

I moved to straddle him, to press myself on him. Meeting his eyes, I answered, "Yours." Then I sucked his bottom lip between my teeth, pulling away before he could press further. "Who do you belong to?"

His chest rose and fell as he met my eyes, even his slight smile was heart stopping and he had my stomach doing flips when he licked his lips. With quickness he had me on my back on the floor, under him. "Yours, babe. Heart. Soul." His hips ground into me. "And body."

27: Now or Never.

"I DONT LIKE HIM."

"Who?" I asked Gage as I pressed into the muscles of his oiled back with the heel of both hands, sliding to my forearms and elbows.

He grunted as I hit muscles near his spine, circling my elbow into it, kneading out the knot.

"That boy that was with you after cla.s.s today."

I sat up, still straddling his lower back, trying to remember.

"Brice or Leo?" I put more cream on my hands, rubbing them together to warm them up.

"The football player." Gage pushed up onto his forearms to look back at me, eyebrow raised. "The one that was all over you."

"Thats Brice." I pushed his shoulders, spreading the cream and forcing him back down on the couch. "And first off, he wasnt all over me, he only gave me hug. And second, him and Leo are together." My thumbs slid up his neck, pressing into the muscles there and keeping his head from rising back up. "And third," I leaned down, placing a kiss between his shoulder blades. "Ive got you. I dont pay attention to anyone else." I wiped in the last bit of cream into his skin. "Brice is always talking about you though, hes a bit star struck."

"Okay then. Just make sure he keeps his hands to himself," he relented, his hands reaching behind him to grip my thighs.

"Turn around." I raised up on my knees to give his body s.p.a.ce, and he turned beneath me.

I settled back on him with a smile as I slid my hands over his chest. "Tell your ma.s.seuse to keep her hands to herself. I dont like her." There were other people I wanted to add to this list, but the past two weeks had been going too good. Gage had been focused on training for his fight, and I was focused on school. I wasnt about to move the conversation anywhere serious.

His stomach bounced beneath me as he laughed, and he grabbed my wrists on his chest. "Shes got to touch me. But you can take her job any day."

"No." I pulled my hands away. "With the amount of time youve been putting in at the gym, you need one, but get a guy. h.e.l.l have strong hands."

"Youve only got tomorrow, and then youre done the semester. You need a job, wouldnt you want to do this everyday?" His eyes heated my skin as they moved over me, and his hands gripped my thighs again, the thin material of my leggings let me feel everything. I had to stop myself from rocking on him as a pleasant burn swirled low in my stomach.

"I dont know. This is hard work, and soon my belly might get in the way." I snapped my mouth close; I hadnt intended to say that. That same fear pulled me down whenever I thought of the baby. A fear I couldnt even place or explain. A fear of everything to come, the unknown.

But Gages full lips slid to a soft smile, and his hands slid over my stomach, cupping it like there was already a b.u.mp. "I cant wait." His eyes met mine, and I knew he meant it. "I think its already growing." His smile grew, but I reached for his hands.

"Its only because we just ate. In the morning its still flat." I stared down at my stomach, there was a slight curve, but it had to be the food. Gages washboard abs taunted me and turned me on at the same time.

When I looked back up, he was staring at me, and one side of his smile dropped for a second. Then he sat up, pus.h.i.+ng me back some. He swirled his index finger, signaling for me to turn around. "Its my turn now."

"I wasnt finished, we didnt get your chest." He was lifting me, forcing me to turn and sit back down on his lap.

"Ill get Lin to do it tomorrow, now sit still."

"Lin? Of course sh.e.l.l be more than happy to-oh." I sunk into his fingers as they ran up my spine, arching my back like a cat on a post. He pressed into the muscles in a way that had me melting and moving to get more. I hadnt realized how sore I was until this moment.

"Your shoulders are really tense, babe. You need to relax more." He pulled me back against his warm chest as his long fingers slid over my collar bone and shoulders. "Ill get Lin to give you a ma.s.sage tomorrow too, after your test."

"Dont remind me." I rolled my neck to the side, giving his fingers full access. "I cant wait for that last final to be over."

His breath was cool on my neck compared to his heated hands. "And the doctors appointment is Thursday right?"

"Yes, at 5:30." I focused on the feel of his hands, a moan escaping as he kneaded a knot between my shoulders.

His teeth clamped light on my ear. "Stop making that noise or this ma.s.sage is going to get cut short."

I rocked into his lap, feeling the length of his hardness press between my a.s.s and his stomach. Rolling my head back on his shoulder, I spoke into the skin of his neck. "Is that a promise?"

His chest rumbled behind me, vibrating through me. He dropped his hands to my thighs, spreading them as his lips covered mine, and I tasted his groan. His fingers dipped into the waistband of my leggings, sliding into me, pumping and building pressure. I more than moaned, and he drank them down, absorbing them into his mouth.

I awoke to the click of a door, Gages voice trailing down the hall beyond it, fading as he walked away.

I sat up disoriented, trying to place the where and when in the dark. I had been in the middle of a confusing dream. The tableside clock read 4:08 am.

Only the soft buzz of silence surrounded me now, Gage was out of hearing range. I untangled myself from the sheets and went to see where he went, what was going on.

Since Vegas, we had only focused on his training. Thats what we talked about, but I knew he still had "meetings" with Viktor and still stopped by the club. But I knew that all came with Gage, hed told me repeatedly there was no getting out. There had been no late nights recently though, and Id reveled in the time I had with him, even if it felt like I was holding my breath, just waiting for the jump, for something to happen.

As I walked down the hallway, my skin goose b.u.mped from more than the chill in the air. He was speaking low, the murmur of his voice getting clearer the closer I got to his office.

"When?...I remember...You know I will...Ill be there..."

I stood outside the door, palm on the handle. I was going to open it. I wasnt sneaking around. I wasnt spying on him. Thats what I told myself, but I stood frozen, listening to the sounds coming from the other side of the door, soft sliding and thumps as he opened and closed drawers.

"Is that what she said?...Come on now, you know better...they wont listen to that. Weve already come to terms." His quiet tone was rising as a tide of frustration built in his words. "Forget it. Ill be there, just-dont f.u.c.king speak or make another move till I get there." One last drawer closed, and then there was silence.

I turned the k.n.o.b, about to enter, when the door opened. Gages eyes flashed with surprise to see me, but his body relaxed in the next second, and his hand slid over my shoulder, walking us back to our room.

"Did I wake you up? Im sorry, there was a call I had to take."

"I heard." I returned his honesty with my own, sliding my arm around his bare waist, he was only in his boxers.

The urgency I heard on the phone was absent from him now, and I was trying to keep from jumping to conclusions.

He nodded, waiting till we were in the bedroom to speak. "Go back to bed. Ive got to go, but Ill make sure someones here to take you to school today." He sat me on the mattress and disappeared into the closet.

I stayed seated on the edge of the bed, gripping the sheets under my fingers. When he came back out of the closet, b.u.t.toning up his s.h.i.+rt with dark pants on, I questioned him. "Whats going on?"

He lifted his eyes from his b.u.t.tons, meeting mine, and then shook his head, dismissing the question. "Nothing you need to worry about." He stepped close, his hands dropping to my head and sliding down to my shoulders as his lips grazed my forehead. "Get your rest, and go take your test. Ill be home later."

I gripped his hands before he could walk away. "Dont do that."

He paused, questions in his eyes.

"Dont dismiss me like that. I asked whats going on, and you promised to keep me in the loop."

He sighed, dropping down onto the bed next to me. "Its only business. Ians taking on too much at once and not juggling it well. Ive got to go sort it out now, before it becomes anything big."

"Come on, Gage. I know its not just club business." I leaned back from him.

He ran his hands over his head. "I didnt say it was. I said it was business, and it is." He stood up, pulling his gun holster from a drawer and sliding it over his shoulders. He turned back around, facing me. "And I meant it, it doesnt involve you, dont worry." He stepped towards me. "Ill be home later, Ill fill you in then." He slid his hand under my hair, behind my neck, not letting me pull away. "Now, wait for Sal. h.e.l.l take you to school, and you can ace your test." He pressed his lips to mine and then left the room.

His avoidance of the question stirred my agitation, but I tried to still it. Id hold him to his word of telling me later, but I was too jumpy to go back to bed. Instead, I pulled out my statistics book and spent the next few hours studying, or more like stared at the page of formulas while thinking about what Gage was doing.

I dont know if I aced my test. It was one of those things where I zipped through it unsure if I understood it all or only thought I did and was getting it all wrong. But I know Gage didnt come home like he said he would, and he didnt talk like he said he would.

He slipped into our bed in the middle of the night, pulling me to him and mumbling how much he loved me, like he had been asleep instead of out. But I wouldnt relax in his arms. I couldnt fall back to sleep.

"What happened today?" I asked, not pulling away yet, not wanting to make more of this than I needed to.

He sighed, eyes closed as he held me tighter. "Everything that could go wrong did. And it took longer to sort out than I thought it would."

"What went wrong?" I whispered as I turned around in his arms to face him.

He opened his eyes then and gave me a soft smile. "Just little things. I left them alone too long, and theyve managed to mess up the order I had going. Its going to take a little time to get it all sorted, but thats what Ive got to do." His soft lips pressed to my forehead and then his eyes closed again. "Now, shh, lets go to sleep. Its been a long day, and I only have a couple of hours before I have to go back."

"Wait, you havent really said whats going on. What do you have to do tomorrow?"

His hand moved up and down my back, tired eyes meeting mine, looking for understanding. "Ive got to oversee an order coming through tomorrow and meet with Viktor after. Like I said, sort it all out. Its only typical business stuff. Now can we please go to bed? We can talk more tomorrow."

I nodded, letting it go for now. He needed rest, I could tell, and his body was heating next to mine, pulling me back into sleep.

"Bye, Sal." I wanted to slam the car door, but he closed it for me as I got out.

"You going anywhere else today? Should I wait?"

"No. You can go, but if you see Gage, tell him to call me." I turned around, not caring to cover my frustration, not waiting for a response as I stepped onto the elevator, heading home.

I pulled out my phone. Still nothing. No missed calls, no text messages, nothing in response to my calls.

He had missed the doctors appointment. Hed been talking about it all week, but he missed it. My muscles pulled between anger and worry. I tried to focus on the anger, that was easier.

The doors slid open to our floor and I went into the condo, holding my breath. But I let it go, with my last bit of hope, when I confirmed it was empty. And still, my phone was frustratingly silent.

I was already in stretch pants, t-s.h.i.+rt, and tennis shoes, and my muscles screamed for release. So I left as quick as I came and went back to the elevator, only going to the gym on the first floor. I debated going to our typical gym, but I wasnt going to let my anger cause me to take risks. Gage had been adamant about Sal taking me everywhere.

I paced myself, making sure to not push too far, listening to my body to tell me when I had enough. Unfortunately that time came too soon, not enough time had pa.s.sed for Gage to call back. And each second that ticked by added to my worry, till it was overflowing. He had wanted to be there today, he had wanted to hear the heart beat. The sound was scarred into my brain; a whoos.h.i.+ng, steady, fast beat. Our baby. Only fourteen weeks.

I showered in the empty gym locker room, not wanting to go back to the empty condo just yet. As I walked out, someone grabbed my elbow, steadying me, holding me in place at the door.

My heart stopped as I looked into Anthonys brown eyes and I tore away from him. "What the h.e.l.l are you doing here? Who let you in? Youre not allowed in this building."

The building had security at all entrances; no one was aloud to come in without permission. His sudden appearance was making my head spin and throb.

"You never called." He held his hands back, but his body still blocked my escape, unless I ran back in the locker room.

"And I wont be calling. I already told you, I dont know anything. Now get the h.e.l.l out of here before I report you."

"Regan, my offer to help you is about to expire. Its now or never."

"Never. Now get out." I crossed my arms, anger filling me. He wasnt someone I would shrink from, and he needed to see I was serious.

"You dont understand. Things are happening, were getting close, and theyre feeling the pressure." He took a step towards me, losing control of his voice as he tried to convince me. "People have gone missing, and if you dont come over now, we cant protect you against anything."

"Help me? You just said people are missing, and you think being seen with you would help me? Get out of here, now." I was certain his motives had nothing to do with helping me. I stepped towards him, pus.h.i.+ng him back. "I told you, I dont know anything. But this is my only warning, if you keep bothering me, itll be you that needs protection."