Code Name: Rook Read online

  “That’s good to know,” I reply with a wicked smile, giving her a warning. “I’m going to be forward again.”

  She cocks one perfectly formed red eyebrow.

  “Would you go out with me again?” I ask.

  She blinks just once in surprise before giving me a blinding smile. “I admit,” she drawls mysteriously, “that this date is going well. And while I realize it’s still not over, I do feel safe in accepting your invitation for another date.”

  “Tomorrow.” Might as well get her pinned down. “I can get tickets to the Pitt game.”

  I know Kynan has the ability to get tickets. Damn good ones, too, but in keeping up with my ruse as a moderately successful car salesman, I’m going to ask him for some in the nosebleed section.

  “Do you like college football?” I ask.

  “Love it,” she replies with a laugh. “It will be a great time.”

  I think any time with Jaime will be great.

  CHAPTER 5

  Jaime

  I love football. It’s impossible to grow up in Pittsburgh and not be continually exposed to it. The Steelers fanaticism is practically transferred through DNA from parent to child. Over the years, I’ve been lucky to attend a few games.

  Not a lot, mind you. The tickets are pricey and not something my family could afford on a routine basis. It was sort of like our version of Disney—Mom and Dad put aside money for a few years to take the entire family to a Steelers game. One year, we actually were able to see both a Pirate’s and a Steeler’s game as they were played on consecutive days, and my parents had budgeted just a little more.

  That being said, there is something about college football that is inherently more exciting when watching the game live. The fans are younger and more intense. There’s an actual energy that sort of buzzes from kickoff until the clock winds its final seconds down.

  I’m decked out in a Pitt sweatshirt—a gift from Laney this Christmas—but that’s the only gear I have to show I’m cheering for them against the University of North Carolina. I wore my hair loose, but it’s covered with a yellow Steelers knit cap. It’s in the mid-to-high forties today so under my sweatshirt I wore an Under Armour cold-weather running shirt, my hands covered with toasty gloves. For a Pittsburgher, it’s all that’s really needed for the nippy weather.

  On the other hand, Cage is bundled up. I suspect a man from the South isn’t used to cold weather like this, but the way he’s wearing a puffy North Face jacket over a sweatshirt, hat, gloves, and a thick scarf around his neck is adorable.

  He had unzipped his coat when we first met up today, proudly sporting a University of North Carolina sweatshirt. I gave him a stink eye, informing him that he was going to be in hostile territory with that. That’s when he zipped his coat back up, proclaiming it too cold to show it off yet.

  The Pitt Panthers play at Heinz Field, which is home to the Steelers. It’s an amazing stadium, and they say there isn’t a bad seat in the house.

  We met at Gate C as Cage had to work in the morning, and timing prevented him from picking me up. But I didn’t mind as I love people watching, so I happily hung out until he came strolling down the sidewalk that runs the border of the stadium along N. Shore Drive, scanning the crowd for me.

  Yeah… made my belly flip a little when, as soon as his eyes landed on me, they lit up with something far more intense than appreciation. He looked at me as if he’d never seen anything better before, and sadly, I realized no man has ever looked at me that way before.

  I’ve been gazed upon with lust, attraction, and affection by other men, but nothing like the way Cage seems to drink me in.

  He greeted me with a softly gloved hand to the nape of my neck, pulling me up on my tiptoes for a short kiss. We then walked into the stadium hand in hand.

  Stocked up on hot dogs for him, cheese nachos for me and beer for us both, we make our way to our seats. We’re in the top section, only four rows from the very top of the stadium. Nosebleeds, they call it, but I love it up here. It’s all my family could afford when we came to Steeler games. Honestly, though, the view from up here is the best. It’s easy to see everything so much better when watching from above.

  “I assume your sister is here,” Cage says as he starts to unwrap his hot dog.

  “Yeah… not sure where, though. We’re going to meet up at halftime if that’s okay with you.”

  “Totally okay with me,” he replies, opening his mouth and chomping at least a third of the hot dog in one bite. He has two more to eat after that. He’s a big guy so big appetite. “So, are you going to introduce me as a friend, a date, or a former one-night stand turned into a two-night stand so far?”

  I snort, dipping a chip in cheese while giving him a side glance. “I’m just going to introduce you as Cage. I’ve already told her about you.”

  Cage stops chewing, his face freezing as he stares at me. He swallows, and it looks almost painful. “You already told a family member about me?”

  His tone is one of curiosity, not displeasure.

  Grinning, I shrug. “Well, I told my sister about you. We’re tight, and we sort of share everything. We’re definitely not at the point I’d tell my parents or anything.”

  “Of course not,” Cage agrees dramatically. “We’ve only had sex two times.”

  “Way more than two times,” I correct in a censuring tone. “But on two separate evenings.”

  And last evening was even better than the first. We didn’t have the haze of alcohol, but that didn’t lower inhibitions.

  Cage bursts out laughing, then leans into me to plant a kiss on my temple. It’s a sweet gesture, making me feel young and giddy. And he almost looks surprised by his own action, as if that spontaneous act of affection was out of his norm.

  I lean toward him, bumping my shoulder against his as if to say, your kiss was sweet, and I really liked it. Don’t be embarrassed by it.

  Cage gives me a nudge back, smiling down at his dog.

  ♦

  Come halftime, we make our way down to the outer ring that circles the middle of the stadium leading to the lower seating in the 200 and 100 sections. Laney texted where to meet her, and it’s quite the haul as our seats are on the opposite side of the stadium.

  I try to see through the crowd of people rushing to use the bathroom and buy more refreshments. Cage stands a good head taller than me. He says, “I think I see her.”

  “How do you know?” I ask as he grabs my hand and starts pulling me on a diagonal path to the right, cutting in and out of people walking in the opposite direction. I feel almost like a salmon swimming upstream.

  “Does she have hair like yours?” he asks over his shoulder as I’m about half a step behind him.

  “Yup.”

  “Same crystal blue eyes that can crush a man’s soul?”

  I bark out a laugh. “You’ve definitely located her.”

  The crowd seems to part, and I spot Laney with a group of friends. She sees me, face lighting up with joy. Despite the fact we live in the same city, we don’t get to see each other as often as we like. She’s busy with school and her friends, and I’m busy with work and my friends.

  She comes flying at me, causing Cage to release my hand just before she slams into me, arms wrapping around my neck in a stranglehold. I squeeze her back around the waist even tighter, and no words need to be said. We love each other and miss each other even more.

  When we finally break apart, I reach out toward Cage. Nabbing his arm, I pull him closer. “Laney… this is Cage.”

  Laney finally stops to take him in, her eyes going wide. She’s seeing what I saw the first time in the bar. An exceptionally hot man—the type who makes most women turn for a second look when he walks by. Laney, not being as tactful as I am in all my five years of seniority, checks him out unabashedly, running her gaze down and then up again.

  “Damn, Jaime,” she drawls, giving an appreciative nod as she stares at Cage. “You weren’t exaggerating.”

  �
��Oh my God…” I gasp, then punch my sister in the arm, and not lightly either. I can’t believe she just said that.

  “Exaggerating what?” Cage inquires, turning to me with one eyebrow cocked and an amused expression.

  “Nothing,” I say, the urgency of my reply hopefully conveying to my sister to shut the hell up.

  She’s such a little shit, though, and is enjoying the moment. She leans in toward Cage, almost conspiratorially, and whispers, “She merely said you were smoking hot.”

  Oh, I said a lot more than that. Ever since she became sexually active, we’ve shared more of the intimate details of our love lives with each other, so I’m okay if she leaves it at “hot.”

  “I bet she said more,” Cage says with a sly grin leveled right at my sister. A charming smile with dimples that he hopes will sway Laney to spill all.

  My racing pulse calms when Laney shakes her head. “Sorry, dude… that’s all you get. Sisters have a pact of secrecy we take very seriously.”

  Cage gives an almost respectful bow, inclining his head. “I can respect those boundaries.”

  Then he leans over, puts his mouth right up against my ear, and rumbles, “I bet I can torture it out of you later.”

  A full spinal shiver runs from bottom to top, leaving my skin tingling. I bet he could get it out of me. When he told me at the restaurant last night that he wanted to eat me, I thought he was just being cliché. Like, “I could just eat you up.”

  What he really meant was he wanted to spend a long and glorious time with his mouth between my legs—something my ex hated doing, although he didn’t mind me going down on him, something I enjoy doing.

  At least that’s another way in which Cage and I are compatible. We both like oral, and I intend to reciprocate tonight.

  Assuming he wants to do something after the game. We haven’t talked about it, and I’m trying to play things loose and casual. I mean… this feels casual.

  Somewhat.

  But part of this feels cataclysmic.

  Cage is a force. Something I’ve never experienced before. He takes control, but not in a patronizing way. He says what’s on his mind, which I find to be refreshing. He listens as if my words are music to his ears.

  And the way he looks at me?

  I can’t even describe it because it’s a new experience for me. I just know it has my heart hammering. My silly romantic nature has me wishing this will turn into something far more than loose and casual.

  It has me wondering if this guy has come into my life for an important reason.

  Granted, it’s only been three days since we met, but the connection is unlike anything I’ve felt before. We seem to just mesh on all levels—intellectually, mentally, sexually. There’s not one thing I dislike about him, except maybe for the fact he lives with three male roommates and proclaimed I would never want to step foot in that apartment.

  But that’s fine with me.

  My place is perfect, and I don’t have roommates.

  I blink back to awareness, realizing I had just gotten lost in my thoughts, to find Cage and Laney carrying on an easy conversation. Actually, she’s giving him shit about wearing a Carolina sweatshirt, and he’s rubbing her nose into the fact that Pitt is down by three at the half. It’s easy ribbing that only comes if two people like each other, and I think Laney and Cage both made the quick decision that they do, in fact, like each other.

  It’s a good thing because I trust Laney and her instincts.

  “Either of you want a beer?” Cage asks, throwing a thumb over his shoulder at one of the vending carts serving drafts.

  “I’ll take one,” Laney says.

  “Me too,” I reply, then get a little wobbly when Cage bends and gives me a swift kiss before ambling off.

  “Jesus, Mary, and Joseph,” Laney squeals when he’s out of earshot, grabbing onto my upper arm. She squeezes hard and exclaims, “You were totally not being honest about how hot he is.”

  “But he’s cool, right?” I ask, worrying at my lower lip and glancing across the crowd at him’. “I know you didn’t talk to him long, but you think he’s cool?”

  “Well, I didn’t get to complete my Rorschach test on him,” she says dryly. “But yeah… he’s cool.”

  I glance at him again, then back to Laney. “I feel like… I could really fall for him, you know?”

  “It’s been three days, Jaime,” she reminds me. “And you just broke up with Terry.”

  I wave that last statement off impatiently. “This is not a rebound. I broke up with Terry over a month ago. I wasn’t even hurt by that. Pissed, yes. Vindicated when I hit him in the face with a book. But I’m not looking to replace something that Terry left empty.”

  She cocks her head. “I’ll admit you had a distinct lack of heartbreak over that.”

  I nod, looking once more at Cage. “Besides… Cage isn’t the type to fill a hole left behind. He’s the type that rolls into you and takes everything.”

  “Damn,” she mutters, shaking her head. “You have it bad.”

  “Merely lust at first sight,” I say, trying to tone things down.

  “More than lust, I’m thinking,” she muses as she turns to stare at Cage. “But lust is definitely a good place to start.”

  “Agreed,” I murmur, also ogling him right beside my sister.

  CHAPTER 6

  Cage

  Morning sex is something that should be slow and sweet. Or at least, the times I’ve had morning sex with Jaime—which would be three times now—have been that way. Me waking up first with a slow caress of my hand along her hip to test whether she’s awake or not. That hand might drift between her legs, working in and against her slowly until she’s drenched, semi-awake, and sleepily begging for it.

  Another time, I was the one woken up with Jaime’s mouth on my cock, and I thought I had been in the middle of the most amazing dream ever, only to wake up and realize it was better than a dream. She got me worked up to the edge, then slowly straddled me and rode me to a slow but powerful orgasm.

  But this morning, we’re apparently both feeling a bit energetic because I’m on my knees in the middle of Jaime’s bed, my ass resting against the heels of my feet, and my hands spread across her ribs. She’s riding my cock, feet planted on the mattress. She bounces up and down while I help her along so she doesn’t tire out. Her eyes are wild… delirious and unfocused. Gasping for air, she can’t do much more than let her head loll backward as she moans against the feeling of me punching up into her.

  “Fuck,” I grit out, feeling my orgasm starting to form. I want to slow her down, draw it out because it feels so good, yet I don’t want to take away from her abandon. She’s glorious in how lost she is to the feeling, red hair all splayed down her back and tits bouncing beautifully. I glance down, getting a shocking jolt of pleasure as I take in her cunt riding my shaft, and feel my balls start to tighten. She came already this morning with my fingers, but I want one more.

  Moving a hand to grip her hair from behind, I force her head up. Her gaze is bleary, a haze of lust and pleasure. “Look at me, Jaime,” I growl.

  She blinks once, twice… but never loses momentum. Her fingers dig down into my shoulders.

  “Come on, baby… focus,” I urge.

  I get a smile, a lick of her lips, then she manages to hold my gaze. She sounds drunk when she stammers with each bounce, “Feels so good. I don’t want to stop.”

  “I want you to come again,” I grit out.

  “Going to,” she gasps, her head falling forward until her brow touches mine. I feel her breath across my mouth, and there it is… just like that and almost at my command, her body stiffens as an orgasm takes her hostage. I can feel her pussy rippling around my cock, and my hips jerk upward into her.

  One, two, three more thrusts, and I’m coming right along with her. “Fuck,” I bark as I start to unload.

  Christ, this is good.

  So fucking good.

  The best… and it gets better each time.
>
  Who is this girl, and what has she done to me?

  Mere moments after the last ripples fade, we collapse sideways onto the bed, my cock slipping out of her. We lay face to face, drained and with dopey smiles on our faces as we stare at each other.

  “That wasn’t too rough?” I ask.

  “God no,” she murmurs, then stretches luxuriously like a cat. “That was amazing.”

  “Good.” I lean in, brush my mouth against hers, before rolling back enough to look at her. “So, how was your day yesterday?”

  I didn’t get over to Jaime’s until after nine last night, and there was no time for talking. She’d been texting me dirty stuff that evening, and I was ready to fuck her the minute I stepped over her threshold.

  I had told her a semi truth—that I had a work meeting. The truthful part of it was I was at Jameson to meet with Kynan and Rachel about a security seminar they want me to help Rachel give in a few weeks. Rachel, of course, attended via video since she’s in the Vegas office.

  The lie was that Jaime thought the work meeting meant at the car dealership she thinks I work at, and I didn’t bother correcting her with the truth. While I have been having an amazing time with her, I keep waiting for me to wake up one morning and realize it’s over. I’ve never dated anyone this long, never spent this much time and energy on a person, and I don’t trust myself to maintain this for the long term. It’s just not inherently me.

  So until such time the lie about my profession compromises my moral compass to the extent I feel I’m harming her, I am going to keep things as is.

  Jaime doesn’t respond to my question. It’s something I would have asked her had I arrived earlier—say to have dinner with her first. I love to hear all about her work, which I’ve come to learn is important and lifesaving to many people. While Jaime will try to start a conversation about “my work,” I usually put her off with a, “you don’t want to be bored by that,” or “it was a crappy day, and I would rather not talk about it” type of responses.