Chapter Twenty-Five

Eva

“If you don’t stop wiggling in my lap we aren’t gonna get this damn piercing,” Cage growled in my ear causing me to giggle.

“Sorry, I’ll be good,” I promised.

“I never said I wanted you to be good, baby. I like you bad and naughty,” he kissed my shoulder and slipped his finger up between my legs, “and wet.”

I pushed his hand away and checked the door to make sure the girl who was going to pierce his other nipple wasn’t watching us. “If you don’t want me to wiggle then don’t talk dirty,” I hissed.

Cage smirked, “That ain’t dirty, baby. That’s just a little sweet talkin’. But if you want me to talk dirty, I will.”

“I want your other nipple pierced. Stop trying to distract me.”

Cage nipped at my ear. “I know you want this and it’s making me hot thinking about that little pink tongue of yours going at it like it’s fucking candy.”

“You are like one large piece of candy. Everything about you is lickable. Even those dimples in your lower back.”

His grin spread across his face slowly. “I like it when you lick those too. I bet we can get them to give us a private room if you want to show me exactly what all parts of my body you like to lick.”

The door opened and a woman walked in. She had several tattoos and most of her face was pierced. Her eyes took in Cage. Which just helped prove what I’d said about him being like one large piece of candy. She saw it too.

“Okay, so you want your other nipple pierced,” she said, pulling up a chair and getting her supplies ready.

“She wants my other nipple pierced,” he replied, winking at me.

The girl shifted her eyes to me. I could see the envy in them and I didn’t blame her.

“Shirt off,” the girl instructed.

I reached down and pulled his shirt up. He lifted his arms obediently.

I cut my eyes over at the girl and she was enjoying the show. It annoyed me some but I snuggled closer in his lap and his arm tightened around me as he tucked his hand between my legs.

“You ready?” she asked him.

“You have no idea,” he replied with an amused tone. I bit my lip to keep from laughing.

The girl rubbed alcohol on his nipple causing it to harden. She then reached for a clamp type thing that pulled his nipple out. Then came the needle. I tensed in Cage’s lap and he chuckled slipping his hand up the inside of my thighs. He wasn’t even worried about it.

When the needle went in he didn’t even react. I squealed a little but that was the only reaction.

The small silver barbell went in next.

“You’re done,” the girl announced and I sighed in relief.

“You need to keep it cleaned and no foreign substances on it until it heals,” she cut her eyes at me and I wondered if that meant my saliva.

“Got it,” Cage replied, standing up and taking my hand.

“You want me to put my shirt back on?” Cage asked

I considered all the females between here and the car and nodded my head.

He reached over and picked it up pulling it over his head.

“Come on. I’m ready to go see how much you like it,” he grinned wickedly.

“Isn’t my saliva a foreign substance? And won’t it be sore?”

Cage leaned down and whispered in my ear, “Your saliva is fine and as for sore that never stopped us before.”

Cage

Eva fidgeted nervously with her hands on the ride back from her house to get all her things to my apartment. She’d handled her dad like a pro and had no problem packing up all her things. Now it was obvious something was bothering her. I didn’t like things to bother her.

“What’s with the fidgeting hands?”

Eva stopped instantly and let out a small laugh, “I didn’t realize I was doing that.”

“Which is what bothers me. Why are you nervous?”

She bit the inside of her cheek which was another nervous habit of hers then cut her eyes over at me, “You sure you want me to answer this?”

I had a brief moment of panic but I reminded myself that she’d just announced to her father that she was in love with me.

“Yeah, I do.” I replied cautiously.

She let out a sigh and shrugged, “I’m worried that this is too soon. What if you get tired of having me around all the time? What if I eat your Wheaties or leave my makeup out in the bathroom or what if I snore?”

Relief washed over me. This I could fix. She wasn’t about to bolt on me.

I pulled into the parking spot under our apartment, then cut the engine

and turned in my seat to look at her. “I don’t eat Wheaties, I hope you leave all your girlie shit laying all over the place so I can see it when you’re not there and know you’re coming back. And you don’t snore. You do this soft purring thing that is so fucking cute I just want to lay awake and listen to you.”

Eva leaned across the console and gave me a soft quick peck. “I love you.”

The goofy grin those words always put on my face couldn’t be helped. “Then

come up stairs and show me how much you love me. I got all kinds of ideas.”

Eva reached over and gently pinched my newest piercing. “Can these be involved?” she asked in a husky voice that instantly made me hard.

“Hell, yeah they can.”

Getting Eva up to the apartment so I could have my wicked way with her did sound appealing but that wasn’t what I was excited about. I had a surprise waiting on her and I couldn’t wait to get up there and show her. I carried two of her boxes in my arms and set them down beside the door so I could unlock it. I also didn’t want anything in my arms obstructing my view from Eva’s face when she walked into the apartment.

I turned the knob slowly and pushed it open.

“Ladies first,” I said, stepping back to let her go inside.

Eva gave me a small confused smile and stepped in the room. I followed her inside never once taking my eyes off her face. The moment she saw the piano sitting in the middle of the living room with a dozen red roses laying on top of it, she froze. Her jaw dropped then she walked slowly toward the piano. I didn’t breathe. I couldn’t. I needed her to say something. Had I done the wrong thing getting it for her?

Eva ran her fingers over the ivory keys then she reached over and picked up the small card I’d left with the roses. It simply said, “I love you.”

When her eyes lifted to meet mine they were shining with unshed tears. Her fist came up and covered her mouth and she shook her head. Ah, shit. I’d made her cry. That was not what I wanted to do.

“I can’t believe you got me a piano,” she breathed out as she dropped her fist from in front of her mouth.

“If you don’t want it we don’t have to keep it. I just thought that since you said—“

“You’re not taking my piano anywhere,” Eva interrupted me. A smile broke across her face and a small laugh fell from her lips. “You got me a piano,” she said shaking her head like she couldn’t quite comprehend it.

“You wanted one,” I replied.

Eva set the card back down on the piano and walked over to stand in front of me. She placed both her hands on my chest and stared up at my face. “Cage, I am going to want a lot of things but I don’t expect you to supply those things for me. What I want most is YOU. And I got YOU. Somehow, I snagged the famous playboy Cage York and I don’t intend to let him go.”

Smirking, I reached down and touched her bottom lip with the pad of my thumb. “So, you mean I didn’t have to buy that piano in order to bribe you to stay? Well, hell, baby. If I’d known that I could have saved myself a whole lotta money.”

Eva burst into laughter and slapped my chest. “Here I am trying to be sweet and you’re making fun of me.”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t know you wanted to be sweet. I got an idea, let’s go take a shower and you can let me taste and see just how sweet you are.”

“You aren’t gonna let me play with my piano first?” she asked, looking back longingly at her gift.

“I don’t mind tasting you on the piano. That’s good for me too. I bet you’d look awfully sexy spread out on that bench.”

Epilogue

“I talked to Jeremy today. He’s doing great at LSU and I think he met a girl. The majority of our conversation was about how smart she was and how funny she was and how pretty her hair was.” I laughed softly letting the autumn breeze carry my voice.

“He was there when I needed him. You would have been proud of how strong he was when inside I knew he was breaking apart. You always did say he was the tough one.”

I smiled thinking of the time they’d both gotten their wisdom teeth removed and Josh had been in bed for days in pain while Jeremy had gone on to football practice the very next day.

“The last time I was here I was a mess. You’d just shattered my world. I couldn’t imagine how I would take the next breath without you much less how I would live a lifetime alone. I didn’t understand your letter then. I didn’t think you understood the impact of what had happened. How you could tell me that life would go on and I needed to move on. It was unfathomable to me. You were my world, Josh. From the time I was a little girl until I was eighteen. Every memory I have growing up has you in it.”

I reached into my pocket and pulled out a letter I’d stayed up late last night writing. I couldn’t sleep because I knew I was coming back here today. I had so many things to say and I wanted to say them right.

“I wrote you a letter this time,” I explained.

Opening the stiff paper I’d torn from my notebook, I realized there were no tearstains on this letter. My tears were all dried up now. I’d found my peace.

Dear Josh,

Thank you for giving me the most amazing memories. My life growing up was so full because you were in it. Having your love and loving you was always just right. It made sense. You were my home. When I was with you I knew everything would be okay.

You dried my tears for me when I was sad. You held my hand when we buried my mother. You made me laugh when the world seemed like it was falling apart. You were every special memory a girl could have. That first kiss will forever be embedded in my brain. It was as funny as it was sweet.

Our life together molded me into the woman I’ve become. I understand what it feels like to be loved and cherished because I had that with you. I never doubted my worth because you taught me I was worthy.

When you said that one day I would heal I didn’t believe that was possible. Life couldn’t go one without my best friend. There was no room for another guy in my heart. It turns out you were right. You always were. I found him. He is incredible. He is nothing at all like I would have planned. He doesn’t fit into a perfect package. He managed to wiggle into my heart and take over before I knew what was happening. I found that happiness you told me would come along. I’m going to go live that life. I’m sure it will be a wilder ride than I ever imagined and I can’t wait to live it. He’s my home now. I’ll always love you. I’ll never forget you. But this is my goodbye. I wasn’t ready before to let you go. Now, I can move on. Your memory will live on in my heart always.

Love,

Your Eva Blue

THE END