Training the SECRET (Corrigan & Co #6) (19 page)

“So we’ll just stay
in bed.”

“If we do that,
you’re just going to spank me again.”

“Only because you
want it.”

“When we’re all
alone, maybe, but not with my dad coming to see us this weekend.”

“Shit. I didn’t
even think of that. I’ll put an embargo on the spankings until we
get home.”

“Where is home, by
the way?”

“We live in Las
Vegas.”

“I meant…you know
what, never mind.”

“I want to live with
you if that’s what you mean. Your place, my place, a new combined
space. Any of the above are good with me.”

“Me too.”

“We can decide once
we get back. As long as I’m waking up next to you every morning,
that’s all I care about.”

“You know I have to
go on missions, right?”

“Yes, but you also
know that there were photographers when you jumped into my arms in
the cage.”

“Reina’s gotta be
going crazy. She took over right when we all started getting
revealed.”

“She’ll have a
plan. She’s too smart and resourceful not to.”

“Do you think Matt
will stay married to her?”

“That’s not for me
to say.”

“This is just you and
me and your opinion. It’s not an official survey or anything.”

“Then no, I don’t
think he will. I know he should, but when you think you don’t
deserve something, it’s hard to change your mind.”

“You changed your
mind about deserving me.”

“No. I still know
that I don’t deserve you, but I’ve allowed myself to have you
anyway.”

“Nate.”

“It’s true.”

“You’re so
infuriating sometimes.”

“You wouldn’t want
me to be boring.”

“No, I definitely
wouldn’t want that. Now kiss me goodnight.”

I do as she asks, and
then curl her further into me as we both drift off to sleep. I love
this woman, and I know she loves me. If only that was enough.

* * *

Jade

“Motherfucking shit.”

“I told you that you
needed to soak last night. I even offered to ride you in the tub, but
you had to be all macho.”

“I wanted to fuck you
in all the rooms we hadn’t been to yet.”

“How’s that working
out for you today?”

“Totally worth it.”

“Really?”

“Always.”

“That’s romantic.
It might even erase some of the sting from hearing that we only
‘fucked’ all night.”

“Shit. Made love. You
know we made love.”

“And we fucked. It’s
okay if it’s sometimes, but when you’re sliding into me sweet and
slow, I don’t feel fucked.”

“There’s love even
in the fucking, Angel. I just need it a little rough sometimes.”

“So do I, and I feel
the love. I just like it to be acknowledged sometimes.”

“Because it’s
romantic.”

“And because I’ve
only ever fucked other guys. There was no real love involved until
you.”

“If I could move
right now, I’d make love to you sweet and slow all day.”

I have to laugh at
that. “Let me go start your bath, and then I’ll help you in.”

“And ride me?”

“Well, duh.”

“You’re the perfect
girlfriend.”

“Remember that next
time we fight.”

“I’ll try.”

“Sure you will.”

I kiss him lightly and
then get up to start his bath. I’m honestly sore today, too, but in
all the right places. My body got quite a workout in the last 24
hours, but I’m not complaining. There’s nothing like being
thoroughly worked over by a skilled and loving man. Nothing.

“You put bubbles in
there,” Nate says, coming up behind me when the water’s almost
done a few minutes later.

“Yep. I wanted
bubbles. And I told you I’d help you get in here.”

“I wanted to do it
myself. I should have gotten here earlier to stop the bubble
madness.”

“Bubbles are not
madness. They’re romantic. You promised me romance.”

He rolls his eyes at
me, but gets in the tub anyway. “Yeah, I did. Fucking girly shit.”

Just for that, I grab
my phone and snap a pic before her can stop me. He grabs for me, but
I dodge him and send myself the picture—to a few different email
addresses—before tossing my phone on the bed. Then I walk back into
the room.

“That will teach you
not to make fun of a bubble bath. They’re a sacred thing for most
women.”

“You didn’t post
it, did you?”

“No. Not yet, at
least.”

“I’m sorry I
insulted your sacred ritual. But my cock is sad that all my other
muscles hurt so much. It’s affecting my brain cells and I’m not
sure what I might say next. You should come ride it so it feels
better.”

“You’re blaming
your stupidity on your cock?”

“Yes.”

“The root of all
evil—a man’s cock. Also the root of lots of pleasure, so I guess
it’s only fitting that it would render you stupid.”

“Uh-huh. But if you
slide your sweet pussy onto it, I can guarantee that it will be
pleasure only, and I can think clearly again.”

“I’m only doing
this because I want to,” I say as I climb over him, and start to
lower myself.”

“That works for me.”

“Of course it does.”

I get lots of pleasure
from the bathtub ride, being bent over the kitchen island—while
we’re getting food so we can keep going, the couch, and then the
bed once again. We’re holding hands as we lie facing each other,
getting ready for an afternoon nap.

“It’s the magic
bubbles.”

He scoffs. “Fuck
that. It’s my magic cock.”

I can’t deny that
it’s pretty magical. “Maybe it’s both.”

“No. It’s
just
my cock. You need to embrace the awesomeness.”

“I’m pretty sure
I’ve been embracing it non-stop for almost 24 hours.”

“See. Would a normal
cock be able to please you over and over like that without tiring
out?”

“Go to sleep you
idiot.”

“It’s my cock
making me say these things. It’s sad that it hasn’t been inside
of you for over a half hour. If you ride it, I won’t say stupid
things for at least a couple of hours.”

“I am not the machine
that you apparently are. I need some sleep, and you need a new line.”

“Just one more time,
Angel. Please?” he asks, and I can’t deny him. It might kill me,
but what a way to go.

Nate

The last few days have
been the stuff of dreams. Jade and I are living together, like really
doing it. I’m not a guest in her house anymore. She calls it “ours”
and so do I. She’s getting everything finalized at the gym during
the day, while I’m planning a surprise for her for when we get
home. We’ve had our friends over for dinner the last two nights,
and although I hate to share her, I love showing everyone that we’re
together.

At one time I would’ve
thought that meant kissing her passionately, or holding her ass in
front of other people, but the reality is so much better. It’s
having her lean her head on my shoulder when she’s tired. Twirling
her hair around my fingers while she’s talking. Feeding her a
spoonful of her favorite ice cream from my bowl, and stealing the
uneaten pieces of meat from her plate. It’s small kisses on her
forehead, and her hand in mine. It’s love. There’s no other word
for it, and no other woman I’d want to be experiencing it with.

“You love her,”
Darcy says to me, breaking me away from my thoughts as she walks
outside to stand in front of me.

It’s not a question,
but I answer her anyway. “Yeah.”

“You always have.”

“Am I supposed to
answer your statements?”

“No. I already know
the answers.”

“So you just want to
see me react?”

“Maybe. Or maybe I
like to say them out loud, because if you have a chance at love then
I can too.”

“Maybe with the guy
from this mission you’re about to go on. I mean, don’t all girls
want to marry a prince?”

She snorts. “Not this
girl. Just pretending to be engaged to the pompous asshole is going
to be hard enough. Don’t you dare jinx me with a marriage, too.”

“He seems pretty
cool. At least what I’ve seen in the media.”

“Cool? Because he’s
slept with half the Western world? Yeah, I guess you’d think so.”

“I meant the charity
stuff he does is cool. I don’t need to envy some guy who’s
getting laid every night.
I
get laid every night, thank you very much, and I can almost guarantee
that it’s better than what he’s been getting.”

“You are such a guy
sometimes.”

“I’ll take that as
a compliment. But seriously, what could be better than a prince and a
reformed cat burglar falling in love?”

“Have you been
watching chick flicks with Jade?”

“I plead the fifth.”

“So you have. You
just worry about your love life, and I’ll deal with my pretend
one.”

“I wish you didn’t
have to leave tonight. The party tomorrow is going to be epic.”

“You don’t care
about that party. The only celebration you wanted happened with
Jade.”

“Yeah, it did. But if
you need me for anything or just want to talk, I’m still here.
That’s not going to change just because I’m with Jade. She
wouldn’t want it to.”

“Same goes for you. I
know you have Aiden, Matt, and maybe even Jake to go to, but I’ll
always be there for you.”

I hug her tight,
thinking about how I want her to be as happy as I am, one day. She’s
like a kid sister and best friend rolled into one, and I love her.
Not in the same way I love Jade, but it’s still a strong love that
can’t be discounted.

She pulls away, and
looks nervous. “Hi, Jade.”

“Hi. I didn’t mean
to interrupt. I just wanted to let you know that dessert is ready.”

“Thanks. You can have
your man back now.”

“It’s not joint
custody, Darcy. We can all be together in the same room. And I know
you’re heading to your mission tonight. So please keep talking,
hugging, or whatever you need to do. I’ll make sure we save you
some.”

“Thank you. But we’re
done out here. I promise.”

Jade looks at me, and I
nod, letting her know that Darcy means it. “Oh, okay. If you’re
sure.”

“He’s all yours. He
always has been, you know. He’s just been too dumb to act on his
feelings.”

“He blames the
stupidity on his dick.”

“He would.”

They both laugh, and I
love it. I should hate that they’re teasing me, but since they’re
the two most important women in my life, I love it. I want them to
laugh—at me, or anything else—as often as possible.

“This is going to
become a habit, isn’t it? The two of you ganging up on me.”

“You reap what you
sow, Soldier. Surrounding yourself with strong, intelligent women
isn’t for the faint of heart.”

“Good thing mine is
strong then, huh?”

“Just kiss Jade or
something and stop saying stupid things. Because you can only blame
your dick for so long.”

“I told him that,
too.”

“I’ll never win,
will I?”

“Nope,” Jade says,
grabbing my hand—and then putting it in Darcy’s, much to both of
our surprises.

“Thank you,” I
whisper in her ear as she takes my other hand.

“Nothing to thank me
for. I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

* * *

Jade

Tonight is Nate’s
party, and I want everything to be perfect. Logically, I know that’s
not possible, but it’s hard to be logical when your heart is
involved. I can only control so much, but with almost all of my
friends here helping, things are coming together.

Things are going great
with the gym, too. Of course Brent agreed to stay on after Nate won
the match. The gym is getting all sorts of attention, and since he’s
pretty much a fame whore, he’s eating it all up. My dad is bringing
the papers the lawyers drew up with him, and we’re all going over
them tomorrow. If he agrees to the terms, and signs everything, Nate
and I will be going back on the jet with my dad. If he doesn’t,
we’ll stay a little longer to negotiate. Either way, we should be
home soon. And then we have to decide where “home” is going to
be.

“Come on, J. It’s
time to get you dressed,” Stella tells me.

“They’re almost
finished out here. I need to make sure it’s right.”

“I’ve got that. You
go on with Stell,” Tegan says, coming up behind us.

“Fine. Glam me up,
fashion queen.”

“Oh, I will.”

An hour later, my long
hair is in big waves, and I have on a tight brown dress that has slim
straps and a deep v in the middle. The satin material is all
gathered—or as Stella calls it, ruched—and it fits me like a
glove. A comfortable glove that I can walk and breathe in, but a
glove nonetheless. I have cat eyes, and soft pink lipstick on, but no
jewelry. That’s just not me.

When I walk out of my
room, Nate is walking out of the guest room he was using to get
ready. “Fuck, Angel, you look too hot to be out in public tonight.”

“It’s just my
friends, and yours.”

“Some of mine may not
know how to act around…this,” he says, gesturing up and down my
body. He’s invited some of his fighter friends, but I can hold my
own.

“Well they better
learn quickly, or they’ll be on the floor, begging for their
mommies to save them from the girl in the tight brown dress.”

“And you just got a
million times hotter.”

“It’s a gift.”

“Stealing my lines
now, are you?”

“Only the good ones.
You can keep the rest.”

“Gee thanks.”

“I hate to break this
up, but the guests are arriving already.”

“To be continued?”
I ask.

“Oh yeah.”

He leans in for a kiss,
but Stella swats him away. “After everyone has seen her you can
kiss her.”

“I only care about
Nate seeing me, and I want a kiss,” I whine.