Cage Match (11 page)

torte.

“Shall I carry it upstairs for you too,
sir
?” She stressed the mocking title. Mrs.

Gamble, with her neat coiffure and impeccable dress, had a knack for making him feel

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she was doing him an incredible favor by cleaning and cooking for him. But his house

was always pristine and his meals perfect, and he kind of enjoyed their little power

struggle.

“I‟ve got it. Thank you, Mrs. G. I apologize again. Tomorrow we‟ll have the

scallops and sea bass for sure.

“Doesn‟t matter to me what you and your new friend choose to do. Just give me

some advance warning, please.”

As he climbed the stairs, Andreas‟s stomach rumbled in anticipation. He burned

off so many calories these days that he ate like a starving man. He realized he‟d never

been truly hungry before, which led him to think about Jabez growing up without

enough food. No wonder he always ate every bite put in front of him.

When he returned to his room, Jabez lay on the bed with his arms behind his head

like a gorgeous, hard-bodied, pinup model. Andreas‟s belly gave a little leap and dive,

like a fish dancing on the surface of a lake. He dragged his eyes from the glorious sight

and set the tray on the bed, plumped up the pillows, and leaned against them.

“She‟s not happy with me. Had a big dinner already under way, but we can have

it tomorrow.”

Jabez didn‟t answer. He was already wolfing down slabs of cold ham on bread.

Andreas watched for a moment, then assembled his sandwich.

“I‟ve been thinking about your position here,” he said between bites. “It wasn‟t

enough for me to buy out your contract. I realize that now. I owe you payment for your

work. You‟ve helped me so much—not just the physical training, but giving me self-

confidence I never had before. I didn‟t know what I was capable of until you showed

me, and I don‟t mean the violence, but fortitude and strength.”

One of those delectable, minute smiles tilted the corner of Jabez‟s mouth, accented

by a dab of mustard.

“What?” Andreas demanded.

“I expected you to give up after the first day. You surprised me.”

It was as close as he was going to come to a compliment, so Andreas accepted it as

such.

“Thank you,” he said without a trace of irony. “Anyway, the point is I want to pay

you a wage for your work.” He paused, then added, “
Just
your work. Your job here is

secure for as long as you want it, but you can also leave whenever you want. Any

sexual relationship we might have has nothing to do with it. I‟m not paying you for

that.”

Jabez stopped chewing, his cheeks swollen with food, and stared at him.

“You understand? You‟re free to go whenever and wherever you want, but I‟d like

you to stay. There‟s so much more for you to teach me, and I‟d like time to get to know

you better—as a friend.”

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He swallowed the mouthful with a wince and cleared his throat. “What do you

want me to say?”

Andreas laughed. “That you‟ll stay on, of course. But what I really want you to

say is whatever you‟re thinking. I want you to speak the truth.”

Jabez lowered his half-eaten sandwich and stared at it for a moment as if seeking

an answer. Finally, he looked up and met Andreas‟s gaze. “How much?”

No “thank you” or “I‟d love to stay,” but Andreas hadn‟t really expected that. He

named a figure, and Jabez‟s eyes widened. He slowly nodded.

“I‟ll stay.”

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Chapter Six

Jabez watched Andreas sleep. His hand was curved next to his cheek in the

vulnerable position of a child. His tousled curls and long, thick eyelashes added to the

image of youthful innocence. The man was little more than a boy, no matter how many

years he might have lived. He was so inexperienced about life, so protected from real

violence, pain, or hardship.

Instead of feeling his usual scorn for someone so naive, a fierce surge of

protectiveness flooded through him. It was a strange and confusing emotion. Andreas

had everything. He was rich beyond most men‟s wildest dreams, secure in every way.

Why in the world should Jabez feel the strong desire to guard him against harm? What

could hurt him? There was nothing that could touch the prince of the Fortias

Corporation.

Jabez reached out and stroked a curl away from his cheek. The man didn‟t stir, so

he dared to let his hand linger. He traced the curve of his eyebrow, the straight line of

his nose, then touched his soft lips, feeling the warmth of his breath. A pang of

something he‟d never felt before twisted his gut—not just the protective feeling, but

something else that made him feel anxious, nauseated, excited, and joyful all at the

same time.

He took his hand away from Andreas‟s face and laid it against the hard, smooth

plane of his chest for a moment, feeling his heart steadily pumping. He kept his palm

there until his own heart slowed its frantic pace and his stomach settled. Something was

definitely wrong with him. Maybe something he‟d eaten was upsetting his stomach.

Or perhaps it was the idea of freedom, knowing he could walk out of this house

anytime he wanted to. Andreas had promised. He wondered if he‟d really keep his

word if Jabez said he was leaving. Part of him wanted to test and find out, but he knew

he wouldn‟t. He had no place to go. Returning to Brick Town wasn‟t a choice, and he

had no skills to survive anywhere else.

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But staying here was frightening in a different way. The soft life was too easy to

fall into, and waking in Andreas‟s bed like this could become a comfortable habit.

Danger lay in letting his guard down and starting to enjoy all this too much. Jabez

stopped the slow glide of his hand down Andreas‟s stomach toward his morning

erection. No more sex. Not until he‟d had time to bring his emotions back under

control.

The abandoned dinner tray lay on the floor by the bed, and Jabez stepped on it as

he rose. He stumbled and caught his balance, sending the tray clattering. So much for

getting out quietly.

There was a quiet stirring in the covers behind him and a loud yawn from his

sleeping partner. “Leaving, or just going to pee? Come back to bed. The night doesn‟t

have to be over yet.”

Jabez pointed at the sunlight creeping through the slats in the blinds. “It‟s late. We

should be up and working out by now.”

Andreas sighed and flopped onto his back, arms spread wide. Jabez scanned his

nude body and the long, erect penis that had filled him so well last night.

“We‟re not in the military. I think we can sleep in one morning.”

“I don‟t want to.” Jabez made his voice cold, cutting off his own growing desire.

“Get up, and let‟s get to work.”

“Yes, sir.” Andreas executed a salute and climbed out of bed. He passed Jabez and

walked ahead of him toward the bathroom with a saucy twitch of his ass. “I‟ll see you

at breakfast then.”

“We‟ll go running first. You can‟t run on a full stomach.”

Andreas looked over his shoulder and gave a little smile that said he didn‟t take

Jabez‟s gruffness seriously. “Whatever you say, teacher.”

The bathroom door closed behind him, and Jabez bent to put the scattered glasses

and plates back on the tray. He picked it up to carry it back to the kitchen, remembering

how Andreas had fed him bites of the torte last night and licked traces of the strawberry

filling from his mouth.

He cursed. It was going to be hard to build a barrier between them if he kept

glowing inside every time he thought of Andreas. The only solution was to wear both of

them out with so much exercise they wouldn‟t have any strength left over for sex.

And sometimes fighting could give a guy almost as good a release as fucking.

* * * * *

grass, trees, the blue sky overhead, and very little traffic on the road was a world away

from running on a machine designed to give an extreme workout. His lungs expanded,

and his arms and legs pumped. A slow burn of expended energy coursed through him.

He glanced over his shoulder at Andreas, a few paces behind but keeping up. The other

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man‟s face grimaced with determination. This little run was taxing him a lot more than

it was Jabez, but he didn‟t whine about the pain.

He slowed his pace and let Andreas catch up, then trotted easily beside him.

“Feels good, huh?” He smiled when his red-faced partner shot him a glare.

“If having your lungs incinerate from the inside out is your idea of feeling good.

Personally, I would‟ve enjoyed wake-up sex more.”

Jabez‟s asshole clenched at the suggestion, betraying his intention to avoid sex

with Andreas until he‟d regained his balance. He pictured stopping the run right there,

grabbing Andreas‟s sweaty body, casting him down in the weeds at the side of the road,

and yanking down his pants. He‟d ride him until he screamed.

Gritting his teeth, Jabez ran faster, leaving Andreas behind again.

When they returned to the house, they split up and went to take showers before

meeting at the dining table for breakfast.

“Today, we‟ll have some weapons training. I‟ll show you how to use a knife.”

Jabez realized as soon as he‟d made the promise that it was a bad idea. He should be

taking as much time as possible to get Andreas fight-trained and weapons-ready. His

new paid position depended on making the job last.

“Really? I thought you said I wouldn‟t get to touch a blade for months.”

“It‟s a reward for your hard work.”

“I‟m not sure when I‟m actually going to need to know how to use a knife or

sword or nunchakus, but I appreciate it.” Andreas gave a smile that made Jabez want to

lean across the table and kiss him. He was too pretty, too good-natured, and too close—

an irresistible combination. Abstinence wasn‟t going to hold up long.

In the training room, Jabez showed Andreas the proper way to hold a short knife.

“Make that blade an extension of your arm.” He demonstrated how to lunge with the

knife gripped in his hand. “Remember there‟s going to be resistance once you slice

through the skin and hit muscle. You have to expect it. And you can‟t be squeamish

about cutting or being cut. Hesitation could kill you.”

Andreas nodded, his brow furrowed. Jabez liked how he paid attention. He never

took his teaching lightly or acted like the whole thing was a hobby, although it was.

And Jabez tried to train him as if he really was going to be fighting an opponent. Could

happen someday. Even Prince Fortias might find himself mugged on the street.

“We can‟t slash each other, so I recommend buying a dead pig; hang it and

practice on that.”

Andreas‟s frown deepened. “I don‟t know if this is something I want to learn. I

can‟t imagine piercing flesh, even dead flesh.”

Jabez shook his head. “I told you. Don‟t be squeamish. When it comes down to

you or the other guy, you have to be ready to stick him.”

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The other man gave a halfhearted lunge at the air with the knife, then examined

the shiny blade. “I know you‟ve done that. I watched you fight with that man and stab

him, but what does it feel like? Not just stabbing, but killing someone.”

“Feels good. Feels like you‟re still alive and your enemy is dead.”

“How many have you…? Do you know?”

“No. They‟d drag them away unconscious, and I didn‟t know if they were alive or

dead. Didn‟t matter as long as I walked out of the ring.”

Jabez watched the play of light on Andreas‟s blade as he lied to him. It was true

he‟d felt victorious and relieved to have made it through another day, but part of him

had cringed at every man he left broken and bleeding. Although it had become his

nature to fight and kill, that hadn‟t always been a part of him, and a little bit of his

younger self huddled deep inside him.

“You can practice throwing the knife today,” Jabez continued. “Work on

accuracy.”

They faced the target on the wall by the weapons cabinet and took turns throwing

at the bull‟s-eye. At first Andreas couldn‟t make his blade stick. It fell to the floor every

time. But after a while, he was finally able to make and keep contact with the target.

“Here. Let me show you.” Jabez stepped behind him and held his wrist. He drew

back their arms together and hurled, laughing when Andreas released the knife late and

it hit the cabinet before clattering onto the floor. “Except you have to let go at the right

time.”

“I can‟t concentrate with you pressed up against me like that.” Andreas looked

over his shoulder, and Jabez was lost. They‟d spent too many hours together today with

lust sparking between them like a fractured power crystal. He leaned over Andreas‟s