"I was going to call you tonight," she admitted.

  "What prompted that?" he asked curiously.

  "Don't get jealous again," she warned. "Barry listened to me and advised me to call you and fix things. He made me really see that I was wrong." She frowned. "Lily had tried, but hearing a complete stranger say it really hit me hard. Someone who didn't know me well could see I was hurting and in denial, but there I was unable to accept what was truly happening."Cage remained quiet.

  "It seems that I owe a lot to this Barry guy." He chuckled suddenly, startling her. "I thought his name was boring and that he was a pervert. I was just jealous." He waved it off.

  "I never thought I would say this, but I like that you care enough to be jealous. Mind you, I wouldn't want you going caveman on me, but I know what I did was wrong and you deserve to feel badly about it. I'm surprised you are taking this so well." Katherine looked at him with wonder.

  "I was devastated when I found out… and I still wonder what possessed you to take such a drastic measure."

  "You must think I move on quickly——"

  "Not at all!" he interrupted her. "It just seems so unlike you to just go on a date when you are clearly upset. And you said that your friends weren't taking you." He shook his head. He still couldn't understand and he hoped that she would explain to him.

  "I felt cheated on. I felt like you were going your merry way with your girlfriend while I was hurting and mourning the loss of our relationship. I wanted to know why I couldn't be like you and my ex. Why couldn't I move on and be fickle." Katherine sucked in a breath. "I really thought I would feel powerful if I could somehow be like that. I thought I would get back at you and show you how wrong you were. I could move on."

  He nodded. "That makes sense."

  "But you are still upset by it, aren't you?" she asked. "I wasn't doing it for myself. I was doing it for revenge. It would have never worked out."

  "At least you didn't call your ex. I know that a lot of people do that." The idea horrified him.

  "I think him slimy and completely disgusting. I wouldn't even touch him with a ten-foot pole if you gave me a million dollars." She shuddered, showing him exactly how she felt. He guffawed and patted her cheek.

  "Good to know. I won't let you look at others from now on," he proclaimed proudly.

  'Who would need to look at others when you have the face of an angel and the personality of a demon?' It was the best of both worlds, in her opinion.

  "Remind me to give Stephen a big hug when I meet him." Katherine owed him a lot more than that. Cage laughed.

  "Stephen is an affectionate person. He might just crush you if you offer a hug. Be careful."

  "Thank you for the phenomenal first date!" she said, smiling at him.

  "We fit well when we are just ourselves." His words were much needed.

  "Let's just be ourselves then. I enjoy your company thoroughly." She blew him a flying kiss. He tapped her lips with his finger.

  "My girl," he said.

  'Damn, I must be dreaming. He's making a claim on me?' Nothing was better than Cage telling her she was his girl.

  "Yours," she whispered. Cage kissed her again.

  By some twist of fate, she had gotten lucky enough to be with him. His intoxicating lips against hers were nothing she had ever imagined, even in her wildest dreams, but it had happened nonetheless. No, she wasn't going to lose him again.

  Being with him felt right. Like they were meant to be. Cage was hers and she was his. That was the way it was supposed to be——

  Contrary to what Katherine had thought, the emotional rollercoaster of a day ended with them in her bed, cuddled together.

  No, it wasn't a dream, that she was sure of. She had never had a dream so detailed, perfect and amazing. She could feel every touch, every kiss, and word he spoke into her ears. She spent eternity repeating them in her mind as they lay silently, him stroking her shoulder with his finger.

  Katherine reveled in the warmth of his embrace. Her fantasies were wild and most would say that nothing could surpass them, but she was confident that the moment she was in his arms, just chatting about life, reality trumped fantasy.

  Her own mind couldn't have cooked up the absolute sweetness of that night.

  Cage's soft lips moved on the back of her necks, making her m.o.a.n and push back against him. Though they wanted to, and it was plenty evident, they didn't go beyond kissing and petting each other affectionately.

  The wild attraction was there, but neither felt the need to take it fast or leap into a s.e.x.u.a.l relationship. They were happy to not have had s.e.x that night.

  But the next morning, Katherine woke up frustrated. She could feel his hard length pressed against her ass. It had been the case throughout the night, so she knew that it wasn't morning wood. They had eventually fallen asleep and she had awoken before him.

  She wanted to be naughty and tease him awake. If she had been so bold, she would have slid his pants off and taken him in her mouth and licked him until he awoke, disoriented and wondering why her soft lips were moving on his length. But she wouldn't do that.

  She squirmed in his embrace, feeling the weight of his arms. She giggled when he m.o.a.ned in his sleep and slowly awoke.

  Katherine could feel the ripple of his muscles as he stretched, coming back to embrace her immediately. "Mean," she heard him say in a husky voice. She giggled. "Stop," he groaned, feeling the sound shoot to his c.o.c.k.