Amplify (4 page)

After I changed clothes, I knew what I wanted. I wanted to try things with Cage... exclusively. The time and care I took beautifying myself would be wasted. It’d started raining and my hair was ruined by the time I got to my car. I hadn’t told anyone where I was going and it turned out to be the best decision I’d made that day.

I pulled through the gates of Cage’s estate and parked. I pressed a hand to my stomach to try to calm myself down, took three deep breaths, and opened the car door.

I made my way up to his door, the rain soaking me as I stood in front of it. I decided instead of just walking in, this would be one of those times it was better to ring the bell. Boy, was I right.

Carina opened the door, hair wet, and naked except for one of Cage’s white button-down shirts.

Are you fucking kidding me?
was my first thought.
Bastard
was the second. My heart sank when the blonde smiled at me, looking as if she belonged there. And she probably did—more than I did.

"Can I help you?" she asked.

I shook my head, my rain-soaked hair sticking to my face.

"No. You certainly can’t." Just then Cage walked down the hallway. He glanced over and stopped dead in his tracks, hair wet, and wearing nothing but the clichéd pair of lounge pants.

When I felt the first tear slide down my cheek I damned it—and him.

"Sera—" he called out, but there was no way in hell I was hanging out to hear whatever bullshit excuse he was going to come up with for fucking another woman when the sheets weren’t even cold from him fucking
me
.

I slammed my car door and peeled out just as Cage came to the door. He shouted, I don’t know what, I couldn’t hear him over the breaking of my heart. Besides the exchange of emails regarding security, I didn’t talk to him for over a month—not until we went on tour and I had to. We both went on as if nothing had happened. He tried to get me to talk about it at first, but I refused. Eventually he gave up and the awkwardness dissipated. The hurt didn’t, though.

I hadn’t asked for exclusivity and he hadn’t made any promises. It just... was. I should have told him I wanted more. I should have asked him if he wanted more. So many woulda, shoulda, coulda moments but it was too late. And he went on with his fuck buddy "arrangement" with Carina while I pretended it didn’t matter. I’m very good at pretending—until I can’t anymore. Like now.

I scramble to my feet and run to the nearest bathroom and proceed to vomit up my breakfast. Cage lets out a litany of curses as he holds my hair away from my face and rubs my back. When I finish heaving, I rest my head against the cold porcelain. It feels so good against my overheated skin. Then Cage presses a cool cloth to my face, wiping away the beads of sweat and the tears that I didn’t realize were flowing.

"Fee, are you okay?"

I nod.

"I mean it.
Are you okay?"

Opening my eyes, I meet his gaze. So many emotions are clouding his: fear, concern, suspicion.

"I’ll be alright."

When he takes my phone out of the pocket of his lounge pants and hands it to me, I’m not surprised. He always plans ahead. I scroll through my contacts list and hit the green button.

"Good morning, Dr. Brickner’s office. This is Jolene. How can I help you today?" Wow, she’s perky but, thankfully, not loud enough that Cage can hear her.

"I’d like to make an appointment with the doctor."

"Alright. Let’s just get your information."

I give her my name, birth date, and phone number. When she asks, "Reason for visit?" I hesitate.

"I haven’t been feeling well for about three weeks now and I just can’t hold very much food down. I saw a doctor in Denver a week or so ago who said it would get better with time but it really isn’t." Vague. It works.

She lowers her tone. "Is there any chance you could be pregnant?"

I hesitate again and meet Cage’s gaze. He’s watching me closely and I give him a small smile then look away.

"Yes."

"Okay, that explains things. Morning sickness can be very troublesome to many women. Let me put you on hold while I ask when she can fit you in, Sera."

"Thanks."

I look at Cage and roll my eyes. "I’m on hold. She’s going to ask the doctor to squeeze me in."

He nods. "Good." He folds his arms, that damn frown line between his brows hasn’t eased up since we came in this room. Shit.

The other line picks up and I perk up.

"Looks like she can squeeze you in around four-thirty today."

"That sounds great, Jolene."

"Be sure to bring in any paperwork or records they gave you in Denver."

"I can do that."

"Great. I’ll see you later today, Sera. Try a little ginger ale and maybe some saltines or ginger snaps. I’m not sure what it is about ginger but my daughter swore by it when she was pregnant with my grandson."

"Thank you. I’ll try that. See you later today."

I hang up and sag back against the wall, closing my eyes, totally drained from this morning’s vomiting festivities.

"She said they can squeeze me in at four-thirty. How long are we going to be at the studio?" I ask, looking up at him.

"That doesn’t matter. I’ll have someone available to take you to the doctor."

"I can get myself there, I just need security with me." The last thing I need is one of Cage’s drivers telling him I went to see the gynecologist instead of the family doctor. I’m not ready to confront the situation. I just don’t have the strength—and, in all honesty, I’m afraid of his reaction.

He nods. "You’ll need multiple cars anyway to get the hoard there."

I smirk. "There
are
a lot of us. We should just get one of those extra long hummer limos. That’d be so sweet."

"It’d also be very flashy and would draw a lot of unwanted attention," he tells me with a smirk of his own.

"Boo. Party pooper."

He chuckles. "One of us has to be practical."

"Well, I’m certainly glad it’s you. Now, could you help me up? My legs feel like limp noodles."

Cage nods and scoops me up. "Where to?"

"Your bathroom so I can brush my teeth again?"

He nods and presses a kiss to my forehead. "I wish there was something I could do to help you, Fee."

I rest my head on his shoulder as he walks down the hallway. "You’re doing it."

I quickly brush my teeth and he scoops me back up, walking toward the bed.

"It’s not enough."

"It’s exactly enough."

He sighs as he stretches out and pulls me on top of him. I know he has so many things he should be doing right now, but he’s here, taking care of me.

"It’s everything," I whisper as I fall asleep to the cadence of his heart and the gentle touch of his hand rubbing my back.

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Y
ou by The Pretty Reckless

It’s Not Just Me by Rascal Flatts

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I
FIGURED IT WOULDN’T TAKE
long for her to fall asleep. I’m feeling so fucking helpless and there’s not a damn thing I can do about it. At least I convinced her to go to the doctor. Thank fuck she finally agreed.

She’s so thin, my Fee. That’s how I’ve come to think of her—not that she’d know that and I’m not ready to tell her. We’re finally back to a pretty good place after the fuck up that she won’t discuss. I knew it the minute she walked up to the tour bus. She had that damn shield up, the one that’s like impenetrable steel—no, titanium. Good luck getting through that.

But we’ve made some progress. We’re almost where we were before—almost. God, what I’d give to bury myself inside her. That night is one I won’t ever forget.

Sera moans in her sleep and I go back to trailing my fingertips up and down her back. She instantly settles back to a peaceful sleep. She needs this. She hasn’t been sleeping well and then factor in all the throwing up she’s been doing—it’s not good.

I know she’s keeping something from me. I saw it in her eyes—the deceit—and she knows I saw it. Normally if someone lies to me, they’re instantly written off and kicked out of my life, but if Sera’s keeping a secret, it’s for a good reason. She’ll tell me when she’s ready.

My mind keeps circling around her illness. I’ve never seen anyone so sick and when I discussed it with Damian, he told me the only time he’s ever seen someone sick like this for so long is when they were diagnosed with cancer, poisoned, or pregnant. None of those possibilities are good ones. The first and second would kill her and the third would kill
me
.

If she’s pregnant, the baby can’t be mine. We used condoms the first few times, but she told me she was on the birth control shot so we didn’t use any the last four or five times. Unless by some miracle the shot she got stopped being effective—Fuck. That means either she lied to me—which she never does—or she slept with someone else after her shot was ineffective, making the baby someone else’s. The thought has my jaw clenching.
Fuck.

No one should touch her but me and I’ll kill the son of a bitch who didn’t take care of her like he should have. The only one I can think of that she’s even been close to, other than me, has been Ben.

I clench my fist. Ben Kingston. I see the way they are together. The flirting and touching—the damn touching. When he pulled her flush against his body outside the diner that day on the tour, I wanted to punch him in the face—or shoot him. Damian held me back from doing either one.

It’s almost time to wake her up to get ready to go to work. She’s got another half hour but she’s restless. She whispers my name, so softly and full of emotion it touches me deep inside.

"You’re alright, Fee. I’ve got you. I’ve got you."

I guess we’ll find out one way or the other this afternoon. I just want my girl to get better. No matter what it takes.

––––––––

N
eed You Now by Lady Antebellum

You Shouldn’t Kiss Me Like This by Toby Keith

How Dare You by Sarah Darling

––––––––

I
’M PUTTING THE FINISHING
touches on my makeup and when I turn around, Cage is lounging against the doorjamb again, watching me.

"What?" I ask.

"Nothing," he replies with a shake of his head. He walks into the room and reaches into his cabinet for his cologne as I’m walking out of the room. I gather my things and put them into my purse, taking a couple Tylenol to help with the twinge in my side. My mouth goes dry when Cage exits the bathroom in his charcoal gray suit, the smell of pine and Cage surrounding me. Holy hell. My libido leaps to life and within seconds I’m all but panting. So not good.

"Cage?" I ask, watching him check his phone.

"Hmm?" he asks absentmindedly.

"What type of cologne is that?" I want to know—I need to know what the name of the scent is that’s nearly driving me to my knees, sending moisture between my thighs, and has me a hairs-breadth away from jumping Cage as he innocently checks his messages.

He rattles off a name and looks at me with a raised brow. "Why?"

"Oh, no reason." Lies. All lies. There’s a very big reason. A reason that has me inching closer to him and inhaling discretely—at least I hope it’s discretely.

Oh God. I can’t handle it. Pregnancy hormones are making me horny and I can’t seem to get a grip.

"Are you alright, Fee?"

"Uh-huh," I respond, biting back the moan as I squeeze my thighs together. What a day to be wearing a mini skirt.

"You’re looking a little flushed," Cage says worriedly.

"Uh..." I can’t form a coherent sentence while he looks at me like that. He’s studying me so closely, his eyes focused on me, and I can’t look away even though I know I should, because soon, very soon, he’s going to realize—

A brow lifts and his mouth kicks up in a half smile.

—realize that I’m aroused and want him so badly I can’t breathe.

"Sera." His eyes darken when I lick my lips.

I raise my own brow.

"What’s going on?" he asks.

I shrug. Truthfully, I don’t know. I’m like someone possessed and in need of an orgasm—stat! For real, I need to come. I can feel myself hovering on the brink and if I don’t get a release before we get to the studio, I’m going to be the bitchiest person on the planet. I should go to the bathroom and masturbate, just relieve this ache, and then we can be on our way.