THE WEEK I moved in with Kage was the greatest seven days of my life. Well, six. I was comatose on the first.

This time, instead of flying, I had to drive the Rover to its new home, loaded down with all of my belongings that were important enough to take. Kage assured me that all I needed was myself and my clothes and that we’d buy anything else I wanted. I was getting used to having a rich boyfriend, even though it still made me feel a little bit guilty.

When I arrived in Vegas, I was exhausted. I took a shower and then promptly fell asleep, barely pausing to give Kage a kiss and a hug. The knowledge that I was here to stay took away the sense of urgency we’d had on our last visit.

After I woke up the next day, it was a different story. Kage set everything else in his life aside, and we had a glorious four-day marathon of sex, room service, and movies.

At one point, Steve showed up at our door, having made himself an elevator key that carried him all the way to the penthouse floor. Kage answered the door in boxers with a scowl on his face.

“Where’s Jamie?” Steve asked with no preamble.

“Right here,” I called from my blanket cocoon on the sofa.

Steve tried to come inside, but Kage blocked his entry. “You’re not coming in here, Steve. And stop making elevator keys for yourself. You know I hate that.”

“But I want to see Jamie,” Steve whined. “It’s been eons.”

“You can see him when I’m done with him,” Kage said, and he shut the door in Steve’s face.

“I’m not giving up,” Steve yelled through the door before he retreated back downstairs to clock in for work.

Kage took me downstairs the next day and let me follow him around like a little puppy while he worked. I ran into Mark Gladstone in the lobby and tried to hide my revulsion.

“Are you coming to work with us again?” he asked.

“Sort of.” Kage and I had not discussed exactly how we were going to work me into the mix now that I was going to be living with him. Even though we had been careless around the Alcazar, Kage still wasn’t out to the public.

“Maybe now that the old man is dead you can get an office,” Mark said with his usual tact.

“I doubt it,” I said. “I don’t think I’ll be working down here too much.”

“Well, maybe we could go out for a drink again sometime. That is, if the boss man has loosened his leash on you.”

“Oh, I think his leash will be tighter than ever,” I said, enjoying being mysterious.

Kage came up behind me and tugged on the strands of my choker that were hanging down beneath my shirt. “Very tight,” he said, using the strands to reel me up against him.

“We could all go out,” Mark said with a shrug. “Pick up some chicks.”

“Maybe in a few weeks,” Kage said with a laugh. “Jamie needs to get settled in.”

“Alright, let me know,” Mark said over his shoulder as he ducked back into his office area behind the front desk.

I turned to Kage, astonished. “Did I just enter the Twilight Zone? Why is Mark Gladstone being cool to us? And why does he seem to know more than he should?”

“I’m the boss now,” Kage said. “He likes his job.”

“Huh,” I grunted. “And he called me brown-nose.”

After I’d been living with Kage for nearly a month, he looked down at me with a mischievous grin as we cuddled naked on the sofa, my head resting in his lap.

“I’ve got a little surprise for you, college boy. I’m taking you out tomorrow. On a real date.”

“In public?” I asked, shock and elation warring within me.

“Yep,” he said. “I have the whole day planned out for us, but I’m not telling you what we’re doing. You’ll just have to wait.”

I frowned, feeling a little nervous. “We’re not going skydiving, are we?”

Kage laughed. “Not what I had in mind, but if you’d rather…”

“No. Whatever you have planned is fine as long as it’s not life-threatening.” I reconsidered for a moment and said, “Hell, I don’t care if it’s life-threatening or not. You’ve been working too hard lately, and I need some one-on-one time.”

Kage ran his fingers through my hair and looked wistfully down at me. “Sorry about that. Let me make it up to you tomorrow. I promise no lives will be threatened.”

The next day, Kage took me out shopping for clothes. Then he surprised me with a visit to the spa, where we had a two-hour couples massage followed by an herbal soak.

The hot tub room was dark and cool, and it contained four sunken tubs lined with small tiles. The light spilling in from the hallway illuminated just enough that we could see where each tub was located. Four thick plumes of steam wafted gently toward the ceiling.

We slipped out of our fluffy white robes, and the attendant assigned us each a tub. Then he sprinkled an aromatic blend of herbs into the water and placed a thick white towel on the floor beside each tub.

“There’s a bottle of scented oil here if you’d like to add it to your bath. When you’re finished, just dry off and slip back into your robes. Drop your towels in the hamper at the door, then go back to your massage room, where you’ll get your final half hour massage.” He turned back at the last minute. “This door locks automatically when it closes. Someone will knock in thirty minutes to let you know it’s time.”

As soon as the attendant left the room, Kage hopped out of his tub and joined me in mine. He waded through the water until he was sitting right beside me, close enough that I could see he was wearing nothing but a smile.

“I think he meant for you to stay in your tub,” I said, my breath catching in my throat.

“I’m a rebel,” he said quietly. Then he leaned in and pressed his lips to mine, making me wonder for the hundredth time how lips could be soft and firm at the same time. It was one of the many mysteries I had yet to solve about Kage.

He worked his mouth slowly against mine, teasing me with fleeting kisses that drove me mad with anticipation. Over and over he captured my lips between his and released, working unhurriedly from side to side, making sure that every inch of my mouth was thoroughly ravished.

Just when I thought the sweet torture would go on forever, he pulled back and looked at me, his eyes glittering in the dark. “I love you, Jamie. I’m sorry I’ve been so preoccupied lately. I’ll try to do better, okay?”

“Okay,” I whispered.

“Do you forgive me?”

I moved my face closer to his until there was only a breath of space between our lips. “I will if you keep kissing me like that.”

He growled and kissed me again, but this time he was more insistent, coaxing a moan out of me. When I parted my lips, he found my tongue with his. I felt his hand at the back of my head, his wet fingers sliding through my hair and grabbing on, pulling gently until I gave in and threw my head back. He attacked my bared throat with his hungry mouth, sucking on my Adam’s apple, then slipping his tongue into the hollow below.

I gasped. “Are you going to fuck me in here?”

“Wild horses couldn’t keep me from it.”

He bent his head low, leaned me back, and took one of my nipples into his mouth just as it crested the surface of the water. He pinched the other nipple between his fingers and pinched hard just as he bit down on the first.

The sound that tore out of me was part groan, part growl, and it was loud enough that Kage stopped pinching my nipple and covered my mouth with his hand.

“You know I love it when you make noise, baby. But if someone comes in here while we’re fucking, I’m not going to stop. So unless you want to take a walk of shame out of this place, I suggest you try to keep it down.”

“I can’t,” I panted when he uncovered my mouth. “Not when you’re doing that to me.”

“Awww, I’m sorry, baby.” His lips stretched into a lecherous grin that was anything but sorry. “You want me to go easy on you?”

I nodded frantically, hoping he wouldn’t believe me. If there was one thing I never wanted him to do, it was go easy on me. I would gladly take a walk of shame if it meant I got the full, unfettered Michael Kage experience.

To my delight, he did not disappoint.

He pulled me up and spun me around, bending me over the side of the tub until my ass was just clear of the water. Then he grabbed the bottle of scented oil, filled his palm with the stuff, and began working it into my ass with first one finger, then two. Soon it became clear that he wasn’t just trying to get me slick. He was trying to steal my sanity.

He worked those two thick fingers expertly in and out of me until I was rocking back onto them with every thrust and mewling like a mindless animal. The water bubbled and rolled around my legs, adding to my sensory overload.

Dropping gentle kisses onto my spine, Kage reamed me hard with his fingers down below. “You like getting fucked by my fingers, Jamie?”

“Yes,” I said, the word echoing in the tiled room.

“Then let’s try three. Do you think you can take three of my big fingers in your tight little ass?”

I nodded and swallowed hard, tensing against the burn as he added more oil worked the third one up inside me.

“God, Kage,” I choked out when he had me filled beyond what I thought I could handle. My breaths came fast and shallow as he twisted his fingers, moving them in and out of me and setting a steady rhythm that had my ass throbbing and my cock straining for release.

“Does that feel good, baby?” he asked, not letting up.

“So good,” I gasped. “I’m about to lose it. I’m gonna come.”

He stopped moving and pulled his fingers out of me. “As much as I love seeing you squirm on my fingers, I want you to come with my cock inside you instead.”

I took several deep breaths, fortifying myself for what was about to come. My ass was burning, but I wanted him there again. I collapsed onto the edge of the tub, waiting. And when he pushed his cock into me and started stroking, I clawed at the rough surface of the floor and whimpered with every thrust. With my ass tender from the brutal finger fucking, it felt like he was tearing me apart from the inside out. But Jesus Christ, it was what I needed. What I craved.

When we came, it was in unison, and then we cuddled in the rolling bubbles, touching and kissing until a knock on the door snapped us out of our watery heaven.

“Time to get our final rub down,” Kage said, and I thought no one had ever sounded less disappointed at the prospect of getting a massage.

By the time we got to the restaurant, I was loose and boneless, with the tingle of endorphins prickling my limbs. I was practically dozing on my feet, lucid dreaming the perfect life. I don’t think a bomb threat could have alarmed me.

“You look happy,” Kage said, looking pretty damn satisfied himself.

“I am,” I admitted. “Terribly, ridiculously happy. Do you know how long I’ve been waiting for this?”

“Yes, I do. I can’t believe we’re finally living together. We should have celebrated earlier, though. This day has been amazing. ” He reached under the table and rubbed my thigh, running his fingers all the way up to my crotch. In a rare goofy moment, he growled like a tiger and squeezed my crotch. “What do you say we go fuck in the bathroom?”

“Damn, you’re insatiable.” I rolled my eyes, feigning annoyance. “Besides, this isn’t the bus station, Kage. They probably have a security team in there to keep people from stealing the solid gold toilet seats.”

I was playing hard to get, because if I didn’t we really would end up fucking in the bathroom. I already had visions of it playing in my mind, and it was hot. In fact, maybe it wasn’t such a bad idea. I thought I could probably go again.

“You’re no fun.” His features scrunched up into a flirty pout that was so out of place on him it made me laugh.

“Did we switch personalities tonight?” I asked.

“I’m fucking happy. Sue me.” Leaning back in his chair, he struck a seductively relaxed pose and watched me, his eyelids languid with desire. “You are so perfect. How in the world did I get so lucky? Meeting you at that fight in Atlanta is the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”

It had been a long time since Kage had made me blush, but my face got really hot, and I had to look away. He thought he was lucky? Anyone with eyes and half a brain could see I was the lucky one in this relationship. The odds of a guy like me ending up with a guy like him were astronomical, and yet here I was, getting praised by a sex god who also happened to have a heart of gold. The fact that he also had a dark streak a mile wide just made him that much hotter.

“You’re just trying to flatter me into that bathroom, aren’t you?” I accused.

“Is it working?”

“Not sure yet. Do it some more and we’ll see.”

Our food was served then. Scallops and lobster in a buttery tarragon sauce. We ate like it was ambrosia. I don’t know if the food was really that good, or if the magical night just made it seem that way.

“This meal is absolutely out of this world,” I said, popping the last scallop into my mouth and groaning. “We need to get Enzo to learn this recipe.”

Kage was about to reply when a man came up and approached us at our table.

“Hi, Kage,” he said, smiling. “I’m a huge fan of yours. Would you mind if I got a picture?”

The guy was staying low-key, otherwise he might have been kicked out. I didn’t imagine the management in a restaurant that fancy would have tolerated the harassment of their guests.

“I guess so,” Kage said reluctantly. “Just make it quick, okay? And no autographs. We’re just trying to have a quiet dinner.”

“No problem.” The guy raised his phone and took a picture of both Kage and me. “Thanks, Kage. See you around, Jamie.”

I expected him to return to his own table, but instead he took off toward the front door. The breakneck pace he set through the dining room was suggestive of escaping rather than leaving.

Kage looked at me, his brows drawn together. “Did that seem a little odd to you?”

“Yeah, it did. I thought he’d want a selfie with you. And how the hell did he know my name? I’m not a celebrity.”

“Weird.” He put his napkin back in his lap and shook his head. “Oh, well. Let’s forget about him and finish our date. If anyone else comes up wanting to chit-chat, I’ll just threaten to call security.”

We finished our meal with slightly less zeal than before. I couldn’t stop thinking about the strange interruption. How had the guy known my name? Why hadn’t he gotten in the picture? I had my suspicions, but I didn’t want to consciously acknowledge them. Mostly I was just pissed because the guy had interrupted one of the best nights I could ever remember having.

After we drank a couple of spiked espresso drinks, Kage settled up, and we left. On the way out, we passed the hostess, who had left the podium in the foyer unattended. Apparently being alone was too much of a temptation for Kage to pass up, because he pushed me against the inside of the doorway and stole a quick kiss.

“Thank you for this day,” I said when he pulled back. “For making me feel so special.”

“You are special,” he said. “I should remind you of that more often.”

He pushed open the door, and we stepped out onto the sidewalk, both of us smiling. But before the door even closed behind us, we were assaulted by camera flashes. Four men blocked our path to the valet, shooting photos of us and trying to yell over each other.

Fucking paparazzi.

It reminded me of the photos I had seen of Kage and Vanessa during their fake engagement. Only it was a different restaurant, our relationship wasn’t fake, and this photo op wasn’t planned to get press. This was a real invasion of privacy, and it had happened at the worst time.

“Where’s Vanessa?” one man yelled. “Did you two break up, or were you ever really together?”

Another asked, “Kage, are you gay?”

Boy, they weren’t pulling any punches, were they? The sheer audacity of their questions was stunning.

“Are you and Jamie an item?” the third asked. It was the same guy who had approached us in the restaurant. The one who had a close-up picture of us having a romantic dinner together.

Holy fuck, this was bad. A few pedestrians had stopped to see what was going on, and Kage threw up a hand to hide his face. I did the same, knowing that hiding our faces at this point was useless.

The second man repeated his question, only louder this time. “Kage, are you gay?”

Kage grabbed me by the hand without thinking and hauled me along behind him down the sidewalk, shouldering through the men, who had the good sense to scramble to get out of the way when they realized we weren’t stopping.

“Don’t you have something better to do than ruin someone’s dinner?” Kage bellowed over his shoulder as we made our getaway.

The assholes continued to snap pictures and make rude comments while we waited for the valet to bring the Rover around.

“Everybody’s gonna know tomorrow,” one of the reporters said. “You might as well answer our questions.”

“Do you think the UFC will understand?” another asked. “Aren’t you afraid of losing your contract?”

“Can you give me Vanessa Hale’s phone number?” one of them asked.

Finally, the valet showed up with the Rover, and Kage practically tossed him out of his way to get into the driver’s seat. We clicked the doors shut and locked them, breathing heavily and staring at each other in alarm. Thank goodness the windows were tinted dark.

“Fuck!” Kage slammed his palms hard on the steering wheel and then peeled away from the curb, wincing at the unintentional squeal of the tires.

“It’s okay, Kage. Calm down and think about it. Those lowlife assholes don’t actually have anything on you. Just because two men share a nice meal together, that doesn’t mean they’re sleeping together. They have no proof. They’re just throwing shit out there and hoping something sticks.”

“You don’t get it,” he said.

“Then explain it to me,” I coaxed gently, trying to ignore the pounding of my own heart. Fear had gripped me from head to toe, but I was determined to try to put Kage’s mind at ease.

“I’m not worried that they’re onto us, Jamie. And I’m not scared of coming out as gay. I’m just pissed that I didn’t do it sooner. This is no way for the world to find out. You deserve better.” He looked frantic as he attempted to change lanes, nearly swiping the front end of the car he’d just passed. “I didn’t know what to say when they put me on the spot, and I panicked. I choked like a little bitch. Fuck!”

A horn honked outside as the car Kage had nearly hit whizzed by us. The driver hung his middle out of the window and screamed something unintelligible.

“I ought to hit him,” Kage growled, putting his own window down and screaming, “Kiss my ass, you petty fucking asshole. Come stick that finger in my face and let me break it off for you.” He raised the window and glanced over at me, his eyes bright with mania.

“Maybe I should go back and make an official statement.” He hit the steering wheel again. “Dammit, I should have just kissed you. I should have laid one on you, then smiled and said, Yeah, I’m gay. This is my boyfriend, Jamie. Have a nice night. Why didn’t I do that?”

“Calm down,” I told him, terrified at seeing him so unhinged. “You’re upset, and this is not the time to make rash decisions. They just surprised is, that’s all. You can’t expect to do the perfect thing in every situation, especially when your career and your reputation are on the line.”

“No excuses, Jamie. I fucked up. Instead of handling it like a man, I wimped out on you. But I swear to God—”

He didn’t finish his sentence, and I figured that was best. We rode the rest of the way home in silence, and when we got there, Kage refused to come to bed with me. I tried my best to make him feel better, but nothing I said seemed to get through to him. He was convinced that he had somehow done me wrong, and it killed me to see him beating himself up over it.

“I have some work to do,” he said, his voice flat and emotionless. “You go on to bed and get a movie cued up. I’ll be in after a while.”

I watched several episodes of Family Guy, but for once I didn’t laugh. I waited and waited, but Kage never came to bed. I was too nervous to go out and check on him, afraid I’d piss him off even worse. When I got thirsty, I went into the bathroom and drank lukewarm tap water out one of those miniature paper mouthwash cups. Eventually, I gave up and fell asleep, and when I got up around noon, he was gone.