“I’m so sorry I didn’t say it sooner, baby. Trust me, I wanted to.” My hands grip his wrists on either side of my head and I give him a watery smile. “It has killed me to not say it back to you. Every time you said it and I made myself keep quiet, I was ripping my own heart out, and every time your face dropped when I didn’t return the words, I knew I was slowly tearing you up inside. I didn’t want you to think I was saying it because of the cancer or the chemo, because that doesn’t even factor in. When I finally said it, I wanted you to know that I was saying it because I fell in love with you all over again. Every day I want you to know how much I love you. I don’t want you to ever walk away from me or hang up the phone and think that I don’t love you just as much—if not more—than you love me, because I do. You’re my heart, Laney.”

  His words are like a soothing balm to my aching chest and warmth settles throughout my body. “I love you, too—so much. And please don’t be sorry,” I tell him as his hand darts out, wiping away my tears. “I knew you loved me. Even without the words, I knew it. I saw it every time you looked at me and felt it every time you touched me. There wasn’t a doubt in my mind that you felt the same way, but it’s still really great to finally hear.” My lips meet his. “Say it again,” I whisper, then bury my face into the side of his neck. His arms circle around me and he rubs a hand down my head.

  “I love you.” He kisses my temple. “I love you so much.” He kisses my other temple. “I love you more.” His fingers lift my face and he kisses my nose. “I love you always.” He kisses my lips, and this time it’s ravenous and full of possession. This time his mouth dominates mine, his tongue pushing and demanding. My hands make their way to his hair, and he swallows my growl when I realize there is no hair for me to grip.

  “I need you, Levi.” My voice is gravelly and sounds foreign to my own ears. He moves to unbutton his shirt and I stop his movements. “What are you doing?”

  “I’m going to get naked and make love to you.”

  “No,” I state firmly, cocking my head. “You’re going to leave your clothes on and start where you left off.”

  “But I wasn’t going to make love to you, Laney,” he says with a touch of regret. “I was going to fuck you.” My eyes light up and he laughs, seemingly dumbfounded by my reaction. “I’m not sure I can, baby. The moment shifted and I feel bad fucking you after I just told you I love you.” Okay . . . well, that was sweet of him to say, but right now I need him to get over it and claim me.

  “And I love you for that. But in my eyes, we’ve been making love every night, and right now I want you to—” My words drift off because I’m not a fan of the word, but it seems to be the only word that will fit. Levi laughs because he understands my hesitation.

  “Fuck. You want me to fuck you.” I smile and nod, and I’m sure I look like a darn bobble head, but I don’t care. This is my man, and I want him. “Laney—”

  Desperate times call for desperate measures. His words cut off when I plunge my hand between my legs, and he watches with rapt attention as my fingers swirl around my clit before diving inside. My eyes close and my head drifts back, and within seconds my hand is ripped from between my legs and replaced by Levi’s hot mouth.

  With his face buried between my legs, his tongue swirls and lips suck while his fingers torment me with their movements. My body is already strung so tight from earlier that it only takes him minutes before he has me spiraling off into the abyss. He nips the inside of my thigh, causing me to squirm, and then he lifts his face. His mouth is glistening, and all I can manage is a lazy smile because my bones have turned to liquid and my body is incapable of any other movements.

  My legs are dangling as Levi steps back. Under lowered lashes, he watches me as his fingers swiftly unbutton his shirt. It falls behind him in a heap on the floor.

  “Finish it,” he demands, fighting back a smile.

  “Finish what? You’re doing a pretty good job as it is.”

  “Finish undressing me.”

  “Say please,” I say in a sing-song voice. Levi furrows his brow as though he’s thinking about his answer.

  “Not gonna happen. Get down here and undress me.”

  “My pleasure,” I giggle, hopping off the bar, not caring at all that he didn’t use the magic word. I love this controlling side of Levi because I also know the softer side of him, and I know that he would never disrespect or debase me in any way.

  Levi toes off his socks and shoes, pulls a condom out of his pocket and then I make quick work of removing his pants. When they tumble to the floor, his thick cock bobs heavily in front of me. “Since when do you go commando?”

  “Since you. Get in the cage, Laney.” His words stop me cold and I peek over his shoulder. The steel cage that normally hangs from the ceiling is sitting in the middle of the floor. How did I not notice that earlier?

  My heart swells when I realize what he’s doing, and I love him that much more for it. Without hesitation, I follow his command and make my way toward the cage. The heavy door is open and I step inside, instantly feeling like I’ve stepped into some sort of burlesque show.

  My gaze roams the cage. There is nothing but steel bars and a red leather bench against the backside. Sexy. That’s the only word that fits this cage . . . it looks sexy, and it makes me feel sexy.

  Reaching out, I glide my fingers across the cool metal bars then grip the one above my head and arch my back. Levi’s gaze rakes over the length of my body and he stalks toward me. “I want to tie you up in here.”

  “Okay,” I reply, giving him a sensual smile. The thought of being tied up does nothing but turn me on more, if that’s even possible.

  “But not tonight. Tonight it’s just us and this cage.” He swallows hard. “Turn around, Laney.” My body follows his command without question, and his chest presses into my back. His hands find mine and he guides my fingers to the bars in front of me. “Don’t let go.” I nod, the anticipation building so thick in my throat that I’m completely unable to speak. My heart is racing, but it’s the kind of racing that makes me feel alive. “I don’t care what happens,” he says at the same time I hear the condom wrapper tear open. “You don’t let go.”

  “I won’t let go.” My words come out scratchy from my dry throat, and I turn my face into my arm and cough several times before righting myself.

  Levi kisses my shoulder. “Are you okay?”

  “Better than ever.” And isn’t that the truth. It doesn’t matter that toxic chemicals are swimming through my veins, or that I could have cells inside of my body trying to destroy everything that I am. All that matters is what’s happening right here and right now, and that I know this man will own every part of me through this life and well into the next.

  Levi is hot and throbbing against my lower back and I push against him, encouraging him to take me. But this is Levi, and we always do things in his way and in his time. His hands travel softly and slowly down both of my arms, skimming past the sides of my chest. His left hand grazes my left breast and I close my eyes, enjoying the sweet caress. Strong fingers wrap around the left side of my waist while his right hand travels down the outside of my thigh then makes its way up the inside. His long fingers stop to tease my entrance before they plunge inside of me.

  “I love that you’re always ready for me, Laney. It’s fucking hot, knowing that I do this to you.” My head drops forward as I suck in a breath, trying desperately to slow my body down, because if he keeps saying the things he’s saying, I’m going to explode way too soon. “I want you, Laney. So fucking bad.” Levi’s fingers twist, rubbing the swollen spot that is sure to make me squirm.

  “Oh God,” I grunt, my eyes rolling back into my head. My hands want nothing more than to reach behind me and touch Levi, but I’m afraid that if I move, he’ll stop—and I do not want him to stop. My body writhes against his. “Now, Levi,” I pant, needing him inside of me.

  A low rumble emanates from his throat as he removes his fingers and guides himself to my entrance. My body acts on its own accord as I thrust my hips back at the same time he slams into me, burying himself to the hilt.

  “Fuck,” he grunts, holding my hips still. My hands are gripped tightly around the bars, my knuckles turning white, and I use the grip for leverage. His body starts moving, pounding into me, and with each thrust he burrows himself deeper and deeper. I prop my foot up on the bench, opening myself up to him, and with one hand on my hip, he slides the other around to the front, rubbing tight circles around my clit. My breath hitches, and each time he slams into me, my body catapults closer to the edge. Levi wraps his hand around the front of my neck, cradling my chin in his fingers and tilting my head up. My neck and back are stretched about as far as they can go, but I don’t fight it because I feel sexier now than I’ve ever felt in my entire life.

  I hum low in my throat as Levi trails hot, wet kisses down the back of my neck, and I shiver when he blows over the damp skin. My body clenches, squeezing him tight, and he lets out a string of unintelligible words. My head drops back to his shoulder and his hand finds my breast, his fingers twisting and pinching my aching nipple. My lips part and I beg to let go of the cage, but Levi’s answer is a firm slap to the ass that does nothing but ignite the fire that’s already smoldering inside of me. My body tenses against his and when he spanks me again, that fire turns into a blazing inferno. His thrusts continue as my body quivers and jerks around his. His cock slides in and out of me, and I swear I can feel every single inch of him. “Levi.” His name is nothing more than a hoarse plea.

  “Hold on, baby. I’ve got you.” A strong arm wraps around my stomach, holding me up. My legs are heavy and feel like limp noodles, and I’m certain that if Levi lets go of me, I’ll fall flat on my ass. Within seconds, Levi is groaning out his own release. His body goes slack against mine, and I release my grip on the cage, draping my arms around the back of his neck. He nuzzles his face into me, peppering kisses anywhere he can get his mouth. “You mean everything to me, Lane,” he murmurs. “I don’t ever want to lose you.”

  Moving forward, I dislodge Levi from my body, instantly missing the feel of him inside of me. But right now, this is more important. Turning in his arms, I hold him close. “You’re never going to lose me, Levi,” I whisper. “Never. Do you hear me?”

  His arms lock around my back, and the only response I receive is a trembling nod into the side of my neck. It’s the only response I need because some moments are simply too big for words, and this is one of them.

  TWO HOURS AND FORTY-FIVE minutes . . . that’s how long I’ve been watching her sleep. I’m worried sick about her, but she keeps playing it off, saying that she’s okay. Laney has been coughing for the last three weeks. She’s even missed several days of work, and despite the over-the-counter medications, she isn’t getting any better. Her cough started out light and she said it was just a tickle, but I’ve noticed that it’s progressively gotten worse.

  Her coughing fit at four o’clock this morning startled the shit out of me. Surprisingly, it didn’t wake her up, but I watched as her body curled in on itself, her lungs sputtering with hacks and wheezes. Thankfully, it only lasted a couple of minutes because I was seconds away from waking her. I hated to do that though, since she hasn’t been sleeping well as it is and I knew that if I woke her up, she wouldn’t fall back asleep.

  So here I am, watching her like some sort of lunatic stalker because I’m nervous and I need to reassure myself that she’s okay . . . that she’s still here. My phone buzzes on the nightstand and I grab it, wondering who in their right mind would be calling me at nearly seven o’clock in the morning. Mason’s name lights up my screen and almost instantly my heart starts pounding inside my chest. Mason doesn’t get up this early—let alone call me this early—so I answer it, knowing that something must be wrong. “What’s up, Mase?” As quietly as possible, I slip from the bed and walk into the kitchen, not wanting to disturb Laney.

  “Brady called. Everything’s a go.” A rush of air pushes from my lungs and a stupid-ass smile overtakes my face.

  “I seriously thought you were calling to tell me something bad happened, bro.” I spin around in a circle, running my hand over the top of my head, anxiously wanting to tell someone the good news. With everything that’s been going on, I forgot that Mason had called Brady and Mark to accept their offer to invest.

  “I’m calling early because we have to head to Nashville to sign the contracts and okay the building they selected. We need to leave tomorrow.”

  “I can’t, Mason. I can’t go tomorrow.” My mind starts racing as I think of everything I have to do, the most important of which is going with Laney to her chemo treatment tomorrow.

  “Why the fuck not?” he growls.

  “Laney has chemo tomorrow. I have to be there, Mase. Can we go on Saturday?” I ask hopefully, cringing when a string of profanity flies from Mason’s mouth. Several weeks ago, Laney and I sat down over dinner and told my brother about her cancer. It was a hard conversation to have, and not just because of the subject matter. Mason and Laney have always been close. She’s like a sister to him, and it tore him apart to hear what she’s been going through. Since that night, he’s been incredibly supportive of the both of us, covering for me when I’ve needed to be with her and understanding when she needs extra time off of work.

  “Levi, listen.” A deep sigh passes through the phone and I plop down in a chair, my head landing in my hand. “I know how important it is for you to be there with Laney, but this is important too. This is our dream, Levi. Two days . . . we’ll be gone two days. Can’t Luke or Mia go just this once?”

  Sitting up, I run a hand along the back of my neck as my eyes fall on a pile of envelopes stacked on the table. I know it’s none of my damn business, but I slide them toward me and pull out the papers inside, one by one. Doctor bill . . . doctor bill . . . overdue utility bill . . . doctor bill . . . credit card bill.

  “Fuck,” I growl, slamming my hand down on the table.

  “Jesus Christ, bro. If it’s that big of a deal, I’ll call them back and—”

  “No,” I bark into the phone. “It’s not that. Listen, can I call you right back?”

  “Yeah, sure,” Mason sighs then hangs up. I immediately pull up the calculator on my phone and start adding up what Laney owes. As the number gets higher, so does my blood pressure, and by the time I’m done, I’m absolutely fuming.

  “Twelve thousand dollars,” I murmur, and these are only the bills sitting in front of me. I can’t imagine what others she might have floating around that I haven’t seen yet. My heart clenches in my chest at the thought of Laney struggling financially. She’s already been through so much, and on top of it she has to worry about these damn bills.

  I toss the envelopes back on the table and tilt my head up to the ceiling, thinking about how I can help without pissing her off. It irritates me to no end that she didn’t tell me about this, but I can’t say I’m surprised—Laney is one of the most stubborn people I know.

  I prop my elbows on the table and rub my thumbs over my eyes, frustration boiling up inside of me. My mind starts racing with all of the small things that I’ve noticed but stupidly ignored over the past couple of months. Like how she’d sometimes walk to and from work if the weather was nice. I never thought twice about it then, but now it makes me wonder if it was because she didn’t have enough money for gas. And all the times she would only eat half of her lunch at work and take the other half home for dinner. She’d said she wasn’t hungry, but now I’m not so sure.

  “Shit,” I hiss.

  “Levi?” Her soft voice startles me, and I look up to see Laney’s eyes flitting nervously across my face before drifting to the stack of bills scattered in front of me. “Were you going through my stuff?” she asks, furrowing her brow.

  “What the fuck is this, Laney?” I snap, instantly regretting my harsh words. But this is important, damn it. She is mine, and she shouldn’t have to worry about whether or not she can afford to pay her bills.

  “Those, Levi, are my bills. What the hell are you doing going through them?” She strides across the kitchen and snatches the envelopes off the table.

  “Well shit, Lane. If you didn’t want me to look at them, you shouldn’t have just left them lying around. And frankly, I’m glad I looked at them.” She rolls her eyes and turns away from me, ticking me off even more. “How much debt are you in, Laney? Is this it, or is there more?” I ask, knowing I’m probably going to piss her off more than she already is.

  She spins around, her mouth gaping wide, and she shoves a finger into my chest. “That is none of your damn business,” she growls.

  “It is my business. You’re my business.” My phone buzzes on the table, but I ignore it. “You have almost twelve thousand dollars of bills, just in that stack,” I say, flicking the envelopes in her hand.

  “I’m aware,” she grounds out, her teeth gritted together. Her bottom lip trembles and she steps away from me. The anger and annoyance on her face are quickly replaced by resignation and she looks down. Her shoulders rise and fall several times before she looks back up, and when those gorgeous hazel eyes find mine, they’re clouded in defeat and brimming with tears. “You don’t think I don’t know how much money I owe?” Her voice wavers, cracking several times, but my brave girl manages to hold herself together. Any ounce of anger I felt completely dissipates.

  I step toward her but she shakes her head and shuffles backward, putting up her hand. I glance down at her hand then back at her face, and it slices me open to see her like this and know that I’m causing her pain. “You’re right,” she chokes out, tears dripping down her face. “This isn’t it. This is only about half.” She bats angrily at the tears. “But what the hell am I supposed to do, Levi?” she yells. “I don’t really have a choice in the matter. I have to see my doctors, and I have to have chemotherapy—”

  “You should have told me,” I interrupt as softly as possible, wanting to calm her down. “You should have come to me.” I take another step toward her and pull the stack of envelopes from her hand, tossing them on the table. “I love you, Lane, and I don’t want you to have to worry about anything except beating this cancer.” A harsh cry rips from her throat and she buries her face in her hands. My arms wrap around her seconds before her body goes slack. “I don’t want you to have to worry about money or food or gas or doctor bills or the electricity. Christ, Laney . . . I want you to come to me.” I squeeze her tighter, which causes her body to shake harder than it already is. “I want to help you. You aren’t in this alone anymore—not any of it.”