Alter Ego: His Sultry Lover

Katherine was more exhausted than he was. She had been waking up earlier than him to prepare breakfast and lunch boxes for both of them. She would then dress up and put on her makeup because the media would have a field day if he didn't look top-notch all the time. The time in the set was no better.

She was working in a foreign location, the crew was noisy and she barely got time to finish before they were headed back to their house. There she would cook dinner for them and the bodyguards. There was also grocery shopping, making videos, and editing them. All in all, she was getting little to no sleep.

Worst of all, she wouldn't let him cook, saying that he was tired from working all day. Like she had not been working all day as well. He had tried to talk her out of everything but she mumbled something about the stalker poisoning them. Cage had to retreat and think about what he should tell her to settle her about the whole fiasco.

If the stalker didn't get caught soon, Katherine has going to collapse from overwork.

He rarely got to see her look so vulnerable. Cage reached out, brushing her hair back and calling her name. 𝗳𝓇ℯe𝓌𝚎𝚋𝓃𝚘𝚟𝘦𝑙.𝑐𝚘𝙢

She m.o.a.ned, the sound soft. Her eyes opened and she blinked, waking up slowly. Cage felt a rush of warmth in his heart and impulsively took her cheeks into his palm. Her eyes found his and she smiled sleepily. She hummed in question as if asking why he was back.

"Wake up. I have some time to spare," he said. She looked too adorable so he pressed his lips to her forehead. "You're going to hurt your neck."

She breathed in deeply and in her half-sleeping state, raised her hand to trace the lines of his face. His breath caught in his throat as he felt the gentle touch causing a stir in his blood. He hadn't been prepared for it at all, causing a greater reaction.

"Sleepy," she groaned, closing her eyes again.

He cleared his throat, pulling back slightly to catch his breath. "I need a nap, too. Do you want to join me in bed?" he enticed.

It had been his plan to tease her awake so that they could enjoy each other's company for a while. Instead, she stood up, swaying, and then stumbled onto the bed in the trailer. She caught his hand and pulled his down beside her. Then she curled up against his side like the little kitten she was. Slinging an arm over his waist, she fell back into a deep sleep.

Cage remained frozen in the spot for a long time. Looking at her so closely, Cage could see the smudges under her eye. He could see just how tired she was. And he wondered. She always pretended to fall asleep with him but had she been staying awake for longer?

He could faintly guess the thoughts that were passing through her mind all the time.

A sense of comfort invaded the room and Cage found himself unable to keep his eyes open. After only a few minutes of watching her, his eyes were closed and he slipped into a state of deep sleep.

When he awoke, he felt like he had just blinked. Despite this, he didn't open his eyes. He could feel her breath close to his face but at a distance which caused his nose to itch. Something tickled his skin and he instinctively raised his hand to itch it.

He heard her giggle and his eyes flew open. His eyes trailed to what she was holding.

A sharpie. 𝐟𝗿𝚎𝐞𝓌e𝒃𝑛𝒐ѵ𝒆𝑙.c𝚘𝓶

"What are you doing?" he asked, his voice husky from sleep.

"Just drawing on your cheeks," she teased with a look of innocence.

His eyes widened as the words sunk in. He sat up in fright and looked towards the mirror that would reveal his face. And then he blinked. There were no marks on his skin and Katherine was rolling on the bed, laughing her ass off.

"Amused?" he asked, mock glaring at her.

"The look on your face!" she explained between her peals of laughter. "You should know I would never do that." The laughter threw his embarrassment out of the window. "I don't know. You're quite the troublemaker."

She sat up on the bed and smiled slyly at him. "Want to punish me for fooling you?" she taunted.

"Sure." As he spoke, he took a step towards her. Soon they were face to face. His eyes went to her lips and he watched as her teasing smile fell. Her breath stuttered and he knew that she needed the kiss as much as he did.

He leaned in.

She ducked down and traveled to the side, placing herself on the recliner again. He pounced, knowing that she wanted to play catch. He caught her around the waist and heard her give a squeak of surprise, but in a heartbeat, he had pulled her up and pinned her down on the bed, climbing over her. He grabbed her hand and raised them over her head, her feet remained dangling from the edge of the bed.

It all happened in a second and they were face to face, nose pressed to the others, and lips almost touching. They breathed hard, unable to concentrate on anything else. She didn't struggle or try to get away from him. The game of catch ended as soon as it had begun.

For the next few seconds, they simply breathed in each other's hot breaths. Cage licked his lips and tilted his head and shuddered as a rush of excitement shot through his spine. He felt the brush of her soft mouth against his. The warmth of her body felt incredible under him. Like every night.

Cage struggled to control the need to grind against her. "You want me?" he asked.

Like that was even a question. He knew the answer but waited for confirmation from her.

"All the time," she said, kissing him properly.