10. Cage

10

CAGE

“ B rush your teeth before you go to bed.”

She stops mid-stride and turns to look at me. “You know I’ve been managing myself for twenty-two years now; you don’t have to remind me to brush my teeth before bed.”

Maybe not, yet it feels damn good having Ember in my house to look after. She might not be my Little girl, but she’s fulfilling this longing I’ve been without for so many years. I love taking care of Rowie. She’s brought so much light into our lives. She’s not mine, though.

Neither is Ember.

Fuck.

I need to remember that part.

“Sorry,” I mutter with a sigh.

What’s wrong with me? I’ve known this woman for two days, and now I’m attached to her for some reason. This has never happened before. I’ve played with women and let them go without blinking an eye. I haven’t even touched Ember, and she’s all I can fucking think about. The cute way she scrunches her freckled nose when she doesn’t like something. And how fire lights up in her eyes when she’s about to sass me. How she slept in the car with her thumb in her mouth. She needs a pacifier. Then there was that fucking panic attack that killed a piece of me on the inside. My poor girl. She should never have to suffer like that.

She’s not my girl.

It’s the job. That’s why. I’m always obsessed with my missions, and keeping her safe is one of them.

“Night,” she says softly.

“Night.”

I need a drink. And some information.

Within two minutes of texting him, Cassian shows up with his laptop.

We head directly into my office. I don’t bother to offer him a drink. He wouldn’t take it.

“I’ve been looking into her father, and so far, other than some scammy business dealings, I haven’t come up with anything for him. He’s a politician. Slimy as fuck, but his dirt is much cleaner than a lot of guys in power.”

That’s not what I wanted to hear. I’m glad for Ember’s sake that he’s not a total piece of shit, but I wish there was something on him to help us figure out who is threatening Ember.

“She said her mom died in a helicopter crash.”

Cassian nods. “I reviewed all the reports. Doesn’t appear there was any foul play. The weather turned bad quickly and before they could land, the helicopter lost control and crashed into a mountainside.”

Jesus. That sounds horrific. No wonder she doesn’t want to fly. I can’t really blame her for that.

“So, her father has been raising her since?”

My brother shrugs. “I guess; if you can call it that. Ember has been in boarding school from the time her mom died until she graduated from high school. Even during summer breaks, he had her enrolled in camps. She did stay at his house while she attended college locally. Not sure why he allowed that or what changed?”

“Fucking asshole.” I didn’t like the guy the second I met him, and now, knowing he pawned Ember off during her childhood makes me hate him. No wonder she has anxiety.

“There’s been threats on Griffin’s life over the years, but nothing uncommon from any other politician. It kind of comes with the territory of being someone who votes on laws,” Cassian says. “Ember has no clue what the threats are or what they’re asking for?”

I rub at my temples. “No. Yesterday, she said she woke up with plans to go pick up her final transcripts and celebrate with a piece of cake. Before she could leave the house, her father laid the news on her. She knew nothing of it prior to that.”

“Jesus Christ.”

“By the way, I need to get her a cake. She may have not gotten her transcripts yet, but she still deserves a reward for all her hard work.”

Cassian stares at me, his gaze penetrating. I don’t care for it or the way he seems to read people so fucking easily, unlike me.

“You like her,” he mutters.

Holding my glass to my lips, I pause for a second to soak in those words before I tip my head back and down the entire thing. “It doesn’t matter. This is a job. We don’t have time for complications.”

I haven’t told anyone that she’s admitted to being Little. I’m not sure she would appreciate it if I did, and also, I kind of like having that secret between us.

“We’ve dedicated our lives to The Agency. We’re allowed to have women and families. We’re also allowed to start slowing down. We’re at the age where you’ll be recruiting a new team soon, and we’ll be running it from behind the scenes,” Cassian says.

My only response is a grunt. For the past two decades, I’ve dedicated my life to our team. To our missions. Our family. And as someone who came from a shit background, I’ve felt on top of the world ever since I was recruited. I get to be part of something. Make the world a better place. And I have people who love me. I have Rowie.

It wasn’t until recently that I started feeling like I’ve been missing out on something. My friends in the lifestyle have all been finding their Little girls despite having dangerous lives as mafia leaders. I’m envious of them. Seeing the way those women look at their Daddies and how they trust them completely, makes me want something more. Makes me want to capture a beautiful firefly and keep her forever.

“It’s not an option. Right now, I need to focus on finding whatever the threat is so I can eliminate it. Then Ember can go back to her regular life.”

Cassian runs a hand over his jaw, and I know my brother well enough to know that I’m not going to like what he’s about to say.

“Her regular life where she has no family other than her neglectful father who always seems to send her away? That life? Because I think that scared yet fierce Little girl deserves more than that. She deserves a Daddy. There’s no fucking doubt that she’s Little, and with the way you look at her, it’s pretty damn obvious you like her.”

Yeah. I knew it. He was going to say something logical, and he didn’t disappoint. Instead, he irritated me.

“Can you mind your fucking business and keep digging for information?”

My brother smirks as he turns back toward his computer. “Touchy, touchy.”

Asshole.

“By the way, I need you to look into her school records. I need some names. I’ll text you details.”

I f I don’t stop pacing, I’m going to wear a hole in the carpet.

Where the hell is she? It’s nearly noon. She should be up by now. It’s way past breakfast.

She needs to be on a schedule and have a set bedtime, naptime, and wake-up time. In fact, I’m going to make a chart. That way, there’s no confusion about the rules.

Rules are another thing we need to discuss today. I never got the chance to talk to her more about them last night. She can pout all she wants about it, but too bad for her, I’m in charge.

Unable to stand it any longer, I take the stairs two at a time, not making a single noise as I move. I reach up to knock on her door, which is already open just a bit.

Slowly, I push it open, my gaze landing on her back. She’s still in bed, lying on her side, facing away from me. Her gingery hair is messy and tangled, hanging behind her shoulders. Fuck, I love her hair. It’s so different. The perfect shades of orange and brown, and with her freckles, she’s so uniquely beautiful that it’s breathtaking.

“I’m afraid to show him my Little side. What if he makes fun of me? Or what if I do something too Little? I don’t want to be bullied again.”

At first, I think she’s talking to me, but then I realize Spike, her purple dragon, is propped up in front of her. She’s talking to it while she strokes its fur.

“I don’t even know if he likes me. He’s probably just being nice. My father said he’s paying Cage a hefty amount of money to keep me safe, so of course, that’s why he’s being nice to me. A guy like Cage would never want someone like me.” She sniffles and lifts her arm to wipe her nose.

Oh, hell no. Does she seriously think that? Does she not see that she’s way the fuck out of my league? That she could have any man in the world, and the thought of that makes me want to murder someone. No one deserves an angel like Ember. Not even me. Fuck, I wish I did because she’s everything in the world I never knew I wanted.

It’s wrong to eavesdrop, but getting a glimpse of her Little isn’t something I can pass up. I have no doubt she’d run circles around me just like Rowie. I’d also be all my money that she’d the sweetest Little girl in the world.

Maybe I should convert one of my spare rooms into a playroom for her while she’s here.

No.

This is temporary. I can take her to the playroom in the main house.

When she stops talking to Spike, I tap on the door, startling her. She rolls back to look at me, her face ghostly white.

“Cage, I, I?—”

Fuck, the last thing I want is for her to be embarrassed.

“I just wanted to check on you. Wasn’t sure if you normally slept this late. Are you feeling okay?”

She glances down at the stuffed toy then back at me and swallows. “Yes.”

I lean against the doorframe and stare at her. “You know you’re a terrible liar, Ember.”

With a sigh, she rolls all the way over to face me, bringing Spike with her, clutched to her chest. Her pastel-green tank top suits her perfectly against her creamy skin and hair color. I can’t see her wearing pink very much. She’d look adorable in any color, but she’s more of a pastel girl. Soft green, light yellow, lavender. I know just the place to get her some special clothes for her Little too that would look cute as hell on her. Some ruffle-butt panties would be first on the list.

Fuck. Now I’m hard. Not that I’ve been soft since I laid eyes on her, but thinking about her all dressed up in cute clothes that I chose for her sends every ounce of my blood straight to my dick.

“I’m feeling physically fine. I’m not sick.”

Now we’re getting somewhere. Without waiting for an invitation, I stride into her room and sit on the edge of the bed, taking in every freckle I can.

“What’s going through that pretty head of yours, firefly?”

She picks at Spike’s fur and bites her bottom lip, and I give her a moment to figure out what she wants to tell me.

“It probably sounds ridiculous, but I don’t know what’s going through my mind. So many things. It feels all jumbled up, and I’m overwhelmed. Part of me is upset with my father, and another part of me is scared something will happen to him. Then there’s seeing Rowie with a pacifier last night. I’ve never thought there were other Littles like me, and I’m not sure what to think about it. On one hand, maybe it means I’m not a total freak. On the other, it means that I’ve been denying that side of me for so long because I was bullied just for having stuffed toys at my all-girls school.” Her breaths are shallow, something that happened right before her panic attack yesterday.

I reach out and put a hand on her cheek. “Breathe, baby.”

She does. The entire time she holds my gaze, her eyes are tortured with emotion. I want to fix it. Make everything right and perfect for her.

“Does this happen a lot? All these things in your head at once?”

“Yes,” she whispers, tears filling her eyes.

My stomach twists, and I’d do just about anything to keep her from crying.

“What do you normally do when you’re overwhelmed like this?”

Her mouth opens and then closes.

Leaning closer so our faces are only a few inches apart, I slide my hand down her cheek to cup her chin. “Tell me, firefly. You’re safe to tell me anything.”

She wets her plump lips and lets out a slow breath. “Usually, I spend time in Little Space to clear my head for a bit. And by the time I come out of that headspace, I feel a lot better.”

“How old is your Little, firefly?”

I would never press her to play at a certain age. Whatever makes her comfortable is all that matters. But fuck me, I hope she plays young so I can take care of her more intimately. She may not be mine, but she’s mine for now. My job is to protect her and giving her what she needs to be happy and healthy is part of that. This is the safest place for her to be Little anyway.

“I think, like, two,” she whispers, looking everywhere but at me. “Maybe sometimes younger, and sometimes a little older.”

Her cheeks turn bright pink, and she uses her hands to cover her face. If only she knew I found her embarrassment to be a turn-on.

“Good. Then, for the rest of today, you are two. Now, I’m going to give you thirty minutes to go potty, brush your teeth, and get dressed, and then after that, we’re going to head over to the main house.”

She bolts upright, her eyes practically popping out of her skull. “Wait, what? Cage, no. I’m fine.”

I rise from the bed and make my way to the door. “Your safeword is red. If at any time you want this to come to a halt, say red and it will. Otherwise, you have thirty minutes before I come back in here and start taking care of you the way I want to. Do you understand me, firefly?”

Seconds stretch by as I wait for her answer. As a man who likes control, giving her the out is hard, especially since I know she needs this more than anything right now. I won’t do anything without her consent, though. But once she gives it to me, unless she safewords, all her choices go out the window. All she’ll have to think about is being Little.

“Yes,” she finally murmurs. “I understand.”

With a nod, I disappear from the room and pull the door closed behind me. I reach down and adjust myself, inwardly groaning. Being around her is delicious yet painful torture.

That should be enough time for her to decide whether she needs to say red or not. Something tells me she needs this time in Little Space too much to use her safeword, even if she is shy about showing that side of her. She needs this, and so do I.

I can hardly fucking wait to Daddy her. I have a feeling there’s going to be a lot of push and pull, but there will also be satisfaction for both of us once this is over. Because it will end. Just not today.