14. Cage

14

CAGE

T heo grins at me as we leave the playroom.

“What the fuck are you looking at me like that for?”

He shrugs. “I was just checking out those hearts in your pretty brown eyes.”

I frown. “What are you talking about?”

“I’m talking about you having a thing for Ember. The way you look at her is… intense.”

Shrugging, I shake my head. “I like her, but she’s a client.”

“She’s a Little. An adorable and sweet Little,” he replies.

“Yeah. So?”

Theo scoffs and rolls his eyes as we enter the dining room. “So, she’s Little. You like her. You’re a Daddy. What the fuck more do you need? A map?”

“Who’s Little?” Roman asks as he sets a pile of plates on the table.

“Ember. You’ll meet her at dinner,” Theo answers.

Warmth settles in my chest. I’ve never had a woman here before. Not sure I ever intended to. The Ranch is my sacred space. My home. It’s where my family is. The only place I truly ever feel safe. But having Ember here, around my brothers, at our dinner table. It feels right. Like it’s supposed to be.

“Good to have you home. How’d the mission go?” I ask Roman. He must have finished since he’s back earlier than expected.

Roman gives us a menacing grin. “Great. Nothing like some fresh blood to invigorate me. Everything is wrapped up, and the problem has been delivered wrapped in a bow. Or a body bag. Same thing, basically.”

I grin at my brother and reach out to give him a fist bump. “Nice.”

“Anyway, back to Little Ember,” Roman says. “Does Cage have feelings for a woman for once?”

“No,” I snap.

“Yes,” both Theo and Rylan reply at the same time.

I turn around to glare at Rylan who appeared out of nowhere. Fucker.

“I do not. She’s a client. Who’s cooking tonight?”

“Nice, trying to change the subject.” Theo chuckles. “Dom is.”

Thank fuck. Dom is one of the better cooks in the family. I try to be out of town as much as possible when Lex cooks. I love my brother, but the dude makes some weird shit.

Rylan grins, his eyes sparkling. “A client who he’s told me to stay the fuck away from. He threatened my life over her.”

Theo snorts and slaps me on the back. “Say what you want, bro, but we all know you better than anyone. You like her. She’s more than just a client. Besides, you heard Rowie. They’re going to be besties, so Ember has to stay.”

I groan and press my fingers to my eyes. Jesus. When did my brothers become a bunch of gossiping hens? I love them more than I can ever express, but damn, they test my patience sometimes. Especially Rylan. He’s lucky he’s so goddamn loyal because otherwise, I might actually worry about him going after Ember. Then I’d have to kill him, which would be hard to explain to the rest of the family.

Before I can curse them all out, Ember walks in, her fingers twined together. I suppose coming in here can be a bit intimidating. It’s a lot of men, and we aren’t the average kind of guys. We’re all damaged. While some of us wear our scars on the inside, many of us wear them on the outside as well, making other people a little wary. We also carry ourselves differently. Years of training have made us paranoid, on guard, always watching for danger, and on edge. Gotta be ready for anything at any time. The last thing I want is for her to be afraid of us, though. Especially me. Every one of us would give our lives to protect her. She just doesn’t know it yet.

“Come here, firefly,” I say gently as I pull out her chair.

A rosy blush appears on her cheeks as she glances around the room. No one blinks an eye at me using her nickname.

As soon as she sits, I push her in and then sit beside her. “That’s Roman over there. And Jasper is the pale, tattooed vampire-looking dude over there.”

Ember’s mouth drops open as she looks down the table toward my brother. I’m not sure if it’s because of my description of him or because of how fucking scary Jasper is, but then she elbows me in the ribs and glares.

“That wasn’t very nice to say. He doesn’t look like a vampire,” she whispers. “Well, I mean, he kind of has Edward Cullen vibes, but still. That was rude.”

A slow smirk spreads over my face as I watch her nose wrinkle as she scolds me. Fucking cute little thing.

Mine.

All mine.

Fuck. Nope. She’s not.

Not mine.

Thankfully, Jasper interrupts my thoughts.

“Nice to meet you, Ember. Rylan has told me so many nice things about you,” he says while fighting to keep from smiling.

“Jesus, are you trying to start shit, asshole?” Rylan asks, throwing his hands in the air.

“Hey, no swearing. I’m taking away one of your Good Boy Points,” Rowie says.

Rylan shoots her a look. “Try me, brat. Next time I take away some of your Good Girl Points, I’m taking double.”

Rowie scoffs and crosses her arms over her chest. “Rude.”

Ember giggles from beside me, my entire mood lifting with the sound. Hearing that sweet sound is like therapy straight to my soul. So sweet. Angelic. Mine.

“Let’s eat,” Dom announces.

The room grows louder with multiple conversations while we fill our plates, and Ember leans over with a mischievous expression.

“Maybe I should start taking away your Good Boy Points when you do something irritating,” she says quietly.

I raise my eyebrows and lower my face so it’s level with hers. “The only one giving and taking away points here will be me, Little one. And if you don’t watch your sassy self, you might find some points taken away before dinner’s over.”

Her pupils dilate, and she licks her lips at the same time, her tongue peeking out just slightly. My cock grows hard.

She likes the idea of that.

So. The. Fuck. Do. I.

Maybe I need to make her a chart for while she’s here.

This is all temporary, so why not make the most of it?

“ W hy do you guys always eat dinner together?”

It’s been four days since I found Ember in her bed talking to her stuffed dragon. Four long days and even longer nights. I’ve taken so many cold showers, but it doesn’t matter. My cock is constantly hard around her. My next resort will be ice baths, though I don’t think it will matter how freezing the water is; being around Ember gets my blood racing right to my balls. I’m desperate for her. It’s an out-of-control feeling that makes me uneasy.

Tonight, before we left the main house, I told her it was time to go home. As if it’s ours . Because for some goddamn reason, it feels like she belongs there.

“When we all became a family, we made a rule that anyone home had to attend dinner together. It’s our bonding time, and it’s so we all see each other regularly and can make sure everyone is doing okay.”

Ember thinks about that for a moment as we walk the paved path toward my house in the dimming evening light. She’s so small beside me. The top of her head barely reaches my shoulders. For every step I take, she has to take three. Part of me wants to pick her up and carry her home on my hip.

When she looks up at me, her eyes sparkle with sadness. “I never had dinners like that. With family. Not since my mom died, but I was so young, I don’t really remember them.”

I stare at her, swallowing thickly. “You deserved better, firefly. You still do. Maybe it’s crossing a boundary, but your father is an asshole.”

Every time she tells me something about her childhood, I hate him more and more. He might have a flawless public record, but that means nothing to me. The way he treats Ember, that’s what I care about and from what I can tell, he’s failed miserably.

She snorts, and I’m starting to wonder if there’s anything about her that I don’t find cute.

“Offering to help me in the bathroom is totally normal to you, yet calling my father an asshole is possibly crossing a boundary?” she asks.

Shrugging, I pull my hands from my pockets and reach for one of hers. When I lace our fingers together, I expect her to shake me away. When she doesn’t, I give a gentle squeeze as we step onto the porch.

“I don’t really know what’s normal or not. Don’t care, either. I’m certainly not what anyone would consider normal. Pretty sure most people think I’m strange as fuck.”

When I let go of her to open the door, she doesn’t release me. “Fuck those people,” she says casually. “Art is strange, but it’s still beautiful.”

I blink several times, letting her words soak in. And as she stares up at me with those deep brown eyes, I’m finding it harder and harder to remember why she shouldn’t be mine.

My woman. My Little girl. All mine .

“No swearing,” I mutter.

She sighs, a soft smile playing at her plump lips. “Yes, sir,” she says sassily as she salutes me.

Arching an eyebrow, I step closer and put my face inches from hers. So close that I can feel her breath on my lips.

“The correct answer is ‘Yes, Daddy,’ but I’ll let it slide for now. Next time, you’ll lose a Good Girl Point.”

We stare at each other, breathing each other’s air. Everything around us fades, and all I see is her. So beautiful. So shocked by my words. So fucking mine. And as we stand here, I’d do just about anything to hear her call me Daddy once.

When she starts to open and close her mouth like a fish out of water, I give her a gentle shove inside, chuckling to myself. I guess I’ve shocked her.

Once she finally recovers, she peers up at me, her cheeks bright pink and her pupils blown wide. “I’m, um, I’m going to go take a shower.”

My cock twitches at those simple words. Fuck. Ember naked, with water dripping down her body. That’s a goddamn beautiful fantasy right there. But she’s meant to be in Little Space today, and even though she was more in her adult headspace during dinner, I want her to end the night feeling Little.

“Little girls don’t take showers. They take baths.”

She pauses mid-step and turns toward me, nibbling her bottom lip. “Oh. Um, okay.”

I stride over and take her by the hand. “Come on, firefly. I’ll run you one.”

“You don’t have to do that. It was really nice of you to let me play these past few days, but you don’t have to take care of me. I don’t want to be a bother.”

Oh, fuck no. What is it with her and thinking that? Did her father make her feel that way? I really fucking hate Zeke Griffin. He’s going to have a lot to answer for when I speak with him again. Ember might not be mine, but I’m sure as fuck not going to let him get away with being a shitty dad.She deserves family dinners and movie nights and holidays spent doing festive activities that make her happy. Birthday parties and traditions. She deserves everything and more.

Stopping halfway down the hallway, I let go of her hand and turn to face her. She nearly collides with my chest.

“Omph! Cage, why’d you stop? I almost smacked right into you,” she snaps as her palms rest against my pecs. As soon as she realizes it, she yanks them away like she’s been burned.

That shouldn’t irritate me. It fucking does, though. I curl my fists at my side to keep from grabbing her wrists to place them back on me.Why doesn’t she want to touch me? Is it fear? Or something more? Does she feel the same explosion of electricity that I do every time we touch?

“Look at me, Little girl,” I say firmly.

Her gaze snaps up to mine, and my cock twitches again. Obedient Little one. I like it. Yet she can be so damn sassy at the same time. My girl is full of fire. My little firefly.

Mine.

“I know I don’t have to do anything, baby. If I didn’t want to do it, I wouldn’t. You being Little and me being able to take care of you fills my Daddy cup. So, don’t assume this is an inconvenience for me because it’s not. Do you understand?”

She swallows. “Yes.”

“Good girl.”

I hold out my hand and wait, hoping she won’t reject it. As much as I don’t give a fuck what other people think of me, it’s different with Ember. Everything is different with her. I care about what she thinks of me. How she feels about me. How she sees me. Does she find me attractive? Does she like it when I go into Daddy-mode? I sure as fuck love it. It’s as if my entire being comes alive when I get to Daddy her.

Only a second passes before she slides her fingers into mine, and my entire soul smiles. When she entrusts me with her care and lets me lead, it makes the side of me that I’ve kept buried for so long come roaring to life, and I feel like the king of the world. Even more, I feel like her king. I like that way more than I should, but I am who I am. Might as well embrace it while she’s here.

I walk us through her bedroom into the bathroom. When I turn and lift her by the hips, she grabs my shoulders. I set her on the counter and then release her, placing my palms on either side of her thighs.

“You smell like vanilla cupcakes,” I murmur, leaning in to get a better sniff.

“We had cupcakes for dessert.”

Lifting my head, I meet her gaze and inwardly groan. “Yeah? Seems to me like you should be my dessert.”

I stare at her, my cock throbbing. Those freckles. That cute button nose. Those wide, innocent eyes. So sweet. Too good for me. And yet, I can’t find the strength to pull away. She has me under some sort of spell. One where I’m ready to throw caution to the wind and fuck her right here and now.

“I bet you taste as good as you smell, firefly.”

Her breaths come out heavier, and her lips part.

Jesus Christ.

If I don’t get control over this situation, I’ll end up bending her over this counter and driving into her without mercy. She’d be begging for me to slow down, but there’s no way I could. I already know once I have a true taste of her, I won’t have an ounce of strength to stop. Her cunt would probably strangle my cock in the best fucking way. She’s so damn sweet and innocent, though. Would she like it rough? I’m not sure I could be soft even if I tried. When I fuck, I fuck hard and dirty. In the past, some women haven’t been able to handle it, and the last thing I ever want is to hurt Ember.

“Cage,” she whispers, her fingers flexing on my shoulders.

Another scent lingers between us. Arousal.

Fuck. Me.

“Firefly,” I grit out. “I’m barely hanging on by a thread.”

She widens her knees, letting me get even closer. “Why are you trying to hang on?”

I huff out a frustrated breath and look at the ceiling, silently counting to ten to calm myself. She doesn’t know how badly I want to claim her. Mark her. Possess her. Why is she pushing me? Does she want this, too? Maybe it’s what we both need. To fuck and get it out of our system.

“Is it.” She pauses to take a deep breath. “Is it because I’m a virgin?”

Her words are like a knife to the gut. A virgin? Fuck. I knew she was innocent, but she went to college. She’s a virgin?

My cock grows harder. All mine. She could be all mine. I could own every part of her. And what’s so messed up is I want that. Which is why I’m a sick bastard who doesn’t deserve her. Sure, I could give her everything she would ever want or need. She’d have a family here with no questions. But despite all the years I’ve spent training and becoming the man I am today, I’m still fucked up in the head. I’m still the kid who came from the gutter. I’m just one of the lucky ones who got out.

“We can’t do this.” I take a step back, though it almost kills me to do so. “I’ll run your bath, then leave you be.”

I make myself busy, gathering everything she needs. Once I get the water to the correct temperature, I plug the drain and turn back to her. She won’t make eye contact with me, and I hate the way her shoulders droop. I haven’t done anything with her, and I’ve already let her down.

When she sniffs, I nearly fall to my fucking knees. Goddamn, I hate myself right now. “Look at me, baby girl.”

The hurt in her eyes kills me. I did that. This is exactly why we can’t do anything.

“It’s not because you’re a virgin, Ember. There’s nothing wrong with that. It’s because you’re my client, and sex complicates things.”

“Okay,” she whispers, her voice shaky.

She lowers her gaze from mine again. I don’t like it. I reach out and gently grasp her chin. “It’s not that I don’t want you, Ember, because I do. Fuck, I want you like I’ve never wanted anyone before. It’s a bad idea, though. Okay? It’s better to keep things platonic. You can still be Little, and I can still take care of you. As friends.”

Even as I say it, I know it’s a lie. We’re already past the point of friendship. I have feelings for her. Strong ones. And it scares the hell out of me.

When she nods, I release her and lower her from the counter so she doesn’t hurt herself by jumping down. As soon as she’s steady on her feet, I take one more deep inhale of her toxic scent, committing it to memory forever before I take a step back.

“Enjoy your bath, firefly,” I say as I shut off the water.

Then, like a damn coward, I leave the bathroom without looking back, closing the door to create a physical barrier between us so I can try to get a grip on myself. The only problem is that I hate myself a little more with each step I take away from her.