5. Ember

5

EMBER

I s he kidding me?

We’re out in the middle of nowhere, and he expects me to squat behind a freaking tree? I have no clue what kind of predators they have out here. Rattlesnakes? Spiders? I can just imagine it: As soon as I squat down in an attempt not to pee on my feet, a deadly snake would slither right up and bite me right on my ass, and then I’d end up peeing all over myself. I think I’d rather get on another plane. Actually, no. I wouldn’t. I don’t care for any of these options.

Today freaking sucks.

I really need to go, though. I’ve needed to go since before we got off the plane. Cage has been so busy with trying to figure out a plan that I didn’t want to bother him. But I think I’d rather wet myself than go out in the wild.

Cage climbs into the driver’s seat and tilts his head to look at me. “It’s about twenty minutes until the next restroom. Can you wait?”

“Yes,” I bite out, hoping I’m telling the truth.

Every second stretches on, and every slight bump almost makes me wish I’d gone behind the bush. I’ve held my bladder way past its limit, and it’s becoming painful.

Thankfully, he seems to realize it. As soon as we pull into a rest stop, he rushes around the car and quickly helps me get out, then leads me to the lone brick building. I squeeze my thighs together as tightly as I can as each step becomes more urgent.

I’m nearly running by the time we reach the metal door, and I don’t even look back as I hustle inside, slamming the stall closed behind me. I’m mid-pee when the door opens, and heavy steps move inside.

“Are you okay?” Cage asks.

I yelp, nearly falling off the toilet at the sound of his voice. Unable to stop peeing, I screech and bring my hands up to cover my face even though he can’t see me.

“Cage, get out!” I scream.

Instead of doing just that, he chuckles. “You’re just peeing, Ember. It’s a human function. Besides, I wanted to be here in case you needed help.”

“I think I can go to the bathroom by myself.”

I definitely can. What could I possibly need help with? My cheeks heat, and I look up at a spot on the ceiling. My clit does a little spasm, though, and I don’t know what the heck that’s all about.

“You might be able to, but sometimes Little girls need help cleaning themselves up or washing their hands.”

Little girls.

Ohmygosh.

Does he know?

Did he look in my bag and find Spike?

No. He was right behind me. He wouldn’t have had time to do that.

I quickly dry myself and flush, then step out of the stall. Cage is leaning against the wall directly across from me. Glaring, I stomp past him to the sinks.

“We need to talk about personal boundaries,” I hiss.

He pushes off the wall and shrugs, then follows me and turns on the water before I have the chance. “Yeah, I’m not really good with those. Wash your hands.”

This guy is making me dizzy. One second, he seems halfway human, and the next, he says stuff like that.

“Well, you need to learn some. Like not coming into the bathroom with me. I’m perfectly capable of.” I flap my hands, hoping to make him understand what I’m trying to say. When he looks confused, I huff. “… cleaning myself up,” I squeak.

“Don’t know why it’s a big deal. There’s nothing wrong with needing help with some of your basic needs, firefly.” He hands me a wad of paper towels. I’m trying not to think about the fact he helped me by turning on the water to wash my hands and giving me something to dry them with. And what does he mean by basic needs ?

“I don’t need help. I’m a big girl,” I reply before I brush past him to leave.

Before I can touch the door, he grabs the handle and steps so close to me that my back is pressed against his front.

“Do not ever step out of a door before me. Do you understand?” His voice is low and stern. There isn’t a drop of sarcasm in it. No, this is a new side of Cage.

My bottom clenches, and the part of me I want to keep a secret peeks out the tiniest bit. No. I don’t want him to know. He probably already thinks I’m a freak.

“Sorry,” I whisper shakily.

He doesn’t move, and I have to fight the urge to melt into his warmth. I don’t like him. He’s my bodyguard. Not my friend. Not my Daddy.

“It’s for your protection, Ember.” His voice is softer now. “I’m lenient on a lot of things, but safety isn’t one of them.”

I nod and swallow hard, unable to speak with the knot in my throat. What exactly does he mean by lenient ?

He steps in front of me, which is when I notice he has a gun pulled out as he opens the bathroom door and looks around. Using his free hand, he grabs one of mine and leads me back to the SUV.

As soon as I’m in my seat, he leans over to buckle me in, and I can’t breathe again. His freshwater scent, his solid broadness, his penetrating dark eyes, all of him is so close to me. As soon as I hear the click, I expect him to pull away, but he pauses and stares at me intently for a beat before taking a step back and closing the door.

Whoa. What’s happening? Why am I aroused? This kind of thing only happens when I’m reading or fantasizing in the pitch black of my bedroom at night.

We sit in silence for nearly an hour before he finally speaks.

“You need to tell me the next time you need to go to the bathroom. It’s not good for you to hold it.”

I peer over at him, ready to roll my eyes, but the serious look he shoots my way keeps me from doing that. I don’t think he’s being sarcastic.

“You were kind of busy,” I reply quietly.

I learned at a young age not to interrupt my father when he was busy. I thought maybe if I left him alone as much as possible, he wouldn’t keep sending me to boarding school. It never worked.

Cage sighs. “It doesn’t matter how busy I am. If you need something, you tell me. If you’re hungry, tell me. If you need to pee, say so. I can’t take care of you if I don’t know what you need.”

Oh.

He has to stop saying things that speak to my Little side. The last thing I need is to slip into that headspace because once I’m there, I can’t snap out of it quickly. Thankfully, I’ve learned to suppress it over the years so I’m overly aware when those feelings are surfacing.

“It’s not your job to take care of me. I’m a big girl.”

This time, the look he gives me is anything but serious. He raises an eyebrow and smirks. A dimple appears on his cheek, and I can’t keep from staring at it. How is it that Cage is both terrifying and hot at the same time? I bet he has girls crawling all over him. Hot ones. Like models. Not skinny, freckly redheads like me with no boobs and no butt. It’s truly unfair just how good-looking he is. I kind of hate him for it.

“Are you?”

I blink several times, drawing my eyebrows together. “Am I what?”

What were we talking about? I got distracted by his pretty face.

“A big girl. Because from what I’ve seen of you, throwing a tantrum, refusing to tell me you have to pee, then having another tantrum about me following you into the bathroom, I’m starting to wonder if you actually are.”

“I didn’t have a tantrum.” I huff as I roll my eyes.

Nice, Ember. Real good argument. I’m really showing him.

“Whatever you say,” he replies, though his tone is dripping with sarcasm.

I have a feeling it’s going to be a very long few days with Cage. Hopefully, his brothers aren’t as annoying.

“How many brothers do you have?” I ask again. I’ve lost track of how many people he’s talked to on the phone since we were on the plane. He called multiple men brother.

“Fourteen.”

“Fourteen?” I repeat louder than I mean to. But sheesh, that’s a lot of freaking brothers.

“None of us are blood-related. We’re all sort of… adopted,” he adds.

I scrunch my face, confused by his statement, but as someone who grew up without any siblings or really any family, I guess he’s pretty lucky to have so many people in his life.

“Are they all bodyguards too?”

He gives me a sideways glance. “None of us are bodyguards.”

That makes me sit up straighter. “What?”

Oh my God. Did my father hand me off to the wrong person? Is Cage here to kill me?

“Relax, firefly. We’re fully qualified to protect you. It’s just not what we typically do.”

Bringing my hand up to my racing heart, I let out a breath. “What do you normally do?”

Cage shrugs. “Bad shit. For the greater good. Things Little girls like you don’t need to know about.”

“Oh, that makes me feel better,” I mutter.

He chuckles. “Just speaking the truth, firefly. You’re too fucking innocent to know the details of what we do. I’m not a good man, but of all the men in the world, I’m the one who can and will keep you safe.”

I believe him. Though I won’t tell him that. His head already barely fits through a doorway. He might be a bit strange at times. Eccentric, maybe. Cocky as heck. Way too good-looking for his own good. But…

Crap.

I think I like Cage Black.