Page 24 of Cage

As soon as Theo lets go of her hand, which is as quickly as he could without offending her, Ember steps closer to me. Is she scared? That doesn’t seem right. If she were, she wouldn’t be so sassy with me. I may not be the biggest or the scariest-looking guy in the family, but I’m also no one to blink an eye at either.

Once Theo leaves us, I corner her. “What’s wrong? Why were you hiding behind me? Do you need to go potty?”

Ember gasps and looks up at me like I asked if she wants to go to space. Good lord, she’s touchy about her bathroom habits.

“No. I don’t. I’m fine.”

I lean down so we’re face to face, and with every breath I take, I get the lingering smell of her vanilla body spray mixed with the scent of my sweatshirt. The two combined make my cock go rock hard as something possessive swirls inside me. Fuck, I like that. I bet she’s as fucking edible as she smells.

“You’re a shitty liar, firefly. Tell me what’s wrong so I can fix it.”

She shoots me an irritated look, but her shoulders drop. “I’m having a panic attack. Being around a lot of people who I don’t know is hard for me. I’m fine. I just need to get over it.”

What the fuck? Get over it? Who told her that BS? Because that’s what it is, and I’m going to make it perfectly fucking clear right now.

“Go.” I nudge her toward a hall that will lead to the back stairwell.

Ember lets me lead her to the second-floor landing before she stops in her tracks.

“Where are we going?” she demands.

“Into my bedroom. Come on, firefly.”

She hesitates for just a second before she enters the room I use when I stay in the main house. We all take turns rotating so someone is always here with Rowie.

“Sit.” I point to the bed, pleased when she follows my instructions. She’s breathing heavily and looks exhausted. Maybe I should have tucked her into bed instead of bringing her over for dinner. But for some reason, I wanted her here. I’m going to keep telling myself it’s because when my eyes are on her, I can ensure she’s totally safe, but in reality, she’s safe anywhere on The Ranch. Our land is completely secure.

I go directly into the bathroom and get a washcloth, then run cold water over it and wring it out.

“Here. It’s cold and will help soothe you. Take some slower breaths, baby.”

As soon as the word comes out, I freeze and stare at her, but she doesn’t seem to catch it because she’s staring off into the distance. Shit. I know nothing about this girl. If Ruth had given me a proper heads-up, I would have gone over her doctor’s notes. I would most likely already know she has anxiety. Then maybe I wouldn’t have forced her onto a goddamn plane.

I lower myself to one knee in front of her and rest my hand on her thigh, slowly moving my thumb in gentle strokes.

“Feel me touching you, firefly. Each time I stroke your leg back and forth, count it.”

9

EMBER

It’s too much. This isalltoo much. The noise. The laughter. Strangers. A new place. Cage.

My breaths are coming out shallow, but my heart starts to race. Blackness clouds my vision. I blink several times to bring myself back to focus. It won’t work. Every muscle in my neck stiffens, and it’s getting harder to stay standing. I rub my fingers together, hating their clamminess.

Cage speaks to me, but I’m struggling to make sense of it. I say something back. What did I say? He looks unhappy. His eyebrows are drawn together, and then he nudges me.

Walls pass me by. Have I passed out? I still can’t breathe, and my knees feel weak.

“Firefly, count,” Cage urges. “Count each stroke of my thumb.”

Blinking several times, I glance down to where he’s touching me, his hand on my knee. Where am I?

He moves his thumb over my thigh, back and forth in slow motion.

“Count them, baby.”

I silently count the strokes, and with each one, my breathing slows until I no longer feel like I’m having a heart attack.

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