Page 42 of Cage

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 likeherking. 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 beallmine. 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 isexactlywhy 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.”

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