Page 47 of Cage

CAGE

Fuck.

What did I do?

I did exactly what I wanted to. But it’s not what I should have done. For a man with so much control, I don’t seem to have any around Ember.

As I glance down at her sleeping form, a pacifier lodged in her mouth, I replay our conversation. I should spank her for goading me. She knew what she was doing. Pushing my buttons. Talking about losing her virginity to another man. The thought of it enrages me. If another man so much as touches her, I’ll fucking destroy him. Maybe I’ll just have to do that. Kill any guy who so much as looks her way. I’m not above stalking her once she goes back to DC.

I care for her. As much as I want to deny it, I’m lying to myself. In the short time she’s invaded my life, she’s somehow wiggled her way under my skin.It’s uncomfortable yet comforting at the same time. It’s also the scariest fucking thing I’ve ever experienced.

When she told me what those girls did to her in school, I could barely keep myself in check. I wanted to jump up andpunch something. The only reason I didn’t is because she was on top of me, spilling her fucking heart out and breaking mine with her story. It might have been a long time ago that it happened, but those women will pay for hurting my firefly. For still hurting her now. The evident pain in her eyes last night nearly killed me. I don’t need Ember to give me names. I’ll find them myself and ruin their lives.I hate bullies. I dealt with them until I was recruited to The Agency. Like hell will I allow bullies to continue to haunt my girl.

As happy thoughts of how I’m going to destroy those women run through my head, I let myself relax under the warmth of my girl’s body. I start to drift to sleep, for the first time in a long time, feeling whole.

She belongs here. At The Ranch. Where she can be herself. Where she’s cared about. Maybe even loved.

Istare at the list before me and go over each line again. I’ve been working on it since dawn while Ember continues to snooze beside me, her pacifier still in her mouth. She hardly moved all night. After her nightmare, I was worried about getting her back to sleep.

When I heard her crying out last night, it broke my heart. She sounded so sad and scared. My poor girl. Her father is now on my list of people to destroy. The only reason he’s been spared so far is because, even though he’s a shitty parent, I can tell Ember still loves him. She wants him to love her so badly, and the asshole doesn’t seem to see it or care. Whatever the case, I’ve hit my limit.

She stirs beside me. I glance over and watch as she stretches, a soft sigh escaping her. My cock jumps at the innocent sound.I don’t know how the hell I expect to control myself around her. It’s torture. Taking her virginity when I can’t promise her anything isn’t right, though. She deserveseverything. Not just a broken man like me who struggles to be gentle with her.

“Morning.”

Her eyes fly open, and her baby blues meet my gaze. I reach out and brush her hair away from her face then give a tug on the pacifier. She opens her mouth and lets me pull it free.

“Hi,” she murmurs.

“You slept like a baby once you dozed off.”

The pink hue on her cheeks deepens as she moves her gaze around, as if trying to avoid my stare.

“You have eighty-seven freckles on the bridge of your nose,” I tell her.

She freezes and snaps her eyes up to meet mine. “What?”

“I counted. Three times to make sure I wasn’t off. Eighty-seven.”

I’m not sure why, but I couldn’t stop myself this morning. I want to know every single thing about her all the way down to something as simple as her adorable freckles.

“You counted,” she repeats. “While I was sleeping.”

I nod and hold up the pad of paper. “Yes. I also made a list of rules for you.”

Her eyebrows draw together, and she sits up, resting her back against the headboard. “You like rules.”

“I likeyouhaving rules.”

“Maybe you should have rules, too.”

I chuckle. “Believe me, firefly. I have rules. Ones I set for myself. When I fuck up, I punish myself harsher than anyone else could.”

Her messy hair sticks up in places, only adding to her sleepy cuteness. I could get used to this. Waking up beside her every morning. Her pink sleep shirt has a sparkly rainbow printed onthe front and it just adds to how adorable she is. I wonder what kind of panties she has on. I didn’t get a glimpse last night. Once I start dressing her, I’ll be putting her in the most innocent cotton panties possible to make her feel so Little. Maybe I’ll even make her wear some training panties.

The past few days with have been some of the best I’ve had in a long time. So much that I’ve been all but ignoring the issue at hand. Instead of trying to figure out the threat, I’ve been obsessing over her. Because the sooner I eliminate the threat, the sooner she leaves, and that makes my chest burn. She’s safe here. Not a single fucking soul can get to her here unless I allow it.

“You’re really hard on yourself, you know?”

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