Page 67 of Cage

When I kneel in front of her and hold the training panties to her feet, she sucks in a breath. I tilt my head back to look at her.

“You don’t have to use them, firefly. It’s just in case you have an accident. Little girls sometimes do.”

With her hands on my shoulders, she steps into them. When I pull them up and settle them over her hips, she shifts. “They’re kind of comfy.”

I nod. “Yeah, and I bet they make you feel super Little, too.”

“Yes,” she answers in a tiny voice.

Yeah, my girl is getting deeper into her headspace by the second, which is exactly what I’d hoped would happen.

“That’s because you are Little. And so fucking precious too.”

Her cheeks turn rosy. I lift her T-shirt up and over her head, and she moves her arms to cover herself.

“Uh-uh, arms at your sides, baby. Don’t hide from Daddy. I want to see you.”

She quickly obeys, and I finish getting her ready for her nap. The nightgown I chose has a dragon on the front, which thrills her.

“I need Spike.”

“I’ll get him. Crawl into bed and get under the covers.”

By the time I return with her stuffie, she’s tucked in. It’s hard not to climb in next to her. I want to be with her every single second I can. Maybe that’s wrong, but I don’t care.

“I’m going to be in my office. You stay in bed. You’re not allowed to get up unless I’m here. If you wake up, call out for me. I have a baby monitor plugged in by the bed.”

Her eyes are already closing when she nods and brings her thumb to her chin. Before she has a chance to slide it between her lips, I grab one of the brand-new pacifiers I bought and push it into her mouth. I’m pretty sure she’s sound asleep before I even leave the room. I guess an orgasm or two really tires her out.

“There’s got to be something.”

Cassian steeples his fingers under his chin as he stares at his laptop screen. “I’m looking for whatever I can. So far, the only thing I found that was remotely off was her mom’s helicopter crash.”

I sit up straighter. “What do you mean?”

“There was speculation that it wasn’t an accident even though the final reports ruled it as one,” Cassian replies.

“Did you look into it more?” I stand and round my desk to look at the computer as if there will be some useful information on it.

Cass shakes his head. “It was ruled an accident nearly twenty years ago.”

Something prickles at the back of my neck. It happens every time my intuition kicks in. I learned to trust it a long time ago.

“Pull up the reports. I want to see them.” I grab a chair and move it to sit beside my brother. “I can’t fucking believe you didn’t tell me this already.”

He gives me a sideways glance and then looks around the room at all the bags. “You’ve been a bit busy. I’m glad I bet on you keeping her.”

I glare at Cass, who, from the neck up, looks like a total fucking square with his black-rimmed glasses. From the chin down, though, his tattoos and the way he carries himself intimidates the hell out of people. Not me, though. I’m two months older than him, and I never let the asshole forget it. “Listen, asshole. First of all, I’m not letting her go. And second of all, fuck you for betting against me.”

Raising his eyebrows, he shrugs. “Was I betting against you, or was I bettingforyou? Seems to me that I was on your side since I bet on you ending up happy and all.”

I might be older and wiser than Cassian, but that dickhead has always been able to talk circles around me. I think Rowie gives him lessons. Or maybe it’s the other way around. Either way, fuck him.

“In all realness, Cage.” Cassian pats my shoulder. “I’m so fucking happy for you.”

Swallowing the lump forming in my throat, I stare at my brother, unsure if I want to have a heart-to-heart right now. Out of everyone in the family, Cass is one of the best to talk to, though. He always seems to have the right advice.

“If she doesn’t want to stay, I have to let her go,” I tell him roughly.

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