Page 29 of Cage

My brother smirks as he turns back toward his computer. “Touchy, touchy.”

Asshole.

“By the way, I need you to look into her school records. I need some names. I’ll text you details.”

If I don’t stop pacing, I’m going to wear a hole in the carpet.

Where the hell is she? It’s nearly noon. She should be up by now. It’s way past breakfast.

She needs to be on a schedule and have a set bedtime, naptime, and wake-up time. In fact, I’m going to make a chart. That way, there’s no confusion about the rules.

Rules are another thing we need to discuss today. I never got the chance to talk to her more about them last night. She can pout all she wants about it, but too bad for her, I’m in charge.

Unable to stand it any longer, I take the stairs two at a time, not making a single noise as I move. I reach up to knock on her door, which is already open just a bit.

Slowly, I push it open, my gaze landing on her back. She’s still in bed, lying on her side, facing away from me. Her gingery hair is messy and tangled, hanging behind her shoulders. Fuck, I love her hair. It’s so different. The perfect shades of orange and brown, and with her freckles, she’s so uniquely beautiful that it’s breathtaking.

“I’m afraid to show him my Little side. What if he makes fun of me? Or what if I do something too Little? I don’t want to be bullied again.”

At first, I think she’s talking to me, but then I realize Spike, her purple dragon, is propped up in front of her. She’s talking to it while she strokes its fur.

“I don’t even know if he likes me. He’s probably just being nice. My father said he’s paying Cage a hefty amount of money to keep me safe, so of course, that’s why he’s being nice to me. Aguy like Cage would never want someone like me.” She sniffles and lifts her arm to wipe her nose.

Oh, hell no. Does she seriously think that? Does she not see that she’s way the fuck out of my league? That she could have any man in the world, and the thought of that makes me want to murder someone. No one deserves an angel like Ember. Not even me. Fuck, I wish I did because she’s everything in the world I never knew I wanted.

It’s wrong to eavesdrop, but getting a glimpse of her Little isn’t something I can pass up. I have no doubt she’d run circles around me just like Rowie. I’d also be all my money that she’d the sweetest Little girl in the world.

Maybe I should convert one of my spare rooms into a playroom for her while she’s here.

No.

This is temporary. I can take her to the playroom in the main house.

When she stops talking to Spike, I tap on the door, startling her. She rolls back to look at me, her face ghostly white.

“Cage, I, I?—”

Fuck, the last thing I want is for her to be embarrassed.

“I just wanted to check on you. Wasn’t sure if you normally slept this late. Are you feeling okay?”

She glances down at the stuffed toy then back at me and swallows. “Yes.”

I lean against the doorframe and stare at her. “You know you’re a terrible liar, Ember.”

With a sigh, she rolls all the way over to face me, bringing Spike with her, clutched to her chest. Her pastel-green tank top suits her perfectly against her creamy skin and hair color. I can’t see her wearing pink very much. She’d look adorable in any color, but she’s more of a pastel girl. Soft green, light yellow, lavender. I know just the place to get her some special clothes forher Little too that would look cute as hell on her. Some ruffle-butt panties would be first on the list.

Fuck. Now I’m hard. Not that I’ve been soft since I laid eyes on her, but thinking about her all dressed up in cute clothes that I chose for her sends every ounce of my blood straight to my dick.

“I’m feeling physically fine. I’m not sick.”

Now we’re getting somewhere. Without waiting for an invitation, I stride into her room and sit on the edge of the bed, taking in every freckle I can.

“What’s going through that pretty head of yours, firefly?”

She picks at Spike’s fur and bites her bottom lip, and I give her a moment to figure out what she wants to tell me.

“It probably sounds ridiculous, but I don’t know what’s going through my mind. So many things. It feels all jumbled up, and I’m overwhelmed. Part of me is upset with my father, and another part of me is scared something will happen to him. Then there’s seeing Rowie with a pacifier last night. I’ve never thought there were other Littles like me, and I’m not sure what to think about it. On one hand, maybe it means I’m not a total freak. On the other, it means that I’ve been denying that side of me for so long because I was bullied just for having stuffed toys at my all-girls school.” Her breaths are shallow, something that happened right before her panic attack yesterday.

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