The Gilded Cage Read online

  “Please, just hold me,” she said in a tiny whisper.

  “Sure, honey, anything you need,” he murmured. Whenever he held her, the world seemed to shrink until he was all she saw.

  She raised her head and her gaze was riveted on him. “Anything?” Her voice was low and husky. There was definitely one thing that was guaranteed to distract her.

  “Name it.” His eyes were liquid fire, the kind that burned her soul to dust and then rejuvenated it like a phoenix from the ashes.

  “Make love to me.”

  When his lips parted and she saw a glint of resistance in his face, she placed her fingers against his mouth.

  “I got shot and hit in the head with a gun. I need this. I need you.”

  She swept a hand through his hair, loving the way it felt against her skin, thick and silky, and the way it looked, like an enchanting shade of gold. She wished she could have seen him as a younger man; she knew he would have been a heartbreaker just like Emery. Now he was a man hardened by time and grief, only the ghost of innocence there in his features. Somehow it made him more beautiful, to be able to see that strength and the sense of survival still there.

  “One of these days you and I are going to sit down and talk about who’s really in charge in this bedroom.”

  “Maybe I need a reminder.” She winked and flashed him a cheeky smile.

  His eyes darkened, the cinnamon pools churning with his need to dominate her, and she wanted him to.

  Please, make me yours, only yours for tonight. She hoped he could hear her silent plea.

  “How does your arm feel? What about your head? Do you need more painkillers?” he asked softly. “Tell me the truth.”

  She contemplated her answer, inwardly assessing her injuries.

  “A little sore, but not enough to stop me from wanting you,” she promised.

  “You’re incorrigible. You know that, right?” His lips kicked up into a boyish grin.

  “And you like it.” She prodded his chest with her finger.

  Fenn slid a hand down to cup her ass over the sheets and patted it. “I suppose I do.” He sat up on the bed, pulling her with him. He made quick work of stripping the top sheet away. Then he reached for his belt, which he’d hung off one side of the headboard. He took her wrists, winding the supple leather tight around them. It didn’t hurt, but she felt restrained, captive in a way she hadn’t thought a simple binding could feel.

  “Face the headboard on your knees. Put your hands on the headboard and don’t move them unless I say. I’ve got another belt and can tie you there if necessary.” He helped her get into position. Then he knelt behind her and brushed her hair away from her neck. Hayden’s breath quickened as he licked and nibbled at her sensitive skin. He continued to kiss her neck and tease her ear with whispered words as he started to raise the t-shirt from her body.

  “Do you know how much I want you?” He growled into her ear as he gripped her shirt at the neckline and ripped it completely in two. The sudden, swift tearing of cloth made her gasp and he stroked her ass, then smacked it hard enough to give her a zing of pleasure. He feathered kisses along each inch of flesh he bared while dropping the ripped shirt to the floor. Each little touch, each faint kiss, stoked a slow burning fire deep within her. How did he always manage to make her feel desired and protected all at once?

  “How much do you want me?” she whispered back.

  Fenn cupped her breasts, kneading them before he pinched her nipples. The small bite of pain made her crave more. Arching her back, she pressed herself more fully into his embrace.

  “I want you so much that I can’t go a few minutes without dreaming about being inside you again. The way you gripped me, so hot and tight, like a fist,” his tone turned almost guttural as he bit down on her shoulder, like an animal marking its mate. She loved the way he possessed her so primally. He didn’t seem to need toys or chains to get off. Just a leather belt and a flat surface. Damn…he was too good to be true.

  “Remember, keep your hands on the headboard and don’t move them unless I say otherwise.” He stroked a fingertip over the leather and her skin, as though admiring the look of his branding—his belt, holding her wrists, keeping her bound and a little helpless. His breath grew slightly rough against her neck.

  “I love seeing you caught like this. I used to rope calves when I was a boy. Maybe soon we can try some rope, instead of leather.” He nuzzled her neck, then nipped at that ultrasensitive spot just behind her ear.

  Fenn slowly built the tension between them as he tugged off the boxer bottoms she wore and tossed them aside. She was fully naked, on her knees, facing the headboard. Her hands gripped the wood in a white-knuckled grasp as he cupped her mound and teased a fingertip over her clit.

  “How much do you want me, honey?” His hair tickled her cheek as he nuzzled her and continued that wicked teasing. Heat and desire pooled low in her belly and she wanted him inside her to ease the empty ache.

  “So much,” she panted. He used one fingertip to stroke the sensitive insides of her folds. The sensual teasing, enough to light her on fire but not enough to give her the release she needed, made her whimper.

  “What do you want me to do? I want to hear the words.” He rocked his jeans-clad pelvis against her backside. The sensation of his rough jeans scraping against her bare ass made her thighs quiver. A rush of new wetness flowed to meet his finger as he sank it deeper inside.

  “Fuck me, please, Fenn,” she hissed, surprised at her own words, but that was what she wanted; no gentle taking. She wanted his power, his domination—all of it, right now.

  His laughter was quiet and rich, rippling over her skin. The whisper of cotton as he removed his t-shirt made her quiver. She bit back a moan as she heard the zipper of his jeans behind her. He held her by the back of her neck with one hand and used his other to guide his cock into her from behind. When the head of his shaft was an inch inside, he suddenly rammed into her.

  “Oh!” A startled cry escaped her lips, and she gasped as she tried to adjust to him.

  He didn’t wait. He began to pummel her, his pelvis smacking her ass as he repeatedly drove into her from behind. There were no words after that, just the heavy thrusts and harsh breaths shared between them. She clung to the headboard, loving the way he pressed his chest to her back, locking them together as he fucked her hard and deep. Her inner muscles strained to take him, squeezing down.

  “That’s it, honey, squeeze me.” He groaned and increased his pace until his hips moved like pistons on a well-oiled machine.

  Hayden couldn’t think beyond the escalating pleasure. The feel of his cock inside her, roughly dragging across raw, newly discovered nerve endings. The possessive hold of his hands on her neck, the way she couldn’t move, but could only take whatever he wanted to give her.

  Surrender.

  It was what he wanted, and she was giving it to him. He slowed his pace for a brief moment, and when she protested with a little groan, he slapped her right ass cheek hard. She jolted, her entire body leaping to a new level of awareness. He delivered five more stinging little smacks and then he kicked back into that restless pace of thrusting and she exploded. Lit up like a supernova from the inside, she opened her mouth to cry out. He clasped a hand over her mouth, stifling her scream as he cursed, and his ragged breathing was a sweet erotic symphony to her.

  “Fuck,” he groaned and let his body sag against her from behind.

  With a breathless laugh she turned her head and nuzzled his neck. “Did I blow your circuits again?”

  His hands spanned her waist, fingers digging deliciously into her skin as he bit her throat in answer, and the pain was so damn good.

  “Honey, you blew more than that.” He remained inside her a moment longer. The simple connection went beyond anything she could have dreamed. It was as though they were bonded at a cellular level.

  “I think it’s time for my sassy-mouthed little lady to sleep.” He captured her chin and deeply kissed her. I
t was the toe-curling, mind-melting kind of kiss that made a woman forget her own name.

  “You talk like a cowboy sometimes,” she giggled.

  “I do?” He chuckled and withdrew from her and unwound the belt from her wrists. She instantly missed the feeling of their connection and the excitement of the belt’s restraint.

  “Yeah,” she said. “Not all the time, just sometimes.” She started to reach for her clothes, but he tossed them onto the floor. Considering the state of her shirt, she’d need to find a new one anyway.

  “You’re sleeping in your skin tonight; nothing else.” His powerful stare had her gulping and climbing under the covers again. He got off the bed and stripped, giving her a chance to marvel at the sight of his bare ass and the way his muscles flexed. He disappeared into the bathroom and a minute later strode out completely naked. Even limp, the man was still impressive. When she raised her gaze he was watching her.

  “Quit looking at me like that or I’m going to bend you over the bed and fuck you again. You need to rest.” He walked around to the other side of the bed and flicked off the lights, then joined her.

  She waited for him to get completely settled in and when he reached for her, curling his arms around her and shaping himself to her body, she spoke.

  “That’s not a bad idea.”

  “Hush, sleep or I’ll spank you. We both know you need to rest. The second you’re better, I’ll be doing plenty to keep you occupied.”

  “Promise?” she whispered.

  “I promise.” The gruffness in his tone was tempered by the sweet kiss he placed on her cheek before she released her hold on her consciousness. The last sensation she had was of him holding her as though she was precious…as though she was loved.

  * * *

  The skin-to-skin contact was what Fenn really needed to rest. He shouldn’t have taken Hayden tonight, not when she was hurting and frightened, but something dark and bestial inside him had been unable to deny her need to be taken and pleasured. The more he drew her into his world the more in danger she seemed to be, but she wouldn’t leave and he couldn’t seem to let her go.

  He pressed her more firmly into the protective shelter of his body. She was deep asleep, her breathing soft and even. The sound of it made something in his chest tighten. Being with her seemed a cure for his loneliness. He supposed that as a twin who’d spent twenty-five years alone, he was compelled to seek out someone to fill that emptiness. But Hayden wasn’t a replacement for Emery. She was something…more.

  Oh, how he dreaded tomorrow. They would return home…a place he barely remembered. Like spying a world through the thick glass of a bottle, everything in his memories was hazy and distorted. In a few hours, he would have to wake, pack, and fly to Long Island. He wished he could stay right where he was—in this ranch house, in this bed, with this woman. Everything outside his bedroom door would complicate his life by leaps and bounds.

  The parted window curtains flared out with a night breeze and moonbeams made a slow progression across the room. He watched the night wear away, unable to sleep or rest for a few hours. What if the gunman returned? The house had alarms, but the instinct to stay vigilant kept him awake. He hadn’t told Hayden, but he was keeping one of Jim’s guns underneath his pillow. Just in case. Fenn had never had one of his own, never having seen the need before now. Jim, though, was old school, and kept plenty of guns in his gun case in the living room.

  He clutched Hayden to him as if she was a lifeline in a vast storm. She’d return to her life and he and Wes would make sure she’d be out of harm’s way. It was for her own good, but he was going to hate every minute that he was without her.

  How the hell am I going to get through this?

  His brother spoke through that faint connection. With me by your side. Together.

  Together. He agreed.

  * * *

  “You can’t be serious. I’m not getting in that. I thought we were taking a real plane.” Fenn gripped Coda’s leash with one hand and the handle of his old navy blue duffle bag with the other. He stood on the tarmac of a small private airstrip half an hour away from Walnut Springs, staring at a small luxury jet.

  “It is a real plane.” Wes looked mildly affronted. “Quite an expensive, one too. That’s a Gulfstream G150.”

  Fenn shot him a sidelong glance. “Do you have a problem with flying coach or something?”

  Wes’s mouth went slack. “Coach? With those little packages of peanuts and screaming infants?” he scoffed. “No thank you. I’ll pass.” He turned to wave at the pilot and removed his suitcase from the Jeep.

  “Wow…” Callie’s wide-eyed stare took in the sleek white jet.

  Wes gave her a slow smile. “I’ll give you a ride sometime. That’s a promise.” He turned to Jim. “Mr. Taylor, keep me and my sister updated on the ranch. Hayden has some ideas to increase its income. And be careful. Both you and Callie need to watch yourselves. You have my cell phone number. I want either of you to call me if you think you’re in danger.”

  Jim met his gaze and nodded. “Sure thing, Wes. Thank you for all your help. Take care of Fenn for us.”

  Fenn tried not to let this departure affect him, but it did. He embraced Callie, giving her a squeeze and a whisper in her ear. “Take care of yourself, kid, and your dad. Stay out of trouble.” When he pulled back, she was wiping tears from her eyes.

  “I’m so happy for you, Fenn. You’re going to meet your family.”

  He kissed her forehead and met her gaze. “You and Jim are my family, too. Don’t ever forget that.” He reluctantly released her and shook Jim’s outstretched hand.

  “Take care, son. We’ll be here when you’re ready to come back.” The old rancher’s eyes misted, but he didn’t cry.

  “Thanks, Jim. Don’t you dare do any work around the Spur. If you do something to hurt yourself…” Fenn cleared the strange lump from his throat before continuing. “I need to know you’ll be okay while I’m gone. No more hospital visits, got me?”

  “I got you, son. No work. Thorne said he’s spoken to a few ranch hands in town and they can take some work off my hands for a while. I’ll be paying Mr. Thorne back, of course.” Jim nodded at Wes, who nodded back in silent understanding.

  “Good.” Fenn picked up his duffle and turned away, his heart seeming to splinter inside at the thought of leaving home and the only family he really knew. Coda followed him as he started to walk to the plane’s open door.

  Hayden was standing at the top of the steps, having already said her good-byes. Her beautiful strawberry red hair was tugged in wild waves by the wind and she leaned against one side of the doorway, a little smile curling her lips as she watched him and Coda walk up the steps. The dog paused just at the entrance, sniffing the interior carpet, her ears twitching back.

  “Come on, Coda.” She patted her thigh and the husky raised her head to study Hayden before slowly entering the plane’s cabin. Then Hayden focused on Fenn. “Are you ready?” she asked.

  He shook his head. Ready? No one could really be ready for what he was about to do.

  “Come on, let’s get you and Coda settled in.”

  He climbed the steps and entered the plane. His mouth dropped open. Polished walnut wood and creamy white leather made up the plane’s interior. Six plush chairs filled the cabin. Coda slipped ahead of him and sniffed the chairs and the two glossy wooden tables before hopping up onto a seat at the back. He watched Wes and the flight crew come aboard. Fenn debated whether he should make Coda sit on the floor.

  Hayden giggled behind him. “I think someone likes the jet.” She curled her arms around his waist and hugged him from behind. His blood heated at the simple but intimate embrace.

  “I guess it’s nice,” he admitted grudgingly. He still didn’t like how small it was, but it was comfortable inside.

  Hayden patted his lower stomach and rested her cheek against the side of his shoulder. “I was talking about the dog.”

  Coda’s ears pricked forward, a
nd she watched them, tongue lolling out of one side of her mouth. He laughed, relaxing a little bit.

  “The pilot’s ready to take off.” Wes closed the plane’s door and joined them as they all took their seats. The leather was buttery soft and the chairs were cushiony.

  “You called Emery?” Fenn asked Wes.

  “Yes. He knows we’re on our way.”

  “Good.” The empty pit in his stomach didn’t go away, even as the plane took off a few minutes later. He focused on the quickly shrinking ground and the rapidly rising clouds. Soon. Soon he would meet his family. And the idea of that meeting scared the hell out of him.

  * * *

  Hayden kept a close eye on Fenn. He hadn’t said a word in a long time. He just stared out the window, his gaze distant. What was he thinking about? His family? She wished she knew what to say to make him relax, but she had no clue what he must be going through. It was impossible to even begin to imagine being in his position, knowing he was going to meet his real family after twenty-five years apart from them.

  “Mother says the moment we get home, you are to come back to the house.” Wes announced as he checked e-mails on his phone.

  Hayden blanched. In the last couple of days everything had changed. She’d gotten a taste of a different life, a better one—one that was fulfilling and made her happy. The prospect of going home, seeing her parents…it was all empty. Proving she could bring Fenn home and earn some respect had ceased to matter to her. That desire was shallow in comparison to the other desires that had filled her heart the last few days. But what could she do? She was trapped in a gilded cage.

  “Why can’t I come stay with you?” she begged Wes. “You know what they’ll do to me when I get back. Parties and fundraisers and…Oh please, Wes, you know I hate those things.” Besides that, she looked and felt like hell. With stitches and bruises, she wouldn’t be fit for any of the things her mother would plan. She could almost imagine how furious her mother would be when she found out about the gunshot wound. It would ruin Hayden’s marketability to her mother’s prospects if she had any damage or flaws.