The Gilded Cage Read online

  “Thanks,” he mumbled and ducked out of the dining room.

  Hans leaned against the wall just a few feet past the doorway, car keys in his hand.

  “Ready to roll?” he asked softly.

  Fenn just stared at him. “How did you—”

  The bodyguard held up his cell phone. “Text from Emery. Let’s go.”

  Following Hans, he climbed into the passenger side of the SUV. The bodyguard chuckled and shook his head.

  “What?” Fenn asked. There wasn’t anything funny that he could see.

  “You. Riding shotgun. I don’t think your brother would ever ride shotgun. He prefers the backseat.”

  Fenn shrugged. “Let me guess. People have chauffeured him all his life. Of course he’d sit in the back.” The idea of Emery doing anything else was laughable.

  “You’re right,” Hans said and steered the car away from the house.

  The farther away they drove, the more torn he was on the inside. That house had both crushed him and sheltered him, a poignant reminder of all he’d lost and yet offering him proof of what he’d reclaimed. But he needed to see Hayden, needed to touch her, to ground himself in reality by being with her. She was the only thing that made sense right now. He just wished being with her wasn’t such a huge risk to her life…or to his heart.

  Chapter 22

  The whisper of rain on the terrace stones outside Hayden’s room stirred her awake. She rolled onto her back. It was only nine in the evening, but to her still battered body it felt like midnight, so she had turned in early. Two long, white curtains billowed inward as a cool breeze delicately nudged them. She’d purposely left the terrace doors open to listen to the storm she knew would come. A dark shape moved just outside the curtains’ edge, wreathed in shadows. Her heart jolted into her throat and she froze. It only now occurred to her just how dangerous it was to have left the doors open. Had the assassin found her? Maybe this time she wouldn’t be allowed to live. Her body seized with panic at the chilling thought.

  What should she do? Scream for help? Run?

  “Hayden?” A familiar voice, gruff and rich, sent shivers of longing and desire through her.

  “Fenn?” She slid off her bed and padded over to the open doorway. The wind kissed the white curtains, and they bulged inward, leaving a gap she could peer through.

  Fenn stood there, soaking wet in a fancy suit. His hair was dark with rain and plastered to his forehead like strands of burnished gold.

  “What are you doing here?” She grabbed him by his tie and dragged him closer, bringing him in out of the rain. He chuckled as he stumbled after her into the shelter of the room. She quickly shut the terrace doors and slid the lock into place, ignoring the puddle of water forming around his expensive Italian shoes. No doubt he’d borrowed them from Emery.

  “I had to see you,” he murmured, his lashes lowering. The way he confessed this, she felt as though he’d let her inside his heart by admitting his need to see her. Everything that had chilled inside her from the rain instantly warmed, as if she were feeling the heat of the first true sunny day in spring.

  She bit her lip, fingers still coiled around his tie as she held him prisoner. He could have easily pulled away or taken control. Instead, he cupped her face and simply gazed down at her. The look in his eyes undid her. It was as if she was broken apart, atom by atom, and then reborn. Droplets of rain clung to the tips of his hair and the fringes of his lashes and she lost herself in a study of his masculine beauty. Even though he appeared tamed by the suit he wore, she could still feel his pulsing raw energy as it swept over her. One could saddle a mustang and bridle it, but that didn’t remove the innate wildness in the horse. Fenn was much the same.

  Hayden slid her hand up and down his tie, watching the way his eyes dilated as he followed her hand’s movement. His lips parted and his hands moved from her face to her hips. He played with the hem of her thigh-length pink and black nightshirt. It was one of her favorites, comfortable yet sexy in the way it rode high on her legs.

  “I’m staying here tonight,” he informed her.

  If any other man had ordered her about and told her he was staying the night, she would have kicked him out. But this was Fenn and she loved to push his buttons; make him open up to her; but most importantly, dominate her in just the right ways.

  “Oh? Is that so?” She grinned cheekily.

  His fingers drifted from the shirt to the edge of her panties, tracing the lace trim on her boy shorts.

  “Don’t forget, honey. I’m the dom here. What I say goes.”

  “Right.” She drew out the word dramatically, but winked at him. “Why didn’t you use the front door?”

  His hands molded her ass, clenching it as he tugged her against him. Then he leaned forward, his lips brushing her ear.

  “I didn’t use the front door because there’s no way your brother would let me into his house, because he can guess what I want to do to you.” He licked the shell of her ear. “What I’m going to do to you.” He nipped the lobe and desire shot straight to her clit, making it pulse to life.

  “And what is that?” she demanded breathlessly.

  Fenn kissed down from her ear to her collarbone before he spoke another word.

  “Everything.”

  Her womb clenched, and she bit back an instant whimper of need. “Everything?”

  “Yeah.” He urged her toward the bed but she stilled him with her hands on his chest. He shivered.

  “You’re freezing. Why don’t you take a hot shower?”

  “Only if you join me.” He shrugged out of his soaked suit coat.

  With trembling fingers, she loosened his tie and removed it before she started on his shirt buttons. They both laughed as he caught his hands inside his sleeves.

  “A little eager?” she teased.

  “For you? Always.”

  Hayden bit her lip, trying to fight the swell of emotions inside her at his words. Yet her emotion was tinged with the bittersweet knowledge that this wouldn’t last. All she was to him was a place of comfort, someone safe he trusted. As soon as he settled into this new life he’d need her less and less. And after her fight with her mother, she knew she faced a decision that had been a long time coming. She wouldn’t be able to stay on Long Island forever, not if she wanted a job and a life of her own. It was time to leave. She’d make sure Fenn was safe, and then she’d go her own way.

  “What’s the matter?” he murmured against her lips, eyes serious as he let his shirt drop to the floor.

  “It’s nothing,” she lied.

  He waited for a long moment before he spoke. “You have to learn to trust someone someday.”

  “It’s not about trust. I trust you,” she reassured him. “Aside from my brother, you are probably the only person I do trust.” For her to even admit that was huge—not that he knew that, and she’d never tell him. The last thing she wanted was to pressure him or make him feel responsible for her. She was the one who had gotten on the plane and flown to Colorado. Everything that had happened was her fault, not his.

  “I hope someday you’ll tell me whatever it is that makes you sad.”

  Someday. That was the problem. There wouldn’t be a someday for them. There was only right now. Desperation tinged her every touch as she tried to burn him into her memory so deep she would never feel alone.

  “Fenn, make love to me, please,” she begged, needing him to touch her, to ease the ache in her body and her heart.

  In silent answer, he grasped her hand and headed for the expansive bathroom. He knew where to go since she’d left the light on earlier that evening with the door cracked. The bathroom had a massive clawfoot tub that could hold two people and a walk-in shower with a marble bench. Fenn’s gaze swept over the bathroom before turning back to her. He gave her a slow, leisurely smile as he reached into the shower and turned the water on.

  “Come here, honey.” He pointed to a spot in front of him. There was a soft bathroom rug by his feet. She did as h
e ordered and stopped before him.

  “Remember, my rules, my commands.” He lifted her pajama shirt off and tossed it aside. She stood before him in nothing but her pink lace-edged panties. So many times she’d stripped naked for a dom at the Gilded Cuff, but she hadn’t felt nervous or self-conscious because she hadn’t cared what they thought. Being with Fenn made everything feel new and exciting. A little tremor went through her.

  “Are you cold?” he asked gently.

  When she shook her head, he smiled. “Get on your knees then, and use the carpet to cushion you.” He waited to see if she would obey.

  As much as she enjoyed challenging him, there was a unique thrill in obeying him, too. She did as he ordered and knelt on the soft bath rug in front of him.

  “Good girl,” he praised and stroked her hair back from her face. If anyone else had praised her like that she would have rolled her eyes and walked away. But Fenn’s words had a different effect on her. She loved to please him, especially when it came to sex, and she knew this was about sex. It was all over his face—and hunger and need poured off the rigid muscles of his bare upper body. She was patient, but only just, as she waited for him to tell her what he wanted her to do.

  “You know what I want.” His tone was low and gruff and it scraped deliciously over her skin.

  “Yes sir,” she replied instinctively and reached for the front of his trousers.

  “Sir?” He chuckled. “I like that. Keep calling me that, honey.” He cupped her cheeks, stroking her with his thumbs as she undid his fly and zipped it down. He wore black briefs beneath his pants and she let his pants drop to his ankles as she tugged his briefs down. Fenn’s erect cock jutted out. She curled her fingers around him and squeezed, making him hiss out a breath.

  “Damn. I love your hands on me, honey,” he growled. “But what I really want is your mouth.”

  She didn’t need any extra urging. The idea of sucking him off made her entire body flush and her womb clench. Oh yeah, she’d been wanting to do this for days. She placed one hand on his ass, digging her fingers into his muscles to hold him while she gripped his shaft with her other hand and gave the crown of his cock a soft, teasing, exploratory lick.

  “Fuck,” he groaned. “Don’t tease or I’ll brand your ass.” He leaned back against the shower door but arched his hips out.

  She stifled a giggle and flicked her tongue out over the tip of his shaft, then took just the mushroom tip of him inside, sucking on the most sensitive part of him, letting her tongue flatten against the underside of his shaft, adding pressure and sensation as she sucked on the tip. He threw back his head and cursed.

  “When you’re done, that ass is mine.”

  Before he could issue any more sensual threats, Hayden parted her lips and took him fully into her mouth. She hollowed out her cheeks and sucked, using the barest hint of her teeth to graze his sensitive flesh.

  “That’s it, keep doing that,” he urged as he pressed his palms flat on the clear shower door behind them, his eyes wild as he stared intensely at her mouth while she sucked. There was something erotic about the way he showed his barely controlled restraint. He didn’t just grab her face and fuck her mouth. No, he rocked his hips, letting her control how much of him she took inside so she wouldn’t gag. She used her tongue to continue to stroke the underside of his length as she sucked him in and out, and in a matter of minutes his hands curled into fists.

  “I’m gonna come. Can’t hold out much…longer,” he gasped.

  Hayden fisted her hand at the base of him, squeezing again, and his hips gave a violent jerk as his salty maleness exploded on her tongue. She didn’t let go of him until she licked him clean. She swiped her tongue over her lips and smiled at him.

  Round one goes to me. She smiled. His hooded gaze resembled that of a sated lion.

  “Honey.” He laughed soft and low, the sound sinful and dangerous. “You’re in deep shit. I can’t wait to get inside you and fuck you so hard you won’t walk right for a week.”

  “Sounds tempting.” She winked at him, loving how they could talk like this. No restrictions, no gags, no rules. He dominated her in all the ways that mattered in the bedroom. How wrong she’d been to search for someone at the club. All she needed was what this man right here provided.

  As she got to her feet, he leaned toward her, then reached around her and smacked her ass hard. The sting turned into a sizzling burn.

  “Strip those off and get in the shower. Now,” he pulled at the bottom of her panties.

  With an impish grin, she tugged them down tossed them away.

  “Good. Now get inside.” He gestured to the shower behind him. She slid past him, their naked skin brushing in all the right places.

  “Get wet for me,” he growled, watching her as she retreated deeper into the large stall.

  Hayden licked her lips, unable to refuse the bait. “I already am.”

  Fenn cursed, his gaze dropping from her face to below her waist. She was wet, in more ways than one.

  “Face the wall and press flat against it.” He stepped into the shower with her and pulled the glass door shut with a soft little click.

  Excitement skittered through her and she tried to remain cool and sexy, but it was hard when she was so turned on. Being around him made her soft, made her let her guard down and be herself in a way she hadn’t felt free enough to do in years. He made her feel sensual, playful, teasing. The persona of the bratty, mouthy, aggressive sub had been a clever defense, but she’d never been truly happy playing that part.

  This man…this quiet, intense, lost soul, touched her deep inside, tamed the raging hurt she’d suffered for years from her cruel parents, and filled the emptiness that had always left her hollow. He was the key to her gilded cage, but she doubted he knew it and she was too frightened to ask him to set her free. What if he refused?

  Fenn pressed himself against her, his hands and the hot water searing her skin. He feathered his lips along her neck, nipping when he reached the curve where it met her shoulder. She hissed in pleasure and arched her back, pressing her bottom against his groin. His cock slid between the cleft of her ass cheeks and he rocked his body against hers, keeping her pinned flush along the shower wall.

  “Tell me how you want it,” he murmured in her ear. Her entire body quaked at the low rumbling sound of his voice so close.

  She’d always loved it hard and fast, but right now in this moment she craved tender love-making.

  “Slow.” The word trembled on her tongue.

  “Anything for you, honey.”

  Emotions choked her. Anything. There was so much she wanted from him and from life. These last few days with him had opened her eyes. Before him, she’d been lost in shadows and trapped in a world of black and white. With Fenn, the world exploded in brilliant colors. Everything was better because she’d met him.

  He suddenly turned her around to face him and eased her back against the shower wall. He kissed her startled lips, his hands lightly coasting over her breasts, her hips, her stomach. She lifted one leg to wrap around his hip, opening herself to him. Fenn took the invitation and positioned himself to enter her.

  He broke the kiss but rested his forehead against hers as he thrust into her slowly. Inch by delicious inch, their bodies merged. The hazel of his eyes was liquid honey tinged with amber under the muted bathroom lights. She couldn’t look away from him and the world shrank to just the two of them and the way they connected.

  Set me free, she begged him silently. He rolled his hips into her in a seductive rhythm that made her want to sigh and wriggle with pleasure. Like taking slow, small bites of a rich chocolate torte, pleasure came in little sweet tastes to her body as he teased her with shallow thrusts. Fenn captured her lips again, coaxing her with each flick of his tongue inside her mouth that mirrored what he did to her body. She hadn’t known it could be like this—that infinite tenderness and gentleness could set fire to her just as easily as rough lovemaking. When he slid a hand between
their bodies to play with her clit she gasped as the pleasure sparked, then ignited into an orgasm. It rolled through her with long deep quivers that seemed unending.

  She closed her eyes, the sensation of flying making her dizzy. It reminded her of when she’d glimpsed a starling set free from its cage, how the bird had fluttered its wings in surprise, then taken to the air, testing the limits of its body and its courage. As the orgasm finally faded into aftershocks, she went completely limp. Fenn held her up, continuing to thrust into her a few more times before he ground against her, and she felt the warm burst of his seed inside her. Their bodies curled around each other and she nuzzled his neck, exhausted and sated. Her tissues felt swollen and well-loved.

  “Thank you,” he whispered against her mouth. A ruddiness to his cheeks made it seem like he was blushing.

  “For what?” she asked.

  “Finding me.”

  “Finding you?”

  He nodded. “I was lost, but you found me, Hayden. You brought me home.”

  “Does that mean you’re staying here?” She was too afraid to hope he would.

  “I don’t know yet. Everything is so new and so confusing.” His voice was low and gruff, as though admitting such emotions made him feel vulnerable and he didn’t want to be. She understood that, but he needed to stop shutting everyone out.

  She curled her arms around his neck. “Talk to me. It might help.”

  There was a flash of fear in his eyes, but he quickly covered it up.

  “First let me get you into bed. I woke you up and you need to rest.” He scrubbed his body and hers as he spoke.

  “But you will talk to me.” She made it a statement, not a request.

  “Yes.”

  When they were both clean, he shut the water off and she grabbed two large body towels. He curled his around his lean hips and ruffled her towel over her face playfully.

  “Hey!” She swatted at him, but he curled his arms around her waist and kissed away any further protests. He made everything so easy, so fun. No one else she’d been with had been like this. Sure, she’d dated some nice guys, some handsome guys, some rich guys, but she’d never expected to feel so at home, yet excited, like the way she did with Fenn.