Page 54 of Caged By the Stranger
“You…of course you can stay. You’re paying for the room.”
I have to bite the inside of my cheek, so I don’t laugh. Dropping to my knees, I draw the chain out from underneath my shirt and unlock him. Next, I set the combination and gently slide the cage off him. When I lean to the side and set it on the nightstand, I catch his wary expression.
“You don’t need this,” I assure him, getting to my feet even as he covers himself with his robe.
“But what if…. what if I can’t?” He fidgets, shifting from foot to foot. “What if it’s not the same?”
“It probably won’t be the same. It’ll be better.”
The doubtful look he makes has me wanting to wrap him in my arms, laugh, and just get to showing him. Instead, I cup hischin and smile, my heart hammering against my ribs. “Do you know why?”
Lower lip slightly protruding, he shakes his head. There’s a furrow in his brow above the confusion in his eyes that has my heart breaking for him. Here goes everything.
“Because you love me.”
A soft sound of disbelief comes out on a puff of air as his lips part. His breathing immediately goes ragged as his gaze pings all over my face. My God, I am officially the happiest fucking man alive.
“Don’t you, Charlie?”
Swallowing, he takes a wobbly step back, looking like he’s about to hyperventilate. I could play his knock and answer game longer—wait for him to come to my house each time he can no longer fight his demons—but life is so short. And maybe sometimes people need a little help to figure out what they already know deep down. Reaching out, I grab his hand and follow him.
“And it’sgoodthat you do,” I continue, “so I’m not the only one in love.”
He ceases his retreat the second my words are out. He looks like someone just splashed him with a bucket of cold water.
“You…you love me?”
Now, Idolaugh, taking his face in my hands and giving him a little shake. “God, how could you not know?”
His eyes shift back and forth as though he’s looking for some kind of doubt. Typical Charlie. I hear the crinkle of plastic, and the flowers fall to the floor. The next thing I know, his fists are gripping my collar, and he’s yanking me to him.
I wouldn’t call what he does kissing. It’s more like an attack. His tongue delves deep inside my mouth, battling with mine. He whimpers and moves his arms around behind my neck, clinging to me like he’s worried I’ll disappear. I slip my hands inside hisrobe and rake them down his back until I have two handfuls of his warm, soft flesh, cupping his ass, and pulling him tight against me.
I kept thinking I had faith he’d come around and would realize what’s been building between us, but it’s now that I see just how silently fretful I’ve been over being wrong. I’ve never had my heart broken, but I think missing out on winning Charlie would have done the trick.
“Yes, I love you,” I rasp, tearing my mouth away from his to pepper his face. “I think I have since the second I saw you.”
Panting, his cheeks bloom again. He lowers his gaze and hands to my chest as though he’s not sure what to do next. Placing mine on top of his hands, I guide them to my belt. He sneaks a glance at me, but then licks his lips. He can broker all the deals he wants for me, but seeing that I’m something he’s unable to resist is a far better gift.
When I draw my shirt over my head, I feel him start undoing my belt. He flashes me a shy smile. It’s the best thing I’ve ever seen and felt. Running my palms up his chest, I slip the robe from his shoulders as my pants fall to the floor. I kick my shoes and socks off and then turn back the covers.
Charlie hesitates for a moment, like the idea of willingly curling up in bed with someone is foreign to him, but then he musters a smile and slides in under the covers. When I slip in next to him and wrap him in my arms, it makes me sad to see the insecurity return to his face. Except, it doesn’t quite look the same as it has before. There’s some other emotion there.
“What is it, handsome?”
“Just…why…me? I’m not like you—not…adventurous like you. How can someone like you be attracted to someone like me?”
Stroking a strand of his hair away from his face, I rest my forehead against his. “I don’t care about what you have orhaven’t done, Charlie. People are more than their preferences or zones of comfort. You have nothing to worry about. I’m the one who should be feeling insecure right now. I can’t say I regret my behavior, since it got your attention, but I’m pretty sure I’ve taken the wordobsessedto a new level,” I confess with a laugh, which makes him smile. “The only other cage I’ve ever even touched was the one I wore years ago.”
That has him looking at me in surprise. Settling in closer, I sigh and proceed to shower him with truths his blushes accept as compliments—all the little things that make me know he’s the man for me. His work ethic, the way he was so carefree when he joked with Carmen, his mind, and ability with numbers, how he carries himself, and even his discretion and need for privacy. People are often under the assumption that when someone has as much money as I do, they enjoy flaunting their personal lives. I would loathe being with a man who actually wanted to be in the public eye.
And then I tell him about Jeremy and how he reminded me of him. I meant to insinuate that his shyness told me he would be a faithful partner, that he valued love. However, I don’t get to. His body goes rigid, and a look of horror crosses his face.
“So, you felt sorry for me? Did you think you were saving me from…from—I don’t know. That I’m closeted and miserable and would give up on life because of it?”
Jesus. That did not go where I expected it to, but I understand his assumption.
“No. Not at all,” I reassure him, cupping his face. “I’m not collecting Jeremys or trying to replace him or bring him back.”
