Caged (Defiant Kings, #1)

by Bella Matthews

Scarlet’s not wrong. I’ll need help for a few days. And maybe you shouldn’t be alone until we know who broke into the gym tonight. He wasn’t going for the cash box, Mads. He was behind you. It might be a win-win if you stay with me for a few days. You know . . . you scratch my back, I wash yours.” Her smile is infectious when both dimples pop deeply in her cheeks, and something expands in my chest, knowing I made that happen. Men have killed for lesser things. “Come on, Maddie. You know you wanna.” “My goodness, Hudson. Did you take a class on awful lines or something? That was really bad.” She rubs her hands over her bare arms, drawing my attention to the goosebumps covering her creamy skin. I hadn’t thought about the way we rushed out of the gym. It’s freezing outside and only a few degrees warmer in this hospital room. Maddie’s in a tank top and skintight yoga pants that stop just under her knees. This woman gets cold in the heat of the summer. I throw my hoodie her way. “Put that on.” “Excuse me?” she snaps. “You’re shivering.” I watch as she shakes her head, mumbling something about men, but she does as she’s told and throws my hoodie over her head. And it swallows her whole. “Better?” she asks. I nod and ignore how much I don’t hate seeing her in my clothes. “Do you even want me to stay with you?” “Will you wear one of those little candy-striper uniforms?” Scarlet picks that moment to walk back into the room. “She’s not a stripper, dipshit.” “And you’re two weeks out...