Caged (Defiant Kings, #1)

by Bella Matthews

“Sit down, Kingston. You’re not walking up the damn stairs tonight.” Cade and Hudson are arguing while I stand in the family room, staring out the wall of windows making up the entire side of his house. The snow has just started falling outside, and the view of the lake at the end of Hudson’s backyard looks like part of a Norman Rockwell painting. No matter how many times I see it, this view always takes my breath away. Hudson’s house sits on the banks of Kroydon Lake, and the waterfalls play a constant soothing melody in the distance. He moved in a year ago after spending months on renovations, and from the first time I stepped inside, I’ve been in awe of how warm and homey it is. Not at all the bachelor pad most of us were expecting. Reclaimed wood floors and a stacked stone fireplace take center stage on the first floor, surrounded by windows and oversized, plush furniture. Everything about it screams beauty and comfort . . . and money. Hudson spared no expense making this home his own personal retreat. The Kingston family is Philadelphia royalty. They own half the city. It’s easy to forget that when you’re talking with them because they don’t act like . . . well, like how I’d imagine billionaires would act. Which I guess isn’t exactly a fair assumption.