Free Caged by Madison Collins Page A

match and have moved to the mats at the far end of the room. I silently approach, appreciating the way their powerful back muscles flex when they move.
    Where Cage is hard angles, frown lines creasing his brow and intense dark blue eyes, Tripp is the lighter of the two – always a lopsided grin and smiling light blue eyes.
    I see the ghost of a smile twitch on Cage’s mouth as I approach and my heart kicks up in my chest.

Chapter 2
    Cage
     
    I carefully watch Lily approach from the reflection she casts in the mirror behind her. She doesn’t know it, but the way her ass fills out a pair of jeans should be a crime. It’s downright sinful and kicks up the testosterone in my veins like nothing else. More than once I’ve had to practice deep breathing to get rid of an unwanted erection inspired by her curves. I resume stretching, but can’t help but notice that Tripp is every bit as enthralled with the view as I am. He’s more of a breast man, and Lily has those assets in spades too. Lucky girl.
    “What’s up, champ?” I joke as she gets closer. I rarely call her by her name, I’m not sure why…like it’d be too intimate coming from my mouth.
    “Dane called. You two idiots are supposed to be home tonight for Luke.”
    I roll my eyes. Dane is an over-protective mother hen on crack most times. “Luke’s balls dropped about eighteen years ago. Dane needs to get the fucking memo. He doesn’t need a babysitter,” I growl.
    Lily shifts her weight, cocking one hip out and planting her hand there. “I’m just the messenger.”
    “Don’t be an asshole,” Tripp gives me a playful shove. Even he knows that Dane takes this shit too far.
    “Fine, we’ll shower and get home.” I raise my hands up in front of me in surrender. I know Dane means well. He doesn’t want Luke left alone at night – something about keeping him out of trouble. But Luke’s a good kid for the most part.
    “Do you need a hand?” Lily’s eyes fall to my hands that are still taped up. I could remove it in the dark with just my teeth, but there’s no way I’d pass up an opportunity to have her touch me.
    “Sure. I’m all yours.” I shift so there’s room for her to join me on the mat.
    She lowers herself to her knees….a sight I like way too much, and crawls towards me. When she takes my hands and places them in her lap, she’s none too gentle about it. She begins peeling back the tape, ripping it and any hair from my skin as she unwinds it.
    I growl and pull back a little. “Damn girl.”
    “Sorry,” she mouths with fake concern.
    It’s always like this between us. This banter, the back and forth, sort of like a brother and sister – always at odds trying to poke at the other. But more and more lately, I find myself wanting more. Which is dangerous territory. Not only does my brother like her too, but we train with her dad. He would kick our asses if we touched his daughter. I guess I’ll have to get used to a permanent painful erection. Awesome .
    The problem is, it’s not just her body I want – it’s her. I watch her bite her lip as she unwinds the tape more carefully. She’s adorable, feisty, and tough. She’s everything I could ever hope to want in a woman. Too bad she’s off limits.
    “Done,” she says, satisfied.
    I blink as she holds up the unraveled tape in front of me. Then she’s standing up and the moment is over way too fast.
    “Do you have any plans for tonight?” I’m already kicking myself for asking, but I don’t want her to walk away.
    Lily tilts her head like she’s considering whether to answer me or not. “Yeah. I’m going to see my brother.”
    Her brother has been in the hospital for two years. I can see how much his accident tears her up inside. For me it’s just the price of being a fighter. When you burn brighter and harder than ordinary people, you burn out faster. Being inside the ring, though, it’s all worth it. I feel alive inside the ring. It’s just me and my opponent, and all