Bound By Cage Box Set (Complete Series Books 1-4) : MMA Romance Read online

  Bound By Cage

  CAGED

  RAMPAGE

  CHAOS

  RECKLESS

  Brittany Crowley

  Copyright

  Bound by Cage Series

  Copyright © 2019 Brittany Crowley

  All rights reserved

  Cover design and promotional items

  Lisa Reads at BTP Designs

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to any persons, living or dead, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

  No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means including electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without permission of the author, except for brief quotations of the book when writing a review.

  The author acknowledges the trademark status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with or sponsored by the trademark owner.

  BOOKS BY BRITTANY CROWLEY

  The Bound by Cage Series

  Caged

  Rampage

  Chaos

  Reckless

  A Stalker Novel

  Stakeout

  Standalone:

  The Big D

  Fool Me Once

  TABLE OF CONTENTS

  Copyright

  BOOKS BY BRITTANY CROWLEY

  TABLE OF CONTENTS

  CAGED

  CHAPTER 1

  CHAPTER 2

  CHAPTER 3

  CHAPTER 4

  CHAPTER 5

  CHAPTER 6

  CHAPTER 7

  CHAPTER 8

  CHAPTER 9

  CHAPTER 10

  CHAPTER 11

  CHAPTER 12

  CHAPTER 13

  CHAPTER 14

  CHAPTER 15

  CHAPTER 16

  CHAPTER 17

  CHAPTER 18

  CHAPTER 19

  CHAPTER 20

  CHAPTER 21

  CHAPTER 22

  CHAPTER 23

  CHAPTER 24

  CHAPTER 25

  CHAPTER 26

  CHAPTER 27

  CHAPTER 28

  EPILOGUE

  RAMPAGE

  PROLOGUE

  CHAPTER 1

  CHAPTER 2

  CHAPTER 3

  CHAPTER 4

  CHAPTER 5

  CHAPTER 6

  CHAPTER 7

  CHAPTER 8

  CHAPTER 9

  CHAPTER 10

  CHAPTER 11

  CHAPTER 12

  CHAPTER 13

  CHAPTER 14

  CHAPTER 15

  CHAPTER 16

  CHAPTER 17

  CHAPTER 18

  CHAPTER 19

  CHAPTER 20

  CHAPTER 21

  CHAPTER 22

  CHAPTER 23

  CHAPTER 24

  CHAPTER 25

  CHAPTER 26

  EPILOGUE

  CHAOS

  PROLOGUE

  CHAPTER 1

  CHAPTER 2

  CHAPTER 3

  CHAPTER 4

  CHAPTER 5

  CHAPTER 6

  CHAPTER 7

  CHAPTER 8

  CHAPTER 9

  CHAPTER 10

  CHAPTER 11

  CHAPTER 12

  CHAPTER 13

  CHAPTER 14

  CHAPTER 15

  CHAPTER 16

  CHAPTER 17

  CHAPTER 18

  CHAPTER 19

  CHAPTER 20

  CHAPTER 21

  CHAPTER 22

  CHAPTER 23

  CHAPTER 24

  CHAPTER 25

  CHAPTER 26

  CHAPTER 27

  CHAPTER 28

  CHAPTER 29

  CHAPTER 30

  EPILOGUE

  RECKLESS

  PROLOGUE

  CHAPTER 1

  CHAPTER 2

  CHAPTER 3

  CHAPTER 4

  CHAPTER 5

  CHAPTER 6

  CHAPTER 7

  CHAPTER 8

  CHAPTER 9

  CHAPTER 10

  CHAPTER 11

  CHAPTER 12

  CHAPTER 13

  CHAPTER 14

  CHAPTER 15

  CHAPTER 16

  CHAPTER 17

  CHAPTER 18

  CHAPTER 19

  CHAPTER 20

  CHAPTER 21

  CHAPTER 22

  CHAPTER 23

  CHAPTER 24

  CHAPTER 25

  CHAPTER 26

  CHAPTER 27

  CHAPTER 28

  CHAPTER 29

  EPILOGUE

  EPILOGUE NUMERO DOS

  REBEL

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  About the Author

  CAGED

  CHAPTER 1

  “Give me a fucking break!”

  I can’t hear myself think, let alone run my bar. The banging from the business next door is annoying on a good day, but today I don’t know if they’re working on the other side of my wall or trying to knock it down.

  “Do you want me to go bash someone’s head in?” asks my best friend, Ashlyn.

  The new owner next door has been doing renovations since it was bought a little over a month ago, and word around town is it’s supposed to be some sort of gym. Maybe having one within walking distance will make me drag my ass over there.

  Who am I kidding? Going to a gym has never been my preferred type of exercise.

  “Oh, yes, by all means waltz on over there and bash some heads in.” I laugh.

  Grabbing my sweatshirt, I head for the door. “I’m going over to talk to someone so I can figure out when all this madness is finally going to be done.”

  As I step onto the sidewalk after exiting the bar, I bask in the sunshine. It’s fall in Massachusetts, and the weather can change from hour to hour. Today it’s 60 degrees and sunny; I love the fall season.

  I inherited my bar from my great Aunt Cheryl who passed away five years ago. She was slightly insane and ran a sex toy shop that surprisingly did quite well. Imagine a 75-year-old woman sharing her top picks for pleasure and giving hands-on demonstrations to customers. There was not a shy bone in that woman’s body. I remember her acting out sex positions with customers on the floor of the store; just thinking about it makes me laugh.

  After my mom died, she was the only female in my life. When I was 13 and came home asking my dad about my G-spot, I thought he was going to have a coronary. I told him an older kid on the bus was talking about it. My dad in no way, shape, or form wanted to talk to me about sex, so Aunt Cheryl told me about the birds and the bees. She helped me through a lot of things: choosing my first training bra, talking me through my first period, and buying me my first vibrator. Unconventional, but she was there.

  After Aunt Cheryl died, I decided I couldn’t run her store. I’m not a prude, I just couldn’t see myself selling dildos and edible panties for the rest of my life. That’s when Ashlyn and I decided to open up our bar. With no mortgage, all we had to do was take out a loan to renovate the place, and we could not be happier with the end result. Working every day means this is our home away from home, and it’s exactly what we envisioned when we started this journey.

  Coming up with a name was difficult because when it comes to creativity, we’re kind of shit at it. Thank god we’ve always believed in fate and the power
s that be because fate intervened. One day, when we were out for a run, Ashlyn tripped over a branch and ate the pavement. When she got up and turned around, I burst out laughing because she split her pants.

  “What the fuck? I don’t want to see your ass cheeks. You two should be an exhibit at the zoo, for crying out loud! You’d fit right in with the monkeys.”

  Leave it to my dad to be driving by at the precise moment of pant rippage. Whirling around so fast it made my head spin, Ashlyn declared, “Monkey Bars!” And just like that, our bar was named. It’s not the best name, but it draws in quite the crowd on its own.

  It’s a quick walk next door, and when I reach the windows, I try to sneak a peek. They’re covered with brown paper for the upcoming grand opening since they want it to be a surprise, but I’m not sure how that’ll work out if everyone already knows it’s a gym.

  I knock as hard as I can, hoping they can hear me over all the noise. A couple minutes later, an intimidating man with broad shoulders answers the door wearing a construction hat. I’m taken aback because he looks just like Opie from Sons of Anarchy. Before I can get out of my own head, I miss what he says to me.

  “I’m sorry. What?” I ask, feeling like an idiot.

  “I asked you what you want.”

  Wow, rude much? “Yes. I was wondering if the person who owns this building is around?”

  He appraises me for a minute before saying, “He’ll be in later.”

  He reaches in his pocket, pulls out a business card, and hands it to me. I read the name: Zander Cage. He’s obviously a man of few words. He could have at least told me when he was going to be in again.

  I mumble a “thanks” and walk back.

  Afternoons at the bar have been dead all week. I wasn’t lying when I said business has been way down since they started working. Generally, we’re packed until we close the doors. We’re a full-service bar with a great menu, and people keep coming back because our food is delicious and our drinks are the best around.

  Ashlyn went to school to become a chef since she has always had a passion for food. In high school, she tried to make different concoctions out of ramen noodles that were actually quite delicious. I have no idea how I’m not as big as a house with how much of her food I consume.

  When we started toying with the idea of opening this place, I decided to get my bartending license. School was a breeze when I realized I have a passion for it, and now I love coming up with new drinks and perfecting the already popular ones. I’m a people person, so I love being behind the bar. Our regular customers are like family to me and getting to know them is the highlight of my job.

  The business works perfectly because I handle the bar and Ashlyn covers the kitchen. I can barely boil water, and her drinks taste like gasoline; it’s the perfect partnership.

  Keeping ourselves busy isn’t too hard on a typical day, until now. Our customers know to come in no earlier than dinner because nobody wants to feel like there’s an earthquake going on while they eat, and who can blame them? Looking around, we currently have two of our usual customers sitting on barstools and one group at the tables eating. I pray that the gym opens soon. Sighing, I replace the keg and head to check on the lonely stragglers at the bar.

  I walk over to Frank, one of the usuals, and slide him another beer. He comes in without fail every day on his lunch break. He’s one of those old men who you wish could’ve been your grandfather. Cool as shit, he’s always telling me stories of back in the day and leaving me hanging on his every word.

  “You know, Savvy, one of these days I’m going to leave the missus, and we’re going to run away together.” He laughs, waggling his eyebrows. He’s always been such a harmless flirt.

  “Promises, promises. How would Jane feel about this? I’m pretty sure she’d kick your ass for even joking about it.” He belly laughs and continues eating his burger.

  Jane, his wife, has come in a couple of times with him. They really are the sweetest couple, always bragging about their grandkids. I only hope someday I can sit around telling strangers stories of my great love and all my grandbabies. I’m a romantic at heart—I read a lot of romance novels—and want nothing more than to find the man my soul yearns for. I haven’t had the best luck with men in my 24 years, and my last relationship was the worst. Is it so wrong for a girl to dream?

  I sigh in relief when I notice the noise has stopped. It must be four in the afternoon. After packing up for the day, a few of the guys working on the reno next door usually come in for a beer. I always joke with them that at least they’re drumming up a little business for me after taking it away during the day.

  “You just couldn’t keep it down, could you? I feel like you were extra loud on purpose today, gentlemen.” They laugh as I turn and pour them each a beer.

  If only one of them were my age and attractive, this situation would be perfect. But sadly, the only men here are middle-aged, and the majority are married. Doesn’t every girl fantasize about a construction worker, especially after seeing Magic Mike?

  ***

  My eyes find the clock on the wall, and I realize it’s closing time. There’s one guy left on a lonely barstool. Holding him steady, I walk him out to the cab I called before heading back in and locking the door behind me. Ashlyn wipes down a few tables while I sweep the floor.

  I love working with my best friend and roommate. We met in elementary school when Ashlyn moved to our town from out of state, and I knew we would be best friends when she showed up to school with an NSYNC backpack. I mean come on, who doesn’t love Justin Timberlake? We bonded over our mutual love of boy bands, and the rest is history. She’s like a sister to me. When we were 16, we used to go into my aunt’s toy shop and help out. My dad was not thrilled in the least about this, but he had to pick his battles because you could never argue with Aunt Cheryl.

  As we head out of the bar, a black F-150 pulls up to the curb. There’s just something about a truck that screams sex. A guy jumps out and walks around the hood of the massive vehicle. He’s wearing a black baseball hat pulled low, a white t-shirt that stretches nicely across his broad shoulders, and dark wash jeans that look like they were made perfectly for him. My curiosity is piqued; who is this guy?

  He moves to stand in front of the business next to mine, takes out a key, and unlocks the door. Right before he heads in, he looks over here, and I gasp. Sweet mother of Abraham, he is gorgeous. The light hits him just right, and I can see his full lips and strong jaw. I can’t see his eyes, but I know he’s looking at me, keeping me frozen where I stand. I’ve never seen this guy before, but right now there’s a pull between us I can’t ignore. As if he can read my mind, he gives me a crooked smile before walking through the door. It’s just my luck that I’d have one of those grand moments, like in my books, while standing in the shadows like a fucking psycho. If he saw me walking down the street tomorrow, he wouldn’t be able to pick me out of the crowd.

  “Well, he was fucking gorgeous,” Ashlyn exclaims.

  “Mmmmm-hmmmmm,” is all I can say.

  Walking home takes no time. When I inherited my aunt’s store, I also inherited her house. It’s a nice two-bedroom split-level with a garage, and it’s perfect for us.

  Naturally, we made some upgrades. My aunt had an obsession with cats—her two favorite things in life were dildos and pussies—so the first thing we did was take out all of the cat decor she collected. I’m talking pillows with cats printed on them, porcelain cats, cat dish towels, cat clocks, and my personal favorite: her cat, Walter, who she had stuffed after he died. Everything is now safely in the garage and no longer creeping us the hell out. Ash seems to think we could make some money selling them, but it somehow feels like a betrayal. I already got rid of her sex store, so selling her cats seems like it’s crossing the line.

  Second, we had to buy stock in rubber gloves to take care of all her…private items. I contemplated hiring someone for the job but thought better of it. I manned up, threw all her toys in a giant box, a
nd then set the box on fire. Some of the stuff in there will scar me for the rest of my life. It’s like finding your mother’s secret collection or your father’s porno stash.

  Heading to the living room, we plop ourselves onto the couch and decide to watch a little TV to unwind before bed.

  “Do you think that guy was the mysterious owner from next door?” Ashlyn breaks the silence, asking what I’d already been thinking.

  “I don’t know, but did you see him, Ash? He may be the sexiest man I’ve ever seen.”

  “Fate…if it’s meant to be, it will be, Savvy. I have a good feeling about this.”