Page 67 of Break Me, Daddy

Pulling open the drawer, she stared down at the bag of golden apples, her mouth watering a bit. An apple, maybe some peanut butter. And a cheese stick. A nice, balanced snack. Nothing wrong with that. Daddy would be proud of her, actually, for eating so much at once.

As she cut up her apple and weighed out exactly one serving of peanut butter for her snack, the conversation with Lottie played over and over in her mind. And by the time she sat down at the kitchen table, she’d come to the conclusion that she was an absolutely shitty friend. Not only was she putting Lottie through the exact same hell they’d been through together once already, she’d gotten her in major trouble with Braden in the process.

Maybe she should come clean, after all. Maybe if she told Holden the truth about what happened he’d be able to talk to Braden, get him to back off being so strict with Lottie.

Even as the thought crossed her mind, she snorted out a laugh.Nobodycould talk Braden down once he’d decided his babygirl needed to be taught a lesson. But at least if she was being punished alongside Lottie, it might help with how guilty she was feeling.

Reaching for another apple slice, Frankie blinked when her hand met empty porcelain.

When had she finished her snack? She didn’t even remember opening the string cheese, but the wrapper was right there in front of her, mocking her lack of self-control.

Out. She needed to get out of this house, distract herself somehow before she did something she couldn’t take back.

Shoving away from the table, she raced upstairs to scrub her face before throwing on a dress she hoped would be warm enough. If it was too cold out, she’d just go to the mall or something. Do some shopping.

Anything to get her out of this house and away from the temptation closing in on her with every passing second.

Holden

“Have you lost your fucking mind?”

Leaning back in his chair, Holden studied the woman on the other side of his desk. Cordelia was looking much better than she had the night before. Her color was back, even a little high right now given how pissed she obviously was at his suggestion.

“It’s a reasonable solution, Cordelia.” It wasn’t, not really. Moving her and Ivy to a safe house was absolutely bonkers at the moment, since they hadn’t actually been threatened by anyone in the cult. But he had a hunch that if he started with the most unreasonable option possible, he’d be able to talk her down to a regular security detail and taking that sabbatical from the club.

A hunch he was starting to doubt as he watched annoyance flicker in Cordelia’s eyes. “I am not going to a safe house, Holden. Not without a damn good reason, anyway.”

“What about your girl’s safety? Is that a good enough reason?”

Eyes narrowing, Cordelia hissed out a breath. “That was a low blow.”

“Yeah, it was.” But he wasn’t going to apologize for it, not if it helped her see fucking reason. “And you’re right. A safe house isn’t necessary, not just yet. I’d settle for a permanent security detail for you and Ivy, twenty-four-seven.”

“Jesus.” Pushing up out of her chair, Cordelia paced back and forth in front of his desk, her movements jerkier than usual, another giveaway to her agitated state. “I don’t know, Holden. We already decided it’s just a freaky coincidence. I looked at your pictures, nobody looks even remotely familiar. I’m not sure it’s necessary to have someone watching our every move.”

“It’s not like they’ll be inside your apartment, Delia. They’ll just keep watch, make sure nobody tries to sneak in. You’ll still have your privacy.”

“Shit.” Dragging her hands through her hair, she gave the blonde strands a hard tug. “I left that fucking place so I could live my lifewithoutbeing watched every second of every day.”

“I get that.” He hesitated, just a moment, before rising from his own chair and moving to stand in front of her. And it hit him, like a physical punch in the gut, how tiny she actually was. A bit taller than the average woman with generous curves but still, so small and… fragile. After years of watching her put Ivy and a handful of other submissives through their paces, he’d forgotten she wasn’t the Amazon princess she sometimes seemed to be.

Of course, he’d never tell her that. At the first hint from him that he saw her as anything but the badass Domme she was, she’d gut him like a fish. Figuratively speaking, of course, but the woman could wield words with the same lethality his team members wielded a knife.

Keeping that in mind, along with her reaction the night before when he’d reached for her, he kept his hands firmly tucked in his pockets. “My people know how to watch without getting in the way. You won’t even know they’re around for the most part.”

“Except I will. Ivy will.” Tears shimmered in her eyes, but only for a moment before she blinked them away, leaving behind only that burning fury from before. “I never wanted her to be part of this, Holden. Maybe it’s better if I just go.”

“First of all, there’s no reason to think they’re watching the club because of you. As you said, it’s just a huge, weird coincidence. Second of all… do you really think Ivy would just let you go, even if you tried?”

The corners of her lips twitched, but the smile didn’t come close to reaching her eyes. “No. She’d come after me, even if I threatened her within an inch of her life.”

“Because she loves you. And you know if the tables were turned, you’d do the same damn thing in her shoes.”

“Of course I would. She’s mine and it’s my job to protect what’s mine.”

Now it was his turn to smile. “And if it were me or Braden or Ice saying that about our women, you’d hand us our ass along with a lecture about toxic masculinity and how relationships are a two-way street.”

Scowling, she jabbed a finger into his chest, but there wasn’t much force behind it, telling him he was getting close to winning this argument if he hadn’t already. “I’m not a man, so it doesn’t apply.”

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