Page 60 of Melt For Us, Daddy
“Eyes on me.”
Slowly lifting her head, Ivy looked up into those impossibly green eyes, the knots in her stomach untwisting at the depth of the love she found shining there.
“I don’t care about any of that, baby. I care that you obeyed me, even though it was hard. You make me so proud, every day, blossom. And I know you’re going to continue making me proud, even when you don’t want to. Even when it’s hard and you’re angry or sad. But even if you don’t, even if you fight me or struggle, I will still be proud of you. Do you know why?”
“Why?”
Gripping Ivy’s chin between her fingers, Cordelia forced her head back. “Because I love you, Ivy Mae. And because you are mine. No matter how out of sorts you feel, no matter how hard it is to obey, you will always be mine. And that’s all that matters to me. Understood?”
Relief, warm and glowing, flooded her. “Yes, Daddy.”
“Good girl. Now, you’re going to go downstairs and make my coffee, make yourself a cup of tea, and then you’re going to begin breakfast. Whatever you feel like making. I’m going to see if Jacob is awake.”
She hated herself for the little stab of jealousy. “Okay.”
Instead of letting her go and sending her on her way, Cordelia’s grip on her chin tightened. “What’s wrong, baby?”
Nothing. The lie trembled on the tip of her tongue. But they’d both made a vow to be more honest, so she swallowed the lie and offered up the truth instead.
“I was sort of hoping we could have some time just for the two of us.”
To her surprise, Cordelia smiled. “Silly girl. Did you really think I would deprive myself of time with my babygirl? The hour after lunch and the two hours before bed are ours, and ours alone. We can watch a movie, read together, or I can bring you upstairs and make you come until you can’t think straight. Whatever you want, blossom, for those three hours every day I am all yours.”
More and more of her anxiety faded, replaced by the certainty that her Daddy had nothing but her best interests at heart. “Thank you, Daddy.”
“You’re welcome, blossom. Get dressed and I’ll meet you downstairs.”
Rising to her feet, she turned to do exactly that as Cordelia moved toward the door, then paused. “Oh, and Ivy?”
“Ma’am?”
Humor sparkled in those emerald eyes. “Brownies do not count as breakfast, little girl. You may have one with lunch but no sooner.”
Dammit.
Jacob
* * *
The knock on his door woke him. Well, he supposed it would be more accurate to say it interrupted his hundredth attempt to fall back asleep.
Cordelia had laid down the law the night before, telling him and Ivy both that in the morning she would have a schedule for them to follow to help give some structure to their days. And the way she’d said it, so firm, like there was no room for argument, had kept him up all night, resisting the temptation to touch himself.
What would she do if he disobeyed? Would she punish him, the way she punished sweet, tiny Ivy? The thought of laying himself across her soft thighs for a spanking didn’t horrify him the way he knew it should. If anything, it had only made resisting the temptations of the flesh that much harder.
Now, lying in bed listening to her low, commanding voice through the door, he found himself yet again throbbing so hard he had to grit his teeth against the pain.
“Jacob? Are you awake?”
The answer needed to be yes. She’d given him an alarm clock the night before that Kestrel had unearthed from a box in the basement with explicit instructions on what time to set it for in the morning.
And yet, he was tempted to stay silent, just to see what happened.
But when she knocked again, this time more insistent, he knew he wouldn’t ignore her. He didn’t have the courage to defy her, no matter how eager certain parts of him were to learn what the consequences of such defiance might be. “Yes, ma’am.”
“Good. You have twenty minutes to get out of bed, get dressed, brush your teeth, and meet us downstairs. Ivy should have breakfast ready by then. Do not make me come back upstairs to get you.”
Or what? The question burned on his tongue, but he swallowed it back. “Yes, ma’am.”
