Page 55 of Big Daddy Christmas
The Ceremony
Chapter 1
Ruby
Flying high on the lovely buzz drinking a little too much wine always gave her, Ruby waved goodbye to her rideshare driver as stumbled up the steps to the house she shared with Beckett Stone, her boyfriend and Daddy. The way-too-big, way-too-expensive house she’d once viewed as yet another gilded cage a man with more money than God wanted to lock her in.
Now, though, she couldn’t imagine living anywhere else. Even when Beckett was in overprotective Daddy mode, the way he’d been ever since the craziness with Cordelia and Jacob and the cult they’d escaped had started, he was still the best man she’d ever known. He was her comfort and her accountability and her soft place to land when life got a little too hard.
He was home. And it was both as simple and as baffling as that.
Before she could even reach for the front door, it swung open, and there he was. Grinning down at her with that boyish smile she’d fallen head over heels in love with well before she’d been willing to admit it to herself.
“Well, well, well. What do we have here?”
Returning his grin with her own, she let herself fall forward, confident he would catch her. Which he did, of course, even if he did stumble backward a bit in the process. “Hi, Daddy.”
“Hey there, pretty girl. Have a good time with your friends?”
“Uh-huh. So much fun.” Giggling, she pulled away, spinning so that the dress she’d sworn up and down that she didn’t want because fuck was it a lot of money, twirled around her legs. “Ivy was naughty, though. She locked Cordelia out of the house.”
Beckett turned away from the front door, his mouth falling open. “She did not.”
“She did! I swear! It was so funny. Well, I thought it was funny but I don’t think Cordelia did. She took Ivy upstairs and they were gone forever and Ivy was blushing so hard when they came back down. Whoops.” Slapping a hand over her mouth, she smothered a giggle. “I’m prob’ly not supposed to tell you that. What happens at girls’ night stays at girls’ night.”
“Your secret is safe with me, Ruby Red. But we should probably get you to bed so you’re not hating yourself in the morning.”
“Awww but the night is still young! And so are we!”
“Be that as it may…” Chuckling, he slid an arm around her waist and guided her toward the stairs. “You need sleep since you have to be at the hotel at an ungodly hour tomorrow for reasons that still escape me.”
“It’s ‘cause Lottie’s getting married!”
“Yes, she is, and unless you want to be standing up there beside her with bags under your eyes, you’ll get your ass in bed.”
They’d reached the bedroom at that point, and she took the opportunity to spin away from him again, grinning as she did so. “Who’s gonna make me?”
Hunger flashed in his eyes, those deep pools of brown she could lose herself in. “Naughty girl. You know I’m not going to spank you when you’re this far gone.”
“Aww, spoilsport.”
Snagging her around the waist, he yanked her toward him, his lips hovering just over hers. “I won’t spank you tonight. But if you don’t get that gorgeous ass of yours in bed, I will start my morning by dragging you over my knee and turning your ass red. And when you’re whining and crying and begging me to stop, I will bend you over and fuck that pretty ass, so you’re forced to walk down the aisle with your bottom full of Daddy’s cum. Now, are you going to be a good girl for Daddy and get ready for bed?”
Need throbbed between her thighs, and as tempted as she was to put that threat to the test, she wasn’t so buzzed she didn’t know how uncomfortable walking down the aisle with a sore, plugged ass would actually be. “Yes, Daddy.”
“That’s my good girl. Let’s get you into some comfy pajamas and wash your face. You’ll be pissed if you wake up in the morning with all your makeup still on.”
“Probably,” she agreed with another giggle as he led her toward the bathroom, where he proceeded to wipe her makeup off and wash her face. And she was reminded why she’d fallen so hard for him so fast. As much as she enjoyed bratting him and the punishments that came with said bratting, she’d been helpless against the sweet, caregiving side of him. The Daddy side.
When her face was clean, she wrapped her arms around his waist, tilting her head back. “Kiss me.”
Lips curving up in a wicked smile, he hummed softly. “Is that how you ask your Daddy for something, Ruby Red?”
“Maybe,” she shot back with a cheeky smile of her own.
“You’re lucky you’re so damn cute when you’re drunk.” Pulling her close, he brushed a kiss over her lips. “Let’s get you in bed, silly girl.”
“Awww.”
