Page 61 of Big Daddy Christmas
“You’re probably right,” he said after a long, drawn-out silence. “Text me when you get to the hotel, so I know you made it safely.”
The familiarity of the order had the knots in her stomach finally unraveling, at least somewhat. “Yes, Daddy.”
Unsure of what else to say, what else she could say under the circumstances, she slipped past him and headed for the stairs. She paused at the top of the steps and turned back, searching for something, anything to tell him to make things even a little bit better. But one look at the quiet fury on her Daddy’s face had the words turning to ash on her tongue.
Blinking back another wave of tears, she turned and forced herself to walk down the stairs.
Get to the hotel. Pretend everything was fine. Be the best damn bridesmaid anyone had ever had.
And pray she hadn’t ruined her friend’s wedding.
Beckett
* * *
Watching Ruby hurry down the stairs, his stomach twisted at her clear distress. He wanted to call her back, to tell her it would be okay, but goddammit he was still too fucking angry. Better to wait until he’d found the rings, or at least until he’d calmed down to try and talk to her.
Which meant he needed to get to work. The sooner he found them, the sooner he could talk to his girl. And, if they had time, impress on her exactly why she needed to be more careful with her pranks in the future. With that in mind, he turned back toward their bedroom with a sigh, doing his best not to think too hard about the mess they were leaving in their wake.
Standing in the middle of the room, he stared at the bed, trying to piece together Ruby’s movements from the night before. Obviously she’d gotten out of bed at some point and gone to the bathroom, because she’d moved everything on the vanity around.
The question was, had she done that before or after making trouble in the bedroom?
Either way, she could have hidden the rings somewhere in there, so he made his way to the bathroom and began opening every drawer and cabinet he could find. And, for the first time, considered that maybe Ruby had a point about their house being far too big for two people. When he’d bought it, he hadn’t entertained the possibility that one day he’d have a bratty submissive in his life who enjoyed driving him crazy by moving his things all around the house.
Then again, back then, he hadn’t considered ever having another woman in his life. After the loss of his wife, he’d been very careful not to get emotionally tangled-up with any of the women he played with. Especially the brats. He’d wanted control, complete and utter control over every aspect of his life, and a bratty sub had been antithetical to everything he’d thought he wanted.
Until Ruby. She’d knocked him off his feet the moment she’d flashed that bright, sassy smile at him from behind the bar of Club BDE and he’d been struggling to stay on steady ground ever since. Every single day with her was an adventure, and despite the promises he’d made to himself, he wouldn’t have it any other way. Even now, with the growing tension headache at the base of his skull thanks to her bratty ways, he wouldn’t trade a second of his life with her for anything.
The bathroom, unfortunately, did not offer up any further clues as to the location of the rings. Blowing out a breath, he looked around him, and said a little prayer he’d be able to lay his hands on them sooner rather than later.
Chapter 4
Ruby
She was halfway to the hotel when her phone rang. Seeing Frankie’s number on the tablet-like screen of the brand-new car Beckett had insisted on buying for her when her old one had finally given up the ghost, she hit the button to answer the call.
“I’m on my way! I’ll be there in like twenty minutes!”
“What the hell is going on, Ruby? Are you okay?”
“Yes. Maybe.” For what felt like the millionth time that morning, tears welled in her eyes, clogging her throat. “I’ll explain when I get there.”
“Okay, well, take a few deep breaths. Lottie will be pissed if you die on the way to her wedding.”
The joke surprised a watery laugh out of her. “If I die, it will be because Beckett killed me. I’m in so much trouble, Frankie.”
“I’m sure it’s not that bad. Whatever it is, he’ll get over it.”
“Yeah. Yeah, maybe. Um, I’m gonna go so I don’t get distracted and do something stupid like get another speeding ticket. I really will be dead if that happens.” The one time she’d gotten a ticket, right after Beckett had bought her the car, not only had he spanked her, he’d made her sit on her sore, bruised ass to research a whole freaking essay on the importance of vehicle safety. She could only imagine what would happen if she got another ticket just a few months after that punishment.
“For real,” Frankie agreed with a laugh. “Drive safe, babe. See you in a bit.”
The call ended, and Ruby double-checked her speed, setting the cruise control so she wouldn’t be able to go over without actually meaning to. Between that and her own anxiety over having to face Lottie, the drive to the hotel seemed to drag on forever.
And that anxiety only grew worse as she handed her keys over to the valet with a strained smile. As she made her way through the ridiculously opulent lobby to the bank of gilded elevators waiting to whisk her up to her doom.
Okay, maybe she was being a little dramatic. But still.
