Chapter 10
Ruby
Beckett was staring at her.
It wasn’t just that he was staring, though. It was the intensity with which he was staring. Anyone who didn’t know any better could be forgiven for thinking he was the groom, waiting expectantly for his bride to come down the aisle.
Her unease wasn’t helped in the least bit by the fact that with every step she took, her muscles clenched around the plug in her ass, reigniting the burn of the ginger.
While Beckett was staring at her like she was the last bite of food at a buffet and he’d been starving for weeks, she, on the other hand, was feeling rather murderous.
Knowing she’d earned the punishment didn’t do a damn thing to ease her annoyance. Or her humiliation.
It didn’t seem to matter that nobody but Beckett and Silver knew she had a plug in her ass. Some illogical part of her brain was convinced that every single person watching her make her way down the aisle could tell she was walking more stiffly than usual and that they knew exactly why.
Taking her spot beside Silver, she shifted as inconspicuously as possible, trying to find a comfortable position to stand in that didn’t make her ass ache.
But between the oil and the size of the damn thing, even just standing still was uncomfortable.
No matter what, her mind was going to be on her punishment, and by extension her Daddy, the entire ceremony.
Just like he’d wanted it.
The bastard.
Praying her smile covered her growing irritation toward the man watching her from across the aisle, she turned her head to watch Frankie make her way to the end of the white runner and take up her place beside Ruby.
And then there was silence. As if the entire room was holding its breath in those few seconds before the doors opened again, and Lottie stepped into the room.
She really was a vision, even more so than she’d been back in the suite. Ruby snuck a look over at Braden, unsurprised to see he wasn’t even trying to hide the tears welling in his eyes as he watched his babygirl make her way toward him.
Romantic music, played by the stringed quartet tucked away in the corner of the room, filled the air as Lottie made her way to the end of the aisle on her father’s arm.
The pair paused, her father also not bothering to hide his tears as he kissed his daughter on the cheek and passed her off to his best friend.
Braden shook his hand, bowing his head slightly as Lottie’s father murmured something nobody else could hear.
Whatever it was, it had Braden laughing and nodding in agreement as he slipped his arm through Lottie’s and turned to face the officiant.
As the vows that would link them together for life were said, Ruby found her gaze drifting once more across the aisle.
To the man who held her heart in his hands.
Her annoyance with the plug in her ass faded completely as she thought about the ring she’d found in his drawer, the ring he’d bought just for her.
He was wrong for her, in every single way.
He needed complete control, where she couldn’t and wouldn’t allow anyone to put her in a cage.
He had more money than they could spend in a lifetime, where she’d spent years working multiple jobs just to put a roof over her head and food in her belly.
At every turn, it had seemed as though fate itself was working against them.
And yet, they’d found a way. Through lots of tears and compromise and tense therapy sessions, they’d built a life that worked for them, brick by brick. A life she now couldn’t imagine living with anyone but him.
“I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss your bride.”
Cheers erupted around them, and Ruby joined in as Braden bent his bride completely backward, claiming her in the most thoroughly scorching kiss Ruby had ever witnessed. A glance over at Lottie’s poor father showed he was staring very pointedly at the ceiling, and Ruby couldn’t help but giggle.
As one, husband and wife turned to their cheering crowd. But instead of making their way down the aisle like Ruby had expected, Lottie turned and pinned her with a mischievous grin, and Ruby’s heart tripped in her chest.
What the hell was she up to?
Letting go of Braden’s hand, Lottie stepped forward and held out her giant bouquet. Someone plucked the smaller version from Ruby’s hands, and for a moment, all she could do was stare at the explosion of flowers in front of her as her brain tried to process what was happening.
“Just take it,” Lottie whispered loudly, giving her bouquet a shake. “Wait! Not yet.” She carefully extracted the locket from between the flowers before handing it back to Ruby. “There. Now it’s yours.”
“I-I don’t understand. Why are you giving me your bouquet?”
“You know the tradition.” Lottie winked. “Whoever catches the bouquet is the next to get married.”
Shoving the flowers into Ruby’s numb fingers, Lottie stepped aside, and Ruby’s pounding heart slammed to a complete and utter stop at the sight that greeted her.
Beckett Stone, the man she loved beyond all reason, on one knee right there in front of God and everyone, an open ring box in the palm of his hand.
Holy. Shit.
“Ruby.” His voice rang out loud and clear, though it was thick with what she thought might be tears.
“I have loved you from the very moment I laid eyes on you. You are the light that was missing from my life for so very long. And if you’ll have me, I vow to fill your life with as much love and happiness as you’ve given me for the rest of my days. Will you marry me, my sweet Ruby Red?”
She couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t think, couldn’t move. A hundred different emotions welled inside her, crowding into her chest, squeezing all the air from her lungs.
“This is the part where you say yes,” Silver whispered in her ear, and a moment later an elbow dug into her side, jolting her out of her shocked state.
“Yes!” The word burst out of her, followed by an almost hysterical laugh as she launched herself at the love of her life, no longer caring that the tears pouring down her cheeks were probably ruining her makeup. “Yes, yes, of course I’ll marry you!”
Another round of cheers erupted around them as Beckett slid the ring onto her finger and pulled her to him for a deep, fierce kiss. “Fuck, I love you, Ruby Red. I cannot wait to spend the rest of my life with you.”
“Same. You’re stuck with me now, Bex.”
The arms around her tightened as he growled low in her ear. “You are so going to pay for that, little girl.”
Beckett
How many goddamn pictures did one person need?
All he wanted was to get his girl, his fiancée, somewhere private so they could properly celebrate their good news.
But not only did Lottie’s photographer have a list two miles long of pictures that needed to be taken with the wedding parties, their families together, their families separately, and a million other variations, Lottie insisted on him and Ruby taking pictures together.
Which was sweet, it really was, but he just wanted a few minutes alone with his babygirl.
Well, maybe more than just a few.
Some of his irritation must have shown on his face, because after what felt like the hundredth picture of just him and Ruby, Braden stepped in, his mouth quirked up in the amused smile he almost always wore when Lottie was involved.
“All right, Lottie-bug. I think that’s enough for Beckett and Ruby.
We should let them have a few moments alone, don’t you think? ”
“Oh, but…” Lottie heaved out a dramatic sigh when Braden raised an eyebrow at her. “You’re right. Sorry, I’m just really excited.”
Now he felt like an asshole who’d just kicked a puppy. Forcing a smile, Beckett stepped forward to cup her face in his hands, pressing a gentle kiss to her forehead. “I adore you, Lottie. Thank you for sharing your day with us.”
“Thank you for letting me be a part of your big moment.” Tears glimmered on her lashes. “I’m really so fucking happy for both of you. Now go drag Ruby off somewhere and do whatever it is you’re clearly itching to do.”
His smile now wasn’t the least bit forced as he turned back to where Ruby was standing just behind him, hunger in her eyes as she gripped the giant bouquet Lottie had bequeathed to her.
“Come on, Ruby Red. Let’s go celebrate.”
Grabbing her hand, he all but dragged her up the aisle, much to the delighted laughter and catcalls of their friends.
“Where are we going?” she asked, amusement winding around the words as he pulled her toward the elevators.
“Our room.”
“We have a room? Here?”
“Yes.” The elevator arrived with a telltale ding and as soon as the doors slid open, he stepped inside and hit the button for their floor before turning to pull his confused babygirl into his arms. “I wanted to be able to celebrate without having to wait to get you to the club.”
If he hadn’t been holding her up, he was fairly certain she would have melted into a puddle at his feet. “I love you, Beckett Stone.”
“I love you, Ruby…” A laugh bubbled up in his chest. “I just realized you’ll be Ruby Stone.”
One dark brow kicked up toward her hairline. “Who says I’m taking your name, Bex?”
A primal, possessive need welled up in him, gripping him by the throat as he pressed her up against the wall of the elevator. “You will. Because I want the whole world to know without a doubt who you belong to. My woman, my ring on your finger, and my goddamn name.”
Eyes wide, she stared up at him, the muscles in her throat working as she swallowed hard. “That’s not very feminist of you.”
“Yeah, well, nobody’s perfect.”
The elevator stopped with another ding, and again he had her by the hand, pulling her along behind him as he hunted for their room.
And as soon as he had her inside, the door snicking shut behind him, he pressed her up against the painted wood, her skirt up around her waist as he shoved his hand into her silky panties.
“My pretty babygirl,” he murmured, skimming his teeth down the side of her throat as she arched into his touch with a gasp.
“Come for Daddy, baby. Let me feel that pretty little cunt squeezing my fingers when you come.”
She did as he demanded with a loud cry, her body shuddering as the first orgasm crashed over her. The first of many, if he had anything to say about it.
“Bed. Now.”
Without giving her even a moment to recover, he swept her up into his arms and carried her over to the giant bed in the middle of the room.
“If I had it my way, I’d take my time with you.” Setting her on her feet beside the bed, he tugged her dress up and over her head, tossing it toward the empty chair in the corner. “I would spend the rest of the evening touching you. Tasting you. Worshiping you.”
Her pupils had widened, all but obliterating the golden brown of her irises, and her chest shuddered with every breath. “I wouldn’t mind that.”
“Mmm. Neither would I. But it would be rude to miss our friends’ reception, after they were so nice as to share their day with us.”
“Lottie would understand.”
Truth was, she really would. She might have been the very epitome of a spoiled little rich girl on the surface, but she had a heart of gold. “Be that as it may, you know I don’t tolerate rudeness. Do I, Ruby Red?”
“N-No, Sir.”
Placing his hands on her shoulders, he gave her a gentle shove that sent her tumbling backward onto the bed, her eyes bright with hunger. “I also do not tolerate being called Bex. Do I, little girl?”
Instead of looking chastised, the little brat had the nerve to grin up at him. “No, Sir, you do not.”
God he loved every bratty inch of this woman. Reaching for her panties, he gave them a tug, pulling them down over her hips and her long, shapely legs. “You’re right. I do not. Which is a shame for you.”
“Oh? And why is that?”
“Because. Instead of getting Daddy’s cock in that pretty pussy, you’re going to take it in your bottom instead.
” As he spoke, he gripped the base of the plug nestled between her cheek and pulled.
“And when you’re nice and full of Daddy’s cum, I’m going to cover this plug with some more of that naughty lube, and you’re going to spend the rest of the night with your bottom full and burning, so you can remember exactly who you belong to. ”