Epilogue
Cordelia
S he wasn’t sure how Holden’s face hadn’t split in two yet from all the smiling he was doing. The man hadn’t stopped grinning from the moment he and his new bride had walked through the doors of Club BDE for their impromptu wedding reception.
Frankie, for her part, looked just as happy, the diamond on her hand glinting in the dim lights of the club as she reached up to stroke the white and rose collar around her neck. Happy and in love, which eased a lot of the worries Cordelia had previously had about their relationship. They’d had a rough road to get here, but it seemed like things had finally smoothed out.
Tightening her hold on Ivy, who was, as always, curled up on her lap, Cordelia leaned in to press a kiss to her girl’s neck. And as always, Ivy shivered delicately at the unexpected touch.
With a quiet chuckle for her girl’s responsiveness, Cordelia slid her hand up Ivy’s bare inner thigh. Beneath the cute little floral dress she’d chosen for the impromptu party, Ivy was completely bare at Cordelia’s request.
“Do you think our friends would notice if I made you come right here at the table?” she murmured, deliberately keeping her voice low so only Ivy could hear what she was saying.
Ivy’s breath hitched, and it was all Cordelia could do not to grin at the effect she had on her babygirl. “We could try and see what happens,” Ivy whispered back.
“Naughty, naughty little blossom. I have half a mind to take you down to the pit and show you what happens to dirty little girls like you.”
“Yes, please.”
Now she did grin, brushing her fingers over the sensitive skin of Ivy’s upper thigh. Ivy was a good girl nearly one hundred percent of the time. Nothing upset her more than knowing her Domme was disappointed in her.
Playful punishments, however, worked well for both of them. It fed Cordelia’s stricter side, the part of her that enjoyed watching her girl writhe in agony and beg for mercy. And when she wasn’t actually in trouble, Ivy enjoyed playing the brat, pushing Cordelia to hurt her more and more until she finally broke. Over the years, they’d found their rhythm together, and with all the wedding talk swirling around them, Cordelia found herself wondering if it wasn’t time for her to finally give Ivy the ring she’d had tucked away in a drawer for the last few months.
Laughter erupted around them, pulling Cordelia’s attention away from the adorable little brunette on her lap and her proposal plans.
Whatever the joke was, it had Braden shaking his head, despite the smile tugging at his lips. “You better not let Killian hear you say that.”
“Speaking of.” Ruby frowned, craning her neck to look around them. “Has anyone seen Master O lately? Usually he comes by to say hi at least a couple times a week while I’m working the bar, but I haven’t seen him in weeks.”
“He’s had business to deal with,” Braden said, his expression and voice suddenly flat. “I’m sure we’ll see him around soon.”
“What kind of business?”
Beckett gave her hair a gentle tug. “Don’t ask questions you don’t want the answers to, Ruby Red.”
“But—”
“Drop it, Ruby.” Her Daddy’s voice lost that teasing edge. “When it comes to a man like Killian, the less you know, the better.”
“Bossy jerk,” Ruby mumbled, flopping back against her chair, a pout on her lips.
Pushing to his feet with a sigh, Beckett held out a hand to his babygirl. “On that note, I’m going to take my naughty girl down to the pit. Come on, Ruby Red. There’s a new paddle in my play bag with your name on it. Literally.”
Cheeks blazing red, Ruby took his hand and allowed herself to be led away and down to the pit.
Seeing her opening, Cordelia nudged Ivy off her lap. “I think we’re heading home. We’ve both got an early morning.”
Across the table, Lottie rolled her eyes. “You know nobody ever buys that line, right? We all know you’re just leaving so you can take Ivy home and?—”
“Charlotte, you’re being rude.”
With a wink for her friend, Cordelia grinned. “She’s fine. Besides, she’s right. I have every intention of tying Ivy to our bed and making her come so many times she passes out.”
Beside her, Ivy bounced on her toes. “Oh, goody. Bye y’all!”
Laughter rang out at Ivy’s exuberant farewell, and Cordelia just shook her head as her girl tugged impatiently on her hand. Making a mental note to give her girl a lesson in patience when they made it home, she followed Ivy out the back door, the warm spring air greeting them as they stepped outside.
“Oh, shit.” Stopping short, Ivy groaned. “I left my purse at the table.”
Turning, Cordelia pinned her with a mock-stern look. “Go back and get it. And that's ten when we get home.”
Ivy’s bottom lip pushed out in an adorable pout that just begged to be kissed. “You can’t punish me for leaving my purse behind!”
“No.” Sliding her hand around the back of Ivy’s neck, Cordelia watched in pleasure as her girl’s eyes widened with that delicious awareness she loved so much. “But I can, and will punish you for making me wait to get my hands on you. So that’s an extra ten for the time it took us to have this conversation.”
“Y-yes, Ma’am.”
God, she loved the way her babygirl’s voice took on that softer, more breathless quality as she slid even deeper into her submissive role. Two years together and she still hadn’t tired of the way Ivy reacted to a single touch, a single look.
And she hoped she never did.
With her hand still gripping the back of Ivy’s neck, she leaned in, her gaze locked on Ivy’s wide, brown eyes as she lowered her head to nip at her full bottom lip.
“Excuse me.”
Biting back a sigh of annoyance, she turned to address their intruder. “Can we help…”
But the rest of the words faded on her tongue. The world around her fell away, and from a distance she could hear Ivy’s worried voice, but the actual words were drowned out by the ringing in her ears.
He couldn’t be here. Couldn’t have found her. She’d left, changed her name, her hair, everything she could to make sure they couldn’t find her. And yet, here he was, her own personal nightmare staring her in the fucking face.
Someone shook her arm, hard enough to snap her out of the odd trance she’d found herself trapped in, though the panic still gripped her lungs, holding on tight.
And now she could see it wasn’t him. But goddamn if the man in front of her couldn’t have been Silas Redding’s twin, at least from the pictures she’d seen of him when he’d been younger.
Much younger. Whoever this was standing in the back alley of her club, he couldn’t have been more than twenty.
“What the fuck are you doing here?”
Holding up his hands, the man took a step back, glancing nervously over his shoulder. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you. It’s just, I-I need some help.”
Without taking her eyes off the man in front of her, she spoke to Ivy over her shoulder, deliberately keeping her voice as calm as possible. “Blossom, run inside and get Braden and Holden, tell them I need them to come outside.”
“I am not leaving you out here with some strange dude, Dee.”
“You will if I say you will. Now , Ivy Mae,” she added with a snap in her tone when Ivy didn’t move.
“Fuck,” Ivy muttered, but she did as she was told and slipped back inside, leaving Cordelia trapped in the alley with someone who looked far too much like he’d stepped straight out of the world she’d left behind for her comfort.
Where the fuck was the guard? According to Holden, there was supposed to be one out here at all times when the club was open for business.
“I’m really sorry if I scared you. I can go.” His voice was surprisingly soft, given his size. Tall, almost as tall as Holden though not nearly as wide, he could easily overtake her if he had half a mind to. And yet, he stood still, his hands still up in the air, his voice soft with a hint of fear that pulled at her even as everything in her was screaming at her to run .
“No.” In direct contrast to his soft-spokenness, her voice rang out as firm and strong as ever. The familiarity of it, of stepping into that role of authority, steadied her further. “You’ll stay right there until we tell you to move.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Another life, another time, she would have been a total sucker for this doe-eyed boy calling her ma’am in that sweet voice. But as it was, she could only wonder what his angle was.
Some benevolent god must have been looking down on her, because it wasn’t much longer before the door behind her slammed open and she found herself flanked not just by Braden and Holden but every Dom in their group.
A hand came to rest on her shoulder, and she instinctively flinched away, then immediately felt like an asshole at the worry that crossed Braden’s face.
“Are you okay? Are you hurt?” he asked, his gaze roaming her even as he lowered his hands carefully to his sides.
“No and no.”
Shoving past the others, Ivy hurried up to her, immediately placing her hand over Cordelia’s heart. “You’re okay. I’m with you.”
I’m with you. Three simple words, and yet they calmed her in a way nothing else could.
“I’m okay,” she repeated, keeping her gaze locked on Ivy’s until she could draw in an easy breath. “Thank you, blossom.”
They turned as one to face the intruder, who was now looking as though he regretted ever stepping foot on Club BDE property. Every bit of color had left his face and if she wasn’t mistaken it looked a bit like he was trembling.
“Who are you?” Holden’s voice rang out, loud and clear in the evening air.
“My name’s Jacob Redding.” Despite his obvious fear, his words were stead. “My father is Harlan Redding. He’s?—”
“Silas Redding’s son,” Cordelia interjected, her head swimming with this new knowledge. She’d known, hadn’t she, the moment she’d laid eyes on him, exactly who he was.
Turning, Holden frowned. “Do you know him?”
“I know his grandfather.” Swallowing hard, she met Jacob’s stunned gaze and forced herself to say the words she’d never thought she’d have to say again.
“Silas Redding is my husband.”
Worlds collide as Ivy and Cordelia struggle to navigate old secrets, new threats, and a love neither of them ever saw coming in Melt For Us, Daddy .