Chapter 19
CHAPTER 19
ICE
H e gave her the hour, and used the time to make some phone calls. And somehow managed to occupy himself enough that he resisted the temptation to call Ace and read him the fucking riot act for not taking better care of the woman he’d claimed to love.
The more he learned about their relationship, the more he wondered if he actually knew anything about the man he called his best friend. Because the Ace he’d grown up with, the Ace he thought he knew would never have done the kind of damage he’d come to suspect Ace had done to Silver. There was no reason for her to not understand sub-drop, to have no clue how to combat it when it did hit. At the very least, she should have been able to tell him what Ace used to do to care for her, if he’d done his fucking job as her Dom. If he’d loved her, cherished her the way she deserved.
But that was a battle for another time. For now, he was damn sure going to show her what it really meant to be owned by someone, so that when they inevitably went their separate ways, she wouldn’t fall for someone who gave her less than the bare fucking minimum again.
And he would be keeping a much closer eye on her in the future. Anyone she dated after they returned to California would have to prove themselves to him before he allowed her to get in too deep.
Because the thought of her being with anyone else made it difficult to breathe, he pushed that idea away for the time being and made his way to the bedroom to rouse her. He found her already awake, staring up at the ceiling as though it held the answers to all the questions her busy brain could think of.
“How long have you been awake?” he asked, sitting on the edge of the bed. Being so close to her without touching her was its own kind of torture, so he took her hand in his, running his thumb over her palm.
“Not long.”
“Feeling any better?”
“Some.” Her smile wasn’t as forced as it had been earlier, but it still wasn’t her usual bright happy grin. “Thanks for making me rest.”
“Anytime. But you need to get up now, baby. We’ve got company coming.”
“Company?” Pushing up onto her elbows, she frowned. “What kind of company?”
“I invited Lottie and Frankie over for a girls’ night. When I explained why, Lottie suggested Cordelia and Ivy, as well. And I figured I’d invite some of my friends over, and we’d have ourselves a little party.”
“A girls’ night,” she repeated slowly, as if the words were foreign to her. “You invited my new friends over for a girls’ night. And you’re having friends over, too.”
“That’s the plan. So you better get your butt up and dressed unless you still want to be in your pajamas when they get here.” He let his lips curve. “Actually… I wouldn’t mind that at all. Maybe I’ll call Lottie back and let her know it’s a pajama party.”
“Oh my god, don’t you dare, you perv.” Laughing wildly, she launched herself out of bed. “I’m putting on real clothes. What’s the dress code?”
“Super casual. It’s not a dinner party or anything fancy. Just hanging out with friends.”
“Got it.”
He was sad to see the pajamas go, but the leggings she swapped them out for, paired with an oversized t-shirt from their first world tour still had his mouth watering. The shirt was too big to be hers or Ace’s, but maybe she’d picked up one a few sizes too large. For reasons that escaped him, women seemed to enjoy swimming in their clothes.
Not that he was complaining. The shirt was large enough that it fell off to the side, exposing a shoulder, and the sight of that patch of bare skin was far more tempting than it had any right to be.
Seated on the couch, he snagged her wrist as she walked by, pulling her down to straddle him, and grinned at her shriek of surprise.
“Ice! Let me go.” Her sweet giggles filled the room as she playfully fought to be freed.
“Not a chance. We have at least fifteen minutes before everyone gets here. That’s plenty of time.”
Arching a distrusting eyebrow, she leaned in to brush her lips over his. “Fifteen minutes? For you? I doubt it.”
“Challenge accepted.” Running his hands under her shirt, he cupped her breasts, which were sadly covered by thin cotton. Still, her head fell back with a groan as he brushed his thumbs over her hardening nipples.
It wasn’t until he had her whimpering and grinding her hips against his that he realized why the shirt was so big on her. “Are you wearing my shirt?”
“What?”
“The shirt. Is it mine?”
Lifting her head, she stared down at him in utter disbelief. “You’re asking me this now ?”
“I’ll take that as a yes. Naughty girl, stealing Daddy’s clothes.” With a grin, he gave her nipples a tweak, drawing a sharp yelp of pain from her.
“I didn’t steal it. I just borrowed it.” Her smile was full of sass. “Without telling you.”
“Hmmm. Sounds like stealing to me. Naughty girls who steal get their bottoms spanked.”
Before she could protest, he had her face down over his lap, rubbing her ass through her leggings. “Do you know why you’re getting this pretty bottom spanked right now, young lady?”
Her giggle had his cock hardening as she wiggled over his knee. “Because you don’t know the difference between ‘borrowed’ and ‘stole’?”
“Little brat.” But he wasn’t quite able to keep from breaking character and his own laughter snuck through as he swatted her several times in a row.
“Ow, Daddy, no!” Her over-the-top reactions made him laugh even harder. He knew damn well he wasn’t spanking her nearly hard enough to warrant the struggle she was putting up. “Please stop, Daddy, I’ll be good forever and ever!”
“It was very naughty to steal from Daddy, little girl. I hope this spanking is teaching you a good lesson.”
Swatting her harder only resulted in more laughter from both of them. Until he finally stopped and slipped his hand between her thighs, pressing against her clit through her clothing.
“Are you ready to be Daddy’s good girl?” he asked as she pressed back against his hand.
Laughter gave way to little mewls of pleasure. “Yes, Daddy! I’ll be so good, I swear.”
Just as he was reaching for the waistband of her leggings so he could rip them from her and fuck them both into oblivion, a sweet, chiming melody rang throughout the house and he let out a frustrated groan.
“What’s that?” she asked, craning her neck up to look around.
“The doorbell. Up you go, my naughty little goddess.”
“Seriously? You’re not going to at least finish me first?”
“Nope.” Giving her a little nudge, he helped her to her feet, swallowing a laugh at her sulky expression. “If I have to wait, so do you.”
“I’m going to murder whoever that is.”
“You can’t murder our guests, baby.”
“Says who? No jury would find me guilty. Justifiable homicide.”
“You are adorable when you’ve been denied,” he said, pulling her in for a quick, hard kiss. “I might have to keep you in this state more often.”
Murder shone in her eyes. “That really would be justifiable.”
The doorbell rang again, followed by Lottie’s voice. “Hello? Anybody in there?”
“Be right there!” He raised an eyebrow at the still-sulking Silver. “Are you ready to be nice or do I need to give you a real spanking before I go open that door?”
“Does the real spanking come with an orgasm?”
He couldn’t help but laugh at the hope in her voice. “No. And for the record, if I do have to punish you for anything while our guests are here, you will lose any chance of being allowed to come when they leave. So keep that in mind when Lottie inevitably tries to drag you into some kind of mischief.”
“You are so mean .”
“The meanest.” With another kiss, he released her and headed for the front door. Hushed voices greeted him from the other side, and just as he turned the knob, the sound of a hand connecting with a naughty bottom came through the wood.
When he opened the door, Lottie was clutching a bottle of wine in one hand and rubbing at her bottom with the other, her lips puffed out in a pout. Braden, who had been glaring at his bratty little sub, grinned when he spotted Ice. “Evening. I know we’re a bit early, but someone couldn’t wait a second longer.”
“You can’t promise me a girl’s night with half of my favorite band and expect me to wait!”
Laughing at both of them, Ice stepped aside and gestured for them to enter. “There are a few snacks out on the island, and pizzas should be here soon.”
“Oh, this place is gorgeous ,” Lottie said with a lustful sigh as she stepped into the marble foyer. “Daddy, we should get a beach house.”
“Would that keep you and your friends from asking to run off to some tropical island every other weekend?”
A dimple flashed in her cheek when she grinned. “Maybe.”
“Then I’ll consider it.”
“Good enough. Silver!” With an excited squeal, Lottie went running straight for Silver, throwing her arms around her neck and bouncing in place. “Oh my god, you look gorgeous. How do you look so fucking perfect in a t-shirt and leggings?”
Pink blossomed on Silver’s cheeks. “Please, I look like a wreck next to you. Excuse me for a minute.”
Concern crept in at the strained sound of her voice, smothering the enjoyment he’d gotten at Lottie’s antics. “I’ll be back,” he murmured to Braden, who nodded silently as Ice slipped away to follow Silver to their bedroom.
He found her in the walk-in closet, frantically pawing at the clothes she’d insisted on hanging up when they’d brought her suitcase over from the hotel. She glanced over when he leaned against the doorframe, panic filling her eyes. “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize. You should have told me I wasn’t dressed right.”
“Baby, there’s nothing wrong with what you’re wearing.”
“Don’t lie to me, Elias!”
“Okay, woah.” Stepping into the closet, he grabbed her shoulders, turning her to face him. “First of all, I’m going to need you to take some deep breaths for me, baby. Can you do that?” When she inhaled through her nose, he rubbed the tops of her arms encouragingly. “Perfect. Just a few more of those.”
Once he felt some of the tension leave her shoulders, he smiled. “That’s a good girl. Now, what’s all this about you thinking you aren’t dressed right?”
Tears pooled on her lashes. “You said it was super casual, so I thought this was okay. But Lottie’s all dressed up and?—”
“Dressed up?” he asked, his confusion only growing. “She’s wearing jeans and a top.”
The look she sent him was the very definition of withering. “Those jeans cost more than most people make in a month. And the top is a close second. Don’t get me started on the shoes.”
“Baby, did it ever occur to you that maybe it’s Lottie’s definition of ‘casual’ that’s skewed and not ours?”
She blinked, then blinked again as if she couldn’t quite comprehend what he was saying. “Well… no, actually. It did not.”
“Okay, well, I’m telling you that girl wouldn’t know ‘casual wear’ if it hit her in the face. She’s lovely but she’s what most people might call high-maintenance. From what I’ve heard during my time at the club, she comes from money. Old money.”
“Oh. So you’re not embarrassed?”
“Why the fuck would I be embarrassed?”
“Because.” Pulling back, she gestured at her clothes. “I thought I’d misunderstood when you said it was ‘super casual’. I thought maybe I was supposed to be dressed more like Lottie. And the last thing I want to do is embarrass you in front of your friends.”
There was something there, deeper than just the words. Old wounds they didn’t have time to tend to right that second. So he tucked that information away for later as he slid his hands up to cup her face. “You listen to me, Amanda Sterling. Never once in my life have I been embarrassed by you. Got it?”
“You’d tell me if you were? Like, right away? You wouldn’t just keep it to yourself and then yell at me later?”
He could fucking kill Ace. “I solemnly swear that I will always be honest with you about how I’m feeling. No surprises here, baby.”
Relief flooded her expression. “Thank you. Sorry about the freakout.”
“No apologies necessary.” Leaning in, he pressed a kiss to the middle of her forehead, and she relaxed even further at that simple touch. “So not another word about this silly idea you have that I’ll somehow be embarrassed by you, yeah? If I catch you worrying, I’ll have to spank it out of you. Trust me when I tell you our guests won’t mind.”
The suggestion flustered her, just as he’d hoped, with pink coloring her cheeks as she attempted to glare up at him. “You wouldn’t actually spank me in front of them.”
“Why not? I’ve done worse than that at the club with our friends watching. And you just watched Lottie get her ass fuc?—”
“Okay, okay, you made your point!” The pink in her face deepened to crimson.
“Good.” Grinning down at her, he slipped an arm over her shoulders, tucking her up under his arm. “Now, let’s go see what kind of mischief Lottie has managed to get herself into while we were gone.”
“We were in here all of five minutes. She couldn’t have possibly gotten herself in trouble already.”
But when they returned to the kitchen, Lottie was standing in a corner, arms folded neatly behind her back while her Daddy sat at the island sipping a glass of whiskey and watching her with a smug smile. Braden lifted the glass as if in a toast when he spotted them.
“You can come out now, Lottie-bug.”
Not looking the least bit embarrassed, Lottie turned and made a beeline for Silver. Grabbing her arm and the bottle of wine she’d been carrying when they arrived, she all but dragged Silver toward the back door. “Send Frankie and Ivy out when they get here! Thanks!”
Silver glanced over her shoulder, looking slightly panicked, but Ice just shrugged. Whatever Lottie was up to, he was happy to give them some space.
Worst-case scenario, she’d talk the girls into making some trouble, and it would give him another opportunity to prove to Silver that he could never be embarrassed by her. To show her that no matter what she did, no matter how naughty she was, no matter how many times he had to spank her bratty little ass, it would never change the way he felt about her.
It would never change how much he loved her.