Epilogue
“Hurry.”
“Who’s in charge here?”
“You are, Daddy,” I whimpered. He was teasing me. Tormenting me.
Killingme.
It would be a beautiful death.
I made it all of thirty seconds before angling my hip and shifting forward so he would touch me.
“Camila. Do you really want to find out what will happen if you don’t listen to me?”
I rapidly shook my head.
“Stand still.”
It was easy for him to say. He wasn’t the one with white rope being knotted around his naked body.
He wasn’t even naked.
That alone was rude. An injustice. Even if he did look so handsome in his charcoal gray suit and black shirt.
After more came out about Veronica’s death, Ash had been willing to give me an extension on his wedding deadline.
One more month.
It’d been a considerate offer, but completely unnecessary. I wouldn’t have invited Veronica to the wedding had she been alive, so why would I postpone it for her just because of how she died?
It had taken the authorities longer than it should’ve to admit, but there was no denying that the random stabbings around Vegas were linked. And for the rest of history and Wikipedia, my mother would forever be known as a victim of the serial killer.
More than anything, Veronica had wanted to be famous and adored. In death, she’d managed the first part at least. I didn’t need that solace, but it was there, nonetheless.
As messed up as it was to say, I still didn’t mourn her death as anything more than a general sadness at the loss of life. Even with the knowledge she’d been a random target of a deranged murderer, she had barely been a blip in my thoughts.
Fitting since I’d never been more than a blip in hers.
I would’ve been happy to elope, but just because I had no family to attend our wedding didn’t mean Ash’s couldn’t be there—even if I felt like everyone needed to wear name tags. He’d handled getting their flights and rooms booked to ensure that happened fast.
His parents weren’t what I’d expected. I’d already guessed by the short FaceTime I’d seen and their previous professions that they were traditional. Kind of old-fashioned.
The shock came when I’d found out that they knew about the gray—and sometimes very, very dark gray—work Ash did for Maximo.
Even more shocking was that they were okay with it. No. They approved of it. Even his father, the former judge.
Witnessing Ash be a funcle times eleven was an experience, too. I was unsure I wanted my own children. My family was missing the maternal gene, and I would never put a child through the hostility or the indifference I’d been raised with. But watching him play with the older kids or snuggle the younger ones had made my ovaries perk up.
I got the feeling his thoughts had frequently drifted to the same theoretical stork delivery. On multiple occasions over the weekend, he’d rubbed his thumb across the spot where my birth control implant was buried in my arm.
That would be a conversation for later. Much, much later. I had more pressing matters to focus on. Like the torture he was inflicting on me.
I inhaled through clenched teeth when the rope accidentally dragged across my clit.
“Done,” Ash said before I could attack him—with sex or violence. I was open to either at that point. He stood back to inspect his work.
Length of white rope looped around my thighs and between my legs before it wove up my torso to create a corset. The thin material would be easily hidden under my dress and didn’t serve the same purpose as the thicker rope he often used. It was decorative rather than functional.
A reminder that I was his.
A reassurance that he wanted me so badly, he’d tie me down to keep me if he had to.
A secret for just the two of us.
The longer he stared, the darker his expression grew. I could almost see his filthy thoughts, filled with all the depraved things he wanted to do to me.
Biting out a rough curse, he ran his hand across his beard. “Where’s your dress?”
“You are not allowed to see me in that before the ceremony,” I reminded him.
A single eyebrow arched. “Has anyone ever told you that you’re bossy?”
No.
Never.
I’d lived my life by flying under the radar. I never fussed or made waves. I never made demands.
But things were different with Ash.
Iwas different with Ash. Like the me I was always supposed to be.
“I must’ve learned it from you.” I turned to search for the rest of my stuff. “You’re teaching me already.”
Coming up behind me, he wrapped his arm around my waist and buried his face in my neck. His beard and his groan tickled. I wasn’t sure if it was a happy noise at the mention of teaching me anything or an aroused one at the feel of me in his ropes.
I was going with both.
“You keep this up, we’re going to be late to our own wedding.”
“That’s fine,” he rumbled, his lips grazing my neck. “What’re they gonna do, start without us?”
“Being late means waiting even longer until I’m your wife.”
That did it.
He stepped away. “Dress?”
“You can’t see it,” I repeated.
“Will you be able to get it on yourself?”
“I will not.”
“Well I’m damn sure not letting anyone else see you in Daddy’s ropes, so I’ll ask again. Where’s the dress?”
Going into the closet, I shoved a bunch of suits out of the way to reveal where I’d stashed it after my frantic shopping trip with Juliet to a million and ten dress shops.
“You have a lot of suits,” I said, telling him something he definitely already knew.
“I need options. They get stained.”
Sometimes by my wetness, sometimes by other people’s blood.
I was tempted to take my engagement ring off so I didn’t snag the fabric, but I’d already learned that was a mistake I didn’t care to repeat. Short of an emergency, Ash never wanted it off me.
Fine, I also didn’t want it off me. And not just because it was gorgeous—though it very much was.
Yellow gold, it had a giant boulder of a diamond that was surrounded by smaller diamonds to resemble a very expensive sun.
Being mindful of the delicate material, I removed my dress from the garment bag and handed it to Ash.
His smile was sweet, but his eyes were loaded with sinful promises as he helped me slip it on.
The long-sleeved, V-neck dress was beige with a shimmery sheer overlay. Once it was on, the beige blended in, giving the illusion that I only wore the see-through layer.
His eyes slowly moved along my body, warming me like a physical touch. “Christ, how did I get so lucky?”
“You were my behemoth in shining armor.”
“Your monster in the night-light.”
Tears filled my eyes, and I knew I wouldn’t get through the day without losing that fight.
I couldn’t get over how one awful, horrible, horrendous weekend had somehow turned into so much beauty.
And it was all thanks to him.
“I need you,” I whispered.
An inferno broke out in his hazel eyes, and he tightened his fists until his knuckles went white. “After the wedding. And if you keep tempting Daddy, you’ll be walking down that aisle with a red, burning ass.”
“No, not like that.” His eyes narrowed instantly, and I laughed. “I always need your cock and your cum. And I just need you. Period. But at this moment, I specifically need you to help with my shoes.” I grabbed the box and handed it to him. I was going to go sit so I could lift my legs, but he didn’t give me the chance.
Dropping to his knee, Ash carefully helped me into the intimidatingly high heel before fixing the white bow that tied around my ankle.
“Love the little knots, sunshine.”
“I thought you would,” I forced out past the ache in my chest at seeing such a big, powerful man kneel to help me put on the delicate shoes. “Thanks.”
“Want to know how you can thank me?” he asked, dragging his rough fingertips up my calf as he stood.
I was desperate to know. “How?”
“Get your cute ass outside to the creek and marry me.”
I said the only thing there was to say to that.
“Okay, Daddy.”
“How’re you doing, Mrs. Cooper?”
Standing with Ash’s sisters, I was already looking at Violet when she spoke. I saw her own eyes were aimed my way.
But it still didn’t register that she was talking to me.
Not until Emily nudged me. “That’s you now.”
Maggie gestured outside of the tent to where their husbands had a competitive game of cornhole going. “None of us are a Mrs. Cooper anymore. Well, except Mom.”
“But do not call her that,” Andrea put in.
That was a lesson I’d quickly learned.
While we might’ve been moving at lightspeed, none of Ash’s family seemed fazed in the slightest. There’d been no judgment, apprehension, or even simple curiosity from any of them, but especially not from Lynn Cooper.
From the moment she’d stepped out of the RV, she’d insisted I drop any formalities and had been nothing but warm and loving.
It’d kind of freaked me out.
And by kind of, I meant totally.
Belatedly realizing they were still waiting for an answer, I thought about the day.
When Ash and I planned the wedding, I’d told him my one request.
I wanted to get married near the creek that ran through his backyard.
That little piece of undisturbed nature had to be one of the most beautiful and peaceful spots in the entire world. Or at least my world. It was the perfect location for our quick and simple wedding.
Quick?
Yes.
Simple?
Not so much.
I’d had this vague idea that Ash and I would exchange our vows in front of his friends and family, and then everyone would just… do something? Hang out inside. Leave to go visit the more interesting sights.
Maybe order a pizza.
I honestly wasn’t sure since neither family gatherings nor weddings were an area of expertise for me. My focus had just been on the whole getting-married part.
But like the perfect Daddy he was, Ash had handled everything. The ceremony had taken place at the most picturesque part of the creek, under the sun and blue sky. Closer to the house, a canopy tent had been set up for a reception with food, drinks, music, yard activities, and about a billion twinkle lights.
It’d been casual and intimate and so breathtakingly perfect.
A dream.
Which was why my answer was nothing but the truth. “I’m good.” I wasn’t a natural hostess, but I could bullshit with the best of them, so that was what I did. “Did everyone get enough to eat? There’s lots of cake.”
“Speaking of…” Maggie skewered me with a look and lowered her voice. “Do you have any dirt on Freddy?”
The hairs on the back of my neck rose. As did my protective instincts.
Ash just dealt with a rat in his professional life.
He doesn’t need one in his own family.
Before I could figure out how to answer, she continued talking. “Or maybe a bribe idea? I’m open to either. I just need him to fork over that cake recipe for my restaurant.”
My shoulders loosened. “I don’t think you’ll have any luck. He’s pretty, uh, particular about his methods.”
“All good chefs are. But I still want those recipes. I’ve never had a strawberry cake that tasted so fresh. And the cream cheese frosting?—”
“Oh my God,” Emily cried, “stop talking about food. I already ate too much. I might pass out on the pool table.”
“My, how things change,” Violet said. “Instead of sleeping it off from the tequila bar, it’s a taco bar taking you down.”
“I haven’t passed out from tequila in forever.”
“It was when we were all here last year.”
“Which was forever ago. Exactly what I said.”
I did my best to follow along with their easy banter and mild bullying. I could’ve listened for hours, but their conversation was cut short when there was a loud clatter, and a sharp cry pierced the air.
Maggie, Emily, and Andrea shared a look before hightailing it toward the chaos.
“Not mine yet,” Violet said since her only kid was sleeping on her chest. Her hazel eyes scanned me. “Seriously, though, you doing okay? Everyone blowing in at once is like throwing you in the deep end of our insane family pool.”
I laughed because she wasn’t wrong. “It’s been fun.”
“Fun. Chaos. Potato, po-tah-to.” She smiled. “I’m glad we didn’t scare you away. Even if he’s annoying, it’s nice seeing my brother so happy about something other than work. And I like having you here.” Her smile turned mischievous. “And not just because I need someone to hold Charlie while I run to the bathroom. Although…”
Before I even knew what was happening, Violet transferred her baby into my arms.
Her tiny human baby.
Her vulnerable baby.
“Just support her neck,” she muttered, adjusting my hold before stepping back. “There. Perfect. Be right back.”
And then she left.
My panicked gaze lifted from the sleeping baby to search for Ash. When I spotted him, he was already on his way across the tent toward me.
Oh no.
I’m doing something wrong.
But when he reached me, it wasn’t to rescue the baby from my incompetence. It was to shoot a dimpled grin down at me.
That alone was enough to make my brain turn to goo, but he wasn’t done. His already deep voice was laced with huskiness. “Like seeing you with a baby, sunshine.”
“I’m doing okay?” I was terrified I was somehow holding her wrong even though I’d barely moved. Hell, I wasn’t sure I’d taken an actual breath.
“You’re doing perfect.” He wrapped an arm around me and gently shifted me closer, though he made no moves to take Charlotte. “How’s your day been, wife?”
Wife.
I’m Ash’s wife.
I bit back my smile and shrugged. “Oh. Same ole, same ole. Nothing too interesting.”
His hazel eyes narrowed, but it was just for show.
I glanced over toward where he’d been standing with Maximo, Cole, Marco, and Freddy. “I feel bad I don’t have any bridesmaids for the three single guys to chat up. This has to be the most boring wedding they’ve been to.”
“Trust me, they’re good.” Ash’s lips curled in a smirk. “They’ve got their hands full.”
I gave him a questioning look, but before he could respond, something flashed.
Lynn held up her phone and took another picture. She let out a happy squeak. “It’s like looking into the future. Hopefully, the very near future…”
“Ma,” Ash warned, but I just leaned into him and laughed.
It was through a surge of terror, but still. I laughed.
One of the older boys swooped in to distract his grandmother, and Ash gripped my chin to tilt my head. His voice was low so only I could hear. “Let Daddy know if you’re getting overwhelmed.”
“Don’t worry,” I said before blinking up at him with fake innocence. “I can’t run in these heels.”
Despite the blaze of lust that ignited in his hazel eyes, his concern for me was his priority.
I was always his priority.
“And I’m good,” I reassured before he could worry. “Promise. I like your family.”
“They’re your family now, too.”
My breath caught in my lungs.
I knew how in-laws and all that worked. Logically. But the reality hadn’t sunk in. Not until right then.
I have sisters.
And brothers.
And nieces and nephews and a father-in-law.
And a mother-in-law who has hugged me more in one weekend than my actual mother did in my entire life combined.
I have a family.
A loving one.
It was yet another thing Ash had given me to make my life a dream.
Ash
Someone’s cute little ass is about to be burning hot.
Mila and I may have been married, but that didn’t mean I wasn’t still her Daddy. Or that I didn’t take that job seriously. My rules hadn’t grown lax over time. If anything, I’d gotten stricter.
Because I knew what I had was valuable. Precious. I would live and die to protect her.
Even from herself.
Not much had changed about our daily lives. She still came to one of the resorts with me more often than not. If Juliet was there, they hung out. If she wasn’t, Mila either stayed in the penthouse to work on her online courses, or she hung out with her other best friend.
Miles.
When I’d asked him to walk Mila from the elevator to the arena on the one and only fight night she’d attended, I’d hoped the tiny nudge would be enough to show her that he didn’t harbor any judgment or hostility toward her. I hadn’t wanted her to continue avoiding him until her insecurities tied her in knots.
That was my job.
I hadn’t anticipated that they’d bond over architectural history.
Since she’d known Juliet and Miles would both be there, I’d been surprised when Mila had asked to stay home instead. And after a long-ass day, I’d been counting down the fucking seconds till I got home. I’d expected to find my sunshine tied to the bed where she was supposed to be.
But as I stood in our empty bedroom, she was missing.
“Little girl, you better get your ass out here.”
Nothing.
“If you come out now, I’ll go easy on you.”
Not even a creak.
After changing out of my suit and into a pair of basketball shorts, I checked the bathroom. I opened the closet door, but the light was off, so I knew she wasn’t in there. I moved through the rest of the house.
Not in the loft.
Not the living room or kitchen.
Not in the guest rooms, the gym, game room, or my office.
Leaning over my desk, I brought up the outdoor security cameras on my monitors, but she wasn’t outside, either.
“Where the fuck could she be?” I whispered to myself.
I backtracked up to our room, but nothing looked out of place.
Nothing except my missing wife.
“If you don’t come out right now, you won’t be coming at all,” I shouted.
That usually did it, but at the stretching silence, the first hint of apprehension hit my gut.
Is she not here?
With no other choice, I brought out the worst punishment—in her mind, at least.
“Camila Cooper, show yourself right now, or Daddy isn’t even going to fuck you. I’ll jack off and come on your sweet little pussy instead.”
“Eek.”
At the quiet noise, I rushed to the door just in time to see Mila round the corner at the end of the hall.
That’s why I couldn’t find her hiding spot.
Because there wasn’t just one.
I took off after my girl, easily catching her as she tried to crawl behind a couch in the loft. In a short, sexy nightie, her bare ass was sticking up.
Wiggling.
Taunting me.
I pulled her back with one hand while I freed myself with the other, filling her in one smooth thrust.
Not just wet.
Soaked.
Always soaked for me.
I ran my palms from her shoulders down her arms to the ropes she’d used to secure her wrists behind her back. “You did so good,” I said as I made the few small adjustments she wouldn’t have been able to do herself. Gripping the ends, I gave a sharp tug to tighten them so they stayed in place.
My cock surged in and out of her as she rocked against me, fucking herself. I was already close with the frantic way she moved. With the way her pussy choked my cock.
With the mindless desperation we both felt for each other.
But she had a punishment, and I wouldn’t be a good Daddy if I didn’t follow through.
I squeezed her ass cheek. “You didn’t listen?—”
Mila launched herself forward. At the sudden movement, I lost my hold on the rope, and she gained a little distance.
But not enough.
Rather than filling her again, I positioned her on her knees before dropping down to eat her pussy from behind. I wrapped an arm around one of her thighs, holding her in place while my finger stroked her clit.
I should’ve stopped.
I had a punishment to give, and Mila hated orgasm denial worse than any other. Even spankings.
She deserved that for not being in bed. For running from me.
Her sweet taste. The sexy noises that filled the room. And the way she fucked my face like she was greedy for me.
I couldn’t force myself to stop.
Her taste exploded on my tongue as she cried out, coming with jerking rocks of her hips.
When she was finished, I carefully rolled her to her back. Her face was flushed with exertion, and her wild hair was spread around her. The way her arms were bound pushed her tits out, and her hard nipples pressed against the sheer fabric of the damn nightie.
Each time I saw her, I thought she couldn’t get sexier.
And each time, she proved me wrong.
Fisting my dick, I stroked as I looked down at her.
Myown personal wet dream.
Mywife.
Mysunshine.
Kneeling next to her, I leaned down to kiss her, but she turned away.
“You know the rule,” I warned before trying to kiss her again.
She turned her face the other way.
The fuck?
Slowing my strokes, I reached out with my free hand to grip her cheeks and squeeze her mouth open. After I spit her taste in, I kept that hold as my fist began moving faster.
My focus glued to her mouth, I watched as she slowly stuck her tongue out.
Waiting patiently like a good girl.
Mygood girl.
She startled when the first shot of cum hit her tongue, but she kept it out while more splattered across it and her face.
When I didn’t think I had another drop left, I stared—fucking enthralled—as she brought her tongue back into her mouth and swallowed.
I’ve died.
That’s the only explanation.
Collapsing onto my back, I gently gathered her to me before undoing the ropes. I rubbed her wrists and arms even as I fought to catch my breath.
“Happy anniversary, Daddy,” Mila whispered, snuggling in like we were on the world’s most comfortable bed and not the hard floor.
“At the risk of sounding ungrateful for that gift you just gave me, our anniversary isn’t for a while yet.”
“I’m not talking about our wedding anniversary.” She inhaled softly. “A year ago today, you rescued me from the lobby at Moonlight. You brought me here and made me see what it was like to have someone take care of me. You made me feel wanted. I’d never had either before. You changed my whole life, and I’ll always be grateful I trusted a behemoth to keep me safe.” She sniffled. “So thank you. For all of it. For everything.” Reaching next to me, she snagged the rope and draped it over my chest. “I hope you enjoyed your gift.”
That was an understatement.
For whatever Mila thought I’d done for her, it didn’t come close to what I got in return. She’d already given me the only thing I would ever want for the rest of my life.
Her.
Mila
“I think I have a room idea.”
Ash set down his phone and turned his chair to look at where I stood outside of his home office.
He always did that. If I had something to say, he was going to pay attention to it.
Especially when I talked about interior design stuff. He liked to hear what excited me. He liked to see me get excited.
Both excited him.
I was a long, looooong way away from doing anything professionally with it. But I enjoyed learning. I felt useful every time Ash or Maximo came to me for my opinion. I’d had fun doing some basic improvements in the penthouses.
And, shockingly, they’d turned out really well.
“What’re you thinking?” he asked when I didn’t say more.
“You know the second guest room from the loft?”
Leaning back in his chair, he kicked his feet up on the desk and laced his fingers behind his head. He tried to smother a smile, but his dimples gave him away. “I am aware of the rooms in our home, yes.”
Our home.
If just those two words can send a butterfly mosh pit through me…
I wonder how he’ll feel about my two words.
“I think it’d make a good nursery.”
It didn’t even take him a second to process my words. His feet dropped to the floor as he sat forward. “You’re ready to start trying?”
Ash had been ready to try since right after our wedding. Actually, according to him, he’d been ready since we became an us. That was why he hadn’t bothered to ask if I was on any birth control before he’d come in me. When I’d met his demands with evasiveness, he’d threatened to cut my implant out of me himself until I’d been forced to explain.
Even though seeing him with his nieces, nephews, or Juliet and Maximo’s son always gave me a mega dose of baby fever, it turned out there was a cure for it.
Debilitating self-doubt.
My mother had been a shit mom. Nan had been a shit mom and grandmother. I worried that it was hereditary.
That’d changed—okay, the panic had slightly decreased—a few months before when I’d had a dream about Ash holding a baby with hazel eyes.
Seeing him holding other people’s kids was one thing. But even a dream version of our baby had been enough to make me rethink things.
True to his vows, Ash had given me the world. I was thrilled—and slightly panicked—for the chance to give him what he wanted.
What we both wanted.
“Oh, didn’t I tell you?” Tilting my head, I paused briefly for dramatic effect. “I had my implant removed a few months ago.”
His mouth dropped open, but I didn’t give him the chance to speak.
I pulled the surprise from my back pocket and tossed it at him.
He caught the plastic stick easily, and there was no missing the two very dark pink lines.
“I hope you know some ties that can accommodate a pregnant belly,” I added.
Ash pushed away from his desk. “Get over here.”
“Sorry, gotta run.” I took off toward the stairs, even knowing it was pointless.
He was going to catch me.
He would always catch me.
“Don’t run.” His stern voice was laced with fear. “You could slip.”
Oh man, if Daddy Ash is already protective, Dada Ash is going to bubble wrap this whole house.
For a while, I’d secretly worried that I was more like Veronica than I ever wanted to be. I loved Ash’s attention. I basked in his obsession. I found security in his fixation with me. I desperately needed it all and him.
And that was exactly how I knew I wasn’t my mother. Because I didn’t want to be the center of everyone’s universe.
Just his.
Hissunshine.
The End!
Well, the end of the book but not the series. There’s still a serial killer on the loose. Not to mention, Eternal Sun’s mega creepiness…
If you’re excited to read about Marco, Cole, Freddy, and the very lucky woman who’s starring in their fantasies and causing a lotion shortage, don’t forget to preorder Little Goddess!