Page 42 of Bet On Me, Daddy

It was a Daddy’s job to ensure she drove safely. And he wasn’t her Daddy.

Keeping that in mind, he pushed the desire to interrogate her about her driving habits to the back of his mind as he took her hand and guided her into his house.

Beside him, Ruby stayed silent during the trek up to his bedroom. And with every step, he could feel the agitation pumping off her in waves. Maybe it was just nerves, but it didn’t feel like it to him.

So when they stepped into his room he turned, sliding his arms around her waist to pull her close. “Eyes on me, Ruby Red.”

Oh yeah. She was definitely feeling some kind of way about something, though he wasn’t sure what. It was there, burning in the deep brown of her eyes, turning them a molten sort of amber that fascinated him. “What color are you, sweetheart?”

His palm itched to connect with her ass when she rolled her eyes. “You haven’t even touched me, Beckett.”

“Technically, I am touching you right now, but I know what you mean. That doesn’t answer my question, though. What color are you, Ruby?”

“Green.”

There was a bite to the word, setting off alarms in his head. “Really? Then why do you sound so pissed?”

Her nose crinkled. “I’m not mad. I’m just… a little uncomfortable.”

“What can I do to make you more comfortable?”

“Not be rich as fucking Midas.”

Less bite, but a hint of something else in her tone now. Bitterness, maybe? “Does my wealth really bother you that much?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“That’s personal.”

Again, he had to resist the urge to pry. To dig deeper and peel back every single one of her layers until every last inch of her had been exposed to him. “You don’t have to tell me,” he said instead, repeating what he’d told her back at the club. “But if being here is going to upset you, I need to know sooner rather than later. We can go to a hotel if that would make you more comfortable.”

A hint of a smile tugged at her lips. “There’s a Holiday Inn not too far from here.”

It took everything in him not to visibly recoil at her suggestion. “Is that where you want to go?”

“No.” Dropping her bag to the ground, she wrapped her arms around his neck, tilting her head back a bit to smile up at him. “The fact that you’d be willing to lower your standards just to make me comfortable is all I needed. I’m green, Sir. I promise.”

Because he could feel the tension leaving her body, he lowered his head, taking her lips in a slow, tender kiss. Little by little she relaxed, until at last she surrendered with a sigh, all but melting into him.

Soft and sweet. Just for him.

“Before we start, what are your hard limits?” he asked, running his fingers down the stiff corset she still wore under her jacket.

“Um, scat and watersports are very firmly off the table. No punching or face slapping.” She opened her mouth, then pressed her lips firmly together again, looking uncertain.

“Remember what I said about honesty, Ruby? It goes double when we’re discussing your limits. If you’re not going to be honest with me, we will end this before it even starts.”

“And you promise you won’t be mad?”

The worry in her voice was like a knife to the chest. “Sweetheart, any Dom who gets mad at you for setting a limit or a boundary has no goddamn business being in the scene.” He made a mental note to ask her later if anyone at BDE had hassled her about her limits so he could pass those names on to Braden. “So no, I will not be mad, no matter what your limits are.”

“It’s just that it’s something pretty common. But I have my reasons.”

Cupping her face in his hands, he locked his gaze with hers. “You don’t ever have to justify your limits to me or anyone else. Understood?”

Relief flashed in her eyes. “Yes, Sir.”

---