Page 45 of Melt For Us, Daddy
“A house and a kitten, then. Done.”
Before Ivy could ask for anything else, a hard knock rapped on the bathroom door.
“Ma’am? Holden just called. We need to move.”
“Just a sec,” she called back. Meeting Ivy’s eyes again, she searched but found no trace of the fear she’d seen there earlier. Only a steely determination that banished the last of the nerves jumping in her stomach. “We have to go, baby. You okay?”
“I’m good. I’m with you.”
And that, at the heart of it, was all that mattered. “All right. Let’s go.”
Chapter 15
Jacob
The house they brought him to was in the middle of the woods, and it felt like hours they’d been driving before they finally pulled onto the long gravel drive that led up to the pretty blue house. He reached for the door handle to climb out, but a barked order from Holden froze him in place.
“You don’t go anywhere until we say. Understood?”
“Yes, sir. Sorry.”
In the mirror, Holden’s expression softened. “Don’t apologize. You didn’t know.”
“Yes, sir.”
Falcon, as he’d heard Holden refer to the woman in the front seat, was talking into one of those things in her ear like Holden had. “Yup. Thanks, Merlin.”
“All clear?” Holden asked.
“All clear. Merlin and Kes are inside, they’ve done the full sweep, secured everything.”
“Good. Jacob, stay put and I’ll come let you out.”
He stayed, though it rankled a bit. Despite the danger, he was getting a little tired of being bossed around all the time. At least by Holden and the others. He didn’t mind it so much when it was Cordelia, but he was trying very hard not to think about what that might mean.
The side door swung open a second later and Holden ushered him out and up the front steps into the house. Falcon followed closely behind, a large black bag slung over her shoulder.
Two men, both nearly as large as Holden, greeted them inside. “Jacob, this is Merlin and Kestrel. They’ll be your security team while you’re here.”
“You aren’t staying? What about Zach?”
“I need Zach back in the city. But you’re in good hands, I promise.”
Before he could protest again, the sound of tires crunching over gravel reached them and everyone in the room went on alert. One of the men who’d been inside already, the one with long sideburns and the bushiest mustache Jacob had ever seen, moved to the window, speaking low into one of those ear things everyone seemed to have.
“It’s Blaze and Hawk. Let them know it’s clear, they’re bringing the women inside.”
Cordelia. And Ivy. Some of the knots in his stomach loosened at the thought of seeing them again.
Behind him, the door opened and he turned just as they stepped inside. His heart skipped a beat—he hadn’t known that was a thing that could really happen—at the sight of them. Cordelia, her head high and her sharp eyes scanning their surroundings until they locked on him.
And Ivy beside her, clutching a pink toy to her chest with one hand and Cordelia’s hand with the other. A fierce, possessive need rose up in him. The need to protect, to defend, similar to what he felt for his sisters but also completely different at the same time.
“Ivy. Cordelia.” Holden nodded in greeting. “This is Merlin and Kestrel. They’ll be staying here at the house with you until further notice.”
“How long is ‘until further notice’?” Ivy asked, her lips turning down into a frown.
“Until the threat has been removed or I have decided that it’s safe enough for you to return.”
