Page 59 of Melt For Us, Daddy
“You are my world and I rule you, so I suppose you have a point, blossom.”
The blush on her cheeks brightened to a fiery red, but Ivy deliberately ignored the comment, focusing instead on walking Jacob through the steps necessary to make brownies. And as Cordelia watched her babygirl become more and more herself with a project to focus on, an idea took root in Cordelia’s mind.
Slipping from the kitchen, she went to hunt down one of their guards. She found Kestrel in an office of sorts, tapping away at a computer.
“Hey. I need a favor.”
Chapter 19
Ivy
Beep. Beep. Beep.
Without even opening her eyes, Ivy reached over to turn her alarm off. But instead of the cool glass of her phone screen, her fingers brushed over something much larger.
Opening one eye, she peeked at the nightstand, her stomach twisting as she pressed the button on the alarm clock Cordelia had managed to dig up the night before.
Still at the safe house. Still no idea when they might return home.
Squeezing her eyes shut again, Ivy burrowed deeper into the blankets and willed herself back to sleep.
“What are you doing, Ivy Mae?”
Uh-oh. She recognized that tone. Sweet, too sweet, as if the layer of sugar could somehow hide the deadly intent underneath. Normally, that tone alone would win Ivy’s immediate compliance.
But she was too busy feeling sorry for herself, thank you very much, to heed the implicit warning. “Sleeping.”
“What are you supposed to be doing?”
Getting up. Going to the bathroom. Washing my face. Brushing my teeth.
That was the routine, and Cordelia had been very clear last night that she was going to be setting up a new routine for Ivy and Jacob for the duration of their stay. Hence the bulky alarm clock with its annoying beeping.
But she didn’t want a new routine. She wanted her routine. In her home.
So she pulled the covers even tighter around her and ignored the question.
“Do you really want to start your day by disobeying your Daddy, Ivy Mae?”
Ugh. Cordelia knew how those “D” words hit. Disobey. Disrespect. Disappoint. Any one of them was guaranteed to make Ivy feel about three inches tall.
Which she imagined was the point.
“No, Daddy.”
“Then I suggest you get out of this bed right now, little girl.”
Groaning, Ivy threw off the covers and stomped to the bathroom. Where, much to her continued annoyance, the familiarity of her routine did make her feel a little better.
But just a little.
Maybe she’d sneak a brownie while she was making breakfast. A little hit of chocolate would help boost her mood.
When she stepped back into the bedroom, Cordelia was there, seated on the edge of the bed with Ivy's collar dangling from her hands. And as she sank to her knees in front of her Daddy, something inside her shifted back into place. Like a painting that had been hanging slightly crooked and was now level again.
“My sweet girl. Thank you for listening, even though you didn’t want to.”
The cool chain slid around Ivy's neck, an anchor that kept her grounded not just in her submission but in the knowledge that she had someone to care for her. To protect her, even from herself. “I’m sorry I was a brat about it.”
