Redeem Me (Beckett Brothers #2)

28. Caelon

Chapter Twenty-Eight

CAELON

‘I’ll stall him.’ I back away from the bed. ‘He doesn’t know which room is yours.’

I jog towards the door, reaching it as the handle turns. I place a hand and a foot against, preventing it opening more than a couple of inches.

Dermot appears through the narrow gap. ‘Caelon,’ he says, as his brows knit together. ‘I thought you were in Monaco.’

‘I got back last night. Something came up.’ I squeeze my eyes shut for a second, blinking away the guilt.

‘Where’s Ivy? I’ve been trying to get hold of her all week. I know she’s probably tied up.’

I splutter and he fires me a weird look.

‘You know, with the kids and all, but she usually returns my calls in the evening. I’m worried about her.’

She was too busy tormenting me to call Dermot.

‘She’s around somewhere. I think I heard the shower. Let’s grab a coffee. I’m sure she’ll be down when she’s free.’ I glance over my shoulder towards Ivy, still tied to the bedposts, spread-legged and dripping come. It might be the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen. I could happily spend all day going to town on her pert heaving tits, but if I don’t get Dermot away from here, the only place I’ll be going to is hospital.

‘Okay.’ Dermot backs away from the door and I step out of the bedroom. I follow him down the stairs and when we reach the kitchen, Dermot’s beady gaze rakes over my sweaty torso. ‘Were you working out?’

‘Yeah.’ It’s not exactly a lie. ‘I’m just gonna go grab a top.’ And untie your little sister from the bedposts. ‘Stick a capsule in the machine and I’ll meet you out the back. Liz is around somewhere. She’ll be starting breakfast any minute.’ I nod towards the decking outside the French doors.

‘I’ve eaten, thanks,’ he looks at me quizzically, but I back away before he can ask any awkward questions.

I jog up the stairs, and slip into Ivy’s bedroom, closing the door quietly behind me.

‘Untie me, quickly,’ Ivy pleads, pulling at the ties around her wrists.

‘You’re lucky your big brother showed up.’ I press a kiss to her lips before working on the knots. ‘I had planned on fucking you all day.’

‘Lucky?’ she scoffs, flexing her hands as I free her. ‘One, I’d have happily let you fuck me all day, and two, I saw my entire life flash before me when I heard Dermot’s voice. It’s one thing wanting him to know I’m a grown woman, and another for him to see it.’

‘You’re telling me.’ I scoot to the bottom of the bed and free her ankles.

‘Did you learn your lesson?’ I dangle the ties in front of her face as she rocks upright.

‘Yes.’ Her full lips curve upwards. ‘I learnt that I need to misbehave more often.’

‘Brat.’ I shake my head. ‘Have a shower and I’ll make you a coffee.’ I slip out of the room, grab a hoody from my bedroom as I pass, and head back downstairs. Dermot is outside sipping an espresso, staring out over the pool.

‘Where are the kids?’

‘With Scarlett and James for a couple of nights.’ I opt for the furthest seat away so he won’t detect the scent of sex that clings to my skin.

‘So, Ivy had last night off?’ His thick eyebrows furrow. ‘I thought she might have called. She doesn’t have many friends in Dublin anymore.’

‘You know, I think she’s become friendly with James’s fiancée, Scarlett. They met with the kids at the beach and hit it off.’

‘James is one lucky son of a bitch.’ Dermot grins at me. ‘Scarlett is stunning, smart, and a pole dancer. What a combination.’

James would murder Dermot for even mentioning his fiancée’s past, but Dermot witnessed Scarlett in action at the Luxor Lounge. We all did – before James stole her away from there with a lucrative proposition. ‘What is she? Seven years younger than him?’

‘Ten,’ I admit, keeping my eyes focused forwards.

‘Can you imagine?’ Dermot waggles his eyebrows at me.

I don’t have to . The age gap between Ivy and me is the same – more, actually.

‘Did you hear the Luxor Lounge has reopened under new ownership? We should go. It’s been ages.’ The Luxor was the country’s most exclusive gentlemen’s club before it was shut down suddenly.

My jaw relaxes at the change in the direction of conversation. ‘Did you hear who bought it?’

‘Who?’ Dermot cocks his head.

‘My littlest brother.’ I roll my eyes. Rian started a chain of bars and nightclubs a couple of years ago. As part of his acquisitions, he purchased the Luxor Lounge to hang out with naked women all day and tell our father it’s “work”.

‘No way, man.’ Dermot straightens his spine. ‘Well, now we definitely have to go. Got to support your brother’s business, right? Did anyone hear what happened to Cole?’

Cole, the previous owner, is the same creep who tried it on with Scarlett, which didn’t exactly go down well with my brother. Possessiveness runs in our blood. I have no idea where Cole is now, but I’d bet my life my brother has a good idea. And the fewer questions asked, the better.

I shrug, nonchalantly. ‘Probably crawled back under his rock .’

‘How is Ivy working out for you?’ Dermot peers at me over the rim of his coffee cup.

I swallow my guilt. ‘Great. The kids love her.’

Dermot crosses his ankle over his knee. ‘She’s a very loveable girl.’

‘She’s twenty-three. More woman than girl,’ I say tentatively.

Dermot scoffs. ‘She should start acting like one.’

An image of her tied to the bed forces itself to the forefront of my mind. ‘What do you mean?’

‘She needs to start thinking about the future.’

Somehow, in the whirlwind of my infatuation with Ivy, I’d forgotten she’s only supposed to be here for the summer. It was me who insisted on it.

‘I’m grateful to you, though.’ Dermot’s tone is sincere. ‘Her last boss was a sleaze. It’s one of the reason’s she finally came home. She’s my kid sister, you know. I hate the thought of her living with a strange family. At least here, with you, I know she’s in safe hands.’

‘I won’t let anything happen to her,’ I grit out. Not because she’s Dermot’s little sister, but because I’m obsessed with her. Obsessed with the tiny mews she makes when I slide my cock into her. With her tousled blonde beach waves. With her smart mouth and the way she lights up when she laughs. The way she looks at me as if I’m some sort of god, although little does she know, I have more in common with the devil.

‘I know you probably think I’m crazy being so protective of her, but I can’t help it.’

‘She isn’t a kid anymore. You should cut her some slack.’

‘It’s hard, you know. You have a sister. You know what it’s like.’

‘I am protective of Zara, but she’s not some wilting virgin. I don’t mind her dating, as long as she’s treated well, and she’s happy.’

‘I know I’m probably hard on her. It’s not her fault.’ Dermot’s knee bounces with a nervous tick. ‘Ivy was a twin. Katie, our sister, died when we were just kids.’ Dermot sighs.

‘I’m so sorry. Why didn’t you mention it before?’ And why didn’t Ivy mention her sister who died was actually her twin? Losing a twin must be like losing part of yourself. She probably understands my pain better than most.

‘It’s not something we talk about.’ He rests a hand on his knee and the jerking stops. ‘Talking about it won’t bring her back.’ He tuts. ‘I couldn’t save Katie, none of us could, but I’ll do everything in my power to protect Ivy.’

Ivy chooses that moment to stroll out, bare foot and wearing a pastel pink cotton dress that stops three inches above her knees and dips low at the front. ‘Dermot, what are you doing here?’

Her hair hangs loosely over her sun-kissed shoulders, damp from the shower. Her flawless complexion is devoid of make-up, but she has the telltale flush of a woman who has been thoroughly pleasured.

‘I was visiting a client in Malahide. I thought I’d check on you on my way.’ He stands, crosses the deck, and plants a kiss on her cheek.

I hold my breath, scanning her ankles and her wrists for any signs she’d been tied to her bed only a few minutes ago. The silk ties were a good call. There isn’t a single mark on her.

‘I don’t need checking up on,’ she huffs, her frustration creeping into her tone. ‘As you can see, I’m fine.’ She sweeps her hands over her body in an exaggerated motion.

Dermot steps back, scrutinising his sister from head to toe. ‘Well, maybe return my phone calls every now and again and I won’t have to worry. You’re my kid sister. I can’t help it.’

Ivy rolls her big blue eyes dramatically. ‘The only thing you should be worried about is that I haven’t had my caffeine fix today and I didn’t get a lot of sleep last night.’ Her eyes cut to mine, devilment dancing in her irises.

‘I’ll fix that for you.’ I leap to my feet, eager to escape the awkward atmosphere that comes from shagging your best friend’s sister, and being in punching distance of both of them.

‘Another espresso?’

‘No thanks,’ Dermot says. ‘I’d better go. It was a flying visit.’ He drains his coffee and hands me the cup. ‘Are you free for lunch next Sunday?’ he asks Ivy. ‘I can’t do this week. I’m golfing with the guys, but I could do the following Sunday?’

Ivy’s not free. The kids are going to Jocelyn’s and while she won’t be working per se, I have plans for her. Plans which I spent concocting while I was cooped up in the hotel in Monaco.

‘Maybe, if you promise not to spend the entire duration asking me what I’m going to do with my life.’ She folds her arms across her chest.

‘Ivy, I hate to spoil your Sunday fun, but the kids have that thing on next weekend. I know it’s your day off but… ’

Ivy’s eyes flare with understanding. ‘Oh, course, I forgot.’

I swear she’s relieved to be handed an excuse. ‘Maybe Dermot can take me out for a drink instead.’ She arches a defiant eyebrow.

Brat.

If she thinks she’s escaping to a bar without me, she’s wrong. It’s not that I don’t trust her. It’s the men I don’t trust to keep their filthy hands off my woman. They can look, but if any of them so much as lays a finger on her, I’ll rip their head from their neck.

‘We were actually arranging to go out for a drink ourselves.’ I can’t pretend to be apologetic about it.

‘Well, that’s convenient,’ Ivy splutters.

Dermot’s beady eyes dart between us. ‘Jesus, you two are like an old married couple.’

‘Rian’s bought a new club and we’re going, right, Dermot?’

‘What club?’ Ivy perks up at the prospect.

If she is hoping for an invite, it’s not going to happen. Women aren’t allowed at the Luxor Lounge, unless they’re topless on one of the podiums, which Ivy will never be because I don’t share.

At the mention of the gentlemen’s club, Dermot’s gaze drops to the floor as if he’s realised his hypocrisy. How can he stand there being so protective of his little sister, while planning on a trip to the Luxor to ogle what could be someone else’s little sister? ‘It’s male members only. Sorry, Ivy.’

‘Male members?’ Ivy snorts. ‘So, it’s a strip club?’

‘Rian prefers the term, ‘ gentlemen’s club. ’ I interject.

‘What’s Rian got to do with it?’ A tiny crease forms on her forehead.

I glance at my watch. ‘As of six pm yesterday, he owns it.’

‘Sounds like Rian.’ Ivy chuckles. ‘Don’t worry, Dermot, I won’t grass you up to our parents. This time.’ She winks. ‘We’ll catch up soon. ’

‘Call me if you need anything.’ Dermot’s hand brushes Ivy’s bicep.

She tilts her head upwards and rises on her tiptoes to kiss her brother’s cheek. At that second, a gentle breeze blows, across the lawn, wafting her wet, wavy hair back from her neck. The same neck that I sank my teeth into over and over again the past few hours.

Even from ten feet away, the hickey on her neck is unmissable.

Fuck.

Dermot’s eyes narrow. He pulls back from his sister like he’s been burned, his fingers sweeping her hair back as she tilts her head in a silent question. ‘Is that a love bite on your neck?’ His tone is thunderous.

Her hands reach for her throat, cupping it protectively. ‘What if it is?’ Her tone dares him to challenge her.

‘Jesus Christ, Ivy.’ He rakes his fingers through his hair and paces the decking, shaking his head violently.

‘I’m a grown woman, Dermot. Deal with it,’ she says cheerfully.

‘Oh my God. Caelon goes out of town for two days and you manage to get into trouble.’ He sounds irate.

‘I wouldn’t call it trouble, really.’ She sings in an overly cheery voice, making a show of inspecting her cuticles.

‘Who is he?’ Dermot demands.

‘None of your business. Enjoy your night at the gentlemen’s club next week.’ She wiggles her fingers in a sarcastic wave.

Dermot sighs and shoves his hands in his suit pockets. ‘Don’t let her out of your sight,’ he begs.

‘If you insist.’ I shoot Ivy a small smirk as Dermot marches round to the front of the house.