by Pepper North
“Super jerk,” she agreed, smiling at his reaction.
“Thank you for being honest with me. I promise you, I’m not going to be an idiot.” Jax dipped the spoon into the soup and lifted it to Ember’s mouth. “Try this.”
She reached for the spoon and looked at him crossly when he pulled it out of her reach. “I can feed myself. I’m not a baby.” One hand slapped over her mouth as she looked at the sippy cup and the highchair.
“You’re my baby,” Jax answered softly. “Let me take care of you.” Again, he held the spoon to her mouth. He winked at her when she dragged her hand away and opened her mouth. “That’s my girl.”
Ember wiggled in her chair as she tasted the dish. “That’s good!” she said in surprise.
“I know!” Jax took a large bite and then spooned some for her. “Tell me about your job, baby.”
Enthusiastic about the topic, Ember dived into a description of all she accomplished that day. Between bites, she shared, “I met with Mr. Berkley this afternoon. He’s super excited about my plans and wants me to make a presentation to the board. Me! To the board!” she enthused. Her face fell. “I’ll probably panic and have an attack in front of everyone.”
“Not going to happen.” When she looked at him in shock, Jax added, “You only panic in situations where you have no control. You have total control of your plans. General Berkley has put you in charge.”
Collapsing back against her chair, Ember thought about that for a minute. “Maybe you’re right. He put this all on my plate. If they like it, I’ll get to do exactly what I want.” A smile tilted the stressed corners of her mouth up slightly.
“They’ll have some minor changes. It’s the board. Those are the powerful guys. Let them pretend they’re in charge. The underlying plans will be all yours,” he reassured her.
She ate several more spoonfuls of soup when Jax held them to her lips before holding her hand in front of her mouth to signal she was full. Looking down in the bowl, she discovered that they had eaten almost all the two cans. “Wow! Did we eat all that?”
“No more?” he asked, offering the spoon once again.
“No way!”
“Let’s talk about us,” he suggested, clinking his glass of milk against hers to encourage her to finish her cup.
“Where am I going to sleep when all my stuff is here?”
“I hoped you’d sleep with me. Would you like that, baby?”
He loved her instant blush as she nodded.
“You could also sleep in the nursery.”
“Can we go see it now?”
“Two minutes to clean up the kitchen and we’ll go explore,” he promised.
“Can you let me out?” Ember pushed at the tray in front of her. It didn’t budge. She leaned to each side, feeling around with her fingers to figure out how to release the latch. When she couldn’t free herself, she looked up at Jax in exasperation. “Let me out.”
“Two minutes,” he said sternly. Opening a drawer, Jax pulled out a coloring book and a large set of crayons. “Would you like to color while I get everything set here?”
“I’d rather get out of this chair.”
“You have two choices. You can color for two minutes, which I already know that you enjoy, or I can release the tray to spank your bottom before putting you back in the highchair to wait two minutes for me to clean our dishes. Which would you prefer?” Jax leaned against the sink watching her.
“Or, I could just get out of this chair,” she sassed. Leaning back, she tried to slide out of the chair under the tray. Unfortunately, he had fastened it too close to her body to allow her to accomplish this escape act.
Jax approached her and removed the tray. When she tried to scoot out past him, he blocked her easily with his body. Setting the tray on the table, he lifted her and held her confined in his arms. “Bad decision, baby.” He sat in his vacant chair and stretched her over his lap.
In shock, she froze in place, dangling over his hard thighs. Her fingertips and toes barely brushed the linoleum. Jax lifted the bottom of her skirt, yanking it up to her waist before hooking the elastic waist of her panties and pulling them down to her ankles. Instantly, she began thrashing her legs and arms to get away. “Nooo!” she yelled. “You can’t spank me!”
“Bad choices lead to negative consequences,” Jax explained. His hand dropped to land on her still red bottom. “You will find it hard to sit for several days now after two spankings in a row.” Swats continued to fall on her buttocks until she stopped struggling and shouting for him to let her go.
Once she drooped over his legs, the sharp smacks lessened in force. “Have you learned anything, little girl?”
“I should have waited,” she sobbed.
Jax began to rub her red bottom to soothe the punished flesh. A short while later, he rotated her body to sit on his lap. When she threw herself against his chest and wrapped her arms around him, Jax hugged her close. “It’s hard to learn to be Little. You’re very used to having to make all the decisions. Waiting two minutes for me to clean the kitchen isn’t worth getting a spanking, is it?”
“Nooo!” she wailed. “I’m sorry, Daddy.”
“I know you are, baby. Will you try to listen to Daddy next time instead of being so determined?”
“Y-yes!” she promised, stuttering over the word as she cried.
“Thank you, Ember.” Jax held her close. He didn’t rush her to stop crying. When she stirred, Jax leaned away from her slightly and used the bottom of his T-shirt to wipe away her tears. Picking up a napkin from the dispenser in the middle of the table, he held it to her nose and instructed, “Blow!”
She hesitated and then, looking at his serious face, followed his instructions. He wanted to take care of her. Even in something as yucky as blowing her nose, he wanted to attend to her. Ember blew out through her nose. Just a little blow. She didn’t want to gross him out.
“Again, baby. Really blow,” he urged, nodding to confirm that he wanted her to do as he said. When she followed his instructions, Jax praised her. “Good girl. Blow again.”
“I’ll be good and sit in my chair now,” she offered, peeking up at him to judge his reaction.
“Two minutes and we’ll go explore.”
Chapter Twelve
It only took Jax about ninety seconds to rinse the bowl and load everything into the dishwasher. Shifting on her stinging bottom, Ember knew she should have reacted differently. When the handsome man came to help her out of the highchair, she scooted down to the floor and hugged him tightly.
“Whoa, baby! What’s that for?” he asked, laughing.
“I’m sorry you had to spank me. I’m trying to learn,” she explained in a voice muffled by his clothing.
“We all make mistakes, Ember. It’s okay. Daddy’s here to guide you. I know you haven’t been Little before.”
“Are you sure you want me to be your Little? You could have anyone,” she pointed out in a whisper-soft voice.
“I don’t want anyone. I want you, little girl,” Jax assured her. “Come see the nursery I created for you. I added something special recently.”
Jax patted her bottom, and Ember inhaled quickly. She quickly turned her sore bottom away from him. Still her eagerness to see the special room eclipsed her discomfort. “I really want to see it,” she confessed.
“I know, baby. Let’s take Pockets, too.” He pointed to the kangaroo, sitting safely on the counter. When Ember returned with the stuffie cuddled against her side, Jax wrapped an arm around her and drew her down the hall to that pink door. “Open it, baby.”
Ember reached out a hand to grip the cold door handle. Twisting it slowly, she looked up at him to double-check. When he nodded, she pushed the door open and stepped inside. Jax followed to turn on the lights, further illuminating the interior.
She didn’t know where to look first. Her gaze skittered over what must be the changing table. It was a bit too scary to contemplate. A beautiful crib stood on one side. She walke
d slowly toward it and stood by the side. Reaching a tentative hand inside, she traced the pink ruffles on the white bedding. “It’s so pretty.”
“Did you see what I wrote over the crib, baby?”
Raising her gaze, Ember saw her name decorating the wall—not just cutouts of her letters, but permanent painted letters. “When did you add my name?” she whispered. She wanted to know, but she didn’t.
“I added them the evening after we first met. I knew then that you had to be my little girl.” Jax stepped behind her and wrapped his arms around her. Squeezing her back against his hard body, the elite soldier added, “I’m not afraid of many things, but it petrified me to think you wouldn’t give me a chance to be your daddy. Thank you for being brave.”
“I don’t know how to be Little, Daddy,” she confessed.
“That’s okay. I’m here to help.”
“I don’t think I want to wear a diaper like Hope, Cricket, River, and Rosie.”
“There are Littles who are different ages. There are even Middles. We’ll explore to find what age you are most comfortable being. I am going to require that you try them for a while. How will you know whether or not you need them?” he asked.
Relaxing against him, Ember felt more at ease. The chance to experiment was appealing. She really didn’t know what she would like or dislike. The other Littles seemed very accustomed to wearing diapers. Hope had run to her daddy eagerly, as if she enjoyed him taking care of her so intimately. “Experimenting sounds smart.”
“Come here, baby. Let me take care of you,” Jax said. “It’s time to take your big girl clothes off. Only Little clothes are allowed in here.” He unfastened her skirt and let it drop to the floor. Next, he eased her panties over her reddened bottom. A gentle tug sent them to her ankles. Quickly, he removed her shirt and bra, helping Ember juggle Pockets from hand to hand.
Ember fought to keep her hands by her sides as Jax scanned her nude body. She forced her gaze up to his face. Something wonderful radiated from his expression. Could Jax love her? Suddenly, she stood a bit taller instead of curving in to hide. She invited his gaze.
“That’s my girl!” Jax scooped Ember into his arms and carried her to the changing table. Laying her carefully on her side on the padded top, Jax instructed, “Stay right there, baby. Talk to Pockets.”
Immediately, Ember pulled the stuffie to her face and began whispering. She tried to ignore Jax’s movements as he rattled with different things in a drawer below her. “Did you see my name, Pockets? Daddy painted the letters on the wall. He even spelled my name right!”
Jax stroked down her side. “I need you to be very brave, baby. I know this is new to you.” When she nodded, he continued, “Daddies need to make sure their Littles are healthy. Every day, I’ll check your temperature.”
Being helpful, Ember opened her mouth and lifted her tongue.
“That’s not where Little girls have their temperature checked, baby.”
Her position on the padded table and all the varied noises she’d heard combined with his words to help her figure out what would come next. Ember lifted Pockets and hid her face in his soft fur as Jax lifted one red buttock to reveal that tight opening between her cheeks. She felt his finger dab something cold on the ring of muscle, causing her to clench desperately.
“Relax, Ember. Daddy’s taking care of his precious baby girl,” Jax comforted her as he pressed his finger through that tight opening. Inside, he rotated his digit to apply the slippery mixture.
When his finger slid out, Ember slumped to the padding. Her relief didn’t last long. Too soon, Jax inserted the thick, cold thermometer into her bottom. Swirling it one direction and then the other, Jax coaxed the device deep in her bottom. “Good girl,” he praised her.
“I don’t like this, Daddy!” Ember squeaked. She felt her chest tighten.
“Take a deep breath with Daddy, baby.” Jax inhaled audibly and exhaled slowly with a gust of sound. “Can you be louder than me?” He showed off his breathing talent again.
A wheezy giggle escaped from her mouth. Delighted by her caring daddy, Ember focused on Jax’s breathing. She patterned her breath after his. At first quiet, her lungs filled with air fully. When in control, Ember started making noises to compete with her daddy. She couldn’t forget the thermometer implanted in her bottom, but she could focus on something else.
“That’s my baby. I’m proud of you for being so brave.”
“Thank you, Daddy,” she whispered again. This time not because she couldn’t breathe but because she loved earning his praise. Her bottom ached. She didn’t like being punished. Ember decided right there that she always wanted to make her daddy proud of her. Letting him take care of her felt good. Really good.
Soon, Jax slid the thermometer from her bottom and checked the reading. “No fever, baby. Let’s get you ready to explore your new room with Daddy.” He leaned down and selected a diaper. Helping her roll safely onto her back, Jax lifted her hips and slid the diaper underneath her. With quick movements, he wrapped her snugly in the rustling nappy.
Picking her up off the changing table, he said, “You and Pockets go look for a toy to play with. Daddy will wash his hands and be right there.”
Ember walked slowly over to the toy bin. Her breasts bounced slowly as she walked, making her more aware that all she wore was the diaper. Clutching Pockets to her chest made the first part better but didn’t help the alien feel of the thick padding around her hips that scratched slightly against her punished skin. It crinkled with every step she took, giving her another reminder of its presence. When she reached the container, Ember sank down to her knees, both eager to conceal her body slightly and to see what was inside.
“Look, Pockets! There’s a teddy in here. You can have a friend to play with while I’m at work.” She plucked the dark brown bear out of the bin and looked at him carefully before sweetly addressing him. “Do you have a name?” She held the bear to her ear to hear what he whispered to her. “Chocolate?” she confirmed. “That’s a fantastic name.”
Holding the two stuffies face to face, she introduced each to the other. “Pockets, I’d like you to meet, Chocolate. And Chocolate, this is Pockets. Here, you two sit here and get acquainted.” She propped them up against the toy bin and continued to look inside.
“Look at all the books,” she marveled. She loved the games and toys but she’d always dreamed of having a daddy who would read to her. Peeking over her shoulder at Jax who was drying his hands on a fluffy towel next to the deep sink, a thought flashed through her mind. Why was there was a sink in the nursery? Most bedrooms didn’t have one. Ember pushed that from her mind and focused on her daddy. Would he read her a book?
Careful not to damage the spines, she ran a finger over the printed titles. Many had the same author, J.W. Sire. They all sounded great, but she pulled out the blue book and held it close to her chest. Choosing to be brave, she asked, “Daddy, could you...”
Jax asked her, “Want to read a book together, baby?” His low voice wrapped around her as he settled onto the floor. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to interrupt you.”
“You’ll read me a book?”
“Of course. Let Daddy put a warm shirt over you first. I don’t want you to get sick,” he explained. Holding his hand out for the one she had chosen, Jax read the title before setting it aside. “The Princess Finds Her Daddy. This looks like a wonderful story.” Adeptly, he pulled the large T-shirt over her head and helped her thread her arms through the correct holes.
“Now, let me get set.” He moved to lean against the wall and held out his hands. “Come sit on my lap, baby.”
“You want me to sit on your lap?” she double-checked. At his nod, she moved closer. “Daddy?” she yelped as he picked her up easily and settled her on his strong thighs. His arms wrapped around her and Jax leaned in to kiss her shoulder.
“Let’s see if that book is as good as I think it is,” Jax suggested. He leaned over slightly to nab the book before
opening it in front of them. “Once upon a time, there was a beautiful princess. She had everything that a princess could want, except for one important treasure. The princess didn’t have a daddy. The king was her father, and he loved her very much, but the princess knew that she needed someone special to care for her now that she was grown.”
As Jax slowly turned the pages, they admired the beautifully painted illustrations.
“Many princes came from near and far to woo the beautiful princess, but they were not an excellent match for her.”
“She’s looking for a daddy?” Ember asked to confirm.
“Yes, baby. She’s looking for her daddy.” He kissed her hair and continued. “One day a handsome king came to ask for her hand. He did not tempt her with beautiful treasures but spanked her for being spoiled when she asked what he had brought her.” Jax’s finger stroked over the princess’ red bottom as she lay over the visiting king’s lap.
“Do you think she found her daddy?” he whispered to Ember.
“He must love her a lot to spank her when she’s bad,” Ember agreed.
Turning the page, Jax revealed a beautiful wedding scene. “The princess and the visiting king were soon wed, and she returned to his kingdom.”
“She’s wearing a diaper in her crib,” Ember exclaimed at the next illustration. When Jax turned the page again, she whispered, “What’s he doing to her?”
“The king ensured that his princess bride was cared for in all ways,” Jax read. His finger traced the large blue bag and the thick hose leading to the princess’ red bottom. “Sometimes Little tummies need assistance. I will care for you as carefully as the king cares for his princess.”
“I don’t think I’ll need that,” she protested.
“Daddy will decide that,” Jax said and turned the page. “The princess was naughty sometimes. Usually, she was sweet and loved to cuddle on her daddy’s lap.” The pictures showed the princess in a corner with a red bottom. The final page revealed the king holding the princess on his lap to read a book, just as Jax held Ember.
