Jax's Little Girl

by Pepper North

  Ember rejected the thought her stomach had ached for the last couple of days. Doniphan and Jax didn’t know what they were doing. They were torturing her. This was all a big power trip. She’d known men like that before.

  When the hose gurgled with the last of the liquid, Ember lifted her head. Expecting that Jax would release her, she was shocked to hear that telling click that locked and unlocked the tubing once again. “You have to let me up!” she demanded, abandoning her silent treatment.

  “Sorry, baby. It has to sit inside your tummy for a while,” Jax said softly, rubbing his hands over her bulging abdomen to coax the water higher and relieve some pressure.

  “I’m so gone,” she muttered under her breath as she dropped her head back to the padded support, not knowing or caring if he’d heard her.

  Ignoring a rustle of motion behind her, Ember started making a mental list of the things she would take with her. Number one is Pockets.

  The sound of a close movement made her peek through her eyelashes. She saw Jax seated on the floor with a book in his hand. Ember couldn’t see the title, but she glimpsed the author’s name, J.W. Sire. The same author as the other book in her nursery. When he looked up at her, she squeezed her eyes closed. She didn’t want him to know she was paying attention.

  Her stomach rolled with the cleansing liquid inside her. The sting intensified as it sat inside her. The sound of Jax’s voice beginning to read a story captured her attention, and she peeked.

  “Once upon a time, there was a beautiful princess named Ember. Her hair was beautiful, like the auburn leaves in the fall. Her blue eyes were bright and full of life. And her daddy loved her with all his heart. Ember was a wonderful little girl. Her daddy was very proud of how well she had made friends with the other Littles.”

  He stopped to turn the book around so she could see the pictures. Painted on the page was Ember just as she had been dressed the first day. Ember recognized the careful printing on the bottom of each page. Jax’s handwriting was distinctive and bold. He made this book about me. When he flipped the page, he held it so they could both see it simultaneously.

  “The little girl was very busy with a gigantic project at work. She didn’t always eat right or drink enough water. Her tummy suffered. Sometimes it hurt, but she didn’t tell her daddy because it embarrassed her.”

  She focused on the picture of her working in a large garden with sweat droplets of effort flying from her forehead. The painted redhead had one hand pressed to her stomach as she planted with the other.

  “Her daddy consulted the wisest man that he knew. A great healer who had put him back together many times in the past. Only he could be trusted to treat the daddy’s baby. The nurse practitioner knew how to make Ember feel better. It was uncomfortable and embarrassing, but necessary for Ember would only continue to sicken.”

  Feeling her face heat, Ember stared at the picture of her lying over her daddy’s lap in the medical office with an enema nozzle in her bottom. The two men looked concerned as they focused on the heroine of the story. She could feel their emotions emanating from the page.

  “Ember was angry because she didn’t want anyone to have that much control over her. But the treatment lasted only a few minutes. Soon, the little girl felt much better. All the yucky stuff inside her body disappeared after her daddy’s loving care.”

  The last picture was of them together. Jax held her in his arms, feeding her a bottle of the delicious formula. His expression revealed what Ember already knew. Her daddy loved her. Raising her tear-filled gaze, Ember studied his solemn expression.

  She opened her mouth to speak when a ding pulled her attention away. Jax closed the book and rose to unfasten the restraints. He lifted her off the enema horsie and nabbed the empty bag from the medical stand. Wrapping an arm around her, her daddy helped her to the bathroom.

  When she’d finished, he washed her face with a damp cloth and lifted her into his arms. Carrying her back into the nursery, Jax tucked her back in the crib. He leaned over to press a soft kiss to her lips before saying, “Nap, baby. You’ll feel better soon.”

  That night, lying in his arms, Ember whispered, “My tummy feels better now. I’m sorry I thought such mean things. Did you make that book?”

  “I did.”

  “Will you read it to me again? You know... next time?”

  “I’d like that. Now, I’d like to reward my little girl for admitting the truth. Good little girls get a choice of rewards,” Jax informed Ember. “We could go for ice cream tomorrow, watch your favorite movie, or...”

  Ember interrupted him. “Could you make love to me?”

  “I think I could make that a very special reward,” he agreed, whirling her over in the small bed to nibble at her sensitive neck.

  “I love you, Daddy, forever and ever.”

  Jax lifted his mouth to look down at her with emotion shining from his green eyes, “And I love you, baby, forever, and ever, and ever,” he promised.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Jax pulled his phone from his pocket as he supervised his captain grilling steaks. “Don’t let that one burn,” he warned. “Hello?”

  “Hi. I’m sorry to bother you. I need some help,” an emotional elderly woman’s voice whispered.

  Jax looked at the number again and didn’t recognize it. Suddenly, a face popped into his memory. “Alice? Is this you?”

  “Yes, I’m Alice. We met on the corner by the florist’s shop.” Her voice wavered with emotion.

  “How can I help you, Alice?”

  “I’m really sick. I’m at the hospital and I’m scared. I miss my daddy so much. Would it be awful to ask you to talk to me for a few minutes?”

  “I’m coming over to visit, Alice. Is it okay if I bring some friends?” he asked, signaling Mark to turn off the grill. The captain didn’t ask questions but forked the meat off the grill and sealed it in the container. Waving an arm over his head like he was twirling a rope, Mark signaled to everyone that something urgent had come up, and they needed to throw the perishables into the fridge.

  No one asked a question. The five little girls and the four squad members took care of everything as Jax got the information. When he hung up the phone, they were ready to go. “There’s a Little at the hospital. She lost her daddy a few years ago and is all alone. Want to go visit?”

  “Hell, yes,” burst from the men’s mouths as the nodding little girls’ eyes welled with tears.

  Within minutes, they had parked the vehicles and entered the hospital. In the elevator on the way upstairs, Ember shared the story of the kind woman who had protected her while she was having a panic attack. Alice had acted automatically to her distress, even though Ember wasn’t aware of her.

  Jax and Ember led the way into the hospital room. Her eyes closed, Alice lay still under the covers. Machines everywhere beeped a warning. It didn’t take a medical professional to see that Alice wasn’t doing well.

  Stepping to her side, Jax wrapped his hand around the frail hand that still clutched the stiff business card. She held onto it as if it was her last lifeline. “Alice, I’m here. I brought Ember and some friends,” he said softly.

  Her eyes fluttered, and she peered up at him. Her eyes were watery and pale as she searched his face. “Jax. I’m sorry to bother you. I won’t ask you to stay. I just needed to know if you and your little girl were together now? She needed you so much that day.”

  “I’m here, Alice,” Ember answered, circling the bed to take her other hand.

  The elderly woman looked back and forth before nodding. “You’re together and happy, just as it should be. I caused my daddy many problems in the beginning of our relationship. Thank goodness, he was very patient and had a hard hand.”

  That drew a laugh from the others as they ringed her bed. “They’re all Littles?” she asked Jax.

  “Yes. Everyone wanted to meet you when Ember shared how you protected her.”

  “I’m really sick. I keep asking Daddy to come get me
, but he doesn’t answer. Do you think he’s replaced me?” Alice asked as a tear ran down her cheek.

  “Oh, no, Alice,” the Littles chimed, their voices overlapping in concern.

  “Your daddy loves you just as much as he did when he had to leave you. I know he’s watching out for you,” Jax reassured her. He followed Alice’s line of vision as she stared over Tex’s tall frame to look into the corner of the room.

  “Jax! You found him and brought Daddy here. He’s smiling at me,” she whispered, causing him to lean in to catch the words as her volume diminished. A sweet smile curved her lips as her eyelids drifted closed.

  Seconds later an alarm beeped loudly, drawing a bustling nurse into the room. Ember stepped out of the way to allow her to reach the equipment. The nurse quickly turned off the sound before tenderly brushing Alice’s hair off her forehead.

  “You must be Jax. She arrived here two days ago but wouldn’t let me call until this evening. Alice didn’t want to bother you. She shared she didn’t have any family to call, but an honorable man had given her his card in case of an emergency.”

  “I wish I’d known sooner. What can I do for her?”

  “There’s nothing that can be done. She held on to talk to you. Her heart...” The nurse’s voice stopped, and she shook her head. “Thank you for coming.”

  “If it’s allowed, we’ll stay for a while,” Ember blurted, speaking for Jax and herself.

  “I don’t think she’ll open her eyes again,” the nurse warned.

  “That’s okay,” Hope said, brushing a hand over the woman’s knee, concealed under the mass of blankets.

  The nurse turned to the machines that flashed a message. When they all checked, the lines and indicators were still and unmoving. The nurse pulled her stethoscope from around her neck and quickly fit them to her ears. After listening to Alice’s neck and chest, she shook her head. “She’s gone. Alice chose not to be resuscitated. If you’ll excuse me, I’ll notify the doctors. Alice left a letter for you. We wrote it last night.” She pointed at the side table where a white envelope lay.

  Picking it up, Jax opened the letter and began to read aloud.

  Dear Jax,

  Take care of your little girl and love her with all your heart. I know she loves you back with all of hers.

  Your friend,

  Alice

  He turned the letter around to show everyone the design she had added. Below her name was a shaky drawing of a pair of intertwined hearts—one big and one small.

  Each little girl turned to press their faces against their daddy’s chest. Ember ran to throw herself into Jax’s arms. Although she was a virtual stranger, Jax knew they all felt close to her quickly. The Littles’ hearts were tender.

  “I promise, Alice,” Jax said softly as he turned and led Ember from the room. The other couples followed slowly after their silent goodbyes.

  Gathering in the hallway as they waited for the elevator, Ember spoke, breaking the silence. “Her daddy came back for her. She was so glad to see him. I’m not going to be sad. I’m going to celebrate that Alice and her daddy were reunited.”

  “Think you’ll love me that much in fifty years?” Jax asked, pulling her close to his side.

  “I love you that much now, Daddy.”

  “I am a very lucky daddy to have found you, baby.” Jax pulled her closer to press a short, heated kiss against her lips.

  Ushering everyone into the open elevator door a few seconds later, Sam asked, “I think we should do something special to celebrate their reunion. What do you think?”

  Two hours later, each man walked out of their favorite tattoo parlor wearing a new bandage on their chest. The symbol of the two interlocking hearts—one big and one small—decorated their skin forever.

  And the Littles? They vowed to love their daddies until that ink disappeared and an extra fifty years past that date. They were also ecstatic their daddies said they couldn’t get a tattoo. Those funny faces their daddies had made during the process had made all five women giggle.

  Chapter Twenty

  Jax and Ember sat where they had first met. Jax had brought a picnic to the park to lure Ember away from her garden. “Here, baby. Eat,” he directed as he handed her a sandwich.

  “Did you make all this?” She gestured to the spread in amazement.

  “Everything but the cookies. Rosie insisted on providing those. Evidently, store cookies are the devil’s work.”

  Ember giggled, remembering Rosie’s words when they first met. Obviously, margarine was not the devil’s only product.

  “I love seeing you happy.” Jax leaned over to kiss her forehead.

  “Daddy, I can’t believe it’s been almost a year since you helped me when I panicked.”

  “That was almost the best day of my life,” he answered, giving her a knowing look to let her know what he considered topped that.

  “Daddy!” she protested, looking around to see if anyone could hear.

  A comfortable silence stretched between them as they enjoyed each other’s company. A sad thought floated through Ember’s mind as she remembered that day. “I wonder if I’ll ever be free of panic attacks,” she whispered.

  Immediately, Jax set his lunch aside to lift her into his lap. Wrapping his arms around her, the powerful soldier rocked her with a gentleness that made several park patrons smile. “Panic attacks are scary. I know you hate them, but they tell us to pay attention to something that is bothering you. It’s a warning siren that helps us shelter from a bigger problem,” he soothed.

  “I haven’t had one for a while,” she said, peeking up at him to make sure they didn’t bother him. Jax only focused on her when she panicked. She knew he was aware of everything around him always, but when she needed help, she was the center of his attention.

  “I want you happy and healthy. Anything else, like your panic attacks or your cute giggle, is a part of you. I love you just the way you are. We fit together perfectly. Take my team, for example. It’s a huge part of my life and you’ve become friends with the whole group without question,” he pointed out.

  “I love them.”

  “I love them, too. Just don’t tell them that,” Jax ordered. He bent his head to press his lips against hers. Instantly, desire flared between them.

  Ember laughed when Jax visibly forced himself to stop kissing her and adjusted his fly behind her concealing body on his lap. “Just wait, little girl, until I get you alone. I’ll have all afternoon to devise a fit punishment for those giggles.”

  “Promise?”

  “Promise, baby.” Jax pressed one more kiss to her sweet lips before lifting her off his lap to finish her lunch.

  The End

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  More Stormy Night Books by Pepper North

  The Medic’s Little Girl

  When stern, handsome army medic Doniphan Williams asks her out, it isn’t long before twenty-three-year-old waitress River Reynolds blushingly admits her need for a firm-handed daddy. But daddies expect to be obeyed, and when River doesn’t keep in touch as instructed while Doniphan is away on a mission she quickly ends up over his knee for a sound spanking on her bare bottom.

  As she is held in Doniphan’s arms after her punishment, River feels more safe and loved than she ever has before, and when he claims her properly it is more pleasurable than she could have ever im
agined. Soon she is quivering with need as he takes her temperature and gives her a thorough, intimate examination, but will she be a good girl for daddy even when he puts her in diapers?

  Buy from Amazon

  A Polar Hope (included in Marked Brides: Six Alpha Shifter Romances)

  After losing her job on Earth, Marisol signs up for a cultural exchange program with Terra Arcus, but upon her arrival she is stripped and put up for auction. When the northern clan chief recognizes her as his own, he claims her and escorts her back to his lands. While their future children are the hope for the clan’s survival, she captures her stern mate’s heart as well. He will ease her adaptation to her new life with a firm hand and a loving embrace.

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  Tex’s Little Girl

  When a big, strong, handsome soldier tells off a customer who was treating her poorly, pastry chef Rosie Perez soon finds herself baking cookies for her rescuer... and calling him daddy.

  Tex is the kind of daddy who will cuddle her when she’s upset. He’s also the kind who will take his little girl over his knee and spank her bare bottom very soundly when she’s been naughty, then bathe her and put her to bed in her nursery to remind her that she’s not a big girl anymore.

  Though Rosie blushes crimson as Tex diapers her for the first time, when he takes her in his arms and claims her properly it is the most pleasure she has ever experienced. But when she has to visit the doctor will she be a good girl for daddy or will her bottom be bright red for her exam?

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  Pepper North Links

  You can keep up with Pepper North via her website, her Twitter account, her Facebook page, and her Goodreads profile, using the following links:

  https://4peppernorth.club/

  https://twitter.com/4peppernorth

  https://www.facebook.com/PepperNorthauthor

  https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16941120.Pepper_North