Chapter 29
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Jasper
I wake well before Juliet, and for a long while I simply watch her sleep. Cheeks flushed, with the dried tracks of her tears still visible, she is simply the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen in my life.
My baby. My little princess.
Mine .
How could she have ever thought I would let her get away now that I’ve tasted her? Now that I’ve felt the exquisite agony of her pouty lips wrapped around my cock?
Hopefully now she’s learned her lesson, and we won’t ever have to have this discussion again. Still, something nags at me. Victoria has always seemed so happy here, and she’s never once tried to escape. In fact, when she thought Maxwell was going to send her back to New York she was so upset she threw a tantrum right in the middle of Solene’s.
Obviously, my sweet little Juliet doesn’t feel the same way. And though I have no intention of letting her go, I don’t want her to be miserable here, either.
I may be an asshole, but I’m not a monster.
Careful not to wake her, I slip from the bed to call down to the kitchen. Juliet has a weakness for eggs Benedict and when Chef Michael mentions he just made a fresh batch of lemon scones, I add those to my request as well. Along with a bottle of milk for her and coffee for me.
Again, I consider speaking to Bridgette about purchasing one of her cows to keep here. I’m sure the frozen milk is just fine, but why should my little princess have to settle for “just fine” when I have the means to give her the very best?
With breakfast ordered, I head to the bathroom to run a hot bath, complete with a healthy dose of lavender-scented salts. After last night, Juliet is bound to be sore, and she took her punishment so well I almost feel guilty for being so harsh with her.
Almost… but not quite.
When the bath is about half full, I make my way back to the bedroom to wake her. “Time to get up, princess sleepyhead.”
Nose scrunching, she shakes her head, burrowing deeper into the covers. “Don’t wanna.”
“I’m afraid you don’t have a choice, baby. Time to rise and shine. Or you’ll miss out on the special breakfast Daddy ordered for you.”
That gets her attention, and I can’t help but laugh when one bright blue eye opens. “Breakfast?”
“Yes. But first, you need to potty and get a bath.”
“Can I please use the potty like a big girl?”
“Do you really want to sit on that hard seat?” I ask, giving her bottom a firm pat.
Even through the diaper it must hurt because she winces, her lower lip pushing out into a pout. “Not really.”
“Then you should probably use your diaper, princess.”
Heaving a heavy sigh, she squeezes her eyes shut. Sooner than I expected, the sound of her filling her diaper meets my ears and I smile down at her. “Such a good baby. Let’s get that wet diaper off you and get you into the bath.”
Scooping her up, I carry her to the bathroom where I strip the soiled diaper from her and set it aside before lifting her into the tub. A low hiss escapes her lips as she settles into the water, but before long she relaxes, her eyelids drifting shut again as she leans back against the built-in pillow.
Inhaling deeply, she smiles. “Lavender. My favorite.”
“I know.” Kneeling beside the tub, I reach for a clean washcloth and the body wash, squirting a healthy dollop onto the rag.
Again she opens one eye, though now most of the sleep has cleared from the brilliant blue. “You know all my favorite things. How?”
“A Daddy pays attention,” I say with a shrug as I run the cloth over her arm.
“You haven’t always been my Daddy. But you paid attention anyway.”
It’s an uncomfortable truth, but one I can’t deny. “I suppose I did. I think… maybe on some level I always knew it was you. But you were so young when our parents married. Too young. There are some laws even I won’t break.”
“It’s good to know you have some morals,” she teases.
Laughing, I splash water onto her dripping breasts. “Brat.”
“Sadist.”
“Guilty as charged.” Sitting back, I watch her, watching me. “I need to ask you something, Juliet, and I need you to be honest with me. Can you do that, baby?”
“I suppose it depends on what you’re going to ask.”
“Juliet.”
She rolls her eyes toward the ceiling and my palm positively itches to connect with her bottom. “Yes, yes, I’ll be honest.”
Heart in my throat, I swallow hard, forcing the question I’m not sure I want the answer to from my lips. “Are you happy here?”
To her credit, she doesn’t answer right away. There are no platitudes, no easy answers, and I can tell she’s actually thinking it over.
“I am. I didn’t think I would be when you first brought me here. But I have a family, and friends who care about me, way more than anyone back in New York ever did.”
My heart aches for the child she was, and the woman who has spent so long thinking herself unloved. “You tried to leave.”
“I know. And I really am so sorry about that. I talked to Solene about it and?—”
“Solene? I didn’t think you two were friendly.”
A smile curves her lips. “I apologized for being such a jerk to her back in New York and I think we’ve struck a bit of a truce. For now, anyway.”
“I see. What did you two talk about?”
“She asked me pretty much the same thing you did. If I was unhappy here. And I realized, the problem was more that I didn’t think I should be happy. It’s a bit humiliating to know how much I love being your baby. But…” She hesitates, worrying her bottom lip with her teeth. “You want me to be honest, right?”
“Always.”
“I do miss some things from my old life. The travel, mostly. Being able to just jet off wherever I want, whenever I want. It’s hard to go from having that kind of freedom to having no freedom.”
“Ah, I see.” Mulling it over, I lift her leg from the water and run the washcloth over the long, lean length. “We could still travel, you know. Together, of course. No Daddy worth his salt would let his Little girl go off on all those grand adventures without him.”
“Wait, really?” Excitement lights her eyes. “I just sorta assumed we’d be stuck on the island forever. Especially since, you know, I’m still kind of a fugitive from the law and all that.”
I can’t help but chuckle at the pink creeping into her cheeks. “Oh, you mean that ‘minor felony charge’ that sent you running to my home in the first place?”
“Yeah, that.”
“Already taken care of, princess. You’re free and clear to travel as you please without the United States government breathing down your neck.” Placing her clean leg in the water, I lift the other to give it the same treatment.
“What?” Mouth falling open slightly, she stares up at me. “When? How?”
“Less than a week after you arrived on the island. And how do you think?”
“But… you said… Auntie Cat said… You mean I could have gone home this entire time ?”
Still gripping her leg, I pull her closer, leaning in so our noses nearly touch. “I thought I made it very clear last night that you have been mine from the moment you stepped foot on my plane, Juliet. But if I wasn’t clear enough, I’d be happy to repeat that lesson again for you this morning.”
“No, Daddy,” she gasps out, her head thrashing side to side as her eyes go wide with a mix of fear and desire that nearly drives me to follow through on the threat despite her protests. “I just meant, you both said I couldn’t go home because of the legal stuff. I sorta assumed you were going to leave that hanging over my head, you know, just in case.”
“And risk our parents’ wrath when the press got a hold of your pending trial and the fact that you’d fled the country?” Chuckling, I finish scrubbing her thigh and return her leg to the water. “Not a chance.”
“Yeah, I don’t blame you,” she says with a delightful little giggle. “So we really don’t have to be stuck here forever?”
“No, princess. We can go wherever your heart desires.”
“Will you take me back to Paris?”
Emotion lodges in my throat at the simple, soft-spoken request. “It will be our first stop. We’ll have to get you some clothes that are more appropriate to wear in public, which I’m sure Solene will be happy to help us with. But you’ll still wear a diaper and you’ll still be my baby, even when we travel.”
Juliet settles back with a dramatic sigh, a pout playing on her lips. “I knew there was a catch.”
Forcing myself to stay stern, I look down at her, keeping my expression and voice firm. “No matter where we are, or what we do, you will always be my baby.”
Fresh pink color floods her cheeks. “Yes, Daddy.”
“Good girl. Up on your knees. Daddy needs to get that plug out and clean your bottom.”
Shifting up onto all fours, she presents her bottom. There are some dark spots still from her strapping last night, but all in all she doesn’t seem any worse for wear. And her relieved little sigh when I pull the plug from her bottom makes me grin.
As does her whining and wiggling when I push two soapy fingers inside her, thoroughly cleaning her bottom.
When she’s all fresh and clean, I pick her up from the bath and dry her off before carrying her to her nursery to pick out her clothes for the day. I opt for a onesie instead of her usual dress, since we aren’t planning to go anywhere today.
And to give her yet another reminder of her role as my baby.
Luckily for her bottom, she doesn’t argue as I put a fresh diaper on her and dress her. If anything, there’s a serenity about her that’s been missing during most of our time together and I dare to hope that maybe she has actually learned to enjoy her new life.
Back in my bedroom, she squeals with happiness at the sight that greets us in the attached sitting room. “Eggs Benedict? And scones? Oh man, my mother would have a fit over this breakfast. Too many carbs.”
“Well, your Daddy says Little girls don’t have to worry about carbs.” Settling in one of the chairs, I hold her on my lap and cut a small slice of creamy eggs and hollandaise sauce for her. She makes little yummy noises as I feed her and myself, and when she bites into the lemon scone, it seems as though she might actually come from the pleasure.
“These are delicious. Compliments to the Chef.”
“I’ll let him know. Michael is excited to finally have a Little girl to cook for.”
Shifting on my lap, she straddles my thighs, her arms looped around my neck and her expression serious. “I need to tell you something.”
My heart slams against my ribcage, worry wrapping like a band around my chest. “You can tell me anything, princess.”
“I think the real reason I’m so happy here is… I’m in love with you. I’ve had a crush on you for so long, at first I thought it was just that. A puppy-love kind of thing, you know? But I actually think I’m just really, truly, head over heels in love with you. Is that okay?”
Emotion clogs my throat, and for a moment I can’t speak, can’t even breathe. “Baby, it is so much better than okay. It’s so much more than I ever dared to dream. I’m so fucking in love with you, princess.”
“Really? You really mean that?”
Rising from the chair, I carry her back to my bed. No, our bed, laying her down on the rumpled sheets. “I really mean it. And if I have to keep you tied to this bed every day for the rest of our lives while I prove it to you, then that’s exactly what I’ll do.”
A wide grin stretches across her face. “Maybe not every day… but we could start with today.”
And that’s exactly what we do.