Chapter 15
MELANIE
Isomehow manage to make it the rest of the morning without getting in trouble, which, given how the first twenty-four hours of my captivity went, feels a bit like a miracle.
And one would think, given the sheer size of the house I’m being held captive in, that cabin fever wouldn’t really be a thing.
But my captors won’t let me out of their sight for even a single second, which means spending the entire day trapped in the living room and forced to play a mind-numbing amount of board games.
The monotony is only broken up by the two diaper changes I’ve needed, both of which were followed by getting fucked to a screaming orgasm before Axel wrapped me up in a fresh diaper.
Okay, so it hasn’t been that boring.
Yet after lunch I find myself staring longingly out the window at the fresh, crisp snow. There’s a stillness to it that calls to me, and I long to be the first one to leave my mark on all that clean, unsullied white.
“Can’t I just go outside for like five minutes? Please, Daddy?”
It’s approximately the twentieth time I’ve asked, and it’s clear from the sharp look Axel sends my way that his patience with the question is growing thin. “We’ve already talked about this, Lanie. We don’t have any snow gear that would fit you.”
“I don’t need gear! I just need some warm clothes!”
“Melanie, the answer is no. If you ask again, I’m going to spank you and put you in the corner until you’re ready to be my good girl again.”
Tears prick at my eyes as I huff softly and turn back to the window.
Maybe I should feign sleepiness and ask if I can go upstairs for a nap. I climbed out of one window and survived, surely I could do it again. And despite what Axel says, there has to be something I could wear to protect me against the cold.
But before I can put my plan into motion, Uncle Ford speaks up. “Come on, Ax. I’m sure we can scrounge up some gear for her. Gray’s stuff won’t be too big on her.”
“Gray has a solid six inches on Lanie. Even if her clothes fit, there’s no way her boots will.”
“So we’ll layer her up. A couple pairs of thick socks should help the boots fit, at least until we can get her some gear of her own.
” Auntie Gray’s voice is firm, as if the decision has been made, and excitement beats at my chest. “I know you’re her Daddy, Axel, but you’re being unreasonable here.
Little girls need to be allowed to run and play, you know that. ”
A long silence greets her lecture, followed by a heavy sigh. “Fine. But we all stay within ten feet of the front door and if she gets sick, I’m taking it out of all your asses.”
Feeling exactly like a child on a snow day, I turn and throw myself at Auntie Gray. “Thank you, thank you, thank you!”
“You’re welcome, little one.” Chuckling, she taps my nose. “But listen to your Daddy while we’re outside. I’m sure you’d much rather warm up with hot chocolate than a hot bottom after our adventure.”
“Yes, Auntie Gray.”
“Good girl. Come on, let’s get you bundled up.”
As it turns out, “bundled up” is not a figure of speech when it comes to my new family. By the time Axel is satisfied I won’t freeze to death, I can barely move my arms or my legs.
“Daddy, I can’t breathe,” I whine, tugging at the three scarves he has wrapped around my neck and face.
“Sorry, baby.” Looking somewhat sheepish, he unravels the third scarf. “Daddy got a little carried away.”
“A little?”
He cocks his brow in that look I’ve come to associate with getting my bottom spanked, but his beard twitches, giving away his amusement. “Keep it up and you can march yourself right back into the living room while the rest of us go have fun in the snow.”
“No, no, I’ll be good I promise!”
“Uh-huh. What are the rules?”
I resist the urge to roll my eyes, just barely. “Stay within ten feet of the house, which is going to be hard because I don’t know how far ten feet is. Make sure I’m within sight of you or another grownup at all times. If I start to feel cold, let you know so we can come back inside.”
The last one should be easy enough to follow because as bundled up as I am, I can’t imagine feeling the least bit chilled no matter how cold it is outside.
My recitation earns me an approving nod. “Good girl. If you follow all the rules Daddy gave you, then you can have some of the homemade hot chocolate Uncle Eli has been brewing all morning. If not…”
“I know, I know, it’s a hot bottom instead. I got the memo.”
His expression hardens. “Melanie…”
“Sorry.”
“Maybe you’re not ready for this. You’re still learning the rules and—”
“Oh, stop being such a worrywart.” It’s Uncle Colt coming to my rescue now, scooping me up and propping me on his hip as he grins at Axel. “Poor thing is probably ready to faint from heat exhaustion with all these clothes on. Cut her some slack, Ax.”
“I swear to god, if you all don’t stop interfering with my Little girl, I’m going to whip all your asses.”
Uncle Colt’s grin widens. “Have to catch us first.”
With that, he breaks for the door, moving surprisingly fast considering he’s carrying a whole other human with him. The move shocks a shriek of laughter from me as we burst out into the freezing air.
God that feels good.
“Put me down, Uncle Colt!”
Laughing, he does exactly as I ask—and drops me ass-first into the snow.
Glaring up at him, I gather a large chunk of snow, roll it into a ball, and launch it straight at his face.
Uncle Colt stumbles back, his expression shifting to one of shock. But the surprise quickly fades, replaced by a boyish enthusiasm that sends every alarm possible ringing in my head. Panicked, I do the only thing I can think of.
“Daddy, help!”
Axel fills the doorway, a winter jacket stretched across his broad back and a beanie pulled down on his head, his expression full of worry. “What’s wrong, baby? Did you fall? Are you okay?”
Putting every bit of “scared Little girl” I can manage into my voice, I point at my would-be attacker. “Uncle Colt dropped me and now he wants to throw a snowball at me!”
“Wait, wait, Ax, that’s not exactly what—”
Before he can finish his defense, Axel has him up by the coat and the next thing I know, Uncle Colt is flying toward the snow. He lands with a soft thud, his hat falling off somewhere along the way, and he sits up with a glare.
“You’re going to pay for that, little girl.”
“Over my dead body.” Scooping me out of the snow as if I weigh nothing, Axel holds me on his hip as he returns his brother’s glare. “You should be ashamed of yourself, Colt. Picking on a baby like that.”
“She started it!”
“And I’m finishing it. No more snowballs, or I’ll lock you outside and you can sleep in the barn.”
Guilt pricks at the back of my skull. “It’s okay, we were just playing.”
“Colt plays too rough,” Axel grunts. “You’re just a Little girl.”
“I’m not actually a child, Axel.”
At that, he goes still, his expression hardening as he turns his head to glare at me. “What do you call me, Melanie?”
“Daddy,” I rush to correct myself. I wouldn’t put it past him to haul me back inside, spank my ass red, and then lock me in the house the rest of the day if I piss him off. “Sorry, I forgot.”
“Uh-huh. See that you don’t forget again, little girl.”
“Yes, Daddy. But I really am okay playing with Uncle Colt. I just yelled for you so he wouldn’t hit me with a snowball.”
“Hmm.” Axel turns back to his brother, who’s managed to get himself up out of the snow and mostly brushed off. “Think you can play nice, Uncle Colt?”
Cocking an eyebrow, Uncle Colt holds out a gloved hand. “What do you say, little one? Truce?”
“Truce,” I agree, reaching out to shake his hand.
Axel begrudgingly puts me down, and the three of us go to work rolling a giant snowball for the base of a snowman. It’s hard work, and I’m panting heavily by the time it’s done, but excitement churns in my belly as I study our creation.
It’s been years since I did anything as frivolous as build a snowman, and despite my assertions that I am not really a Little girl, I can’t deny the childlike wonder coursing through me as our creation takes shape.
“Now his middle!”
“Hold on.” Biting the tip of his glove between his teeth, Axel tugs it off and presses his bare hand to my cheek with a frown. “You feel cold. We should go back in and warm up.”
“But Daddy, we can’t stop now! He’s not even half a snowman yet, he’s just a butt!”
Behind us, Uncle Colt snickers, and when Axel glares at him, he huffs out a breath. “Oh, come on, that was funny!”
“Even so,” Axel growls, shooting his brother another warning glare before staring down at me. “I don’t want you getting hypothermia.”
“I’m wearing like ten layers of clothing. If I’m in danger of anything it’s dehydration because I’m sweating to death in here.”
“Then we should go inside and get you some water.”
“No.” It’s the wrong thing to say, but this is the first time I haven’t felt scared or worried in over twenty-four hours and I’m not ready to give up his light, happy feeling. “I wanna build my snowman!”
If my legs weren’t thigh-deep in the snow, I probably would have stomped my foot. I settle for crossing my arms as best I can with the layers of clothing and glare up at the bearded giant who calls himself my husband.
Matching my pose, he returns my glare. “Did you just tell me no, little girl?”
“Um. Well, yes, but only because you’re being completely unreasonable.”
“Oh, my little runaway. You don’t want to see me being unreasonable.”
There’s an inherent threat to his words that sends a shiver up my spine and, to my horror, straight to my aching clit. I’m definitely treading on thin ice, so I switch tactics, lowering my arms and pushing my bottom lip out in a pout.
“May I please stay outside and finish my snowman, Daddy? Pretty please?”
I can see the moment he relents. Everything about him softens with a sigh and he shakes his head. “Twenty more minutes and then we’re going back inside whether the snowman is finished or not.”
“Thank you, Daddy!”