Chapter 18
AXEL
In a completely unsurprising turn of events, it’s my brothers who spend the entire day trying to convince me to let my Little girl off the hook so they can take her outside to play.
“She’s just a baby, Ax. You can’t be so hard on her.”
“I’m sure she learned her lesson, c’mon, Ax.”
“We have to make the snowman a wife! Look how lonely he is out there all by himself!”
Looking up from my book as someone comes clomping into the living room, I snarl at Gray. “You were supposed to help keep them off my back.”
My sister simply shrugs, a smug smile tugging at her lips. “I did as I was told and let them know the baby was grounded. It’s not my fault they think you’re going overboard with her punishment.”
“You’re all fucking impossible.”
Plopping down on the arm of the couch, she grabs a handful of the popcorn Eli made for my babygirl. The salty snack is drizzled with chocolate and sprinkled with bits of peppermint and I had to take the bowl from Lanie before she made herself sick on it.
I’m pretty sure it was Eli’s way of saying that he, too, thinks I’m an overbearing oaf and he doesn’t approve of my discipline methods.
“Where is our naughty girl, anyway?” Gray asks, popping the treat into her mouth and letting out a soft moan. “Oh man, Eli outdid himself with this.”
“He did. The asshole. Lanie is upstairs taking a nap. I thought maybe if she was sleeping the others would back off for an hour or two.”
“Good plan. For what it’s worth, I don’t think you’re overreacting.”
I hadn’t even realized how badly I’d needed to hear her words until she’d said them. The tension eases from my shoulders and I smile up at my sister. “Thanks, Gray.”
“Welcome. You know our brothers are assholes and enjoy giving you a hard time, but if it was their Little girl who’d snuck out like that they’d be right there with you.
” Chuckling, she tosses another handful of popcorn in her mouth.
“Especially Eli. She’d be grounded for the rest of her life if she was his. ”
The knowledge goes a long way toward easing the rest of the tension—and the hints of guilt my brothers have been stoking all morning—coiled in my stomach. “You’re not lying.”
“Look, between the excitement of having our first Little and being cooped up all day because of the snow, everyone’s bound to be a little excitable. Why don’t you put that to good use? Get them to play hide-and-go-seek or something with Lanie when she gets up from her nap.”
It’s not a bad plan. Not only does it get my brothers out of my hair, it will give Lanie something to do. Despite my resolve to see her punishment through, I can admit at least to myself that it breaks my heart to see her staring longingly out the window at the snow.
The timer on my phone buzzes, letting me know Lanie’s naptime is over. “Hide- and-seek sounds like a great idea. I’m going to go get Lanie up if you want to let the others know the plan.”
Excitement glimmers in Gray’s eyes and I realize with a jolt that it isn’t just my brothers wanting a chance to play. “Excellent. I’ll round up the crew.”
Leaving her to it, I head upstairs to Lanie’s nursery. When I’d first put her down, she’d whined and insisted she wasn’t the least bit sleepy, but now she’s out like a light, sprawled on her tummy in her crib with her cute diapered butt in the air.
“Naptime’s over, little one. Time to wake up.”
She wakes, but just enough to whine at me and bury her face in the pillow. My heart trips in my chest at how fucking adorable she looks like this, all grumpy and sleepy. Leaning down, I scoop her out of the crib and carry her to the changing table. “Lanie. You need to wake up now.”
More whining, now joined by the cutest nose scrunch I’ve ever seen.
Shaking my head at her prone form, I press on her bladder.
She’s going to need to use the bathroom anyway, and this should help rouse her.
Pressing more firmly on her abdomen, I roll the organ beneath my fingers, massaging it into obedience.
It takes nearly two minutes, but eventually her body gives way to my commands. The sound of her filling her diaper is overshadowed by her gasp of shock as her eyes fly open.
“Oh my god!” I catch just a glimpse of her tears sparkling on her lashes before she covers her face with her hands. “I can’t believe I did that! I wasn’t even awake!”
“There’s nothing wrong with obeying your Daddy, little one. I’m very, very proud of you.”
Sniffling pitifully, she peeks at me through her fingers. “You are?”
“I am,” I assure her as I pull the soaked diaper away from her and wipe her pussy clean. “You did exactly what Daddy wanted you to, and you didn’t even have to be awake to do it. I couldn’t be more proud.”
“It’s silly to be proud of someone for pissing themselves,” she mumbles, but there’s a slight blush on her cheeks when she pulls her hands away that tells me she isn’t immune to my praise.
“Agree to disagree, my little runaway.” It’s tempting to fulfill my personal fantasy of always having her diaper full of my cum, but if I know my family, they’re already gathered in the living room waiting on us. If I keep them in suspense too much longer, they’re likely to riot.
So I set my own desires aside and wrap her up in a fresh diaper before helping her to sit up on the table. “Your hair is a mess, little one. We should brush it before we go see your uncles.”
Everything about her lights up. “Are you letting me go outside to play?”
Dammit if my heart doesn’t break a little at her excitement. “No, baby. You’re still grounded.”
Shoulders slumping forward, she pushes her bottom lip out in a pout. “No fair.”
“I think it’s very fair, actually.” Pulling the ponytail holders from her hair, I set them aside and grab her brush from the vanity beside the changing table to run it through her long, dark locks. “Daddy wants to be sure you remember this punishment for a very long time.”
“I’ll remember it forever, I promise!”
“Good. Then it must be a very effective punishment.”
I have to swallow a laugh when she huffs and crosses her arms over her chest. It takes me a few tries to get the braids right, and they aren’t nearly as neat as they would be if Gray had done them, but my little Lanie looks just as cute either way.
With her hair done, I scoop her back up in my arms and carry her downstairs. And just as I’d expected, my family is gathered in the living room.
But they aren’t alone.
“Uncle Axel!”
A Little girl with dark ringlets jumps up from her spot on the couch to rush over to me, launching herself at my midsection and squeezing for all she’s worth. Pulling back, Victoria Stone stares up at Lanie, wonder in her eyes. “Is this your Little girl, Uncle Axel? She’s beautiful.”
“Thank you, sweetheart.” Adorable as she is, I force myself to give her a stern stare. “But what are your Daddy’s rules about running in the house?”
Tori, as most of us call her, spins around, her hands going behind her to cover her bottom. “Sorry, Daddy!”
Still seated on the couch, Maxwell Stone shakes his head. As always, he’s dressed in an impeccably fitted suit, looking every bit the hedonistic billionaire I know him to be. “Come here, Victoria Rose.”
With a heavy sigh, Tori drags herself over to her Daddy. Maxwell pulls her over one knee and delivers a dozen blistering swats to the tops of her tight-covered thighs while his Little girl kicks and cries and promises to be good forever and ever and ever.
When the spanking is over, he helps her up, pulling her onto his lap and pressing a kiss to her hair. Tori sniffles pitifully as she snuggles into him, and my chest aches at the easy affection between them.
Looking up, Maxwell meets my eyes, a knowing smile curving his lips. “We come bearing gifts from Solene.”
He gestures to a pile of boxes stacked beside the couch and excitement sparks in my chest. As sweet as my Little girl looks wandering around in my too-large shirt and socks, I can’t wait to see her in proper Little girl clothes.
Setting her on her feet, I nudge her toward the boxes. “Go on, little one. They’re all for you.”
Eyes round, she hesitantly makes her way over to the stack. “All of them?”
“Every single one,” Maxwell confirms with the indulgent sort of smile I’ve only seen him wear around the Little ones.
“We had to guess at sizes on a few things based on the information your Daddy gave us, but I can take anything that doesn’t fit back to the island for adjustments.
” His gaze returns to me, his eyes sparkling with mischief.
“Though Solene was very insistent that you will need to bring her to the island for an in-person fitting sometime soon.”
“What island?” Lanie asks, a frown tugging at her lips.
“It’s where we live!” Her punishment seemingly forgotten already, Tori hops off her Daddy’s lap and hurries over to help Lanie open the first box.
“It’s beautiful and always summer, which is kind of nice but I miss having real seasons.
And snow. I miss snow so much. Can we build a snowman while we’re here, Daddy, please? ”
“Of course, little thief.”
“I can’t.” Lanie’s bottom lip pushes out into a pout. “I’m grounded and I can’t go outside at all.”
“Oh.” The disappointment is palpable both in Tori’s expression and that single syllable. “That’s okay. I’m sure there’s lotsa fun things to do inside. Like try on all these pretty clothes!”
As if to punctuate her declaration, Tori pulls out a set of denim overalls bedazzled with pink rhinestones. “I picked these out for you. Pink is my favorite color and I have a matching pair back home, though I usually only wear them to go see the animals on the farm.”
“You have a farm?” Lanie asks as she pulls an adorable gingham dress with what seems like a million fluffy layers free from the box.
Giggling, Tori shakes her head. “No. Miss Bridgette runs the farm. We just get to visit and pet the animals.”
“Oh!” Excitement has Lanie’s voice pitching up to a squeal. “I want to come see the animals.”
I slide my gaze toward Maxwell, just barely holding back a laugh.
The “animals” Tori is talking about are actually human pets.
But I have a feeling the thought of humans parading around as barn animals might be a bit much for my Little girl at the moment, so I keep that information to myself for now.
Giggles and happy shrieks fill the air as Tori helps my Little one unpack each of her boxes, separating out her clothes into different piles around the living room.
There are more overalls, including a set covered in flowers, a cream-colored set with a teddy bear face on the front, and a pair with a gingham print that matches the dress.
There is even, to my surprise, a snowsuit and several adorable beanies with matching scarfs and gloves.
“Solene ordered them a few weeks ago,” Maxwell explains when I shoot him a questioning look.
“We’ve been talking about taking the girls on a ski trip next month so she had plenty of stock on hand for us to choose from.
And your Lanie is about the same size as my Victoria, so we figured there was no sense in you waiting for the snow to melt for your Little one to have proper gear. ”
“Thank you, Maxwell. Really. This is far too generous.”
“Nonsense.” Maxwell waves a hand, batting away my words. “Nothing is too much for my newest little niece.”
When I look back over at our Little girls, they have their heads together, whispering urgently, and the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. “What are you plotting over there, girls?”
Tori turns to face me, her eyes impossibly wide in her sweet face as she clasps her hands in front of her. “Can Lanie please come outside and build a snowman with me, Uncle Axel? I haven’t built one in ages and I was looking forward to it the whole way here. Please, please, please Uncle Axel?”
Dammit. It’s one thing to tell my brothers no, but it’s another entirely to look down into that sweet face with those wide brown eyes and stick to my guns.
Biting back a sigh, I shift my attention to my Little girl, who is very deliberately not looking at me. “Come here, Melanie.”
Head down, she drags herself over to stand in front of me. “Yes, Daddy?”
Gripping her chin, I force her head back. “If I let you go outside and play, will you promise me that you will never, ever touch any of the vehicles without Daddy’s permission again?”
Hope, so bright it nearly makes me squint lights her eyes. “Yes, Daddy!”
“And you understand that if you break that promise, not only will you get another whipping with Daddy’s belt but you’ll be grounded for a whole week instead of just a day?”
Uncertainty dims the hope, just a bit. “Um. Yes, Daddy.”
I’m not entirely convinced. But if there is a Daddy in this world strong enough to turn down two wide-eyed Little girls, I haven’t met him yet. “All right. Let’s go build a snowman.”