Chapter 17
DANE
Ever since my siblings and I moved to Colorado, I’ve spent nearly all my free time exploring the woods around our home. There is nothing I enjoy more than being alone in the woods, with nothing around but my thoughts and the wildlife to keep me company.
Until now.
With nothing to do but enjoy the ride, Vanessa is full of questions about my woods. The types of trees, various wildlife I’ve spotted during my explorations, what kind of vegetation is safe to eat.
I’m happy to answer her questions, even the ones that worry me a bit about her intentions.
But if she is going to try and run again, I’d rather her be prepared to fend for herself on the off chance something happens and I’m unable to find her immediately, even with the device Eli is supposed to be securing for me when he next meets with Gunther.
“Daddy?”
Vanessa’s soft question distracts me from my plans. “Yes, little fox?”
“Why do you want to keep me here? Is it just because I know too much?”
There’s curiosity in her tone, but I can hear a hint of something more rippling beneath the words. Worry, maybe?
“I can’t deny that’s part of it.” Whatever else I may be, I’m not a liar. “But it’s not the only reason.”
“What’s the other reason, then?”
“Because I want to.” For me, it’s as simple as that. I want her, so I’m keeping her.
An annoyed puff of air brushes past my ear. “You can’t just keep a person because you want to. That’s illegal.”
“Babygirl, we were raised by the mob. When I was twenty-one, I went on the run with my siblings after our uncle brutally murdered our parents. Every single piece of paperwork we have that proves our identities is a lie we paid good money for. You really think I’m worried about a little thing like kidnapping? ”
“So you admit it’s kidnapping.” Triumph rings out in her voice, as if she believes she’s scored some kind of victory.
Adorable.
“I’m not as dumb as I look, little fox. I’m well aware that I’m holding you against your will.” At least for now. I am holding out hope that like the others, she will eventually come around and accept her new life as my Little girl.
But if I have to chase her through the woods a few more times before that happens, well, I won’t be sad about that, either.
For a while, silence falls, broken only by the sound of the leaves and twigs and other forest debris beneath my feet.
I usually have a much softer tread, but the weight of my babygirl on my back is making it difficult to walk lightly.
I can’t complain, though. Not when this is the longest we’ve gone without her trying to attack me or run away.
We’re almost to the house when she finally speaks again. “I don’t think you’re dumb.”
“What?”
“You said you’re not as dumb as you look. I don’t think you’re dumb at all.”
An uneasy feeling settles in my chest. “That’s just because you don’t know me that well, yet. Compared to my siblings, I’m quite the dunce, I assure you.”
“I don’t believe you.” Her tone has turned fierce, and that odd feeling in my chest intensifies.
“A dunce wouldn’t be able to find his way through these woods the way you can.
Or track someone on the run the way you just did with me.
Maybe you’re not the same kind of smart as your siblings, but you’re pretty fu-freaking smart from where I’m standing. ”
I don’t really have an argument for that, so I simply grunt as we make our way up the hill to the house I share with my family.
Gray is waiting for us in the foyer, pacing like a nervous mama waiting for her children to come home after curfew. Relief washes over her face the moment we step inside and she rushes toward us, plucking Vanessa off my back and cradling her close.
“Are you okay, little one? Are you hurt?”
“Just my butt,” Vanessa mutters, but there’s a hint of a blush in her cheeks that tells me she’s enjoying Gray’s fussing more than she lets on.
Unfortunately for her, Gray’s concern only goes so far. Setting Vanessa on her feet, Gray folds her arms and pins my babygirl with a stern glare. “I should hope so. You had us all worried sick, little girl.”
To my surprise, Vanessa doesn’t argue or even cop an attitude. Dropping her gaze to the ground, she nods in understanding. “I’m sorry, Auntie Gray.”
Judging by the way my sister stares at her, I’m not the only one surprised by this sudden change in behavior. “You’re forgiven, sweetheart. But no more running off. Understood?”
“Yes, Ma’am.”
Gray looks up at me, and that odd feeling in my chest from before returns with a vengeance at the look in her eyes. Almost as if she’s… proud of me?
I don’t like it.
“We saved you both a plate from lunch. I’ll let Eli know you’re back. He was fretting about your babygirl being out in the woods without any food in her tummy.”
“We’ll be a little while, yet.” Picking Vanessa up, I plant her on my hip. “Someone still needs a bunch of naughty words washed out of her mouth.”
Gray’s lips twitch, as if she’s trying to hide her amusement at my little fox’s antics. “All right. I’ll tell Eli to give you…?”
“Five minutes.” Raising my brow, I look over at Vanessa. “Unless someone is planning to make things difficult.”
“No, Daddy,” she says with a dramatic sigh that nearly has Gray losing the battle with her amusement.
And I can’t even blame her.
“Five minutes,” I reiterate to Gray, who nods and turns to head toward the kitchen while I make my way to the half bath down the hall, where I plop my babygirl down on the vanity.
Vanessa winces when her bottom hits the stiff granite, letting me know she is clearly still feeling the effects of her punishment.
A better man might feel bad about that.
But I am not that man.
Pulling a fresh bar of soap from beneath the sink, I unwrap it and run it under the water until it’s nice and sudsy before turning to my sulking babygirl. “Open wide, little fox.”
Her bottom lip trembles, just for a moment. “What if I promise to not use any more naughty words ever again?”
“Then I would say that’s a very big promise for such a Little girl, and that this soap will help you remember your promise. And then I would tell you that if you don’t open your mouth by the count of three, I’ll start adding more minutes to your punishment. One.”
I don’t even make it to two before her mouth pops open for me to place the bar on her tongue. As soon as it’s in place, she begins to gag, her eyes pleading with me for mercy.
And nobody would be more surprised than I am in this moment to realize I want to give it to her. But I’ve already relented on withholding her orgasm earlier, and if I keep going soft on her she’s going to start thinking she can get away with anything.
So I pull my phone from my pocket and set a timer for five minutes. Crossing my arms, I lean back against the closed bathroom door and just… watch.
My little fox is beautiful at any time. But seeing her in the throes of struggling with her submission, her face caked with tears and dirt as she shifts her sore bottom against the vanity, she is…
breathtaking. Part of me hopes that she never truly loses that spark of defiance.
Not only so I have plenty of reasons to spank her naughty little bottom, but because I truly enjoy that feisty side of her.
The timer dings, and I pull the soap from her mouth. Vanessa twists around to spit in the sink, still gagging and retching. Biting back a laugh, I fill a cup with water and pass it off to her. Unlike the first time, she rinses and spits the water back into the sink rather than my face.
Progress.
Three cups of water later, she sets the tumbler aside and swipes at the tears still streaming down her face. “Soap is gross.”
I can’t hold back the laughter now as I crouch down to grab a clean washcloth and wipe her face clean.
She’ll need a bath tonight after her sojourn into the woods, but for now I’ll settle for her hands and face at least not having visible dirt.
“It’s meant to be gross, little one. So that you remember how yucky those grown-up words taste. ”
She huffs softly, but doesn’t fight me as I scoop her up into my arms. And my heart twists painfully in my chest when her head drops onto my shoulder as I carry her to the dining room.
There are two plates sitting in front of my usual seat, and Vanessa immediately lifts her head, sniffing the air like a predator sensing prey. “What’s that? It smells amazing.”
“Barbecue chicken and potato salad,” Eli answers in his usual gruff, grumpy voice as he steps into the room holding a bottle full of brown liquid. “And frozen hot chocolate to wash it all down. And to help get rid of that yucky soap in your mouth.”
Settling into my chair with Vanessa on my lap, I shoot him a glare. “She deserved that soap.”
My brother shrugs and sets the bottle down beside the plates. “And now she deserves Uncle Eli’s special frozen hot chocolate.”
It feels wrong, like we’re rewarding bad behavior. Or at least I’m pretty sure that’s what Axel would say. But my little fox has had a rather rough morning and she does seem at least somewhat remorseful for her behavior.
Shifting her on my lap, I pick up the bottle and bring it to her mouth. “Just a little bit and then you need real food.”
Eyes bright, she nods eagerly and I push the rubber nipple past her lips. And my heart gives another sharp twist when she suckles greedily at her bottle.
Whether she’s ready to admit it or not, Vanessa is well on her way to becoming my Little girl in every way that matters.