“Absolutely not,” Axel growls, literallygrowls, his entire body seeming to vibrate with the sound. “You are not taking my Little girl to Las Vegas.”
Twisting around, I glare up at him, doing my best to look at least somewhat intimidating, which is rather difficult when I’m wearing nothing but a diaper and his far-too-big clothes. “I’m a grown adult. If I wanna go to Vegas, I’m going to Vegas.”
An expectant hush falls over the table, almost as if everyone is suddenly holding their breath waiting to see what happens next.
Axel doesn’t even answer me. Leaning forward, he plucks a roll from his plate and slathers it with butter, then holds it up in front of my mouth.
Determined not to be that easily ignored, I cross my arms. “No, thank you. I want an answer, not bread.”
“Suit yourself. They’re pretty damn good. Your Auntie Gray worked hard on perfecting this recipe.”
“It’s the one thing I can actually make without completely fucking it up,” Gray says, her mouth twisting up in a grin. “Otherwise, they don’t even let me in the kitchen. That’s Eli’s domain.”
“Really?” Curious now, I look over at Elias. Other than Axel, he’s the largest of the bunch, with an equally large beard to match. And Axel included, he’s certainly the roughest of them all, at least on the outside. Everything about him, from the set of his jaw to the darkness in his eyes screamsstay the fuck away.
I try to imagine him in the kitchen, and my brain immediately conjures an image of this giant, brutal man wearing a tiny apron over his flannel and jeans, and a giggle bursts out of my mouth before I can think to smother it.
From his spot to our left, Eli raises a brow. “Something funny, little girl?”
Uh-oh. I’ve poked the bear. And by every metric, I should be scared of him. But maybe it’s because I’m surrounded by others or because I’ve got Axel’s broad chest at my literal back, but I’m feeling brave.
So I flash him a grin. “Just thinking of you in a cute little frilly apron that says something cheesy like ‘Keep Calm and Bake On’. Is it pink? I bet it’s pink.”
Eli’s eyes narrow, and despite the bravery I was feeling just a moment ago, my stomach quakes and I have to resist the urge to press myself back against Axel. Instinct tells me that if I let Eli see he’s cowed me, he’ll try to run roughshod over me my entire time here.
“Actually it’s red and it says ‘Kiss the Cook’.” My “uncle’s” voice is a low grumble as he reaches for more of the hot dish in the center of the table. “Colt picked it up as a gag gift on one of his travels.”
“I did,” Colt says with another of his easy smiles. “It’s become something of a game. Eli puts it on and we all try to kiss him but he never lets us. He won’t even let Gray sneak in a smooch when he’s got the apron on.”
Snagging a roll from the basket in between us, Eli shakes it at me, and I can’t tell if his expression isactuallystern or if he’s just playing the game. “And if you try, I’ll take a wooden spoon to your bottom, so no funny business, little Lanie.”
Lanie. There’s something about my new nickname that’s actually kind of sweet, even if it does sound weird.
But even as that thought crosses my mind, part of me recoils. Nothing about this is sweet, and I need to avoid going down that road. Once I start thinking of them as anything but my kidnappers, I run the risk of actually wanting to stay.
And I absolutely amnotstaying.
“My name is Melanie,” I snap, fear and anger making my voice sharp. “Not Lanie. Stop calling me that.”
A sharp sting explodes across my thigh and I jump. Looking down, I see a large handprint spreading across my exposed skin and to my horror, tears fill my eyes. Being stripped and spanked was humiliating enough, but there’s something about being swatted so casually in front of everyone that has me feeling like anactualchild.
“Don’t be rude, Melanie,” Axel scolds, and the disapproval in his tone only adds to that “naughty Little girl” feeling that’s settled heavy in my chest. “Apologize to your Uncle Eli right now.”
Instinct tells me that refusing his order will only end up with me over his knee again, and even though it physically hurts to swallow the sarcastic response lodged in my throat, I make myself do so to avoid yet another humiliating punishment.
“Sorry,” I mumble, rubbing at the pink splotch spreading across my thigh.
A large hand grips mine, firmly pulling it away. “You look people in the eye when you apologize, little girl. So they know you mean it. Try again.”
Idon’tmean it, but hopefully I can fake it enough to avoid a spanking. Forcing my head up, I meet Eli’s dark gaze. Unlike Axel’s, which always seem alive with some kind of emotion, Eli’s are… not quite blank, but shielded, like he’s being very careful to keep what he’s feeling to himself. It’s rather disconcerting and I have to resist the urge to squirm on Axel’s lap.
“Sorry, Uncle Eli. I shouldn’t have snapped at you.”
A hint of warmth infuses the brown as Eli smiles, just a fraction. “It’s all right, little one. I know today has been a lot. Perhaps you’re just tired.”
At that, his gaze shifts behind me, and he exchanges a meaningful look with Axel. And the next thing I know, I’m in Axel’s arms, looking down at my new “family”. Startled by thesudden change, I wrap my arms around his neck for balance as he addresses his siblings.
“Eli’s right. It’s been a big day for me and my Little one. I’m going to take her up to bed and I’ll see you all in the morning.”
