by Pepper North
“It scared me when he called me Little.”
“I know, candy girl. It’s a very private part of you. He was wrong to blurt it out like that and shake you up so badly. If it makes you feel better, Hank is dealing with a broken nose right now.”
“You hit him?” she asked, incredulous.
“I did. He hurt you. That’s not acceptable. I’m pretty sure he didn’t mean to, but he did. Now you have doubts about me, and that pisses me off,” Sam admitted in a hard tone.
“Why did you tell them about me?”
“The team is my closest group of companions. There’s a bond that develops between squad members. They become closer than family. Our lives are in each other’s hands. I knew they’d be happy for me, and I wanted to celebrate us with my brothers. I’m ecstatic that we found each other. It’s hard to hide that level of emotion.”
“Is there an ‘us’ anymore?”
“Damn right, there’s an ‘us.’ I’m going to fight each day to prove to you that I love you more than life itself.”
“You love me?”
“Yes.” Sam stroked his fingers through her hair. “You have my heart, candy girl. I love you more than anything in the world.” He drew her to his chest and pressed a kiss against her hair.
“I didn’t mean to hurt you. I was planning on telling you about the team when you moved in. I should have talked to you earlier. This misunderstanding is all my fault.”
“I’m scared,” she admitted.
Sam leaned back away from her. His gaze searched her face. “What are you scared of, Hope?”
“I don’t know if I can be strong enough to have everyone know that I’m Little. Maybe I’m not really Little. You’ve said that Littles are the bravest people you know.”
“There are no doubts in my mind that you are courageous and strong enough to do anything or be anything you wish. I love you. I would love you whether or not you were my Little,” he assured her.
“You could live not being a Daddy?” she questioned.
“As soon as I learned about Littles and Bigs, I knew I was a Daddy. It’s how I’m wired. I’ll always be dominant in my intimate relationship with my life partner.”
“Is that how you see me? As your life partner?” she repeated his words.
“Yes, candy girl. I see you as the woman I wish to spend the rest of my life with.” Sam stood and walked to the closet. Opening the door, he pulled out his field pack and reached inside for a small box.
His gaze locked on hers as he approached. Tears sprang to her eyes as he dropped to one knee by the bed. “I showed the guys this. That’s why Hank knew.”
She held her breath as her emotions tumbled around in her chest. Should she take the chance?
“Hope, I love you with every fiber of my being. You are the one I want to wake up holding in my arms and the one I fall asleep with at night. I love the sweet woman and the adorable Little inside you. Will you marry me?”
“Marry you?” she repeated as she looked down at the beautiful sparkling ring displayed in the black velvet box.
“Marry me, candy girl.”
His words brought her gaze back to his face. Hope could read worry, stress, and concern etched in his skin. She could also see the love he offered her. Hesitating after the fear she’d experienced, Hope took a deep breath. Her mother’s words flitted into her mind. She needed to pay attention to that voice inside her. Was it still telling her that Sam was her special one?
Unsure what she was going to say but needing to fill the silence, Hope spoke slowly. “Sam… I’m trying to be very brave. I want to believe what we have is true and that I can trust you to protect my heart.”
“I love you, Hope. Protecting you became my job the first time I held you in my arms. I know it scares you that others know you are Little, but my team is my family. They would accept you if you had two heads. The fact that you’re Little strengthens their feelings toward you. Those men would come to your defense at a crook of your finger.”
“Even Hank?”
“Even Hank,” he confirmed, scowling as he said his teammate’s name. “Do you know what I dream about when I think of the future?”
Confused by his change of topic, she answered, “No?”
“I want you to have a strong support team when we’re deployed. People that understand what you are feeling because they’re feeling the same way. Ideally, my teammates will each find their Littles. Our goal is to find our Littles and help them become friends.”
“Really? You want me to have Little friends?”
“You’re the first. My sweet candy girl, I know you’ll love meeting and playing with the others.”
“That would be fun,” she admitted. When he started grinning, she waggled a finger at him. “I’m not marrying you to have friends. I have plenty of friends now.”
“No, little girl. You’re marrying me because you love me as much as I love you. Could you say the words?”
After swallowing hard, she met his eyes. “I love you, Sam Memphis. I would treasure being your wife.”
With a motion almost too fast to be seen, Sam plucked her from the covers and wrapped himself around his little girl. He held Hope so close, she could feel his heartbeat through his chest and knew he could sense hers jumping inside. Wiggling against him, she could feel his thick cock pressing against her.
“Daddy?” she asked, with the lilt of an intimate suggestion in her voice.
“No way, little girl. The most activity you’re going to do today is sit on the couch with Hedgie and me to watch movies. You’ve been sick.”
“Scary ones?” she suggested eagerly.
“No scary movies.”
“I’ll scare your nightmares away,” she joked as if she could be braver than her daddy.
“The world is full of enough actual nightmares that we don’t need to invent any others.”
Sam’s battle-weary tone concluded any arguments she might offer. A small light kindled inside Hope. Her daddy might be big and tough, but maybe he needed her just as much as she needed him. Hope pressed her lips against his. She would do anything she could to make his life easier.
Chapter 14
“How’s our patient doing?” Doniphan’s voice sounded from the hallway.
“I think she’s doing well. Come see what you think?” Sam invited.
“I’m good,” Hope called proactively. She sat up from her nest she’d settled into on the big comfy couch.
“I’m glad to hear that,” Doniphan said as he set his medical case on the coffee table. “You gave us quite a scare. No more running from Daddy.”
“No more running,” Hope promised. She shyly held out her left hand to reveal the sparkling ring on her third finger.
“Congratulations! I wondered which of us would be the first to get married,” Doniphan said as he smiled at Hope before holding out his hand to shake Sam’s.
“I’ve just been the lucky one to win the best prize at the fair.”
“Daddy! I mean Sam!” Hope said, feeling her face heat with embarrassment over her slip.
“You can call him Daddy, Hope. We all understand. I’m envious. Someday I hope I’ll find my little girl. Maybe you could be her friend.”
“I’d like that,” Hope rushed to say. She folded her hands across her lap, pleased that she could help someone else.
“Where would you like to do your exam, Doniphan?” Sam asked.
“I’ll have to gear up and get my examination room in my house completed. For now, we just need a flat surface. Can we use the kitchen table?”
“Good idea. That has everything. Good lighting and access to water.”
“What? You need an exam? Are you sick, Daddy?”
“No, candy girl. Doniphan is here to make sure you’re doing okay.” Sam leaned over to scoop Hope up out of the covers. “Grab Hedgie. He can come with you, too.”
“No! Sam, I’m fine. I don’t want an exam. It’s embarrassing. Doniphan is your friend,” Hope hissed.
“Doniphan is a very skilled nurse practitioner,” Sam comforted her as he carried her toward the kitchen.
“I don’t care. He’s going to treat me like a little girl,” she whispered, trying not to offend her daddy’s friend.
Hope hugged Hedgie close to her when Sam set her down on the table. The movement made her cough. The sound was low and deep in her chest, bringing tears to her eyes.
“That’s not a good sign, Hope,” Doniphan observed as he handed her a tissue. “You need medical treatment.”
“I don’t like going to the doctor,” she whispered. Immediately, another coughing spell hit her hard.
“I could wait and go in a few days if I’m not better,” she suggested.
“That’s not an option. I can tell already that your fever is back, and your throat is sore,” Doniphan intervened.
“You know all that?” she whispered after swallowing hard.
Doniphan opened his case and pulled out his stethoscope. Fitting it into his ears, he approached Hope and waved the bell end of the device as if asking for permission. When she nodded, he said, “Thank you, Hope.”
Pressing the instrument to her back, Doniphan instructed, “Take a breath, sweetheart.” When she did, he stepped back with a concerned look.
“Your lungs are definitely congested. You’ll need a round of antibiotics to feel better. Before I prescribe anything, I need to examine the rest of you. If your daddy is right here, will you let me assess your condition?”
“Are you going to put the thermometer in my butt?” she fussed. Hope hadn’t felt too bad just lying around. Now that she had to sit up on her own, she was exhausted again.
“Yes, Hope. I’m going to examine you completely.”
Sam wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “Doniphan, she feels awful. Please do what you need to help Hope feel better.”
“Let me look at your throat. Say ‘ah’ for me, Hope.” Doniphan shone a light down her throat and quickly swabbed a few spots, making Hope cough.
“Sorry, sweetheart. I know that doesn’t feel good. Here. Suck on this.” Doniphan pulled a plastic-wrapped item out of his case.
Tearing off the covering, he revealed a large throat lozenge attached to a plastic holder. He popped it into her mouth, and she sucked hesitantly. Coolness flowed down her throat as she swallowed, taking away the worst of the soreness.
“Good, huh?”
“Mmmhmm,” she murmured, slouching against Sam. Maybe Doniphan really knows what he’s doing. He keeps all the men healthy.
“Let’s get her shirt off, Sam. I want to check her lymph nodes.”
Within seconds, the men had divested her of the large T-shirt of Sam’s Hope wore as a nightshirt. She crossed her arms over her bare breasts to shield herself.
“Press your hands on the tabletop, Hope. I need to see your body to help you feel better.”
Reluctantly, she lowered her palms to the kitchen table. Doniphan’s concerned expression didn’t change. He looked at her as a patient. Glancing at her daddy, Hope was reassured that he wasn’t concerned at all by the exam.
Doniphan palpated her neck and over her collarbones. He listened to her chest. “Next time, you punch Hank in the nose. That way you won’t get sick, little girl.”
“I won’t get that scared next time,” she promised before sticking the pacifier lozenge back in her mouth.
“Temperature time. Lie back, Hope,” Doniphan instructed, pulling out a thermometer and a tube of lubricant. Tearing a paper towel from the roll, Doniphan squeezed out a large portion of thick goo before pulling on a pair of gloves.
She fussed as Sam settled her on her tummy. Doniphan separated her bottom, and she felt his finger press into her small entrance.
“Mmm!” she protested around the pacifier. Couldn’t he just put the thermometer in?
“I know. Little girls don’t like things in their bottoms,” Doniphan commiserated with her. He didn’t, however, remove his finger.
“Sam, Hope’s very petite here. You need to widen her,” he shared with Sam as that inserted digit continued to spread lubricant on all the walls of her rectum.
“Hope has already worn the smallest plug as a punishment. I’ll add wearing one to her schedule.”
She began to protest, but Doniphan removed his finger. The glide of the cold thermometer deep into her interrupted her momentary relief. When she wiggled, trying to get away, Sam rubbed her back, comforting her.
“Squeeze Hedgie, Hope. Your stuffie wants you to be healthy, too,” Doniphan soothed. He chuckled softly as Hope hid her face against Hedgie’s soft fur.
Ten minutes later, Doniphan frowned as he read the instrument. “The fever has returned. Hope will need some medicine.”
Hope didn’t see Doniphan pull another packet from his bag. This time when he opened the wrapping, it revealed a folded plastic bag with a thick nozzle on the end. Doniphan walked to the sink and started the water, adjusting it to warm. When she peeked at the noise, Hope saw him filling the bag and shaking the contents.
When he turned, she saw the nozzle dangling from the bottom of the bag. There was no doubt where that was going. “No!” she protested as the lozenge fell from her mouth.
“This is a fast-acting antibiotic solution. Your bottom will absorb it quickly and it won’t upset your tummy. It will make you feel better very quickly. Sam, I’m going to have you administer this because I’ll leave several doses more for her,” Doniphan told her daddy. “Let’s get her on her knees with her head down.”
“No, Daddy!” Hope shouted as Sam lifted her body to the new position on her hands and knees. She squirmed, wearing out the last of her energy as he pressed her chest down to the table. Hope gasped as her nipples met the cold wooden table.
“Shh, little girl. We want you to feel better.” He tethered Hope easily in place as Doniphan spread her bottom.
“Lubricate her thoroughly and spread a lot over the nozzle. Press this against her opening and push it slowly inside,” Doniphan coached. “That’s it. The nozzle needs to enter her completely. Now, open the clamp and elevate the bag to allow it to flow inside.”
Warm water flowed inside her body. It didn’t feel bad. Just so very wrong. Instantly, she tried to push it out. A flash of pain made her pause.
“No, Hope. The medicine needs to go inside you. Don’t make me spank you with a bottom full of antibiotics,” Sam warned.
“No, Daddy,” she whined.
“Be good. Doniphan is helping you feel better.”
Almost instantly, Hope relaxed on the table. Her eyes closed and her breathing quieted. Doniphan slipped the pacifier back into her mouth and patted her on the shoulder.
“I’m glad you feel better, Hope.”
“Better,” she mumbled in agreement.
“Sam, the medicine has a calming influence as well. It will allow Hope to sleep rather than continue to cough herself awake. When the bag has emptied completely, we’ll put a plug in her bottom for two hours. Repeat this entire process every four hours until you’re out of medicine. I’m also going to give her a decongestant so she stops coughing and can rest.”
“Thank you,” Hope mumbled again. With her eyes closed, she didn’t see Doniphan drawing an injection to give her. She whimpered as he pressed the needle into her bottom. “Meanie!” she added in a tumble of letters before falling asleep.
“How’s our patient?” Doniphan asked with a smile.
“Grumpy! Tell Daddy I can get up and do stuff. I’m soooo bored! I’d die of blahdom, but you probably have some medicine to put in my bottom for that.”
“Sounds like Hope feels better.” He grinned at Sam who sported the same expression.
“Seems my sweet little girl can be slightly theatrical when she’s kept quiet,” Sam confirmed.
“I’d still like you to conserve your energy for a couple of days, Hope. Perhaps your daddy can find something creative for you to do.” Doniphan turned to Sam. “I remember you buying those paints and specia
l watercolor paper when the craft store was going out of business.”
“Paints? You have paints, Daddy?”
“I do. I don’t suppose you’d like to see if they’re any good,” Sam asked with a wink at Doniphan.
“Yes, please!”
“Before I pull out the art supplies…”
“You have more than paints?” Hope grilled him.
“I do. Before I let you get started, Doniphan is here to talk to us about birth control.”
She looked at them both with her mouth agape. Surely this was a joke. Her face burnt with embarrassment as she realized Sam was serious. “Daddy…”
“Sam wants to take care of you, Hope. He says you’ve discussed birth control, and you’d like to be on something, so you don’t have to use condoms. Is that right?” Doniphan asked.
He was so matter-of-fact that Hope actually relaxed a little. This was Doniphan who’d already seen her naked. He seemed to know his stuff. She’d felt better immediately after his treatment.
“Yes. I know Daddy’s concerned about taking care of me.”
“Good Daddies always are. Here’s what I would suggest. Let’s do blood tests on the two of you to make sure you’re free of anything that would hurt the other. I test Sam regularly for a battery of ailments as part of his routine health care. I’ll stick him to double check since I’ll need to draw your blood.”
“Hey!” Sam did a double take at the medic.
Hope couldn’t help but laugh. “I’m sure I’m clean, too, but I’ll suffer through the stick for you, Daddy.”
“To give you medicine, I’ll have to examine you, Hope.” Doniphan broke the bad news.
“You haven’t examined enough of me?” His meaning dawned on her, and Hope blushed again. “A pelvic exam? I hate them. Wait! You treat men. Can you even do those?”