5. Maddie

Maddie spent the next few days lying in bed. Ian seemed to be taking care of everything with the funeral arrangements and appeared in her bedroom several times a day to bring her meals. He'd tried to coax her out of the room several times, but she gave him an excuse each time. He didn't argue or push her.

The only time he was insistent was when she didn't want to eat. He'd lectured her about not eating the vegetables on her plate and not drinking enough water. He started telling her that she needed to finish her bottle of water by a specific time so that he could refill it and would give her a new time to have the fresh bottle gone. She should have been annoyed by it. He was bossy and overbearing, but secretly, his hovering and bossiness made her feel more secure.

She'd just finished the last of her water when Ian appeared in the doorway. It was late, and he was dressed in a pair of gray sweats and a white t-shirt that was tight enough to show off his sculpted arms and shoulders. Despite being ridiculously hydrated from the amount of water that he was making her drink; her mouth went dry.

"Do you want me to run you a bath?" he asked, leaning against the doorframe.

He's saying you stink.

Maddie frowned and shook her head. She needed to bathe, but she just didn't have the energy.

"I'll take a shower tomorrow. I'm just tired right now."

Ian nodded, but his face was full of concern, and she hated that he was worried about her. He had also lost someone important to him, and instead of having his own time to mourn, he had to babysit her.

As soon as the funeral was over, she would go back to Denver so that he didn't have to deal with her anymore and could get on with his life. Besides, she needed to figure out how to lead her own life.

"I made an appointment with Cam's attorney. We will meet with him a couple of days after the funeral for the reading of the will."

Okay, so she would return to Denver after that.

She nodded.

"Let me tuck you in."

Ian walked in the room like he had every other night and tucked the blankets all around her until she could barely move. He leaned over and kissed her forehead. Maddie opened her eyes when he pulled back to find his face hovering close to hers. For a brief moment, she thought he might kiss her, but suddenly, he backed up and straightened himself. He cleared his throat and looked away from her.

"Get some sleep," he said before turning out the lamp and disappearing from the room.

Maddie stared at the bedroom door in confusion. He didn't usually hustle out of the room like that. Why had she felt like he was going to kiss her? He was just tucking her in like he did every other night since she'd been there. Right?

Ian could have anyone. He doesn't want some dorky bookworm. Get real, Maddie.

She had imagined a million times what it would be like to kiss Ian. Okay, maybe not a million times, but a lot. And those fantasies had never felt nearly as hot as it felt having his face so close like he just had.

She had known his secret for a long time, but he didn't know hers, and the thought of telling him that she was a Little made her queasy. Not that he would judge her or think that she was weird. But it would set her up for rejection, and she wouldn't be able to handle that. She hadn't ever dated anyone for longer than a date or two because no one could compare to Ian. If Ian rejected her, it would mean she would have to settle for something less than what she wanted. So instead, she would keep her secret locked safe inside of her and settle for having him as her friend, even if it was from a distance.

Pulling Stitch to her chest, Maddie grabbed her pacifier from the nightstand and turned away from the bedroom door so Ian wouldn't see her with it in her mouth if he were to check in on her. She really needed the comfort. Rubbing Stitch's ear between her fingers, Maddie sucked on the soft nipple until she relaxed and fell asleep.

When she woke up the following day, her bladder was urgently needing to be emptied. She stood up on the mattress and jumped to the floor with a thud, and ran into the bathroom, in too much of a hurry to close the door behind her.

"Maddie? You okay?" Ian's deep voice sounded.

She let out a squeak. He was in her room. Shit!

"I'm fine! I'll be out in a min-"

Ian appeared in the doorway to the bathroom, seeming completely unfazed by the sight of her sitting on the toilet. Maddie, on the other hand, was not.

"I heard a loud thump. Are you sure you're okay?"

"Oh my god! Ian, get out! I am on the toilet!" she yelled, hiding her face in her hands.

He chuckled, and she wanted to strangle him. The man had no personal boundaries. And she couldn't get up from the toilet without showing everything off to him, so she really needed him to leave.

"What was that crash I heard?" he asked.

Letting out a screech of frustration, Maddie picked up a spare toilet paper roll that sat in a decorative basket next to the toilet and chucked it at him. She would have been proud of her throw if he hadn't ducked before it made contact with his face.

"Ian! This is so embarrassing. Get out!"

He just chuckled again, "You sure you don't need help?"

She answered by chucking another toilet paper roll towards him, but he shut the bathroom door before it reached him.

Big dumb jerk.

Seriously, he and Cam had no clue about boundaries. Like when she'd gotten her first period, and they asked a bunch of questions that had made her want to crawl into a hole and die. They'd both tracked her periods on their phones after that and would always buy her a fresh supply of chocolate and pads when it was coming up to that time. She loved the big dumb men, but geez, they seriously needed to give a girl some space.

After cleaning herself up, Maddie stood at the sink to wash her hands. Her face was bright red as she stared at herself in the mirror. She took a deep breath and opened the bathroom door to find Ian sitting on her bed, looking smug. Damn man.

"You really need to learn some boundaries," she murmured.

He just grinned at her, showing off his pearly white teeth.

"No can do, Maddie-Rose. When I hear distress, I need to come and make sure my girl is okay."

Maddie scowled at him, "I was not in distress. I had jumped off the bed because I really needed to go to the bathroom."

"You shouldn't be jumping off the bed, little girl."

Ka-thunk.

Her stomach dropped, and blood rushed straight to her pussy at those words. He'd never called her little girl before, and if only he had any idea what those words did to her. She swallowed, struggling to get the saliva down her throat because her mouth was suddenly as dry as the Sahara Desert. She swallowed again, working to regain her composure.

"Is there a reason you're in here?" she snapped.

Ian studied her for a moment, "Are you getting your period?"

Okay, so she wasn't going to have Ian in her life anymore because she was pretty sure she was going to smother him with his pillow in his sleep later that night. He deserved it.

"Oh my god! You are so embarrassing," she said, pressing her palms to her eyes.

"I'll take that as a yes. Do you need products, or do you have what you need?"

Maddie gaped at him. She wondered how she could smother him right then and there. She couldn't wait until he went to bed. Putting her hands on her hips, she glared at him.

"I am not getting my period. I just don't need you coming into the bathroom while I'm peeing."

He shrugged, "Should have closed the bathroom door if you didn't want me in there."

Calm down, Maddie. Just breathe. 1.. 2.. 3.. 4..

"Why are you counting?"

She opened her eyes and glared at him again.

"I need to get some work done, so if you could get out, that would be super."

Ian sighed and stood, reaching to ruffle her hair as he walked past her. She batted his hands away, and he just grinned. He was being a pain in the ass on purpose just to get a rise out of her. He had always been good at that.

"Why don't you come down for breakfast today? I'll make French toast," he offered when he reached the doorway.

"I need to work. I'm not hungry. I'll come down later and find something to snack on."

She offered a tight smile to him, not meeting his gaze. She had no intention of leaving her room. Being alone was easier. When she lifted her eyes to look at him, she saw the disapproval in his face, but instead of saying anything, he gave her a sharp nod and left the room.