7. Maddie

When Ian stomped toward her and leaned down so close that she could smell his cologne, she realized she had fucked up. Feeling some trepidation and a bit of arousal, Maddie looked up into his blazing eyes, and before she could apologize, he spoke.

"You listen to me, and you listen good, little girl. I am your fucking family. We may not be related by blood, but you are my family, and I am yours. You became my family the day Cam and I became friends, and you will always be my family. You are not alone, and you never will be. So don't ever say something like that again, or I swear to God, you will regret it. Got me?" he said sharply.

Maddie stared at him for a moment before she felt her bottom lip begin to tremble, and she burst into tears.

Ian moved to sit on the edge of the bed and reached out for her. Lifting her with ease, he pulled her into his lap, wrapped his arms around her, and began to rock her back and forth while she sobbed against his chest. She felt awful. Ian had always been so good to her, so she didn't know why she would think he would just walk away.

She didn't want to stop him from living his life, and she also didn't know how much time she could actually spend with him now that she was an adult and madly in love with him. And what did he mean she would regret it? Was that a threat? Was he threatening to punish her? Because if that were the case, she really wouldn't be able to spend very much time with him. The thought of possibly being punished by Ian made her clit tingle.

"I'm sorry, Ian. You are my family, and I've been being an ungrateful bitch," she said quietly after she'd calmed down.

"Don't swear, baby. You haven't been an ungrateful bitch. You have been mourning. But, baby, you have been shutting me out, and I am mourning too. You need to lean on me instead of internalizing it all. I'm not going anywhere, Maddie. We are family."

She nodded against his chest, "I know."

Running his hand up and down her back, a shiver ran down her spine.

"Come on, let's get you into the bath," he said, picking her up and carrying her into the bathroom.

When he set her down on her feet in front of the tub, she stood awkwardly, waiting for him to leave her alone to take a bath. Again, the man didn't seem to understand personal boundaries.

"Get undressed and in the tub. I'm going to go change your bedding, and then I'll come back and wash your hair for you."

She looked up at him nervously, fidgeting with the hem of her shirt. She didn't know if she could handle him in the bathroom with her while she was naked under the bubbles. The thought of his hands being so close to her naked breasts or bare pussy made her squirm.

"I can wash my hair."

He smiled and kissed the top of her head gently.

"I know you can, baby. But let me take care of you. You need it. Don't worry, the bubbles will keep you covered. I'll be back in a few."

It sounded so lovely to have him take care of her. Maddie knew she'd been spoiled most of her life. Between Cam and Ian, she had never wanted for anything and for Ian to take care of her in such an intimate and caring way… yeah, she couldn't say no to that. She also didn't think he would let her refuse, so she nodded. He smiled and left the bathroom, closing the door partially behind him but not latching it.

She quickly undressed and dipped her toe into the foamy water. Thankfully the tub was massive and would cover her up to her neck when she sat down. Deciding the temperature was perfect, she climbed in and sank into the water. Leaning her head against the lip of the tub, Maddie closed her eyes and tried to relax even though it felt as though a million butterflies were fluttering around in her tummy as she waited for Ian to return. What if she just decided to push her breasts up out of the water and give him an eyeful? Would he like the view? Or would he act weird like he had the night before when she thought he was going to kiss her?

She sometimes wondered if he still saw her as a teenage girl or the woman she now was. She also wondered how he would react to finding out that she was a Little. Being bathed by a Daddy had always been a fantasy of hers, and now it was going to happen… except he wasn't doing it because he was her Daddy. Well, not that he knew of anyway… She had called him Daddy plenty of times in her dreams.

"How's the bath?" he asked.

His voice startled her, and she gasped, nearly sliding under the water as she shifted in response.

"Whoa, baby. Careful," he said, wrapping his large hand around her bicep before she went under.

Great job, Maddie! Way to be as graceful as a bull in a china shop.

"Sorry. I must have been dozing off because I didn't hear you come back in."

That was a total lie. She had been thinking about him getting naked and climbing in the tub with her. The look he gave her told her he wasn't buying her story either, but he didn't say anything. He sat on the edge of the tub, grabbed the handheld sprayer, and then turned the water on. He kept his hand under the sprayer until it was to the right temperature.

"Sit up and tilt your head back."

Maddie obeyed, loving the feeling of the hot water and his fingers running through her hair. After he got her hair completely wet, he turned off the sprayer and poured her favorite shampoo into his palm. He had already had all her favorite shampoo, conditioner, and body wash stocked in the bathroom for her. He had always been one of the most thoughtful people she'd ever known.

Maddie moaned as soon as he started working the shampoo into her scalp. She hadn't meant to, but it just came out. She felt herself blush.

"It feels so good. I don't remember the last time I've had my hair washed like this," she murmured.

Ian chuckled and continued to massage her head.

"Doesn't your hairdresser wash your hair?"

She giggled, "Not like this. Definitely, not like this."

His thumbs worked the tension at the back of her neck, and she felt so relaxed she thought her head might roll right off her shoulders.

"So, you're saying I can add "professional hair washer" to my resume?"

Her eyes were closed, but she could hear the smile in his voice.

"Mmmm… I don't know if that's an actual profession, but I would pay good money to get my hair washed like this regularly."

"I bet it's an actual profession. Could you imagine how much money I could make? I could open a hair wash salon and hire a bunch of hunks like me. We would have a line out the door of women wanting their hair washed by us."

Maddie opened her eyes so that she could roll them dramatically. Ian laughed, and she couldn't help but slap her hand down in the water and splash him.

"Hey, brat! No splashing. I'm trying to do my job here, and you're getting my shirt all wet. Now, if you want a shirtless hair washer, that can be arranged for an extra charge."

She broke out into a fit of giggles as he grabbed the sprayer and turned the water back on.

"Head back, eyes closed."

He rinsed her hair without getting any soap in her eyes and then worked the peach-scented conditioner through her hair before rinsing that.

"Okay, I'm going to let you wash up. I expect you downstairs in twenty minutes so we can eat and watch a movie. Bring your hairbrush, and I'll brush out your hair. There's an extra charge for that, though," he said.

She nodded and smiled. He let himself out and closed the door behind him this time. When she finished washing, Maddie got out of the tub and dried herself off. Opening the bathroom door into the bedroom, she saw a pair of her footie pajamas laid out on the bed for her, along with a pair of her pale pink cotton panties.

Feeling her cheeks burn, she walked over to the bed and grabbed the garments. Despite the embarrassment of knowing he'd opened her underwear drawer, she felt her Little coming to the surface with excitement that Ian picked out her clothes for her. Quickly changing, Maddie grabbed her hairbrush and headed downstairs. The delicious scent that met her nose as she descended the stairs made her tummy growl.

Ian stood at the stove, stirring something in a pot with his back turned toward her when she walked in. He was in a pair of low-slung gray sweats and a black t-shirt, making her mouth suddenly go dry. His ass was spectacular. It was something she'd never gotten tired of staring at, given she had the chance.

"Something smells good," she said.

He turned slightly to look back at her and smiled.

"You look adorable. I'm making your favorite."

She grinned, "Spaghetti?"

"You got it."

Maddie jumped up and down and clapped her hands. It had been years since she'd had Ian's spaghetti. It was his specialty, and it was her favorite homemade meal, especially when he made it.

"Do you need help?" she asked, peering over his shoulder.

"Nope. Go sit down and keep me company while I finish up."

She sat down at the island and watched him move through the kitchen easily. His kitchen was a chef's dream with an eight-burner stove, double wall ovens, a large island in the middle of the kitchen, and a sink that she could probably bathe in.

They talked about the funeral arrangements, and he told her that his parents were flying into town. She hated talking about it, but she hadn't asked him any questions since he'd offered to take over arranging everything, so she needed to know the basics. The funeral would be held at the same place as her mom's had been held, Cam would be buried next to her, and then the reception would be at Ian's house afterward.

When he set a plate in front of her with a heaping pile of spaghetti, she looked up at him like he'd lost his mind.

"I can't eat all that."

He crossed his arms over his chest, showing his sculpted biceps. He was seriously a hottie. His blue-gray eyes were piercing and one of the first things people noticed about him. He was over a foot taller than she was and his short brown hair was always cut into a clean fade at the sides, with it being longer on top. His facial hair depended on how many days he'd gone without shaving, and she particularly liked him when he hadn't shaved for a couple of days and had the slight shadow of a beard.

"Try," he said firmly.

Slumping her shoulders, Maddie picked up her fork and started twirling the noodles around it. Ian sat down next to her with his plate and began eating. They ate in comfortable silence together. She'd eaten with him hundreds of times, so nothing was awkward about it. He was sitting so close to her that she could feel the heat of his body radiating.

She'd nearly eaten the entire plate of food before she realized it, and when she looked up, Ian was staring at her, smiling.

"Guess I should have made you some spaghetti days ago."