Page 18 of Just a Little in Love

Rowan carried on getting undressed. He took off his pull-ups as well, and they were dry, so he wrapped them up in his shirt to hide them and placed his clothes on the stool. He had some spare pads and a special waterproof bag inside his small case, so he could get rid of the old one easily when he went to put his pajamas on. Then he gazed at the very large tub. Daddy Gabriel had filled it with bubbles and Rowan got in, sinking down and letting out a huge, contented sigh. He heard the knock on the door and answered, “Come in.”

Daddy Gabriel came in with Rowan’s cup. “I warmed your hot chocolate again.” He put it on the small ledge that ran around the bath, then hummed to himself and left. Rowan picked up the Toy Story cup and sipped.

“You can’t have a bubble bath without these.”

Rowan looked over in surprise as Daddy Gabriel came back in with a net bag full of toys. He gaped. Toys? Like actual toys? Daddy hesitated when he saw Rowan’s reaction. “Is this okay?”

Rowan smiled so wide his face hurt. For him? They were for him? “For me?” Rowan whispered.

Daddy chuckled. “I picked them up when I got the bedding for my spare room. I want you to be comfortable.” They were plastic Toy Story bath toys and Rowan smiled again. Daddy opened the bag and shook everything into the water.

“Are you hungry?” He headed for the door. Rowan was. He never ate before coming to the club. Daddy Gabriel smiled. “I’ve got some snacks. I won’t be a moment.”

Rowan picked up Woody. He knew Dash would love them, but he felt safer playing with puzzles at the club, and he loved coloring. But the fact that Daddy Gabriel had bothered to buy him anything made Rowan feel all warm inside.

He knew littles were supposed to like this sort of thing, but if Rowan was really honest he’d rather have a squirty fish or a little boat. He didn’t know what to do with this.

He held Woody again and just stared.

“I made an assumption, didn’t I?”

Rowan looked up and his face heated. “No, I love it,” he assured him, then bit his lip because Daddy Gabriel didn’t look at all convinced. And it wasn’t that he hated it, he just didn’t know what to do with it.

He leaned back against the counter and folded his arms. “Did you just tell a lie?”

Rowan swallowed his sudden panic down, but before he could think of anything to say, Daddy Gabriel grinned again. “I know better. Of everyone, I should know that communication is one of the most important things. Honest communication. Now, I’m going to let that slide because, one, you’re not my sub, and two, I know you were being polite.” He shook his head. “It’s a good thing you’re not my sub, or you’d be out of that bath and over my knee.”

Rowan’s lips parted, but no sound came out. Spanking. He meant spanking. Rowan had seen it dozens of times and it usually made him feel ill, but the image in his head of Rowan leaning over Daddy’s lap while he reddened Rowan’s ass didn’t make him feel sick. It…well, he wasn’t sure how it made him feel, but definitely not sick. Rowan glanced down at himself as another sort of feeling spread through him.

It was a good thing Daddy Gabriel straightened up and turned so he missed Rowan’s reaction, but then Rowan’s gaze fell on Daddy’s outstretched arm, and he realized what he was going to do a second before Rowan could say anything to stop him. Daddy Gabriel reached for Rowan’s pile of clothes to move it, obviously to sit down, and, of course, Rowan’s huge pad slid out and onto the floor.

Rowan wanted to die.

Actually, that was a possibility because his lungs seemed to have stopped working.

“I put your bag in the bedroom.” Daddy Gabriel bent and picked the pad up, putting it on the side of the sink next to Rowan’s clothes. “I’ve got a heating pad in there for cold feet as well.” He sat on the stool, looked up, then he focused on Rowan and seemed to take in his look of panic. “What’s wrong?” Daddy stood. “Rowan, what’s the matter?”

But Rowan couldn’t take his eyes off the pad. He couldn’t breathe. He wanted to throw up. He seemed to blink as Daddy Gabriel reached for his hands to help him stand. The bath water was draining and Rowan, half-frozen with panic, obeyed Daddy’s firm instructions until he was wrapped in a big blue towel and sitting on the same stool Daddy had moved his clothes from.

“Rowan, look at me.”

Rowan obeyed. He didn’t want to, but it was almost like he had no choice. “Take a deep breath and let it out. Make my hand move.” Daddy spread his fingers, opened the towel, and pressed his hand on Rowan’s bare chest. “Watch my hand and breathe in.” Rowan did. It was mesmerizing, really. Watching the long fingers move every time Rowan took a breath.

“Good boy, and again.”

Rowan did as he was asked. It was easy to follow directions. Daddy kept repeating the instructions while he bent down and dried Rowan’s feet. He left briefly but was back quickly with Rowan’s pajamas and a clean pad Rowan tried really hard not to look at. By this time Rowan was breathing on his own, so once Daddy seemed satisfied, he pushed a bottle of water into Rowan’s hands and encouraged him to take a few sips before taking it away and putting it next to the sink. Rowan didn’t even know where it had come from, but it was nice because he was thirsty.

“Okay, I’m going to tell you a little about me, and what I see as a Dom, then you’re going to tell me why you panicked. I think I know, but I want to understand.” He took a breath and tucked Rowan’s towel around him some more.

“As a Dom, I’m used to seeing grown men and women at their most vulnerable. That’s normal for me, but I don’t take that level of trust lightly. It’s a gift and any Dom worth the name understands that. It’s one of the best parts as far as I’m concerned. I think you were embarrassed because I know you wear pads and I saw the one you had.”

Rowan closed his eyes as if he could pretend he wasn’t hearing what Daddy Gabriel was saying. Could pretend it wasn’t true. He opened them when a large hand covered both his that were clutching the towel in such a death grip. “Then let me ask you something. Why did you come here tonight? And I don’t mean because I saw your car. I mean, why did you drive here in the first place?”

Rowan knew he had to answer, and truthfully. “Because Mother would have cancelled her trip if she’d known Father was away.”

“Yes, you explained that. What I mean is, why did you come here? To me? Why not stay at a friend’s or a hotel?” Rowan looked up. What could he say? “Was it because you didn’t want to be on your own?” Rowan nodded. It sounded ridiculous. Daddy was going to think him pathetic. “Did you have any other choices?”

Rowan frowned a little. “You mean like a hotel?”

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