Chapter Nine
Twyla seemed asleep when he got back downstairs. He’d get her fed as soon as possible so she could get some uninterrupted sleep. She was going to need a lot of rest over the next couple of weeks to fully recover and he was going to make sure she got it. It was a good thing this was spring break week for Clover Hills, that made things a little easier. In some ways.
He checked his phone quickly, and there were messaged from his school principal and a few other school numbers but he’d deal with those later, after he’d tucked Twyla in tonight.
While he’d like to put her in the crib in the nursery, or at the very least in his bed, he would put her in the guest room. Didn’t want to scare the poor thing half to death her first night here.
Gunnar lifted her up—light as a feather, she was—and settled her in his lap. She didn’t even open her eyes, exhausted little thing. He put the bottle to her lips and she immediately took the nipple into her mouth and began to suck, eyes still closed.
He’d anticipated a fight, or at least having to do some coaxing or cajoling. She’d been so well-behaved and docile for him so far but a lot of that was likely because she was in such bad shape she didn’t have the strength to resist.
Twyla had been nursing from the bottle for almost a full minute when her eyes popped open and she pushed the nipple out of her mouth.
“What—”
“Shh, sweetheart. Didn’t that feel better than the spoon? It doesn’t hurt your lip, does it?”
Her eyes narrowed which must’ve hurt with that shiner.
“No, it doesn’t hurt.”
“Then go ahead and have some more.”
He was hoping that would be the end of it, but like a petulant child, she sealed her lips together and turned her head when he gave her the bottle again.
“No. It’s weird. I’m not a baby. I don’t need to be fed from a bottle.”
“You’re not a baby,” he agreed. “You’re a little girl and little girls still drink from bottles. What did I say before?”
“Little girls don’t feed themselves in this house?” she guessed, her brows creasing.
“That’s right. And one of the ways little girls get fed is with a bottle. So be a good girl and open up or you’ll earn a punishment for when you’re feeling better.”
“A pu—”
He used the opportunity to guide the nipple back into her mouth and held it there firmly even as Twyla struggled to push it out.Not this time, little girl.
After a minute she realized he wasn’t going to let her go and started to suck again. That wasn’t how he wanted her to behave, exactly, but he made sure to praise her profusely for doing as she was told.
When she was well, he wouldn’t tolerate that kind of argument, but they had a lot to work through. He hoped that when she had recovered, she would still want to stay with him and be his little girl. There was no question in his mind any more that she belonged to him.
“There you go, that’s it. Take your bottle like a good girl. Oh, very good, sweetheart.”
It took a while but he managed to get two full bottles of broth and one of water into her before she couldn’t keep her eyes open anymore and kept nodding off even while holding the nipple in her mouth. Exhausted little girl, he needed to put her to bed.
He carried her into the guest bedroom and put her on her tummy on the bed. After putting a pillow under her hips, he did as Eric had showed him and lubed up his finger and gently penetrated her bottom to get her ready for the suppositories Eric had sent her home with. She made a little sound as he probed her, and wiggled a bit but didn’t protest or seem uncomfortable.
She was tight and warm and he had a brief flash of imagining what it would be like to fuck her this way. Not anytime soon, but someday he hoped. Once she was prepared he pressed two of the suppositories into her and rubbed her bottom while he waited a few minutes to make sure she wasn’t going to try to expel them.
When she didn’t, he rolled her off the pillow and tucked her under the blankets, leaving her a note on the bedside reminding her of where she was and what had happened in case she woke up confused. Leaving the room, he left the dimmer lights on low so she wouldn’t wake in a strange place in the pitch black and he’d be able to check on her without waking her before he went to bed.