Two Guardians for Little May (7 page)

"Yes,
please. I'm begging you. I can't be left here alone anymore. I just
can't!" May sobbed.

Caine
glanced at his brother, who nodded. "Sure, sweetie. Just be certain that
you are positive about this. Like you said, you barely know us and we have both
been very forward with you today. I don't want to risk scaring you any more
than we have. Trust takes time."

May
tried to compose herself, hiccupping as she blew her nose into the tissue Caine
handed her. "I knew Lyle. I told you that he was the closest thing to a
dad that I've ever had. He would never have hurt me and I couldn't fathom his
sons being any different. I'll be quiet as a mouse. You won't even know I'm
there. I swear!"

"You
can make as much noise as you want, as long as it isn't a temper tantrum. I
don't go for those," Layton warned her, offering his hand to help her to
her feet.

May
looked at him and gave him a spontaneous hug, and then did the same to Caine.
"Thank you, both. I'll try not to be a bother."

"You
are not a bother. Don't forget to bring your meds," Caine ordered.
"There are no gray areas when it comes to your health, and you already
have an infection started."

"I'll
be fine." May pulled away, composing herself.

"Maybelle
Corinne, you will do as I say," Caine said firmly. "Go up and pack
some clothes, and don't you dare forget those meds. Are you rolling your eyes
at me?"

"Maybelle?
Did you hear what Caine told you to do?" Layton asked.

"Oh!
Both of you are such bullies!" May stomped her foot and crossed her arms,
reaching once to wipe her face with the back of her hand.

"We
work hard at it. Now go get your stuff." Layton suppressed a smile as he
winked at his brother. "And keep your tongue in your mouth."

***

The ride
home was quiet after Caine drilled May once again, waiting for her to assure
him that she had everything she needed to stay a day or two, including her
medication. May drifted off to sleep with her head on Caine's shoulder as
Layton drove over the pitch black road. She was carried into the house, and
gently tucked into the cozy bed in what their mother used to call 'the country
room'. Caine pulled the hand-made quilt over her sleeping shoulders and
smoothed out her hair as he sat on the edge of the bed.

"We
have our work cut out for us, Layton," he said quietly. "She's
broken."

"I
know. There is definitely something special about this young lady. Pop saw it.
We just have to figure it all out. Her reversion to a younger nature is so
natural that it's eerie. Do you think it's her character or part of her
trauma?"

"I
don't know. I suspect it's her personality. She responds to loving authority in
a very innocent and childlike manner. You know the draw that is for me. It was
so, well, unforced."

"I
saw that. She did the same with me. She has a really sweet, vulnerable side
that I find appealing as well. She is also very aware of her feelings and
communicates them fairly well," Layton said, crossing his arms as he gazed
down on the girl's sleeping form. "May told me that she takes on this
quality when she feels safe, and that Pop brought out this little-girl side of
her instantly. If she is, indeed, an age-player, then that would explain why
she did not want to speak to a therapist. They would not have understood her
inclination towards the lifestyle."

"That
would also explain Pop's letter to us. He knew of our preferences. It is almost
like he found her for us. Layton?"

"What?"
Layton asked, sitting opposite him on May's bed.

"I think
I could fall in love with this one. I have never felt so in tune with anyone
before. It was instantaneous."

Layton
was silent. He was thinking the same thing. He cleared his throat. "Let's
see how things progress and focus on helping her get on her own two feet. She's
been through a lot, and we need to concentrate on her needs, not ours."

"I
hate that you're always right about stuff. I'm going to bed. Night."

"Good
night. Sleep well."

Layton
moved to the rocking chair located in the corner of the room, and sat for a
while to make sure May was settled comfortably. He struggled with the feelings
he was experiencing. Always practical and never much one for nurturing, his
instinct to take care of this woman made him uncomfortable. Her responses to
scolding, and even her behavior after Caine had spanked her, were childlike;
not childish. He admitted that the concept of having the opportunity to care
for her as an adult child was intriguing. He knew Caine was strongly drawn to a
lifestyle fetish called age-play, which explained his brother's attraction to
the girl, but was that lifestyle something he, Layton Marshall, would fit into?
He had tried before, but, as a hardcore BDSMer, it had been an effort. Nothing
natural like what he felt with May.

He
drummed his fingers on the rocking chair arm as he considered the future. Prior
to his marriage, he and Caine had shared everything, including girlfriends.
Caine had always taken on the role of the doting uncle or loving daddy, while
he was the strict disciplinarian and headmaster. It had been fun, but they
always encountered drama when it came to sharing their lovers—especially
the last one. Her age-play persona was a role she assumed, believing that it
made her look 'cute'. However, she did not know where to draw the line, and
pitted the two men against each other using jealousy as her weapon. Layton
never quite understood her agenda, but he and Caine ended up not talking for
several years because of how she had played them both against one another.
Devastated following the loss of his relationship with both the woman and his
brother, Layton had left his home in Texas and headed to Baltimore to work as a
corporate counselor.

It was
there that he'd met Christy. Outward appearances led him to believe that she
was kind, stable, and utterly vanilla. He fell in love with her, married her on
a whim, and then discovered her to be insanely jealous, verbally abusive, and
sexually frigid. She was also appalled at—and resistant to—any of
the 'kinky' adventures that Layton enjoyed in the arena of BDSM, except
spanking parties. She enjoyed these events to no end, and frequently attended
them without him. Given her assumed interest in spanking, he never quite
understood her refusal to 'play' at home when it was just the two of them,
especially with the additional opportunity for intimacy afterwards. He had even
tried to lighten up and not be so forceful, but she'd still pushed him away. It
took him a long time to accept her desperate need for attention, and that her
insecurities required that she be the center of attention in a roomful of
strangers. Her nagging and insulting behavior grew worse as time went on, and
Layton began to withdraw as he watched his marriage disintegrate before his
eyes.

Given
the subject matter, and having no one else with whom to discuss the intimate
issues, Layton had called upon his father for advice. Lyle, snatching the
opportunity to heal the rift between his beloved boys, told him to take
'two sips of corn liquor, brush off your britches, and get on with
shit,' and then wisely
advised
him to seek out Caine's guidance. Lyle knew of their lifestyle preferences, and
had always supported them, and reminded Layton that if anyone could help him,
it was Caine. Swallowing his pride, and pushing aside his shame regarding his
failing marriage, Layton made the call. The reunion was instant, and the past
forgotten, as the two brothers reconnected. Caine had suggested that perhaps
Christy wanted Layton to force his kinks upon her to eliminate the shame and
guilt that often came with the BDSM lifestyle. Layton took his brother's
counsel under consideration and, on one rainy day, took his errant wife in
hand.

The
spanking was not a serious one by any means, and the lovemaking afterwards was
phenomenal, but after that, Christy adamantly refused any more advances. She
filed for divorce a month later. She offered no explanation or reason, other
than 'irreconcilable differences.' Caine, however, gave his professional
medical opinion—that the woman was crazier than bat shit and an absolute
fool, and urged his brother to come home to Dallas. Layton left the following
morning.

Layton
closed his eyes. He felt like his life had been a series of irreconcilable
differences. Instinctively, he knew this change would be good for both Caine
and himself. He was just afraid that this unexpected addition to their family
would be a repeat of the past. Another concern was that the little hellion
sleeping so peacefully before him would feel that they were trying to trap her
into their lifestyle. He wished Caine had not reacted so soon by spanking her,
regardless of how much she deserved it. Layton trusted his brother's experience
and instincts, but his granddaddy's words haunted him: 'Never use a trap to
catch a gal,' Old Ben Marshall used to say. 'They just as soon bite off your
head and then work their way on down.'

He would
just have to wait and see how it played out. Satisfied that May was
comfortable, Layton exited the room. Halfway down the hall, he returned to turn
on a dim desk light for her.

"We
will scare the dark away for you, princess," he whispered.

***

Layton
looked up from his ever-present stack of papers as May scuffled grumpily into
the kitchen.

"Coffee,"
she rumbled, plopping down in a chair.

"Well,
good morning to you, too. Help yourself. Sleep well?"

"Like
the dead. No nightmares, either. I think that was the first time in six months
that I've slept through the night. Where's the doctor dude?" May asked,
pouring herself a cup from the carafe sitting on the table.

"He
got dragged out of bed to deliver a baby at around five this morning."

"How
inconsiderate. Couldn't it wait to be born after the sun rose?" May asked,
closing her eyes as she sipped the steaming beverage.

"I
guess the baby was eager to start his or her day. There is no use in wasting a
perfectly good morning."

"I
hate mornings. They're evil. They are meant for crazy dudes like runners and
fishermen, and I don't do either."

"I
do both," Layton laughed lightly. "Have you ever gone fishing?"

"Once,
when I was about twelve. I was bored to tears. I tried my hand at canoodling,
too. I'm not gonna do that again." May shuddered. "I had this picture
in my head that instead of finding a catfish hiding back in an old mud-hole,
I'd get me a snapping turtle."

"That
is exactly why I've never tried it. I like having my fingers, and don't trust
the mesh gloves that a bunch of folks use. Maybe I'll take you fishing with me
one morning. Would you like that?"

"Before
or after coffee?" May looked at him with tired eyes.

"I
bring a thermos with me," Layton promised. "You certainly are not a
morning person, are you?"

"Nope.
If God wanted me to be up before the butt crack of dawn, He would have made the
cock crow sooner."

"That's
one way to look at it. Would you like some breakfast? I can throw some pancakes
on the griddle and make you a couple of eggs."

May
twisted her face. "You'd cook for me?"

"Yeah.
We need to put some meat on your bones. You need to get used to this, Maybelle.
Caine and I take good care of our own."

"I'm
just having a hard time wrapping my head around it. Your dad mentioned he had a
family, but he never really talked about you guys too much. I think he wanted
to protect you from me in case he thought I would go postal or something."

"Did
you give him a reason to think that?"

"Hell,
yeah. More times than I can count," May admitted. "Can I ask you a
question?"

"Shoot,"
Layton said, taking down a mixing bowl from the cabinet.

"I
don't mean to offend, but are you guys, you know, gay?"

"No
offense taken. Why do you ask that?"

"You
both are super nice looking, in good shape, and single. Why hasn't anyone
snatched you up?"

"I'm
divorced and Caine just hasn't found the right partner yet."

"Is
it because of his spanking thing?"

Layton
paused before answering her question. "That isn't the issue. He has some
very special ways of doing things that most gals are not quite comfortable
with."

"Like
what?"

Layton
hesitated. How much should he reveal about his brother's private life?
"Caine is a nurturer. He enjoys taking care of his girl in a very intimate
way. Not all women are appreciative of his style."

May
sipped her coffee. "I saw that last night. He is very parental."

"Yes.
There is actually a type of lifestyle called age-play, although for Caine, it
has nothing to do with role-playing. It's very real and very special. Ever
heard of it?" he asked cautiously.

"Yeah,
Dr. Adul mentioned it to me after she saw how Lyle and I acted with each other.
You already know that your dad brought out that side of me, but it was strictly
how we communicated. It felt different, though, than with Caine. Of course,
Lyle never spanked me," May said with a shudder.