Page 18 of Daddy Bear

He replaced his camera and asked, “Are you getting hungry? I packed some snacks for us.”

I nodded. We’d been walking a long time, and my pancakes had worn off. He pulled a small, folded blanket from his bag and spread it out over the ground. He thought of everything.

Daddy helped me sit down onto the blanket, but as soon as he sat next to me, I climbed onto his lap. It was my favorite seat in the world. He pulled out a baggie full of trail mix, a bottle of water, and a string cheese.

When he opened the bag of trail mix, I didn’t reach for any; I just dropped my jaw open. Daddy gave me a knowing smile before feeding me the yummy mix of nuts, raisins, and chocolate candies. I loved when he fed me, because he was taking care of my most basic needs. And because I felt spoiled and special.

When it came to the string cheese, I took care of that myself. It was fun to pull it apart, trying to make the strings as tiny as possible to make the snack last. Daddy laughed when I draped some cheese over my upper lip, creating a dangling mustache. No matter what I did, I knew he would never laugh at me; he was just happy that I was happy, though the way he made me feel was so much deeper than that.

“Did you get enough to eat?” he asked once the snacks were gone. “I know it wasn’t a full meal, but I was hoping to take you out to dinner tonight. I have to collect some samples from the forest which I have to drop off in town, and I wanted to treat you to a nice meal.”

My stomach flip-flopped at the idea of a date with Daddy. Being little and playing in the cabin was wonderful, but I wanted to explore everything our relationship had to offer. Weldon wasn’t just my Daddy; he was my lover and partner, too.

“That sounds perfect,” I sighed. “I can’t believe this is my life now; going on dates with my sexy Daddy bear, playing together, and doing fun science stuff in the woods. And now that we’ve bonded, I get to do this forever!” I clapped my hands together, but stopped when Daddy gave me a confused look.

“I’m thrilled you love our life together, but baby bear, we haven’t bonded yet.”

“We haven’t?” Now I was confused. “But you…” I lowered my voice to a whisper, even though there wasn’t anyone to hear me finish, “Rubbed your stuff on me.”

A flash of heat passed behind his eyes. “I did,” he agreed in a gravelly voice. “And though I love having my scent on you, it didn’t bind us together. I’m sorry, Tatum; I should have explained it better. To secure our link, I must give you my mating bite, right here.” He tapped his fingers to the side of my throat.

“With pack animals, their mates receive a special mark that shows they are a member of the pack, as well as a shifter’s mate. But since it is just the two of us, your mark will be a sign to all shifters that you belong to me.”

I swallowed hard. I wanted to belong to him more than I’d ever wanted anything. I wanted his bite. But it wasn’t up to me. I couldn’t deny the anxiety in my stomach when I asked, “Is there a reason you haven’t given it to me?”

“No,” he answered firmly. “I wanted to claim you the moment we met. But it’s a big commitment; our lives will be intertwined forever, and I need you to be ready.”

I was ready. I was more than ready, but I did have one question brewing in the back of my mind. “Does it hurt, Daddy?” It wouldn’t curb my desire, but I wanted to be prepared.

He gave me an understanding smile as he combed his fingers through my curly hair. “No, sweetheart; it doesn’t hurt. I’ve heard that receiving a mating bite is a pleasurable, and often erotic experience.”

“Oh my,” I replied, and his smile widened. “In that case, maybe it’s best we don’t do it out here in front of Mr. Snake and all the other creatures.” Daddy let out a chuckle as he nodded. Trying my best to be seductive, I walked my fingers up his arm while giving my best ‘come hither’ look. “But…maybe when we get home?”

The look worked, judging by the fire burning in his gaze once more. “Just say the word.” He lifted my hand and kissed my fingertips.

Part of me wanted to say screw it and give Mr. Snake the best show of his life, but I also wanted the comfort of our home and our bed if the bite (hopefully) led to sexy time.

It was difficult to peel myself off of Daddy’s lap, but I also wanted to get his work done and get home as quickly as possible. Luckily, the work ended up being a lot of fun. We took more pictures of animals and the tracks they left on the ground to document where they traveled.

We also dug up soil samples and put them in little jars. Those were the items Daddy had to drop off at the ranger’s station later. He said the rangers would test the soil for chemicals to see if it had been contaminated. The results would help them know how to educate the public on how to take care of the land. Contamination could hurt the plant and animal life in the forest. Daddy’s job was very important.

Once we packed the last jars away in his bag, Daddy squinted at something in the distance. “There’s something over there that shouldn’t be.”

“What is it? An animal? Is it hurt?” He shook his head and I breathed a sigh of relief. I knew Daddy would help any animal in need, but I hated the thought of one being injured. “What is it?” I couldn’t see anything, as my eyesight wasn’t as keen as his.

“I’ll have to get closer. It definitely wasn’t there a few days ago. It’s yellow and kind of looks like…” He turned to give me a sad smile as realization hit him. “A tent.”

“My tent,” I surmised. I wasn’t sure exactly where I had placed it. I had wandered through the woods until I was too scared to walk any further, and that’s where I set up camp. I went looking for food, found the holly berries, and the rest was history.

We walked hand in hand until we reached the tent, looking just as I’d left it. I stood there staring at the yellow nylon, unsure what to say. The sight brought up a mix of emotions in my stomach; sadness and anger at my father for rejecting me, but also gratitude for finding Weldon.

“We should take it down,” Daddy finally suggested quietly. “If someone happens to find it, they may think a hiker is lost.” I nodded and watched as he disassembled the tent and stored it in the bag it came in. I offered to help, but Daddy politely declined. And honestly, it was also healing to see him do it; he was cleaning up the mess my father made in more ways than one.

“We’ll take this camping one day,” he promised, patting the carrying bag, “But it will just be for fun.” I nodded with a smile, imagining how fun that trip would be. “For now, I have another idea; would you like a ride home?”

I clapped my hands excitedly. “Yes, please!”

I assumed he meant a piggyback ride, or even a seat on his shoulders, but I realized that wasn’t quite what Daddy had in mind when he stripped off his shirt. I watched in lustful shock as it shucked the rest of his clothing and stuffed them inside his backpack.

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