Page 12 of Mountain Man Daddy

“Exactly.”

He stooped and scooped the boxers off the floor, turning to drop them in the drawer.

“I don’t wear these boxers. I wear long johns in the winter and nothin’ in the summer. The winter’s too damn cold here to bother and in the summer—” He smiled. “Well, there are advantages to living in the wilderness.” And then his smile fell away. “Don’t go messin’ around in my drawers.”

“Why do you have them then?” She couldn’t believe she dared speak after he’d threatened to spank her and told her he was a human lie detector. Mostly everything that came out of her mouth these days was a lie. And damn her body’s reaction to the daddy wilderness man. But she sensed he was about to leave, and it was all she could think of to stall him.Please stay with me, Mountain Man Daddy.

He didn’t answer, just continued out of the room. Avery rolled to her hip, glancing into the open drawer, feeling bereft at the loss of his presence. Each of the four pairs of fun underwear had a matching tie tucked beside it.

Bored, she sat up to close the drawer. She’d already spent two weeks in bed and more than anything, she wanted to follow Mike. Was that because she wanted to know more about him or to taunt him into spanking her? The memory of his earlier swats left an intoxicating mix of fear, anticipation, and excitement. Besides, his grumpy but caring concern made her heart swell.

“You hear what I said about staying in bed?” he hollered from the next room. Avery looked around. How did he know she was up? The bed didn’t even squeak. Her eyes narrowed at the door. He couldn’t know.

“Yes, Mountain Man Daddy.”

When he returned, she was sitting up against the headboard. His chin dipped in a nod of approval before he handed her a steaming mug and pulled the chair closer to the bed. Grabbing the clothes, Yukon dropped them into a laundry basket beside the chair as he sat. He propped his left leg on the bed rail and leaned back.

“Drink it slowly and be careful. It’s hot.” Again, his words were caring but his tone gruff and clipped.

“How long am I going to be confined to this bed? And why are you always so grumpy?” She sipped a tiny amount of the tea, slurping loudly to show him she could be compliant. It was sharp and spicy but felt good on her parched throat. He smiled. “Finally listening? I like that, although you’re quite saucy.” He chuckled when she gave him a sour expression. “And as far as the staying in bed goes… as long as necessary.” His brow shot up in warning. “And I won’t hesitate to tie you to it if spankings don’t work.” Her eyes enlarged along with his smile. “Mm, you’re a seriously kinky daddy.” She smirked behind her cup but then got serious. “But I need to find my purse and get moving, Mike.”

He shook his head obstinately.

“I have people waiting for me.” That wasn’t quite a lie either, she decided. After all, the bad guys were waiting for her. Well, maybe not waiting for her, but waiting for a sign of her.

“That so? And these people would rather you hurry up than take care of yourself?”

“Yes,” she said, sighing forcefully. Mike turned his head to the side, showing her he didn’t believe it. “Well, I dunno.” She shrugged, spilling tea down her front.

“Be careful,” he barked and took the cup to swipe away the scalding liquid from her chest with his sleeve.

“Oops.”

He gave a half grunt, half huff and looked strictly at her, but then his eyes followed his thumb as it gently wiped the tea that trickled down her chin and neck. Her pulse quickened beneath his finger and when his eyes shot to hers, she knew he’d noticed.

“You need a daddy, don’t you?” he asked, and she let out the breath she’d been holding. Her nose tingled with emotion. No one had ever taken care of her like this. Avery was sure her parents had, but she only had a vague recollection of them. His hand moved up to cup her cheek, and his eyes shifted back and forth between hers.

She was about to answer, although she wasn’t a hundred percent sure what was going to say, when he leaned forward and gently kissed her forehead. Her heart halted and then galloped wildly.

“Now back to these friends.” She attempted to hide her shock while he straightened her blanket. Why had he kissed her? What reason did a man have for giving a chaste kiss if not to show care? His hand paused at the top by her chin, and he gently fingered a coil of her hair. “Anyone that would have you jeopardize your health—” His eyes shot to hers and his jaw ticked. “Isn’t a friend.”

“Do you have a phone?” Avery asked to break the electric connection between them and because he’d expect her to. He needed to believe she wasn’t going to sneak off. Mike’s eyes read hers a moment before he rose, disappeared out of the room, and returned with a tea towel to put across her chest. She held her breath the entire time.

“What kind of people are waiting for you, and where?” He sat and handed her back the tea. “Slow,” he warned.

“Friends. They’ll be worried about me.”

“Closest phone is at Annie’s or in the town of Bathurst.”

She set the tea on the night table and crossed her arms. “You live like it’s the sixteenth century.” She huffed. “Why on earth would anyone choose to isolate themselves so much?” She liked quiet and seclusion to a point, but all alone, all the time? She knew how haunting that could be.

“I told you I don’t have patience with people. I don’t have friends, and I don’t want any. I like the quiet, and when I feel like talking, the bear works just fine.” Mike’s eyes lanced hers. “He doesn’t talk back, snark, or argue with me. And by the way, they didn’t have electricity and composting toilets in the sixteenth century.” He stood. “This is a luxury in comparison.”

“It sounds lonely,” she replied sadly.

Avery looked at her mountain man savior. He was big, at least a few inches above six feet, and his wild eyes held something that pulled at her. Wisdom? Experience? It assured her that he could not only take care of himself but her as well. She shivered, and he bent and tucked the blanket around her once more. She liked him taking care of her, too damn much.

“I’ll put more wood in the stove.” She grabbed his hand before he could walk away. It was strong and rough and swallowed hers, but it was also warm. Her heart beat faster. The memory of it swatting her bottom made her swallow.

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