Page 18 of Mountain Man Daddy

She pressed her lips tightly and shook her head, holding her emotions in. He leaned further forward and took her chin in his hand, looking hard into her watery eyes. His brows lifted.

“No one?” His face softened, and he ran his free hand down her cheek. “No one at all who misses your beautiful hazel eyes and saucy mouth?” His thumb trailed down her lips, pulling the bottom one open slightly. She shook her head again and this time tears spilled down her cheeks. He wiped them away.

“So you’re going to spank me?” she asked, lacing her words with a little bite, which he suspected was to hide her vulnerability.

“Tell me why you wanted to die.” He lost his soft expression when her mouth firmed and she looked away.

“I can’t.” Her eyes shuttered when she looked back, but she looked away again quickly, yanking her hand from his and wrapping her arms around herself. “Okay. Fine. I wanted to die because when a moose came out onto the road in front of me there, and I knew there was nothing I could do, I felt peace. I was ready, and then when the pain was so unbearable, I knew letting go was easier.” She plopped in the chair then and leaned her cheek on her hand. “At least it would have been on my terms. And no one would even know I was gone.”

He walked over to her, gripped her shoulders, and pulled her up into his big arms. She didn’t fight him, just clung to his waist and let go of her tears.

“Thanks for trusting me with that. I know there is a hell of a lot more you’re hiding, but I’m not going to push you anymore right now. I’m proud of you for giving me that much.”

She snuggled into him and it felt good. He’d had no idea how much he missed the simple act of a hug. He kissed the top of her head as he wrestled a moment with whether or not to spank her. She seemed to both want and need it, but she wasn’t his, and she was vulnerable. It was one thing to pop her ass with a few hardy swats to get her attention, but to actually spank her? That was different, deliberate and intimate. He hadn’t been intimate with a woman in a long time. No, he wouldn’t spank her, he decided, but when she looked up at him with those wide glossy eyes, his protective instincts took over.

“Let’s go.”

She swallowed at his words, but nodded, so he took her hand and led her to the bedroom.

“I think we’ll both feel better if I redden that bottom of yours, don’t you?” He released her hand and let her stand in front of him as he sat on the edge of the bed. She licked her lips and then bit her bottom one, giving him the tiniest nod. He smiled reassuringly and patted his left thigh. “Over my knee, little girl. It’s time Daddy shows you how much he cares by giving you the good hard spanking you deserve.” She twisted her hands in front of her for a few seconds before he cleared his throat. She sniffed, wiped her eyes, and leaned over.

“This is the weirdest thing I’ve ever done,” she said with a wet chuckle.

“I think I’ll have to agree with you on that,” he said, resting his hand on her lower back. The shirt had ridden up, and he could see the swell of her bottom. His mouth dried.

“Weirder than having a bear for a pet?” she asked, and he chortled.

“Yes, weirder than that, but not weirder than you calling me Daddy.” He paused before adding, “And honey, Ilovethat.” Her head twisted sharply, and she gave him a shy and rare sweet smile. “I do too,” she whispered.

“That’s my girl.” He rubbed her bottom and felt her stiffen and then relax beneath his hand. Her skin was soft and supple. “I’ve never spanked anyone before.” He chuckled again. “I’ve met some very deserving people, but it never seemed appropriate out there.”

“Out there?”

“Yes, out there. In the real world.”

“Real world?”

“Enough chit chat. You’ve got a spanking coming.” He pulled the shirt up and saw her beautiful rounded backside. “Just remember this is because I care that you disregarded the warnings and put your life in peril and that I never, ever want you to do it again. Got me, little girl?”

“Yes, I got you, Daddy.”

“Daddy’s got you, too.”

* * *

His hand, which she remembered in the second before it landed, was big—baseball-mitt-sized if her mind wasn’t exaggerating it out of alarm. It came down with a solid splat causing heat to blossom, but not much pain. He had swatted much harder earlier with the spoon. She grabbed his pillow from the top of the bed and snuggled into it.

There was something about being across this mountain man’s lap that settled her. His hand landed again on the opposite cheek, and it felt sharp enough for her to wince. This time he didn’t give her time to mull it over, he just swatted again, and it bit like needles when it overlapped the other branding. More aware of the pain sensation, she clutched his pillow tighter. He continued then, steady and sharp until she felt every stinging spank with ardor and trepidation for what was to come. Could she handle all he decided she needed? The care with which he spoke as he spanked her made her start to choke up.

“Little girl, what you did was reckless, and I hope the sting on your bottom is telling you just how disappointed I am in your blatant disregard for yourself.” The swats got meatier, and at first, her eyes widened, but then she squeezed them tight. She squirmed across his knees, twisting to avoid his palm landing on an already burning spot. Her arm flew back and grabbed at his jeans-clad leg.

“I think this is just what you need to tell you how much I care about what happens to you. I haven’t known you very long, but I feel strongly that you’re a person who deserves a good life, not one who puts herself in the ground well before she’s even lived. I won’t hesitate to show you this as often as necessary, understand?”

His words had stung deepest of all, and she felt as if she had no oxygen in her lungs. She gulped suddenly, and when the air came back out it was in a wet rush that turned to a sob.

“Yes,” she gasped, as soon as she could find the word tangled among the emotion she was trying to control. More swats had her releasing her hold on Mike’s jeans and reaching back to cover her overheated skin. “I got it, Mike!” He grabbed her hand, pinning it in the small of her back. He leaned his hard abdomen against her. “Mike?” he prompted, in a whisper near her ear. “Hmm, is that what you call me?”

“Daddy.” The word flew out as the pressure of his body left her, and the sharpest spank yet landed low across both her burning cheeks. “I got it, Daddy. Please, no more!”

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