Page 20 of Mountain Man Daddy

“Thank you,” Avery said, emotion clogging her words. “Thank you for caring and thank you for making me feel more wanted than I’ve ever felt in my life.” He raked his fingers through her hair, running his nails against her scalp, before entwining her wild curls in his hand. “Honey, I have never wanted anyone more than I wanted you today. And maybe neither of us understands it, but Idocare. There’s something about you…” She rolled to face him, cutting his words off as her mouth found his. Her kiss was desperate, as were the hands that clung to him.

He let her fall asleep in his arms before he gently rose, cleaned up, and got dressed. He went to check on the stew. It would be done soon, so he began kneading the bread he’d set to proof earlier.

He didn’t regret a moment with her, but at the same time, he worried. He didn’t even know her name, and even though his instincts told him she wasn’t anything more than a good woman in trouble, he doubted himself suddenly. What if he were aiding and abetting a murderer? Bank robber? He hadn’t watched the news, read the paper, or listened to the radio in years; he avoided it actually. Ever since Prescott, and Ella, he didn’t want to know what was happening in the world.

Mike punched the bread harder, adding more flour as it stuck to his fist. His heart pounded as Prescott’s charming smile widened in his memory. Had he been caught? Mike had no idea. And it wasn’t his job to worry about that anymore. His world now consisted of this mountain, this cabin, and he didn’t want to care about anything else.

He flattened the dough and paused. What he felt for the woman was crazy. He didn’t know a thing about her. Nothing. And yet, his heart both slowed and sped at the thought of her.

Chapter Seven

“Hey, how come you left me, Daddy?” Mike turned to seehislittle girlleaning against the bedroom door with mussed hair, a sleepy smile, and his checkered shirt only covering half of her. His cock pulsed to life again and he put the dough into the oven.

“How come you’re out of bed already, little girl?” He went to her, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her close. With her face pressed into his chest, he could blink away the sickening feeling his grim thoughts left.

“How’s your bottom?” he asked when she pulled back, thankfully after enough time that he could settle his nerves. She turned and pulled up the shirt, so he got the full view of two blushing cheeks. Then she peeked at her bottom over her shoulder. He clenched his jaw as she took her free hand and rubbed.

“Little tender but mostly just warm. I can’t say I don’t like it though.” She grinned over her shoulder at him. “The feeling reminds me.”

“Reminds you of what?” he asked, liking her response. It made his groin twitch again.

“Reminds me my daddy cares.” She cleared her throat and turned back to face him. “Would it sound awful if I said I’m wet from even thinking about it?” She looked down, and he ran a finger along her jawline to tip her face back up.

“I like all that very much.” He leaned down, placing his lips mere millimeters from hers. “Very much.”

* * *

“Mike?” she whispered against his mouth. She wanted to tell him her name at least, if not the rest of her story, but when he pulled back and his brow lifted, her heart flipped. What if he decided she was a thief and turned her in? He cleared his throat.

“I mean,Daddy?”

“Yes, little girl?”

“Never mind.” She tried to move past him to head to the bathroom to freshen up, but he stopped her with an arm around her middle. Pulling her back, he pushed her gently against the wall. His eyes were heated, his brow cocked and his mouth firm, effectively setting her afire. Taking her wrists, he pressed her arms against the wall above her head. His leg nudged between hers, so her naked pussy was flush against his thigh.

“I’m not letting you go anywhere,” he said, and this time he didn’t just put his lips near hers, he claimed her whole mouth. She weakened at the stroking of his tongue, and her clit blipped to life against his firm, thick thigh. God, what was it about this man that made him so damn exciting, so thrilling, so combustion-worthy?

She licked the lingering taste of him off her lips, missing the feel of his wiry facial hair against her soft skin. “Take me back to bed?” She frowned when he shook his head.

“My little girl needs to eat first,” he said, nudging her head so he could access her neck. She looked at his crotch as soon as he released her.

“I’m not hungry…” When her eyes found his, they burned with intensity.

“No, sweet one. You need sustenance before I wear you out in my bed.” He kissed her nose and released her. “Go now. Do what you need to do, and I’ll serve up the stew.” She pouted, and when she walked away, he smacked her ass.

“Oh!Ow!Daddy, you can be so mean!” But the half smile she gave him over her shoulder said otherwise. He chuckled, and she knew he loved their playful banter as much as she did.

Behind the closed washroom door, her face fell. How long could this last? Through the storm? Until he demanded answers? She sat on the edge of the tub chewing her thumbnail. The cold felt good on her warm ass, but her mind didn’t linger on the physical. Her thoughts were on the men who hunted her and the one who enraptured her. They couldn’t find her here, could they? And could she leave him if they did?

Hope fluttered in her belly. Mike lived completely off-grid. She was safe with him. Then again, even though the Jeep wasn’t visible from the road, the twisted guardrail would alert someone with authority soon enough. Besides, how long would her mountain man daddy put up with her secrets and half-truths? Her gut churned. She couldn’t keep him in the dark much longer. She was falling for him,fast, and his stern dominance made her want to bare herself completely to him. Would he help her or turn her in?

She dawdled in the bathroom, before gathering her breath to face him. She wouldn’t be able to hold onto her secrets much longer.

He had bowls of hardy venison stew, and something he claimed was homemade bread on the table when she returned. The smell made her mouth water. She was starving. The wind still howled outside, but the snow and ice had stopped. It worried her, but she focused on the food in front of her instead. The stew was too hot so she bit into the warm bread. Her jaw immediately stalled mid-bite. She swallowed the dry lump in her mouth and looked up at him with a pained expression.

“How old is this bread?” She banged the crusty lump on the table. His eyes narrowed. “It’s fresh from the oven.” She covered her mouth and giggled at his stern expression and crossed arms. “Who taught you how to make bread?”

“Do you always insult people who save your life,twice, give youseveralorgasms, and cook you dinner?” She looked skyward and made a show of thinking.

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