by Stella Moore
As she’d expected, he softened a bit at the plea. “It’s something you once told me you enjoy doing. That’s all I’m saying. Now, eat.”
Deciding that was all she was going to get, Mindy dug in. It surprised her how Fox could make something as simple as eggs taste delicious. “Do I need to bring anything? Purse, change of clothes, shovel?” she asked when they’d finished.
Fox laughed. “We’re not burying a body, princess. All you need is yourself. I have everything else in the Jeep. Let’s go.”
“Go where?” She asked as they walked through the front door.
“Nice try.” He planted a firm swat on her bottom before she climbed in the Jeep.
“Can’t blame a girl,” she sang as he jogged around the front.
“I swear, you need daily spankings to keep you in line.”
“I could get on board with that. Can you at least tell me how long we’re going to be in the car?”
“About two hours.”
“Two hours?” They hadn’t spent more than ten minutes together without some kind of distraction. What if he realized how boring she actually was when screaming orgasms weren’t involved?
“Yes, two hours. And if you’re going to get weird on me, I’m sure a warm bottom will help you settle down.”
Well, the threat of one certainly wasn’t helping. Now she was horny on top of being worried. “I was just wondering what we were going to find to talk about for two hours.”
His face went distinctly pale under the beard, which strangely made her feel better. “Talk? For two hours? Pretty sure that’s why God invented radios, princess.”
She narrowed her eyes at him. “So you don’t want to talk to me?”
“Jesus. Didn’t say that. But we don’t have to fill the whole two hours.” His eyes slid over to hers and then back to the road. “Something you want to talk about?”
“Tell me more about your family. What was growing up with two Marines like?”
“Strict,” he said with a low chuckle. “Though they’ve both softened a bit here lately. I think mom is looking forward to having grandkids around to spoil.”
“That’s sweet. Are you an only child?”
“Nah. I’ve got one annoying little sister, Sidney. I think you’d like her.”
Mindy sighed. “I always wanted a sister. I think that’s why Jenna and I clicked so well. We’re both only children.”
“How did you and Jenna meet?”
“College. She’s my big sis, a role she sometimes takes too seriously. But we love each other.” She looked over at him, studying his strong, square jaw. “She likes you.”
He grinned at her, and the flash of it was like a lightning strike to her core. “Yeah? Sounds like a smart woman.”
Mindy rolled her eyes. “To be fair, she doesn’t know you all that well.”
“I just get better, so I’m not worried.”
He linked his fingers with hers and they fell into a companionable silence. After a few minutes, she reached over and flipped the radio on, unsurprised when hard, heavy rock came blaring out of the speakers. They rode the rest of the way listening to the radio, interrupting only occasionally to discuss their musical preferences and argue over certain songs and bands.
“How can you not like Queen?” he demanded, looking over at her like she’d just told him she’d murdered his puppy.
Mindy shrugged. “Just never really did anything for me.”
He shook his head and his sigh was laden with disappointment. “You’re killing me, princess. How can I be with a woman who doesn’t understand the genius that was Freddie Mercury?”
She felt a familiar rush of panic. “I mean, I don’t hate Queen. Maybe I just haven’t given them a chance.”
“Whoa. What just happened?”
Mindy chewed on her bottom lip and stared out at the scenery so she didn’t have to see the disappointment on his face. “Nothing happened.”
“Something happened. Hey,” he reached over and grabbed her hand again. “You know I was teasing you, right? It’s just music. We don’t have to like all of the same stuff for me to like you. All that other stuff is just icing on the Mindy cake.”
She wasn’t convinced, but she nodded anyway. “Okay.”
“I swear I could fucking kill this Todd guy. You’re allowed to like what you like, princess. And I’m not him. I’m not going to be mad or dump you because we have different musical tastes. Got it?”
“Yeah.”
“Try again, little girl.”
Despite his obvious annoyance with the situation, she couldn’t help but smile. “Yes, Daddy.”
“Good. We’re almost to the spot.” He turned onto a dirt road in the middle of the forest.
“Seriously, Fox, where are we going?”
“What did you tell me your goals were when we started putting your plan together?”
She frowned at him. “I don’t really remember past losing weight.”
“You said you used to like doing stuff outdoors. Hiking, kayaking. I’m not going to get into why you stopped because I have a feeling the answer will just piss me off. But I thought we could do some of that stuff with the little bit of summer we have left.”
Stunned was too weak of a word for what she felt in that moment. “You remembered all that?”
“Well, yeah. I remember the important things.”
She was important. Her likes, dislikes, and interests were important to him. “Do you like hiking?”
“As it happens, I do. But even if I didn’t, it wouldn’t matter. You like it. Here we go.”
He parked the Jeep in a little clearing just off the road. Reaching in the back, he grabbed a backpack and hopped out of the Jeep.
“Fox, I haven’t been hiking in like, two years.”
He shrugged and opened her door to help her out. “Figured as much. This isn’t a rough trail, but if you need to stop or just need a break, let me know.” He hooked the backpack over one shoulder and grabbed her chin between his thumb and forefinger. “I’m serious, princess. If you don’t let me know when you’re ready to stop, I’ll cut a switch and whip your ass right on the trail. Got it?”
She had no doubt he would keep that promise, so she nodded. “Yes, Daddy.”
“Good girl. Let’s go.”
He led the way to the head of the trail and they took off. The woods were beautiful, deeply green thanks to the unusually wet summer they’d been having. As they walked, Mindy lost herself in the charm of morning sun filtering through the canopy of leaves above them.
“How are you holding up, princess?”
Fox had stopped and turned to check on her. Standing there, surrounded by all the greenery, and the sounds that made up the woods, he looked like some kind of fairytale hero. Not quite a prince, he wasn’t polished enough for that. But a lumberjack, perhaps. Yes, a lone lumberjack making his way through the woods, who’d just happened across a maiden in distress and was resigned to helping her in his own cocky, commanding way. Her heart did a slow, strange roll at the thought and she smiled at him.
“I’m great, so far. You need a flannel shirt.”
He cocked an eyebrow, adding to the image in her mind of the domineering forest hero. “A flannel shirt?”
She stepped up to him, tilting her head and giving him a slow, flirty smile. “Yes. A flannel shirt, because you’re a lumberjack. A lumberjack who finds a princess, lost in the woods and decides to help her. He’s not happy about it, he does it anyway, and he takes her innocence in the middle of a clearing, with the afternoon sun warming their skin.”
He lowered his head and captured her lips in a slow, sweet kiss. Placing her hands on his chest, she melted into him.
When he lifted his head again, in his eyes there was an emotion she couldn’t quite place. Something deeper, and far more intimate than lust. “You’ve got quite an imagination for an accountant,” he said, smiling down at her.
She grinned. “I guess you bring out the little girl in me, the o
ne who still believes in fairytales.”
“We’ll have to explore that in more detail at some point. Could be fun,” he said with a wink.
Laughing, she slipped her hand into his and they headed off down the trail again.
Chapter 13
It took them another two hours to reach the destination Fox had in mind. Thankfully, Mindy seemed more than capable of handling the trek. Even if they hadn’t made the whole trip, it would have been worth it to see her so relaxed and happy. The different sides of her fascinated him, and this was just one more piece of the puzzle that was his girl.
When they were just around the corner from the spot he had in mind, he stopped and tugged on her hand so she was forced to stop with him. She turned and looked up at him, those big blue eyes radiating happiness, and he felt something inside of him shift. He wasn’t normally the fanciful type, but damned if she wasn’t the closest thing to love at first sight he’d ever experienced.
“What is it, Daddy?”
Fuck. If she kept that up, they’d never make it back out of the woods. Fox pushed aside the thoughts of her naked and tied to a tree, and focused on the task at hand. “Do you trust me, princess?”
A wary sort of caution replaced the innocent joy in her eyes. “I guess I do. Why?”
Twisting the backpack around, he unzipped a pocket and pulled out a silk blindfold. “We haven’t quite made it to your surprise yet. Turn around.”
She worried her bottom lip with her teeth, and studied the blindfold. With a quick glance back up at him, she nodded slightly and turned her back to him. Fox slipped the blindfold over her eyes and knotted it behind her head.
“Don’t let go of my hand, princess.”
“You won’t let me fall?”
“Never.”
Taking her hand, he led her the rest of the way down the path, to the little outcropping of rocks. She stumbled a few times on the way, but each time he made sure to catch her before she could fall. Positioning her just where he wanted her, he stood behind her and slipped the blindfold off. Her gasp of delight rang through the forest when she opened her eyes.
“Fox. It’s beautiful!”
They were standing just over a lake of clear, sparkling blue. Off in the distance, a waterfall roared as it rushed into the lake.
“There are other, larger waterfalls nearby. But the website I found said this one was more secluded.” And for what he had in mind, they definitely needed seclusion.
“I love it.” She stepped closer to the edge and peered down. “Can we get down there? To the water?”
He should have known she wouldn’t be able to resist. “Yeah. It’s not too hard, but watch your step. I’ll go first and you can follow my path.”
She bounced in place and he had to bite back a groan at the sight of her perfect, full breasts bobbing up and down in the tank top he’d chosen for her to wear. Praying their luck would hold and there wouldn’t be anyone at the bottom, he began picking his way down the rocks with her close behind.
It didn’t take them long to reach the bottom. Mindy surprised him with how easily she was able to climb down the rocks. And Fox’s prayers had been answered, because there wasn’t a single other soul anywhere in sight.
“Want to go for a swim, princess?”
Her entire face turned bright red. “We can’t go swimming! We didn’t bring swimsuits!”
He grinned at her, dropping the backpack to the ground and reaching for the hem of his shirt.
“Fox! You can’t be serious!” Her voice was a low hiss.
“Why not? There’s nobody here.” He reached for her shirt. “Let’s be young and wild, princess.”
“But somebody might see us.” Despite her protests, she allowed him to strip her shirt off.
“The sooner you get that gorgeous ass in the water, the less likely it is that anyone will see you.”
The look she sent him was full of nerves, but there was excitement bubbling underneath. She shimmied out of her yoga pants, unsnapped her bra and raced for the water.
By the time he reached her, she was already treading water, paying more attention to the scenery than him. Taking advantage of her distraction, he waded in and wrapped an arm around her waist. She squealed with surprise, wrapping her arms around his neck as he dragged her further into the water.
“Fox Washburn, I swear to God if you—”
That was all she had time to say before he pulled her under with him. She came up sputtering and swearing.
“You asshole. Let me go.”
“Not a chance, princess. And you just earned yourself a taste of the switch, so I’d watch my language if I were you.”
He wasn’t really that upset. He kind of deserved it for dunking her. But what would be the fun in dragging her all the way out here if they couldn’t have a little forest fun?
Mindy huffed out a breath and focused her attention on a spot over his shoulder. Fox began nibbling his way down her neck.
“Stop it. I’m mad at you,” she said, but the little sigh she gave when he reached the top of her breast gave her away.
He chuckled and cupped her other breast with his hand, running his thumb over the already hard nipple. “Liar.”
“That’s not fair.” Her breath caught at the end, the last word coming out as a gasp.
Ignoring her, he focused on her breasts, floating just below the surface of the water. God, he loved her body. A soft mewling sound escaped her lips when he drew one of her nipples into his mouth, teasing her with his teeth and tongue until she trembled.
If he kept torturing them both like this, he’d lose control and embarrass himself. “Let’s get back to shore so I can give you that switching I promised you.”
There was a flash of fear in her eyes before she nodded. Swimming backwards, he led her out of the water and over to the path they’d taken down to the water. Fox pulled a knife from the backpack and walked over to one of the trees. He was aware of Mindy’s eyes on him, following him as he cut three different branches. Looking around to make sure they weren’t in danger of being caught any time soon, he waved her over to him. With her arms crossed over her breasts, she walked over to him.
“Bend at the waist, hands on this tree.”
He could hear her arousal in her deep, ragged breaths. With her in position, he took a minute to strip the branches and gave them a few testing swings before picking one and lining it up with her ass. Pulling his arm back, he whipped the switch forward. A perfect, thin red line blossomed on her pale skin and she wiggled her bottom in response.
“Ow! Fox, that hurts!”
He snapped the switch against her bottom three more times in quick succession, drinking in the way her bottom jiggled as she danced in place. “Are you going to call me names, little girl?”
“No, Daddy,” she replied petulantly.
Fox snorted. He didn’t believe her for a second. He switched her again, delivering another six right on top of each other. He’d planned to draw the switching out longer, but her ass looked so incredible with those red lines cross crossing all over it, he couldn’t hold off any longer. Stepping up behind her, he gripped her hips and slid inside of her.
“Fuck, princess. You’re soaking wet.” Reaching around, he found her clit and rolled his fingers over it. Mindy clenched around him, and the tenuous grip he had on his control nearly snapped. With his left hand still gripping her hip, he drove into her as he worked her clit, until he felt her contract around him. She screamed, using her arm to muffle the sound. Finally, his control snapped, and he pushed one final time, emptying himself into her.
Mindy recovered first, and the look she sent him over her shoulder practically had him ready to go again. “So, does this count as a rest day, Mr. Trainer?”
Laughing, he pulled away from her and slapped her ass hard enough to make her wince. “It does if I say it does, princess. And why is that?”
Her cheeks turned pink, and she smiled shyly. “Because you’re the daddy?”
“Damn straight. And Daddy says it’s time to get dressed so we can eat lunch.”
She popped straight up and groaned. “Thank God. I’m starving.”
They dressed and he laid out the blanket he’d packed, along with the sandwiches, fruit, and drinks he’d brought along.
“You packed a picnic.”
Fox looked up from where he was kneeling on the ground to spread the blanket out. Her smile was soft and dreamy as she studied the blanket with the food spread out on top.
“Ah, yeah.” He didn’t have the heart to tell her he wouldn’t call this a picnic. She looked so happy, and he wasn’t about to do anything to dim the glow on her face.
She plopped down on the blanket with him and they enjoyed their so-called picnic in silence.
“This is the most romantic thing anyone has ever done for me.”
Jesus, was she serious? All he did was pack some food and take her on a hike. What kind of shitty ass guys had she been dating? “I’m glad you had fun, princess.”
“I didn’t just have fun.” She shifted to her knees and her eyes were serious when they met his. “You remembered that I said I used to like hiking and I wanted to start doing more things outside. And you planned a trip. Not just some little thirty-minute trek through the woods, but an entire day trip to this gorgeous lake. Just for me. I had fun, but this has been so much more. Thank you.”
He set aside his anger at the assholes who’d come before him. “You’re welcome princess. C’mere.” Tugging on her tank top, he pulled her to him for a long, slow kiss. “We should go,” he said with more than a little reluctance when they came up for air.
“Aww.”
She was so damn cute when she pouted. “Good girls don’t pout, princess. Time to go.”
“Ten more minutes, Daddy?”
How could he say no when she was looking at him with those big blue eyes full of hope? “Okay, princess. Ten more minutes.”
She crawled across the blanket and curled up next to him with a happy little sigh. Pressing a kiss to her hair, Fox wondered how the hell he’d fallen in love with a woman he’d only known a week. And, more importantly, what the fuck was he supposed to do about it?