Issy had wanted her to say her goodbyes last night rather than getting up so early, but there was no way that was happening. She’d just start work once they left and be able to finish early.
For the first time since Dave died, she had something else to do other than work. She used it as a crutch. A way to protect herself. A distraction. But she was now ahead of schedule, so it wasn’t like she had an excuse not to take some time off.
“I could come with you guys,” she offered again.
Archer shook his head. “You’ve nearly finished your book. And airport goodbyes suck.”
The rental people had brought the car up the mountain last night. She hated to think what Archer had paid them to get them to do that.
“We best go,” Issy said. He held out a travel mug to Archer. “Here’s the first of your twenty daily coffees.”
“I don’t drink that much,” Archer said, standing to take the mug. “But thanks.”
“Caley, there’s a fresh pot of coffee there. Enough to last you through the day. Don’t drink any more than that. I’ve put a big bottle of water by your desk. I expect that to be all gone by the time I get back. And there’s a sandwich in the fridge for your lunch. Stop and eat it. Understood? I’ll text you a few times during the day, I expect a text back within thirty minutes or I’ll start calling.”
“Sir, yes, Sir.”
Archer grinned while Issy rolled his eyes. “Such trouble.” He drew her close and gave her a kiss then a sharp smack on the butt that had her yelping. “Behave yourself or your ass is toast when I get home. I’ll be waiting in the car.”
He walked out, surprising her by giving them some privacy. She looked at Archer for a moment. He studied her.
“Well…” he said.
She threw herself at him, wrapping her arms around his waist. She knew she should probably have held back. But she couldn’t.
“I’ll miss you,” she whispered, squeezing him so tight he could probably scarcely breathe.
Don’t go. Stay.
She didn’t say the words, of course. They weren’t fair. He had a life of his own. He couldn’t stay here just because she wasn’t ready to say goodbye.
“Miss you too, poppet,” he said quietly. “Remember, our friendship is not dependent on your relationship with my brother. You can call me anytime, for anything. Understood?”
“Yes.” She had to bite off the Sir. He wasn’t as overtly dominant as Issy. Definitely more understated. Much like the man himself. But it was still there. And while in the beginning she’d thought him less dominant than his brother, she’d come to realize he just kept that side of himself tightly under rein.
She wondered what would happen if Archer ever lost some of that epic control. If he let himself actually fall for someone.
She had a feeling he might blow Isaac’s overprotectiveness out of the water.
She leaned back to look up at him. He bent down and pressed a kiss to one cheek then the other.
“Good luck with my brother, poppet. Remember, under all that gruffness, he’s a really good guy. He’ll take care of you. If you let him. It’s okay to rely on other people. Sure, sometimes you get hurt. Sometimes they leave. But that’s life. Time to start living again, Caley.”
* * *
Time to start living again, Caley.
Goddamn, Archer. Did he know what he was doing to her with those words? She still held a lot of guilt about Dave. About feeling like she was betraying him by being with Issy. That was likely another reason her Little was still locked away.
She trusted Issy. Knew he wouldn’t betray or harm her. She rubbed her pounding head; she should stop and take something for her headache. Last thing she needed was to get a migraine. But she only had ten more pages to edit before she could send this off to her editor.
So she persevered, ignoring the call of her bladder and the rumbling of her tummy. If she got this done, maybe she could have a rest before he got home. She sighed, rubbed the back of her neck and dove back into her story.
19
Doc pulled up outside the cabin. It had been a long day and he was glad to get back to Caley’s place. He opened the back of the rental vehicle and drew out his bags of shopping. Going shopping always put him in a foul mood and he was trying not to give in to that.
Saying goodbye to Archer at the airport had been harder than he’d thought.
Stupid, not like he couldn’t go visit his brother whenever he wanted. He hadn’t been back to Dallas since he’d basically runoff two years ago. But things were different now. It almost felt wrong not to have his brother with him.
He shook his head at the idea.
It took a couple of trips to unload the truck. He knew that Caley would still be busy working, but he didn’t want to interrupt her until he was done. He didn’t want her to insist on helping him. It was far too cold for her to be traipsing in and out of the cabin.
Mind you, the inside of the cabin wasn’t that much warmer since she’d let the fire go out. He shook his head. Part of him, the Daddy side, didn’t actually want her touching the fireplace. But he knew that wasn’t possible
He quickly started the fire then put the groceries away before putting his other purchases in the spare bedroom.
Archer’s room.
Don’t be ridiculous, man. He glanced at the clock with a frown. The coffee pot was empty, and the sandwich was missing from the fridge. So at least she’d eaten today. And gotten up and moved around.
He knocked on her door. He heard her let out a cry and pushed his way through the door, looking around frantically.
“What is it? What’s wrong?”
She gaped up at him, her hand on her chest. “Oh my God. You gave me a fright.”
“I gave you a fright? I heard you yell out and thought something was wrong. You’ve taken years off my life.”
“I wasn’t expecting you back so early.”
“Early, girl? It’s nearly five.”
He frowned as he took her in. Her hair had mostly fallen from the bun she’d put it in this morning. Even though she was bundled up, but she still looked cold. And pale. There was a tightness around her eyes as though she was in pain. She reached up and rubbed at the back of her neck.
Sore muscles? Or a headache as well?
He caught sight of the bottle of water next to her desk. Mostly full. Okay, that wasn’t good. A plate sat on the desk with a half-eaten sandwich. So not only had she not finished her lunch, but she’d eaten it while still working.
Oh, she was in so much trouble.
“You didn’t hear me pull up or empty out the truck?” he grumbled.
“Umm, no,” she said hesitantly as though sensing his upset but not entirely certain about the cause.
He folded his arms over his chest. “Finished your book?”
“Oh yes. I did. Sent it away to my editor. And I started plotting out a new one. And I got some social media stuff done. I’m actually well ahead of schedule.”
“That’s good because I think you need a day off. Doc’s orders.”
She smiled. “Well, I guess I have to obey then.”
“Hmm, seems to me you had some other orders to obey and you didn’t.”
“What do you mean?”
He pointed at the nearly-full bottle of water. She glanced down, wincing as she did. “Did I not tell you that you were to drink all of that?”
“Whoops.”
“Noticed all the coffee is gone. Which means you’re mostly running on caffeine right now since you barely ate any of your lunch. Which can happen when you don’t stop to eat.”
Another guilty look. “I’m in trouble, aren’t I?”
“Oh yes. Now tell me why you keep wincing. What hurts?”
“My head. Could be from sitting so much today.”
“Could also be from not enough water and food. You ever get migraines?”
“Yes. Sometimes.”
He grunted, not happy with that reply. “Right, any punishment is going
to have to wait until you’re feeling better. Come on, let’s get you some water and painkillers.”
“Umm, first, I really need to go to the toilet.” Her cheeks blushed as she stood, pressing her legs together.
Damn. His Daddy side rose, wanting to take her to the toilet himself. But he gave her a nod. She rushed off and he grabbed the water and found some painkillers and crackers, taking them into the bedroom. Probably the best thing right now for her was some sleep. He heard the toilet flush. Then the sound of retching hit him.
Shit!
He rushed into the bathroom, to find her bent over the toilet. He quickly knelt beside her, grabbing her hair to keep it off her face as she threw up. Soon nothing was left to come up and it was just dry heaves.
She groaned, slumping back against him.
“Caley? Talk to me.” Worry filled him as he took her pulse. It was racing. She felt chilled. Ill? Or a migraine?
“Headache is worse than I thought. Sorry. Need dark. Quiet.”
“Okay, hush. Stop talking. Let me take care of things for you.”
He picked her up and carried her into the bedroom, laying her on the bed. “Be back in a second. Stay there.”
She wasn’t planning on going anywhere. For quite a while.
She sighed with relief as he closed the curtains.
“Need black-out ones,” he muttered. Then there was silence. She wondered if he’d left, but she couldn’t open her eyes to check.
God, the taste in her mouth was awful. She wondered if she could make it to the bathroom to brush her teeth.
She needed to move slowly. She sat up. Her head thumped, pounded.
“What are you doing?” a whisper-yell made her whimper.
“Bad taste. Mouth.”
“I’ll get you some mouthwash and a bowl to spit it out. Lie back. I’m warming up your heat pack. Drink this.”
She lay back without opening her eyes. He’d half-propped her up against some pillows and he held a glass to her lips. She drank some water then the glass was removed.
“Here’s some mouthwash, swirl it around. I’ll place a bowl under your mouth. That’s it. Now spit.”
She groaned quietly as it dripped down her chin. “So gross.”
“This is nowhere near the grossest thing I’ve seen; I promise you,” he told her in a low, quiet voice, wiping her face once more. “I’m going to go get the heat pack and make you a bottle. Is there anything else you need?”
A bottle?
Maybe she should ask about that, but she couldn’t find the energy to care. He was being so kind and caring. She wanted more.
She wanted it all. All of him. Was this what his Daddy side was like? She’d seen his stern side. And she had seen his caring side. But she thought this was something else.
“Bra. Off.”
“Yeah. Thought that might be the case. Let me see if we can get you comfier. Sit up a bit and I’ll undo it.” He very carefully and gently took off her top layers. She shivered slightly, whimpering.
“I know, baby. I know. Here, let’s get this torture device off and get you into your favorite nightie.” As soon as her bra was off, he put her nightie over her head. She kept her eyes closed. He laid her down and slid her pants off.
“I’ve put Bumbly in beside you and your snuggly is next to your face.” Then the covers were slid out from under her and she was tucked in tight, with the covers under her chin. When he returned a few minutes later, she was nearly asleep.
“Got your heat pack. Gonna put it under your neck.”
She whimpered as he raised her. “I know, baby doll. I know. I’ve got you.”
Oh, that heat felt so nice against her tight muscles. “Here’s a bottle. Might help settle your stomach.”
Something rubbery was pressed against her lips. Was it an actual bottle? With a nipple? Was it her old one?
“Open up. Open up for Da—uh, for me.”
Tears filled her eyes, dripping down her cheeks.
“Baby doll, don’t cry. Shh. Shh, now.” He gently wiped her tears from her cheeks. “I can see I’m gonna have to keep an even closer eye on you. Can’t have you getting into this state again. Here’s the bottle. Good girl. It’s just like a chocolate milkshake, but it’s got lots of good things in it like protein and vitamins. I bought it today for you. There you go.”
He fell silent and let her drink. She fell asleep with the nipple in her mouth and the knowledge that he really did want this. To be her Daddy. To take care of her.
* * *
She felt like garbage.
Pure and utter rubbish. Her head had stopped thumping at least. And she had only thrown up the once.
Go her.
Hmm, just maybe she’d pushed herself a bit hard yesterday. And well, most of the days since Dave died. It wouldn’t hurt her to take a day off now and then. Although she thought she’d been better since Issy appeared in her life and forced her to take regular breaks and eat and sleep.
You know…all those things she neglected to do when left to her own devices.
The door to the bedroom opened and the man in question entered. She couldn’t believe the way he’d looked after her last night. Dave had been a bit squeamish when it came to vomit. Actually, most bodily fluids. Her vomiting would likely have set him off.
Maybe it was because Issy was a doctor.
Or maybe it was just him. Issy.
“Hey, baby doll.” He walked forward. “Hoped you’d sleep a bit longer. How you feeling?”
“Like I’ve been run over by a truck.” Her throat was scratchy, sore. Issy picked up a bottle of water from her bedside table. She tried to sit and groaned. She was not only sore, but her muscles were like jelly.
“Here.” He sat next to her, then helped her half recline against his chest. He held the bottle up to her mouth. She tried to untangle her hands from the sheets, but they were trapped under the covers.
“Let me,” he told her. “Just relax. You’re in no state to do anything today.”
She gulped a few drinks of water. Then he set the bottle aside and moved her, so she was back to lying down. He rested a hand on either side of her body.
“You didn’t look after yourself yesterday.”
“I know,” she said guiltily.
“I trusted you to follow my orders.”
“I know.”
“I’m not happy that you disobeyed me and that you pushed yourself so hard that you ended up with a severe migraine.”
It actually wasn’t as bad as some she’d had, but she figured now wasn’t the time to tell him that.
He sat up then grasped hold of her wrist, taking her pulse. “It’s better. It was racing yesterday. Too much stress and caffeine. Did you have plans for today?”
The look on his face told her there was only one answer to that.
“I thought I might take the day off.”
He grunted. “You’ll likely be taking more than just one day off. You’ve pushed yourself too hard for too long, baby doll. You’re reaching breaking point and I don’t like it.”
She didn’t much like it herself.
“I know,” she whispered. “I’ve been trying to lose myself in work since Dave died. But it’s not healthy. That’s not the first migraine I’ve had, not even the worst one. I’ve gone more than twenty-four hours without sleep because I was working so much then collapsed into bed for days. I never had trouble with sleeping before. And I never worked more than fifty hours a week. And some weeks a lot less. I only developed these migraines after he died.”
“All right. So, that was easier than I thought. I had a whole speech prepared.”
She had to grin at that.
He narrowed his gaze. “Can still give it to you, girl.”
She wiped the grin off her face. “I think I’ve got the gist of it, Issy.”
“Do you? Because from now on, there will be no more working yourself into a state. You knew what I expected from you while I was gone, and you didn’t follow the rules.
When you’re feeling better, you’re going to be punished for that.”
She bit her lip. Drat.
“The answer to that is ‘yes, Issy’.”
“Yes, Issy.”
“Bought a few gifts for you while I was in town.”
“Do I no longer gets them ‘cause I was naughty?”
His eyes widened and she realized how childish her voice had sounded. She waited for the worry, the panic. None came.
He blinked then his shoulders relaxed. “No, baby, you still get your presents. But some of them you might not like.”
How could she not like a present?
“One of them is a rewards and punishment chart. I’m going to set it up while you’re resting today. I’ll explain how it works later.”
A rewards and punishment chart? Yeah, she didn’t like the sound of that.
“I’m not sure I feel like eating anything yet.” While her head felt a lot better, she still felt a bit queasy.
“Did you like the drink last night? It’s a protein shake with added vitamins. Thought it might be good for you to start drinking it regularly.”
“I did. Thank you.” That was so thoughtful. “Will it be in the same bottle? Like last night? Is it my old bottle?”
It had been in the same box as her sippy cup.
He’d been walking towards the door, but he turned at that question and looked down at her. “I bought you a new one, actually. That old one hadn’t been used in a while. Would you like that again?”
She took a deep breath. This was still hard, but she wanted to try. She wanted to reclaim that part of herself. “I’d like it in my bottle, please, Daddy.”
He cleared his throat, and something filled his face. If she had to guess she’d say it was a mix of pleasure and relief.
“Sure thing, baby doll. Daddy will go get that ready. You stay in bed and wait for me to come back.”
“Umm, Daddy?”
“Yes?”
“I gots to go,” she whispered.
“Silly Daddy,” he quickly said. His facial expression didn’t show any hint of disgust or embarrassment. Seemed she was the only one who found talking about bodily functions embarrassing.
Heal Me, Daddy Page 17