“Oh. Well. Thank you. Umm and you brought me back here? To your place?” She tried to surreptiously feel around to see if she was still dressed. Her hand brushed against her jeggings and she had to hold back a sigh of relief. He seemed like a nice guy but you could never be too careful. Ellie knew she wasn’t the best judge of character. She was too trusting.
“This ain’t my place. It’s a cabin my boss owns. I live on a ranch about an hour from here.”
“Oh. Right. Were you on your way there when you came across me? You couldn’t get through because of that tree either?”
“Already decided to head here. Snow was coming down too hard. Still is.” He turned and looked out the window. She couldn’t see much in this position so she attempted to lean up on her elbow, groaning as her head protested.
He turned swiftly back to her, standing and looming over her in such a way that she gasped and fell back against the bed with a cry of pain.
“Jesus, little one. Don’t move like that. You’ll hurt yourself.”
“To-too late.” Tears fell down her cheeks as agony engulfed her. The room spun slightly, making her feel ill.
“Easy, now. I’m sorry I frightened you. I shouldn’t have moved so quickly.” His voice was a soft croon. She’d expected him to scold her and instead he was taking the blame.
“No. My fault,” she told him. “I just…I was trying to look out the window and when you turned…I just got a bit of a fright. Sorry.”
She forced herself to look up as he grimaced. “Nothing to be sorry for, little one. I tend to scare most women, but I want you to know I would never hurt you, all right? You don’t need to fear me or my size.”
She wasn’t truly afraid, it had just been instinctive. After all, she didn’t really know him.
He turned away. “I’m going to go and get some more firewood. When I come back in, I’ll make you some soup.”
“You cook?” she asked. More to get him to linger than anything else. He seemed almost hurt by her reaction. But that was silly, he didn’t know her any better than she knew him. He put on his jacket and turned back to give her a smile without once meeting her gaze.
“I can cook. But in this case, it’s just canned stuff I’m afraid.”
“That’s all right. I’m used to canned soup.”
“You are?”
“Yeah. I’m a terrible cook. My mother used to say that if it was possible to burn water, I would.”
“Your mom? Will she be worried about you? I have my sat phone, we could try to call her.” Now he was looking straight at her, concern in his gaze.
“That’s okay. I don’t need to call her.”
He frowned slightly. “Someone else?”
“No. There’s no one to call,” she said quietly. “Some soup would be good, though. Thank you.”
She moved her gaze back to the ceiling and eventually she heard the door open. A gust of cold wind rocked its way through the cabin but it was quickly gone as the door closed again.
And she was alone. Which was a good thing. There was nothing wrong with being on your own. It meant that you got to make all the decisions. Eat what you want. Go to be bed when you liked. Be whoever you wanted to be.
So why did the thought of being alone scare her half to death?
* * *
Bear strode out of the cabin and headed to the small shack at the side where the firewood was stored. He’d have to come back when the weather was a bit better and restock supplies. But for now, he was glad that there was already a pile of firewood chopped and ready. He’d already brought in an armload earlier when he’d lit the fire. But he wanted to stock up. He started piling it up next to the door, under the porch roof.
Plus, he’d needed an excuse to get away from the small woman tucked up in the only bed in the cabin. He didn’t think she’d realized that yet. But then she probably wasn’t thinking clearly.
Why had she been driving around in the middle of a snow storm? And why didn’t she have anyone to call?
A little thing like her should be coddled. She should have someone watching over her and making certain that she stayed safe.
That she apparently didn’t have that didn’t sit well with him at all.
He brought the last armload inside. He’d just opened the door when he heard a pained cry, followed by a thump. Dropping the armload of wood where he stood, he flicked the door shut and raced towards the bed that was partially screened off from what was essentially a one-room cabin with a small attached bathroom.
He found her lying on the floor in a heap, her hands grasping her head as though she thought it might roll right off her neck. She probably wished it would, considering how much that fall had to have hurt her.
He needed to get some painkillers into her, but he hadn’t wanted to give her anything until she’d woken up. How the hell had she managed to fall out? The bed was high, she could have really hurt herself. Did he need to fashion some sort of railing for her?
His first instinct was to pick her up and put her back into bed. But he remembered her reaction to him earlier. It wasn’t that he blamed her, but Bear was the last person to ever harm a woman. Sure, he wouldn’t hesitate to spank his woman if she ever disobeyed him and put herself in danger. But that was a small hurt to prevent a greater harm. It was the way he’d been raised. His father spanked his mother.
He crouched down, trying to make himself smaller and kept a few feet between them.
“Little miss? You okay? Did you hurt yourself?” She was such a tiny thing. Especially in comparison to him. Gorgeous too. With pale skin and wide, blue eyes and all that crazy hair which was a riot of curls around her face.
She was adorable. His cock stirred, reminding him how long it had been since he’d had a woman. He was becoming a monk.
But he shouldn’t be thinking of her in a sexual way. For one, she was a stranger. Two, she was injured. Three, she was scared of him.
Not a good combination.
“Did you fall out of bed?”
She groaned and removed one hand. “Head hurts. So much. Going to be sick.”
He scooped her up. He didn’t have time to ask permission to touch her, her health came before anything else. He got her to the toilet just in time as she started vomiting. Thank God Clint had indoor plumbing installed in the cabin a few years back.
He held her against him, one hand holding back those curls, the other wrapped gently around her hips as she heaved and shuddered. Finally, she stopped throwing up, slumping against him as though she just didn’t have the energy to hold herself up. And he was certain she didn’t. He gently sat her on the floor, so she was leaning against the wall. Then he flushed the toilet.
He grabbed a clean face cloth from the small storage cupboard under the sink and wet it before crouching before her, holding it out. But she either didn’t see it or didn’t have the energy to grab it so he gently grasped hold of her chin, carefully raising her face up to wash it.
He was shocked to find tears running down her cheeks.
“Baby girl, are you hurting? As soon as I get you back into bed, I’ll get you some pain killers. Are you allergic to anything?”
“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I can’t believe I did that. That was so gross. And you had to hold me through it and see that. I’m so sorry. I’m such a bother.”
That was why she was upset? Because he’d seen her vomiting? Because he’d taken care of her? Hell, looking after her was a privilege not a chore as far as he was concerned.
“Ellie. Ellie, look at me.” He waited until those blue eyes stared up at him. They were cloudy with pain and tears continued to drip down her cheeks. He reached back and grabbed some toilet paper then bundled it up and wiped her nose.
She started to sob. “Oh God, and now you’re having to wipe my nose. What next? My bottom?”
“Hey. Hey, listen to me now.”
Her gaze turned down once more.
Nope. That wasn’t happening. “Little girl, you listen to me right
now or you’re going to find yourself in trouble.” She wasn’t his and he had no right to reprimand her. But he didn’t want her feeling bad about this. She raised her gaze slowly, wincing in pain.
“I am not worried about taking care of you while you vomit or have a running nose or even if you need help using the toilet, understand me?”
“But you don’t even know me,” she wailed.
“Maybe not. But you need me. And I want to help you.”
“You cannot tell me you like cleaning up someone else’s vomit?”
He grinned. “Nope, can’t tell you that. However, I do like taking care of little girls.”
She snorted. “Everyone must seem little to you. How tall are you?”
“Six-five.” He tensed, waiting for any sign of fear but none came.
“I’m still really sorry,” she told him. “I thought I could make it to the toilet and back on my own, but when I stood up the room started to spin and then I fell and my head jolted and I thought it was going to explode. I think that’s why I vomited. It still feels like there are shards of glass being pounded into my head. I could really use those painkillers.”
He frowned. “You got out of bed? You didn’t fall?”
“Fall? No. I haven’t fallen out of bed since I was five and had a nightmare that monsters were chasing me.” She shuddered. “That was awful.”
“Monsters are scary,” he said solemnly. “Luckily, daddies are good at scaring them away.”
“Huh. My dad told me to go back to bed and stop being silly.”
What kind of father would say that to his little girl? He’d never say that to his girl, big or small.
“So why didn’t you wait for me to come back to take you to the toilet? From now on, you don’t go anywhere without my help, understand?”
“What if you’re not here?” She was blushing bright red. It was pretty cute.
“I won’t be far away.”
She opened her mouth and he put up his hand to still any more arguments. “And if I have to go out for longer or you’re worried about not being able to hold on, well, we’ll sort something out. I’m sure I could fashion some sort of diaper.”
He hid his smile at her shocked gasp. He probably shouldn’t have said that. He half-expected her to slap him or tell him he was a sick asshole, instead she just gaped at him.
“I don’t think so!”
“Let’s get you on the toilet and then back to bed.” He glanced from her to the toilet. Grabbing her before had been a necessity, but he didn’t want to frighten her.
“Do I have your permission to help you?”
She stared up at him in confusion. “You just threatened to put me in a diaper and told me I better not get out of bed without your help and now you’re asking my permission to help me?”
He grimaced. “Yeah, well, I don’t want you moving without help. I can’t risk you hurting yourself further. But I also know you’re scared of me and I don’t want to just grab you.”
“I’m not scared of you.” She looked at him in surprise.
“You shied away from me earlier.”
“You gave me a fright. And you are big. And a stranger. But I don’t think someone who is out to hurt me would be upset at the idea I might fall and harm myself. Or have held me while I vomited.”
“You don’t know that, little miss,” he told her. “I could still have an ulterior motive. You shouldn’t be so trusting.”
“Are you trying to talk me out of trusting you?”
What was he doing? He sighed. “You can trust me. But I don’t want you to think that just because a stranger is kind that he is a good person.”
She closed her eyes and leaned back against the wall. Seemed she really did trust him if she was willing to take her gaze off him. Or maybe she was just in that much pain.
“I know I’m too trusting and naïve. I’ve been told that over and over.”
Who told her that? He didn’t like the sad note to her voice.
“Nothing wrong with being naïve and trusting, so long as you have someone to watch over you and make sure you’re not taken advantage of,” he told her gruffly.
She opened her eyes with a small smile, but he could see how pale she was, her mouth was pinched. She was in a lot of pain and he was here lecturing her on trusting people.
“Wouldn’t it be nice to have someone like that?” she said wistfully.
“Ellie, do I have your permission to take care of you while you’re here? I promise I won’t take advantage in any way.”
Her gaze met his. “I have a choice?”
He sighed. “Not really. Snow’s still coming down hard and I can tell you’re in a lot of pain. You’re not up to looking after yourself right now and I’m all you’ve got. Sorry.”
“Don’t be sorry.” She reached up a hand and patted her cheek. “I’ve never had anyone take care of me before. Might not know you…but it’s kind of nice.”
She was fading fast, her energy completely depleted.
“So, you’re okay with me taking care of you as I see fit?”
She gave him a suspicious look. “You’re not going to diaper me, are you?”
His lips twitched. “Not unless it becomes necessary.” Then he gave her a stern look. “But if it’s necessary for your health, it will happen.”
She snorted. “You have a weird sense of humor too.”
No, he didn’t. Because he wasn’t joking. But he didn’t think it was necessary to argue that point with her right now. He reached out and clasped hold of her hand. She was freezing. He took her pulse.
“Little one?”
“Yes, you have my permission to take care of me. You know, it sounds nice, which is weird ‘cause I want to be the one making the decisions, or so I thought.”
She was half-asleep. He knew she probably wouldn’t have admitted any of that if she’d been fully aware of what was going on. He slipped an arm under her legs and carefully picked her up. He remembered that she hadn’t been to the toilet yet. This was going to be slightly awkward. He really hoped she remembered later on that she had given him permission to look after her. He pushed the lid of the toilet down and sat on it, arranging her on his lap. Then he reached for the zip on her jeans and realized they didn’t have one.
“What sort of denim is this?” he asked. They were so thin, he could pretty much put his finger through it.
“They’re jeggings,” she said with a yawn. “Leggings that look like jeans.”
“How the hell are they supposed to keep you warm?”
“I’m from Florida. Not used to all this damn snow.”
“You should have warm clothing, a proper jacket, socks, boots, gloves, a hat.”
“Yes, Daddy,” she teased. He felt a surge of pleasure. She didn’t have a clue what that word did to him.
He lifted her up and pulled the jeggings off. He figured he might as well pull them completely off. Easier than doing it each time she needed to pee. He reached for panties. They were white with little pink hearts. Cute.
“What you doin’?” she slurred, patting at his hand ineffectively.
“You can’t go to the toilet with your panties on.”
He waited for a protest.
“Oh, yeah.” She giggled. “Guess not.”
She definitely wasn’t with it. He slid them down and left them around her knees then he stood and raised the seat, placing her down. He had to hold her steady or she would have fallen right off. She was practically asleep. She just sat there, doing nothing. Every so often a shiver racked her body. Damn it. He needed to get her back under the covers and warm.
“Ellie? Baby girl, you need to go.” He ran his hand down her back, trying to wake her up enough to get her to pee.
“Go where? Don’t wanna go. Like it here with you.” She wrapped her arms around his waist and hugged him. He stood still. Shocked. His cock hardened even as his heart softened. Stupid. He didn’t know her. Plus, as soon as she could take care of herself, she’d be out
of here.
“So cuddly. You’re just like my own giant teddy bear.”
She hadn’t just said that, had she? He shook his head. If Clint or Kent could see him now…well, they’d probably be jealous as fuck.
He and Clint shared the same interests. Both of them were Daddy Doms. Kent was a Dom as well, he wanted a woman who would be submissive to him, who would allow him to lead.
“Had a teddy bear once,” she muttered.
Once? Where had it gone?
“My aunt gave it to me. Well, my great-aunt. I loved that bear.”
“Did you lose it, baby?” he asked gently.
“My mom threw it out. Said I was too old for it anymore.” He stilled his gentle massage. What the hell?
“How old were you?”
“Four,” she sighed. “I like when you touch me. His name was Jeremiah.”
“What?” he asked in surprise.
“The bear. His name was Jeremiah. I loved him. Wish I had him right now. Guess it’s good I’ve got you, huh?”
“Yeah, baby, it is.” Sounded like she could use someone to put her needs first. What had her parents been thinking of? First her father telling her not to be silly because she’d had a nightmare then her mother throwing away her teddy bear. He’d just have to get her another one…he pushed that thought away. He wouldn’t be able to do that because he wouldn’t see her once he got her back to civilization and a hospital.
“Baby, you need to pee. Here, this might help.” He took a step back to turn on the tap.
She squeezed him tight. “Don’t leave me!”
“Hey, shh,” he soothed. “I’m not going anywhere.” He turned the tap on. “I can’t run the water for long but this might help.” Within seconds he heard her pee and sighed in relief. He turned off the tap, grabbed some toilet paper and wiped her dry before pulling her up. He held her against him with one arm while he awkwardly pulled up her panties. Then he carried her back into the bedroom and tucked her under the covers.
He moved back into the bathroom and quickly cleaned his hands before reaching into the cupboard to grab the medical kit. It was well stocked. He brought it back into the main area of the cabin and sat on the armchair he’d moved next to the bed, resting the kit on the mattress next to Ellie.
Daddy Bear Page 2