Ellie had her eyes closed, her face pale. She still looked in pain. And that wasn’t acceptable.
“Are you allergic to any pain killers, Ellie?” he asked her.
“N-no.”
Shivers wracked her body, making her whimper. Shit. He hoped she wasn’t getting ill. He placed the back of his hand over her forehead. Did she feel a bit warm? He wasn’t sure. He looked down at the two thermometers. One was the normal sort that went in your mouth. The other was one that was slid into a little girl’s bottom. He couldn’t use that on her. It was one thing to help her to the toilet, but she wasn’t his.
He grabbed the oral thermometer.
“Open up, Ellie. I need to take your temperature.”
She opened her mouth instantly. He slipped it into her mouth. Christ, he was a sick asshole for finding it a turn on that she obeyed so beautifully.
Not yours, asshole.
He slid the thermometer out. Slightly elevated but not too bad. He stood and walked to the small kitchen and pulled a glass out of a cupboard. Then he looked back at her and changed his mind, he didn’t want to make her sit her up so she could drink. He searched in the cupboards and came up with a child’s sippy cup. It looked a bit old but it would do.
He filled it with water, then secured the lid. He returned to the armchair and grabbed a couple of painkillers from the first aid kit, holding them up to her mouth.
“Open up, Ellie. You need to swallow these.”
“Don’t wanna,” she said sulkily.
He raised an eyebrow. This was the first hint of defiance he’d had from her and it surprised him. There was also a childish note to her voice that stirred things inside him. She wrinkled her nose. “Yucky.”
He sighed. Didn’t matter if she thought them yucky or not, she would be taking these. Because the alternative was her being in pain and that wasn’t happening.
“Ellie, you open your mouth and swallow these like a good girl.”
“Or what?” She opened her eyes to look up at him. “Aren’t you suppose to add a threat to that statement?”
He shook his head. “I should. But you’re certainly not well enough for a spanking.”
She dropped her lip. “You’d spank me. That’s mean.” Okay, so that pout was adorable. But not so cute as to sway him.
“It’s not mean. It’s punishment for when you’re naughty. If you don’t want a spanking then don’t be naughty.”
She yawned. “I don’t know if I want a spanking. It would probably hurt.”
He raised an eyebrow. “That’s kind of the point.”
“You’d really hit me?”
“I would never hit you,” he said fervently. “And I wouldn’t spank you unless we had the sort of relationship where I was in charge. Where I would hold you accountable to my rules. And if you broke those rules or did something that put yourself in danger then I would spank your little butt. But we don’t have that relationship. I don’t have your agreement to be my submissive.” He really shouldn’t be having this conversation with her and certainly not in the dazed state she was in.
“Oh, you’re a Dom.”
He stared down at her in surprise. “You know what a Dom is?”
She snorted. “Duh. I read. I might be a virgin, but I’m not an idiot. Do you use whips and canes and stuff?” There was a note of fear in her voice.
“Not really into that.”
“You have a dungeon? Some leathers? How did you get into it?” Her fatigue seemed to disappear as she grew more animated. “Or do you go to a club? Do they have BDSM clubs out here?”
“Do you always ask this many questions?”
She looked embarrassed. “Sorry. I know I talk a lot and it annoys people.”
Shit, he hadn’t meant to make her feel bad. “I don’t have a dungeon and I very rarely go to a club. The closest one is about three hours drive away. Do you know what a Daddy Dom is?”
“No.”
“Well, that’s what I am. I want a certain kind of submissive. A big little girl who wants someone to coddle and protect her. To guide her. And to discipline her when necessary.” And why was he telling her this? She should be swallowing her pills and going to sleep, not discussing his relationship preferences.
“Oh. So they would call you Daddy?” Her eyes drifted shut then open. She really needed sleep. “How does that work? Would she be Little all the time?
“Probably not all the time.” He lowered his voice, hoping to lull her to sleep. “She’d have her big girl time too. It would depend on our relationship and what we were both comfortable with. I’d never make someone do anything they didn’t wish to do. Littles come in all shapes and sizes.”
“What do they do, when they’re Little?”
“Depends on the Little and what age the associate with. Some like to color, to watch cartoons, to dress in princess clothes and have a tea party. Others like to have bottles and binkies. No one-size-fits-all.”
She yawned, her eyes closing.
“Little girl, you need to take these pain killers then sleep.”
“My father wasn’t very loving. And he never really disciplined me. Maybe I’d like a Daddy Dom. Only I’m not looking for a relationship right now, sorry.”
He hadn’t been aware that he’d offered. He was attracted to her, though and it was obvious that she could use a keeper. But it couldn’t go anywhere.
“Eleanor, if you’re not going to swallow these pills—”
“I don’t like being called Eleanor,” she said in a soft voice. A tear dripped down her cheek. Shit. He hated seeing her cry. How had this woman come to mean so much in just a few hours?
Maybe it was because she was so helpless and that was a big trigger for him.
“Okay, sweetie. I won’t call you Eleanor. But you really need these pills. If you’re not going to swallow them, then I’ll have to use the suppositories.”
She cracked open an eye. “You’d stick them up my bottom?”
“Not these ones. I have some special suppository ones.”
“I don’t think I’d like that.” She opened her mouth and he placed the pills on her tongue. Then he pressed the lip of the sippy cup in her mouth. She sucked down a few gulps of water.
“Drink a bit more.”
“Tired. Don’t want it.”
“Okay, sleep now, little girl.”
Bear watched her for a moment. He didn’t like the nausea and drowsiness. He worried that she had a concussion. He would need to keep a close eye on her. He wished he could get her to the hospital, but they weren’t going anywhere for a while
He settled himself in for a long night.
3
She placed her arm over her eyes, trying to shield them from the light assaulting them. She’d been having a nice dream about being hugged by a giant teddy bear when she’d been rudely awakened by this torture.
“Go away. Sleeping. Don’t wanna get up.”
“Honey, I’ve just got to check your pupils then you can sleep some more.”
She tried to turn her head away but a sharp pain radiating through her head made her still, a cry escaping from her lips.
“Little girl, stay still,” the stern voice told her. “This will only take a minute and I don’t want you hurting yourself.”
“Too late.” Her stomach rolled sickeningly as the light went on and off. It felt like fireworks were going off behind her eyes and she groaned. “Don’t feel well.”
The light went away and a large hand landed over her forehead. “You don’t feel warm, but I’ll take your temperature again.”
“I’m sick,” she said miserably.
“Tell me if you’re going to throw up, all right?”
“Don’t like throwing up,” she told him. “Yucky.”
He snorted. “I don’t think anyone likes throwing up.” There was a rustling noise. “All right, open up.”
She pressed her lips together stubbornly.
“Little girl, I’ve got a rectal thermometer in here
, wouldn’t take much for me to pull these covers down, bare your butt and push it up into your bottom.”
She immediately opened her mouth. But even though she definitely didn’t want anything going up her butt, her insides tingled at his words. What was with that?
He slid the thermometer back out. “Just a little elevated. I think it’s the head injury making you feel sick. How is your pain level?”
She forced herself to open her eyes and stare up at him. Her rescuer. “It’s okay,” she said automatically.
“Okay, huh?” He gave her a chiding look.
She bit her lip. She was used to downplaying her own issues, because her parents had always been so ill. Seemed selfish to complain about bronchitis when your mom had cancer.
Except she hadn’t had cancer. And Ellie had still been expected to take care of them while she was ill.
“Want to try that again?” he rumbled.
“My head is pretty sore.”
“Good girl. That’s better.”
His praise filled her with warmth. What was it about this man that a word of praise meant so much to her? Was it because she’d had precious little praise in her life? She guessed so. But for some reason she wanted to know more about this man. “Is Bear your real name?”
He blushed slightly, surprising her. “No, it’s not.”
“What is it?”
He didn’t answer her. Huh. That just made her feel nosier.
She took the painkillers he gave her then had a few drinks from the sippy cup. That still felt a little embarrassing, but he didn’t act like it was out of the ordinary for a grown woman to drink from a child’s cup.
She studied him, taking him in. “You look tired. You should get some sleep.” She looked carefully around. “Did you sleep in that armchair all night? That doesn’t look comfortable.”
He grimaced. “It’s not. But there is only one bed and I needed to check on you in the night. The sofa’s not much comfier anyway.”
“It’s morning?” He’d sat in that chair all night just to care for her? When had anyone ever done something so selfless for her? And here she was complaining over him shining a light in her eyes.
What a selfish brat she was being.
“You stayed up all night to look after me? You didn’t have to do that.”
He frowned slightly. “You have a concussion, Ellie. You’ve been vomiting. You need to see a doctor.” He sighed. “Unfortunately, snow’s still coming down. Once it eases up, I’ll go check on the state of the road but it could be a few more days until we can safely leave. Afraid I don’t know enough about head injuries to ensure I’m doing the right thing.”
“Thank you,” she told him sincerely. “I’ve never had someone take care of me before.”
He looked surprised. “Surely your parents did when you were ill?”
“Maybe when I was younger.” She didn’t want him feeling sorry for her. “I feel better now. Why don’t you get some sleep? I could sit in the chair while you use the bed.”
His eyes widened. “You want to sit the chair while I sleep?”
“Umm. Yes.” Why was that so shocking? She tried to sit, to show him she was fine, and agony shot through her head with a ferocity that stole her breath. She took shallow breaths, trying to control the pain and nausea.
“Easy, little girl.” He eased her down on the bed. “Lie back down. Jesus, you are in no condition to be moving around like that. What were you thinking?”
“Sick,” she managed to croak out.
He slid a supporting arm around her back, helping her sit even as he grabbed a bowl from the nightstand and held it under her mouth. Her stomach clenched and let go and she found herself vomiting in front of him for the second time in twenty-four hours. Not that there was much to come up except for the water she’d just had. She’d already vomited up her meagre breakfast from yesterday. When she thought her stomach had finally calmed down, she slumped back against him. He laid her down gently and took the bowl into the bathroom. She heard the toilet flush and some water run. He came back with the bowl, setting it on the floor. Then he reached for the sippy cup on the nightstand.
“I can drink out of a glass,” she told him dryly.
“That would involve sitting you up and I want you to lie as still as possible.” He held the sippy cup up to her mouth. She reached up to grab hold of it and he gave her a firm look. “Stay under the covers and keep warm.”
She gulped down some water, a little embarrassed by the fact that she enjoyed him caring for her like this. It felt amazing to have this big man look after her. He didn’t even know her. And didn’t that say something sad about her life that she’d had more care and attention from a stranger than she ever had from her own family?
“Thank you,” she murmured as he pulled the cup away.
“Good girl,” he told her warmly. “We need to keep your liquids up. I don’t like that you have nothing in your tummy to throw up. Don’t want you getting dehydrated. You’re such a little thing.”
“I’m tougher than I look,” she told him. “Really, I am.”
He gave her a disbelieving look. “Right. It’s still pretty early. Why don’t you just close your eyes and go off to sleep.”
“You’ll be here when I wake up?” Worry bit at her.
“I’ll be right here. I promise.”
* * *
“What story do you want? I can read you a chapter from To Kill a Mockingbird or One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest?”
Bear was looking through the small pile of books in the bookshelf. He’d moved the screen back so she could see him. She’d spent all yesterday sleeping on and off and she was feeling much better. However, today he still wasn’t letting her out of bed and since he was very rarely out of her sight, she hadn’t had a chance to get up and check whether she could move around on her own.
“There’s also The Adventures of Winnie the Pooh and a big book filled with fairy tales. What’s your favorite fairy tale?”
“I don’t know.”
“You don’t know? What was your favorite story as a kid?”
“I don’t know.” She couldn’t remember being read to much as a child.
“Okay, fairytales it is. We’ll start with Beauty and the Beast. Seems apt for our situation.”
She rolled her eyes, but smiled with pleasure as he sat in the armchair and started reading. She found herself only half-listening as she watched him. What would it be like with this man as her prince?
That was an idiotic thought. She wasn’t after a prince and she wasn’t looking to be rescued.
Yeah, because he’d already done that. Rescued her. Taken care of her. What had she done for him? Nothing. Her tummy burned. As soon as she could, she’d find some way to pay him back. When he finished, he set the book aside.
“Another story?” she asked hopefully.
He ran his dark gaze over her. “I need to make us some lunch then you need a nap.”
She groaned. “I slept for most of yesterday, and I slept in this morning. I don’t need any more sleep.”
“You still look tired.”
“I’m not. I never sleep this much. I’m pretty certain I could get up now.”
He gave her a look under his eyebrows. God, he was sexy. Who knew that listening to a man read to you could be so damn arousing? “Who is in charge?”
She sighed. Damn it. “You are, I guess.”
He tapped her nose. “You guess? I am most certainly in charge. And you are staying in bed. You need your sleep.”
“I’ve had heaps of sleep. I feel much better. It’s time I got up and did things for myself. Like going to the toilet.” Now she could feel herself blushing.
Bear ran his thumb over her cheek. She shivered, hoping he didn’t notice the movement. His touch filled her with heat. She longed to pull his arms around her. She wanted to be wrapped up in his warmth, his safety. Her clit throbbed. She had never been this turned on in her life. What if he noticed how wet her panties were th
e next time he took her to the bathroom? She’d need to keep him from seeing. “Hey now, there’s no reason to be embarrassed. You’re sick.”
“Yeah…but…it’s just so damn embarrassing!”
“Why? You need my help and I’m here to give it. I, for one, am grateful.”
That made her open her eyes to gape up at him. “You’re grateful that you get to wipe my butt?”
He gave her an exasperated look. “Grateful that I found you when I did. If I hadn’t come along you could have gotten hypothermia and died. Having someone help you do things that you can’t do for yourself is a small price to pay for being alive, yes?”
“Yeah. I suppose. Still can’t help but feel a bit weird about at all.”
“Do you remember me telling you that I’m a Daddy Dom?”
“Oh.” She thought back. She did have a hazy memory of that. Things were a bit fuzzy from that first day. “Oh God, did I tell you that I wanted a Daddy Dom?”
“You did. Don’t worry, you let me down gently when you told me that you weren’t looking for a relationship.”
“Huh, I said that, did I?” she muttered.
His eyes widened at her statement. “Sorry,” she said quickly. What the hell was she thinking? Way to freak him out. “Forget I said that.”
He studied her. “You said you liked to read about BDSM.”
“Yeah, I do. But I also like to read about murder-mysteries and I really have no desire to meet a murderer.”
“Did reading those books turn you on?” he asked bluntly.
“Bear!” she protested. Okay, now she really wanted to find a place to hide and wait for her embarrassment to dissipate. Should only take about fifty years or so.
“Hmm. I’d say that’s a definite yes. Have you ever thought about looking for a Dom?”
“You think I’m submissive? Maybe I’d be the Domme?” Yeah, right.
He just gave her a look. “Baby, you are definitely submissive.”
She cleared her throat. “Umm, no. I mean, maybe I’ve thought about it but it’s not something I’m going to do. Well, perhaps in the future, but I’m not looking for a relationship. I just got my freedom. I want to be alone for a while.”
Daddy Bear Page 3
