Chapter Fourteen
Prescott sat at the hotel bar like any other patron would, and Mike sat beside him, leaving his team behind at the door.
“Checkmate,” he said, and Prescott looked at him. His face was dead calm as he took a sip of his coffee.
“It’s about time, brother. I’d been worried this would never end.”
“If you wanted it to end, why didn’t you just stop?” Mike folded his hands on the bar top, keeping his cool. He needed answers, and he wouldn’t get them by throwing Prescott on the floor and cuffing him.
“I needed you to stop me.”
“Why? Why me?” Mike shook his head. He’d never understood the game.
“I’ve been killing her repeatedly for years. It started with you, and it had to end with you.”
“Her? You mean your mother? And how did it start with me?” Mike asked, anger and impatience suddenly lacing his words.
Prescott held two fingers up to the bartender.
“Two scotches.” The armed officers at the door readied, and Mike lifted a hand to hold them off. He needed to know. Damn it! This guy had been mind-fucking him for years.
“I killed her for us. Admittedly, at the time I almost killed you, too.” He kept his face forward toward the shelf of liquor bottles behind the bar.
“That paramedic saved you though. I had researched what gestational age you would be likely to survive and how to do a C-section, but I was ten. The knowledge hadn’t prepared me in a practical sense. Good thing the paramedics arrived when they did. We had no idea it was twins. Our mother didn’t believe in prenatal care.”
“What the hell are you talking about, Prescott? What do you mean our mother?” He was angry—angry enough that his neck heated and he felt his carotid artery pulse.
“You’re my brother.” Prescott faced him then, expressionless.
“You’re goddamned certifiable, Prescott. You don’t have a brother!”
“I do. One of the babies in our mother’s womb was you. The other? Lydia. It was kept quiet. No one wanted the story to affect your adoption, but it’s true.”
“Lydia?”
Prescott looked forward again.
“Don’t play dumb, Michael. I know you better than you know yourself. You keep her with you. Victim number one. Your first failure.”
Mike swallowed, his throat tight. He did know. He knew well.
“I was a good sweet boy, Michael. The psychiatrists loved me, so did the nurses and social workers at the institution. I managed to get the information I needed out of them. I kept tabs on you and our sister your whole lives.” Prescott spun his glass and the amber liquid swirled.
“Lydia didn’t make it. She started at sixteen, drugs, prostitution, pregnancies. I had to kill her. It was like our mother all over again. She would’ve only ended up hurting those kids—our nieces and nephew. And after her, I found as many as I could. I had to save those children, too.”
Mike swore and threw back the scotch that sat in front of him. Prescott sipped his slowly.
“I shouldn’t have killed Ella though. I wouldn’t have if I’d known they’d suspect you. And if I’d known you’d walk away.”
“You killed my wife?” Mike’s heart froze, and his breath stuck until Prescott looked at him again. Mike’s jaw tightened and his hand fisted at his side. She hadn’t deserved to die. Grief swallowed him for several minutes until Prescott spoke.
“I’m sorry, Michael.” He turned to the officers at the door. “You hear that, boys? I killed Ella Hunter.”
Mike grabbed his jacket and yanked him back around to face him.
“She didn’t deserve to fucking die.” His words came out with rage. “I just wanted her to be happy. She could have been happy with Mark.” He let Prescott go, and his arm fell to his side.
“I know that now,” he said softly, finishing off his drink and setting down his glass. “You need to save me, Michael.”
“Save you? Why the fuck would I save you?” Emotion was thick and suffocating in his throat. He couldn’t wrap his mind around any of it, but he wanted nothing more than to put the barrel of his gun against Prescott’s skull and pull the trigger.
“It was no longer about protecting them or us anymore. It was about pain. I knew that as soon as I’d killed Lydia. I enjoyed her anguish. And later, I wanted those women to suffer. I fed off their torment. That’s wrong, Michael. It must have been why I made sure you were on the case. You were always meant to save me.” He reached out to touch Mike’s shoulder, looking him in the eye, a spark of light coming to his expression. “I need you to kill me. I need you to save me like I saved you.”
“No fucking way. I want you to rot in prison the rest of your life knowing I wouldn’t give this to you too.”
“You disappoint me, Michael.” He shook his head, gathered a breath and spun on his barstool. As soon as he started to rise and he reached into his jacket, someone yelled “gun!” Mike dropped to the floor. Shots fired. Mike’s feet shoved off the baseboard of the bar, shooting him toward the middle of the room. Pulling out his Glock, he pointed it at Prescott, who lay on the floor facing him. Blood foamed at his lips, and his eyes stared blankly. It was over. It was finally over.
Suicide by cop.
* * *
Avery dreamed of Rocky and her sweet mountain man daddy, but then Prescott tore his way into her dreams and twisted them. She woke and bolted up with a start when her nightmare had Prescott killing both Rocky and Mike on the side of the mountain.
She shivered in the cold, dark room. It was inky black, and the quiet felt unnatural. She shoved the blankets aside and blindly walked to the main room. The fire was out, all but a slight glow in the coal and ash below. She opened the door and piled more wood in, then wandered to the window, hugging herself, wondering where Mike was and if he was safe. In the dim light of the moon, she saw Rocky’s bed and swallowed the thick emotion welling in her throat. Her eyes went to the chopping block next. That’s where she’d attempted to play with the bear. They hadn’t really bonded until he followed her though.
She wrapped her arms tighter around herself and shivered. She was about to head back to the warmth of the bed and wait for Mike when she remembered Officer Riley. Her brow wrinkled, and she looked to the bathroom. The door was open, and there was nowhere else inside the cabin that he could be, so she scanned the property. Something flashed in the wooded area down the mountain, and she squinted to get a better look. Fumbling through Mike’s coat, she found the binoculars.
It was too dark to see much until a cloud broke open, exposing the moon. That’s when she saw Alex. What did he want? And seriously, where the hell was Riley? She watched Alex approaching the cabin, a glint of silver in his right hand and a beam of light in his left. He was staying to the sides of the brush to keep hidden. The door was unlocked, so she lunged for it, locking it tight, then ran for the cell in the bedroom.
With the phone in her hands, she went back to the living room, wondering who to call. Mike had the work phone, but she didn’t have the number. She didn’t know the address of the cabin if she dialed nine-one-one. But she found herself wondering whether she needed the police in the first place. Would Alex really hurt her? They’d lived together, been intimate, and shared a life. Her hands trembled as the image of him shot in the bed of his apartment. All the blood, her horror, and her tears. The betrayal.
Avery stilled her shaking hands and drew in a deep breath. He might be an asshole, but Alex was nothing like Prescott. He didn’t have the same kind of motivations. Alex was greedy and a liar, but not a murderer. She could handle him.
Her eyes darted around the room, and she quickly went to the cellar hatch. She couldn’t see Alex any longer with the moon hidden by another cloud, but she knew what to do. She twisted the latch and let the door fall open into the hole. She yanked the ladder up and dragged it into the bedroom. When she came back, she pulled the rug back over the hole. It was a sturdy little rug and didn’t show any dips where the floor fell away, at least not enough to notice in the dimly lit cabin.
She quickly unlocked the door and went back to the kitchen. She stood in the corner where the small, L-shaped counters met, pressing her belly tightly against it, fiddling with the kettle, knowing the clearest path to her was over that rug. She heard the gentle shuffling of someone climbing the porch stairs and the squeak of the doorknob. She wondered if Riley was lying in wait somewhere. It was a comfort thinking he was, but her gut said she was on her own.
“Mouse.” His voice was still full of charisma and charm, but now it made her shiver. She spun slowly, keeping herself tight into the counter corner—like a trapped mouse. “What are you doing up?”
“Alex.” She narrowed her eyes at him. “I have a better question. What are you doing alive?” She moved her hand slowly behind her, enough for him to catch the movement but for him to think she hadn’t wanted him to.
“Stop moving, mouse.” He held up his hands and gave her a half smile that made his dimple stand out. It was a smile that had once made her heart patter. “I’m not going to hurt you. I love you.” Liar. She swallowed the urge to laugh sardonically at his bullshit and relaxed her shoulders a bit instead. She bit her lip, hopefully looking like the insecure, smitten girl she once was.
“Why are you here, Alex? And why did you do it?”
“How could you ask that, mouse? Obviously, I’m here to get you. You’re my wife. I want to bring you home.” She noted that he’d completely neglected to answer the second part of her question. He took a step forward, and she tried to look nervous. Since she was brimming with anxiousness, it wasn’t a stretch.
“We split before you faked your own death. I’m not your wife.”
His patronizing chuckle made her jaw tighten, but his stepping closer eased it. “Aw, mouse. Until we’re divorced, you’re still my wife, and I’ve decided I’m not going to let you divorce me.” His voice held a note of threat.
“Don’t come any closer, Alex.” She lunged for the knife from the block and held it with trembling hands.
Alex laughed the kind of laugh that made his body tip back slightly. Then he wiped his hand across his smooth chin and gazed at her with open amusement and contempt.
She looked closely at his pretty boy face and her brow wrinkled. How had she ever found him attractive? He seemed so weak and snake-like. Mike was a bear, with his big beard and rugged, weathered face, muscles built of hard labor not gym equipment, and his expressive eyes that spoke nothing but the truth. He’d showed her everything he felt with those eyes.
Alex lied, cheated, and manipulated. He deceived with his whole body. And now she’d pay him back in kind.
He took three more steps toward her. She kept her eyes off the mat so she wouldn’t tip him off, but it was hard. She wanted to make sure he was walking the right path. She pressed back as if cowering in fear and closed her eyes, willing tears to come. She thought of Rocky and then Mike still in danger, and they easily sprang to her lids.
“Please stop,” she whimpered. “I know you want the money. You can have it. I plan on living here, so I won’t need it anyway. Just don’t come any closer.”
His brows rose high and then fell, hovering low over his eyes.
“Here? With that Neanderthal?” He crossed his arms. “I heard he beats you. Why would you want that? I may have overspent and partied too much, but I never hurt you.”
“You hurt me more than anyone ever has, Alex. You used me, dismissed me, and pretended to love me. Mike takes care of me. He took care of me even when he didn’t want to—before he even knew me. And he doesn’t beat me. He would never lay a finger on me without my consent.” She almost giggled at the dumbfounded expression on his face. Oh, yes, she agreed alright. Let Alex make of that what he would.
“And you know what?” she continued with a smile. “It turns me on. A real man like him revs my engine like you never could. I’ve never been so wet for a man, nor so satisfied, Alex.”
Anger flashed in his eyes, and he pulled a gun out of his coat pocket, launching himself at her—just as she’d intended.
“You bitch—” And as the carpet gave way, and his eyes widened in shock, Avery gave him the finger. His arm hit the side of the hole on his way down, and the gun skittered across the kitchen floor and landed by her feet.
She slid across the floor on her knees, grabbed the door, yanked it up, and latched it. She broke into hysterical laughter that eventually turned to tears, before she finally crawled to the sofa, listening to Alex kick up a fuss locked in the cold dark cellar. She pulled the blanket over her head and waited.
* * *
“Baby, wake up.” Avery’s eyes fluttered open to see Mike’s furry face close to hers. “It worked. We got him. It’s finally over.” His face split into a wide grin and she sleepily wrapped her arms around his neck. He pulled her up into his arms and spun her before setting her on her feet.
“You, my brilliant little brat, saved the day. We got so many tips. It was like shooting fish in a barrel.”
He smile mimicked his then until she saw Riley.
“Where the hell were you last night?” Her snarl startled even her. She hadn’t realized how scared she’d been until then. Mike’s brow furrowed. A strum of warning thrummed in her belly.
“He left me alone last night!” She pointed at Riley, her hand shaking in anger. Alex chose this time to start hollering from the cellar. Mike looked to the floor, puzzled and then at Avery.
“I’ll explain in a minute. Just ignore it for now,” Avery said, gritting her teeth. Mike’s brows rose, but he nodded. Avery looked back at Riley.
“Where the hell were you?” She pointed to the cellar where Alex still shouted. “I had to deal with that shit all alone.”
“I’m so sorry, Avery. I was vigilant and walking the perimeter most of the night until I ran into some trouble.” He looked sheepish. “The kind of problem I didn’t expect.”
Her face contorted in confusion. “What kind of problem?”
Who else was left, who could want to harm them? She got Alex, the cougar got Eddie and Moe, and Mike took care of Prescott. Mike grabbed her hand and kissed it before linking their hands.
“Seems a bear chased him up a tree,” Mike answered for Riley and Avery’s eyes widened in alarm. She turned to look at Mike and saw a twinkle of mischief in his eyes.
“A bear?” she repeated.
“A specific bear.”
“Oh, my God! Rocky? Are you saying Rocky’s alive?” She clutched Mike’s shirt with her fists and pulled him close. “Please tell me he is!”
“That bloody bear ran me right up a tree and sat there all night, daring me to come down.”
Avery’s hand found her mouth and her eyes welled, both tears of joy and laughter bursting from her simultaneously.
“And I held him there with this.” Annie walked in with a shotgun propped over her shoulder. “No hoodlum’s gonna get his hands on my Yukon Jill.”
Alex started thumping something beneath them, and Annie walked over, dropped the hatch, and pointed the shotgun at the hole. She looked back at Avery.
“I’m sorry, Yukon Jill. I didn’t know you had your hands full in here. I shoulda left Rocky on duty and checked on you.” She peeked back down into the cellar. “Shut your damn pie hole, or I’ll shut it for you.” She yanked the door closed with a thud and twisted the lock. “Can’t hear myself think. Trying to tell a story here,” she muttered to herself. Mike chuckled before he spoke. “I found them this morning,” Mike said, nodding his head toward Riley and Annie. “Rocky had no wounds. Just a little tranq dart stuck in his ass and Annie, well, she had nothing wrong with her either unless you count that scowl on her face.” He beamed at Annie.
“Oh, thank God!” Avery said and rushed to hug Annie. When she let her go, Riley spoke. “I kept telling her I was a cop, but she didn’t believe me,” Riley huffed.
Annie snorted and set the gun down beside her like a walking stick. “I’ve seen better fake badges out of cereal boxes, boy.”
“I thought you’d been eating oatmeal your whole life?” Avery challenged. Annie guffawed and waved off her comment. “I think my work’s done here.” She looked closer at Avery. “You okay, Yukon Jill?”
She nodded. “I’m better than okay, Annie. Thank you.” Mike put his arm around her shoulders. “You can thank me by helping me with my garden later this week. For now, I’m going home. Damn geese’ll be having a fit with the rooster crowing for his breakfast. Gerdy hates that ol’ bird.”
Riley went to the bathroom while Mike walked Annie to the porch. Avery put on a pot of coffee, her mind on Prescott. Was it finally over?
Mike came up behind her and put his arms around her waist just as the coffee started to drip.
“Tell me what happened. You caught him?” she asked and Mike led her to the couch, sitting first and pulling her into his lap. Then he told her everything.
“He was your brother?”
“Honestly, I don’t know if there’s any truth to what he told me, although my gut says there is, but I don’t want to know. I’m just glad it’s finally over.”
Mike looked to the kitchen when he heard the muffled yelling start up again. “Care to explain that?” He looked at Avery with a lifted brow.
“I caught something too,” she said with a grin. Mike’s mouth twisted.
“A douchebag,” Avery blurted and Mike’s face split into a huge grin and he kissed her.
“Let’s have a look-see.” Mike went to the kitchen, opened the hatch, and peered down. “We’ve got a rat, I see.”
“A big one.”
Mike left the hatch open and went back to Avery.
“Seems the whole family had a successful hunt tonight…” Riley walked out of the bathroom just as he spoke. “Even Rocky.” Mike chuckled at Riley’s disgruntled expression. “Sorry, buddy. He apparently doesn’t like strangers hanging around his master’s girl.”
Avery leaned close and whispered, “Ooh, am I the master’s girl?”
He growled, covered her cheeks with his big hands, and kissed her hard. His lips found her ear.
“Nope, you’re Daddy’s little girl,” he whispered back. “One in need of a spanking.” He pulled back and winked, and she felt her face burn. Her stomach flipped at the thought of being over his knee.
“Among other things. Many other delicious things,” Mike added out loud and shot a look over his shoulder at Riley. “Things our mountain’s way too crowded for currently.”
Riley cleared his throat and stared at the noisy floor.
“Any chance you want me to get rid of the rat in your cellar? Sounds like a big one.”
Avery laughed, loving the description. She was no mouse, but he was definitely a rat.
“Yeah, and don’t be gentle,” Mike said, making Riley chuckle and pull out his cuffs.
“Ladder’s in the bedroom,” Avery said before Mike covered her lips with his again for a long, hot kiss. His lips explored hers, and his tongue mated with her mouth. She was nothing but mush in his arms, her body a quivering, needy, one-minded thing.
She was relishing in the feel of his beard against the skin of her neck when Riley spoke.
“Don’t let us interrupt you.” They both looked up to see him shoving a handcuffed Alex toward the door. “If you can unlock your lips long enough, can you come in tomorrow for statements?”
“Hang on,” Mike said, rising from the sofa. He walked up to Alex, swung and cracked his fist into his nose. “As promised—broken bones. Now get the hell off our mountain,” Mike said gruffly. He pulled Avery up off the couch, keeping her eyes pinned with his and holding her hands tightly. “I’m taking my woman back to our bed, where she belongs. We’ll be in tomorrow. Make sure that fucker sleeps on cement tonight, would ya?”
“You bet.”
When the door shut, Mike’s look turned feral, and Avery’s insides felt like jelly.
“We have something to take care of now, don’t we, little girl?”
She stepped back and squeaked.
“Now? But you just got home, and I want to…” He stopped her with one arched brow and a finger to her chin. “Avery?”
“Yes, Daddy?”
“I need to know one thing.”
“What?”
“Can you leave it all behind? Really? The money, the lifestyle, the material things?”
“I only need you.” Her statement was sure, but then she cocked her head. “Although, I may occasionally fantasize about a real tub.”
“I’ll make you one. A wood-fired outdoor tub, fully Mountain Man Daddy approved, no electricity necessary. I’m also going to take you away. Anywhere you desire, honey. And right after that, we’re going to figure out this fake marriage shit so I can drag you to town and make you a Yukon Jill officially.”
“You mean it?” Her eyes welled. “You want me to stay?”
“Damn right I do, but first two things need to happen.” He released one of her hands to hold up a finger. “One, we get the asshole locked up for good. Whatever that takes.” He held up a second finger. “Two, I give you the spanking you so desperately need and deserve right now.”
Avery’s eyes widened, but then she relaxed. She did need one and deserved it, too. She couldn’t wait. Yes, his spankings hurt, but that feeling of helplessness was damn sexy, and submitting to him left her totally relaxed and at peace. There was something completely illogical about it, but she didn’t care.
“Yes, Daddy.” She pressed her lips together nervously.
“That’s my good girl.” He led her to the bedroom. “When I’m finished teaching you to talk to me and stay put instead of running, I’m going to keep you in my bed all day. You know that, right?”
“I’ve spent most of the time I’ve known you in a damn bed, Daddy.” She groaned.
“Yeah, but this time there won’t be any resting going on.” He wiggled his brows over his shoulder at her, and she giggled.
“Well, in that case, it sounds perfect.”
He half smiled, flopped on the bed, and yanked her over his lap. She squealed but felt safely tucked against him the instant she landed. He lowered the flap of the long johns, and she shivered at the chill against her bottom. His hand made quick work of warming her though. In fact, her whole body heated, but the continuous, relentless, meaty spanks had her desire on hold.
“Ow, okay! Daddy! Please, are we done?”
“Did you honestly think after I already spanked you twice for running away that I’d let you off with just a little hand spanking?” He chuckled. “You’re going to learn this lesson, honey, the hard way.” He stopped and patted her lower back. “Up you get, little girl.” Her hair was tangled, and her cheeks felt flushed. He eyed her, and her chest fluttered because the love she had for him was complete and all-encompassing. He slowly unbuttoned the one-piece but kept his eyes on hers. Her panting breathing slowed, but when he peeled the material down her shoulders again, her respirations increased.
“Step out.” She obeyed, and he tossed the garment onto the floor. “Now, young lady, we try this.” He leaned forward and opened the drawer she had snooped in so long ago. He pulled out the handmade paddle he’d been working on in the shed. Her eyes darted from it to him, and her throat went dry.
“My belt didn’t do the trick, but I think this will.” He smacked it off his palm and grimaced. “If this doesn’t work, nothing will.” She started gnawing on her lip. He patted his knee. “Let’s go. Back over, little girl.” She hesitated, but when his chin dipped low, she quickly placed herself across his knee.
“Daddy? I’ve learned my lesson, I swear!”
“Swearing will get you nowhere, honey.” His signature chuckle eased her fear a little, and she snuggled closer, so she was tightly against his hard belly.
“Are you ready?”
“No,” she squeaked and then laughed a little at herself. “Yes.”
The paddle landed with a sharp crack that both shocked and stung enough to make her call out. She grabbed Mike’s ankle and tucked her feet up for protection.
“Oh, ow! God! Ow!”
“Yes, ow is right. You didn’t trust me and my decisions and that hurt more than this paddle, honey. You took off, which even Rocky knew was dangerous.” The paddle landed again, and it burned on top of the sting. “Alright, hang on tight. Let’s get this over with.”
She could feel his cock straining against his jeans and knew he did want it over with, possibly as much as she did. Well, maybe not quite as much as she did.
“I want you in my bed instead of over my lap.” Another spank landed then, but he didn’t pause and let it settle like before; he let loose a barrage on her backside until she was squirming uncontrollably, kicking her legs and clutching his pant leg for dear life.
Gasping and panting turned to full-on protests and squeals. Mike continued to make her cheeks sizzle, and when Avery reached back to cover her tender rear, he just went for her thighs until she put her hand back on his leg.
She slumped over his knee then, letting go of his leg to cover her face and sob. It was the kind of cry that emptied her completely. Just what she’d needed after the hellish few days she’d had. He slowed his swats then.
“No more running. And no more stunts that endanger the woman I love. Got me?” She sobbed a yes into her hands, and he stopped the paddling. He leaned forward, put the paddle back in the drawer, and started to rub the tenderized flesh that she was sure could heat the entire cabin for the rest of the day.
“Come here, little girl.” He pulled her up, stood, and took her chin firmly in his hand. His eyes drilled into hers. “Are you ever going to run away from Daddy again?” She shook her head as much as he allowed with his palm cupping her jaw. “I promise, Daddy.”
Then he tucked her against him in a tight hug. “Good girl.”
“I love you.”
“And I love you. Now, I make you feel better,” he said in a half whisper, half growl into her ear. She nodded and snuffled against his chest. He rubbed her back and bottom until she started to squirm in a good way against him. He pulled back and looked at her from eyes to toes, and it was quite clear to her he appreciated everything on the way.
“Gimme your hands, baby.” She handed them over. He took them in his and put them behind her. “Place your palms on that hot ass, honey.”
She did as he asked without hesitation.
“Feel the heat. Remember who created it and don’t move your hands. Let’s see how much you learned with that spanking.” He slowly traced a finger over the contours and lines of her face. His feather-light touch made her shiver, and even though she knew he was already hard, her reaction seemed to make him grow even more.
“Close your eyes,” he said and she let them fall shut.
He leaned close and used the same light touch, but this time with his lips. Every inch of her face was touched with his trailing mouth and the sensation was intensified as it mingled with the heat of his breath and the tickle of his beard. He stopped at her lips, running his tongue along them before sucking her bottom one into his mouth for a gentle nibble. She sucked back, engaging him in a kiss and reached for his neck to pull him closer, but before she could really sink her fingers into his flesh, he pulled back slightly, narrowing his eyes.
“Nope, you haven’t learned, I see.” He ran his hands from her wrists, along her arms to her shoulders and back up again to remove them from his neck. He placed them on her head and swatted her bottom three times. Her eyes flew wide, and she inhaled swiftly but didn’t move. His hand burned her flesh fiercely since it still felt raw after the paddling.
“Let’s try this again.” He smiled at her. It was predatory, and dammit, sexy as hell. He unbuckled his belt and let it slither through the loops. The sound made her knees weak and her pussy tighten. He tossed it on the bed and unbuttoned the red and black checked shirt. He took her hands and moved them to smooth down his hard, warm chest and stomach.
“Eyes closed, young lady.” She concentrated on the feel of him and let her lids flutter closed as he’d instructed.
“You only get to touch me when I give you permission, and I want those eyes kept shut. Understand?”
“Yes, Daddy.”
“Good girl.” He put her hands back on her head and started unzipping his jeans. One brow flicked up when she peeked through her lids. “I have the belt right there on the bed to help me reinforce this lesson if I need to, little girl.”
She swallowed hard, nodding and trying hard to hide the pull at the corner of her lips. She was enjoying his little game. His beard tickled as he dove in to taste the hollow of her neck. She squirmed at the feel of it, and he snickered, letting it trail down from her collarbone to her nipple. The feel of it drove her insane with need.
“I want to touch you,” she said breathily, but he only chuckled.
“I don’t think so, little girl.”
He clasped her waist and slid his hot tongue down her belly until she heard him get onto his knees. Her heart beat faster, and she licked her lips. He kneaded the flesh on her hips and bottom as he nibbled the hollows of her belly. Her eyes stayed closed, but her head fell back.
He used his hands to guide her around. When her cheeks faced him, he kissed them gently. The heat from them was still intense, so his lips felt cool. His tongue licked her gently, along her crease to the dimples above. He traced his way up and along her ribs, tickling her until she squirmed.
“Please! You’re being cruel!”
“Oh, I know. No one said this lesson would be easy.” He spun her again, and this time his tongue went straight for her center. His flicking and stroking had her fisting her hair.
“Open those legs for me, little girl. Open them wide.” She did, and when the sweet torture continued, she moaned and clawed her scalp. He slid a finger inside her, and her knees buckled, and her belly quivered. One hand shot to her mouth, where she bit her knuckle to keep herself from burying her hands in his hair, and the other went to the nightstand so she could steady herself. When she climaxed, it came with a ferocious howl that was loud enough to call for the wolf pack in the mountain. Her eyes were still closed so she didn’t know he’d noticed her hands until she felt his palm crack off her bottom.
“Hands back on your head,” he said in a half growl, half chuckle. “This lesson may take the rest of our lives, honey.”
Avery thought of that moment on the road when her life was so hopeless that she’d wanted to die and how her future had changed from bleak to bright the instant her mountain man daddy had rescued her.
She smiled, put her hands back on her head, and said, “Then, Daddy, I wanna live forever.”
The End