Quarantined With the Cowboy Read online

  He trusted her to watch his daughter and to follow the rules of his home.

  Was her fantasy a betrayal of that trust?

  She heard Alice returning and Meredith stepped back, away from Daniel’s naughty fingers. Meredith had never sucked on a guy’s hand before, and she wondered why. Now it seemed strange that she’d never done that. She’d never had that thought, though, “What if I sucked on this dude’s fingers?”

  Now she felt so tingly and aroused that it felt like her body would never return to normal.

  And she wanted to do that more.

  “All set,” Alice said, coming into the room.

  “Good,” Daniel said to his daughter, but he kept his gaze firmly planted on Meredith.

  What thoughts were running through that brain of his?

  What was he thinking about?

  Was he as turned on as Meredith was?

  “What next?” Alice asked.

  “Please take the water pitcher to the table,” Daniel said. “Then sit down. We’ll be right out. The food is almost done.”

  “Okay,” Alice shrugged and grabbed a pitcher of water. Then she carried it into the other room. There was a basket of fruit on the dining room table, and Meredith heard Alice opening a banana and munching on it.

  “So what’s for breakfast?” Meredith asked Daniel. She still kept looking at him.

  “Eggs and toast for breakfast. Hopefully you for lunch,” he said. He turned back around and started plating the food, and then he carried it to the dining room entrance. He looked over his shoulder at her and smiled, winking.

  “Coming?” He asked.

  “Apparently,” she muttered under her breath.

  Her for lunch?

  What did that mean?

  She didn’t want to read too much into it, but she had a pretty good guess that Daniel knew exactly what his comment had sounded like.

  And she was pretty sure that he had meant it.

  Chapter Four

  “Zelda is a great game,” Alice said once we were all seated. “I have over a hundred hours of game play so far. I’ve completed almost everything in the game. Kevin says that Megaman is the superior game, though, so I might play that one next. Then I can compare.”

  “Kevin?” Daniel asked, taking a bite of eggs. That was a name he hadn’t heard Alice mention before. He liked to think that he was a good dad, but it was day one of quarantine and he was already learning that he’d been far out of the loop when it came to his daughter’s interests and her life.

  “He’s in her class,” Meredith told Daniel. She reached for a slide of toast and started to butter it. “The two of them have play dates sometimes. He’s a nice boy, and they like a lot of the same games.”

  “What other games does Kevin like to play?” Daniel asked Alice, trying to be casual. The 8-year-old rolled her eyes.

  “He’s not my boyfriend, Dad. Chill. I don’t even think like that yet. Meredith says after puberty, I’ll change my mind and start liking people.”

  He looked at Meredith, who simply shrugged. Meredith had had those talks with Alice? She’d talked with Alice about dating and falling in love? Those were talks he should have had with her, he thought suddenly.

  Had he really been so absent?

  Being a single dad hadn’t been easy. After his wife passed away, he’d been lonely and sad. Too sad. Finding Meredith had been incredible. She’d joined their family and although she would never replace Daniel’s late wife in any way, Meredith had brought sunshine and joy into their hearts.

  “I wasn’t suggesting anything like that,” Daniel said carefully.

  Meredith and Alice just snickered.

  “What’s that all about?” Daniel raised an eyebrow.

  “You look nervous,” Meredith placed a hand on Daniel’s shoulder. “You don’t need to be. Kevin is a good kid, and he’s not Alice’s only friend. In fact, they have a gaming group.”

  “Meredith!” Alice looked embarrassed.

  “It’s okay,” Meredith said. She seemed wildly comfortable with everything that was happening, and for a minute, Daniel felt overwhelmed with her confidence levels. How was it that parenting seemed to come so naturally to her? She always seemed to know exactly what to say and how to say it. More than that, she always seemed to know exactly how to connect with Alice.

  Daniel worked.

  A lot.

  He was always going here and there, and he liked having Meredith around because she was stable and dependable. He could count on her to help Alice every day, but now he wondered if he’d been inadvertently letting his daughter down.

  Shouldn’t he be the one taking her to her gaming club stuff?

  Shouldn’t he know what things she liked to do?

  “It’s okay,” Meredith said again. This time, it was to Daniel. “But her group does meet up every week. Since we’re stuck at home, maybe they can do a video call later and play together that way.”

  “Really?” Alice asked. She seemed excited about the idea.

  “That’s a great idea,” Daniel hastily agreed.

  He was a Dom. He wasn’t used to giving in to the whims of other people, but in this case, well, it seemed fitting. He was used to delegating, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t take criticism or suggestions, and this seemed like a good one.

  “This way, you can see your friends and play your games,” Daniel said.

  “Thanks! I’m going to go build a house in Minecraft!” Alice pushed her chair away from the table. Then she stopped and looked from Meredith to Daniel. “May I be excused?”

  “Yes,” they both said at the same time.

  “Good.”

  Alice cleared her plate and Daniel could hear the soft sound of it being set next to the sink. Then he heard Alice running through the hall and up the stairs.

  “No running!” Meredith called out.

  “Sorry!”

  Once she stopped running and Daniel was sure that Alice was upstairs, he looked at Meredith. She had showered and gotten dressed before coming downstairs. He’d showered, too, but he’d slipped into a pair of casual and comfy pajama pants before making his way to breakfast. He could tell that Meredith liked the way he looked because she kept checking him out.

  Good.

  He spent a lot of time in the gym. Aside from that, most of his job really was physical. He was always out feeding the animals, herding them around, and of course, riding. He was always on the move. Daniel was the type of guy who could eat just about anything he liked and not gain anything because he burned calories like crazy.

  To him, that was no excuse to have a sloppy diet, though. He hate very healthily, and he expected the same for his family. Oh, he wasn’t a total dolt. He knew that Meredith had a sweet tooth. Alice did, too. The two of them probably sneaked cookies or candies when he wasn’t looking, but he didn’t care.

  Sometimes even “bad” things were okay in moderation.

  Candy included.

  Now, Daniel found himself alone with Meredith. She had been so eager when they were in the kitchen together. He hadn’t planned to offer his thumb, just as he hadn’t planned to spank her, but it had happened, and he didn’t regret it.

  Not at all.

  “How was your breakfast?” He asked her. She still had toast and some eggs on her plate.

  “Good,” she said. “Thank you for cooking.”

  “Anytime.”

  “Is this what I have to expect now that we’re locked up together?” She asked with a little smile.

  “Me cooking for you?”

  “Yes.”

  “That depends.”

  “On what?”

  “On whether that’s something you want,” he said. “I know it’ll be strange having me around the house more often. I’m guessing that you and Alice probably have your own routines worked out. Me being here will be disruptive to that.”

  “I’m sure it’ll be fine,” Meredith waved him off, but he wasn’t letting her go that easily.

&n
bsp; “Perhaps,” he said. “But Meredith, two weeks is a long time to be stuck in the house. Luckily for us, we have plenty of land where we can go on walks or explore. If we need some alone time, there are plenty of places, but we still need to make sure that we’re able to find ways to live in harmony.”

  “Is that what the spanking was for?” She asked. “A warning of what’s to come?”

  A blush crept over her face, and he wondered if she knew she was feeling embarrassed about what had happened between them. Did she understand what she was feeling? Or was she lying to herself?

  She had liked it: there was no doubt about that.

  But Meredith hadn’t experienced consensual BDSM before, as far as he was aware, and he thought that part of the reason she seemed nervous and hesitant could be because of that. Maybe she didn’t know what was okay to feel and what wasn’t. The truth was that she was allowed to feel anything she needed to.

  “The spanking was because you were disrespectful,” he told her. “And rude. And you disobeyed.”

  She blushed harder.

  “Meredith, it’s okay to feel embarrassed.”

  “Why would you say that to me? I didn’t say I felt embarrassed.”

  “One of the most important things to remember is that feelings are never right or wrong. They’re just feelings. Sometimes, during BDSM play, it’s normal to feel anxious or nervous or upset. Sometimes you might feel embarrassed. You might feel happy or excited. Sometimes you might enjoy things you also find to be strange or even repulsive. That’s all okay.”

  “I’m not embarrassed,” she whispered, but she looked over at him with tears in her eyes, and he couldn’t resist her. He stood up, pulled her chair back from the table, and pulled her into his arms.

  “It’s okay, Meredith.”

  “I let you spank me,” she whispered. “And I licked your thumb.”

  “I know,” he smiled. “It was hot as hell, beautiful.”

  He looked down at her and, after only considering for a moment whether it was right or wrong, he kissed her. He didn’t start with gentle. That wasn’t really his style. Oh, he could be gentle when he wanted to be: with his kid, with his employees.

  Not with Meredith.

  And not like this.

  Here and now, he wanted to ravage her. He wanted to spank her more, and then he wanted to slide his cock deep inside of her. If she’d let him, he’d do anything she wanted and more. He’d teach her things she never could have imagined.

  He’d worship her.

  She kissed him back quickly, instantly. She acted like she was hungry for him the way he was hungry for her, and he sort of loved that. It may have been very, very wrong for him to feel this way about his employee, but she obviously felt the same way. Finally, she pulled back and looked up at him.

  “You really think so?” She searched his eyes carefully. “You really think it was hot?”

  “Oh yeah,” he grinned.

  “I’ve never really been described that way,” she told him.

  “As hot?” He raised an eyebrow. How was that possible?

  “Yeah, I mean, I guess I’ve always just considered myself to be pretty normal looking and average.”

  “Sweetie, there’s nothing average about you,” he told her. He lifted her chin with his hand so she was forced to look at him. “Do you understand? Nothing.”

  She looked at him as though she wasn’t sure whether he was lying or not.

  “Thank you,” she finally said.

  “Good girl,” he kissed her again, happy that she wasn’t going to try to say anything bad about herself. If there was one thing that Doms hated, it was their submissives trash-talking themselves. Oh, Meredith might not be “his” yet, but she would be. He’d decided just now that he was going to win her over and steal her heart.

  This time, she was even more interested in the kiss. If possible, she kissed him even harder and faster than she had before. She ran her hands up and down his chest. She reached for his neck and pulled him close.

  “Meredith,” he whispered against her lips.

  “Daniel,” she said, giggling a little. She pulled back and looked at him. “Wow.”

  “What is it?”

  “It’s just that I never thought I’d be locked up in a house with my boss, or that we’d be making out like teenagers in his dining room.”

  “I suppose I never really thought about that, either.”

  “Can I ask you something?”

  “Anything.”

  “Why now?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I mean, I’ve been working for you for a long time, Daniel. You’ve never so much as looked twice at me. Why did you suddenly decide to show an interest in me? Not that I mind,” she added quickly.

  “Why did you suddenly decide to eat on my couch or talk back to me when I called you out on it?” He asked her in response.

  “Valid question,” she said carefully. “I suppose I felt I’d had enough of your rules, and besides, you weren’t home, and I didn’t think I’d get caught,” she laughed. Her giggle was so sweet and lovely that he couldn’t quite contain his contentment at this moment. He reached for her, pulling her close, and he kissed her again.

  And again.

  And again.

  Finally, he stopped. He had to stop before things went too far. He liked her, and that was the thing: he really liked her. He’d had plenty of one night stands with women. He’d had plenty of encounters where the only thing that mattered was coming. That wasn’t what things were going to be like with Meredith.

  Not on his watch.

  With her, things were going to be different and sweet. They were going to be wonderful, and he was going to do whatever he needed to take care of her and to show her just how important she was to him. He still wanted to top her. He wanted to play with her and tease her and make her fall apart, but he wanted more than that.

  He wanted to worship her body.

  He wanted to make her feel like she was the sexiest damn goddess alive, because she was.

  She was.

  Chapter Five

  Three days into their quarantine, Alice came down with a cold.

  “I’m fine,” she said, sniffling, but she was so congested that it sounded like “I’m find.”

  “I can’t even understand you,” Meredith told her. “Back to bed.” She gestured for Alice to go back to her room, and although Alice obviously didn’t want to go lie down, she listened. She turned and walked right back up the stairs to her room.

  “Wow, I guess she really doesn’t feel well,” Daniel said. He was standing behind Meredith at one of the kitchen counters. He was having a cup of coffee before going out to feed the horses. More and more of his team members had called in to work. They, too, were staying home because of the virus. Daniel let them. They all had families to take care of, after all, and Meredith thought it showed Daniel’s character that he was so willing to be flexible for his team.

  She’d read online about people who had been pressured into going into work when everyone was sick. People had been stressed and anxious. They’d been nervous about the possibility of getting sick when all they were trying to do was take care of their families.

  “I’ll make her some tea,” Meredith said. “And bring her some juice, too.”

  “There are decongestants in the cupboard,” Daniel said. He set the coffee cup down and then moved to Meredith. She looked up at him and bit her lip, trying oh-so-hard not to say all of the things that she wanted to say.

  It had been only a few days since they’d started…whatever it was that this was.

  A relationship?

  Not really.

  It was something, though.

  She was very attracted to Daniel and she knew that he liked her, too. They’d known each other long enough for that much to be obvious, at least.

  She wanted to ask him what this all meant, or when they were going to play again. That’s what it was called when you got kinky with someone
in the BDSM world – playing. She knew that much from her books. She might not know much else, but she at least understood that much.

  He walked to her and pulled her close. Her breasts pushed against his chest. He wasn’t bare-chested today, which was a shame. Instead, he already had his jeans and shirt on. He was ready for the morning chores, but she was just ready for him.

  “Meredith,” he whispered. Then he lowered his head and kissed her.

  It was sweet and soft, but firm enough that she remembered his true nature: his dominant nature. This was the kind of guy who liked to be in charge. He liked to be firm and tough and he liked to paddle bad girls when they misbehaved.

  Unfortunately, that didn’t scare her as much as it should.

  It only made her want to be a bad girl so he’d spank her again.

  Pulling away, she finally decided to go for it.

  She’d ask him.

  After all, what could go wrong?

  “Daniel,” she said. “What is…”

  “What?”

  “Never mind,” she suddenly changed her mind. She shook her head. “Nothing.”

  But she had neglected to realize that in a Dom’s mind, the truth is the most important thing, and backing out of a question that was important enough to ask in the first place?

  That wasn’t something he was going to let go.

  “Try again,” he said, frowning.

  “It’s not important.”

  He stepped forward again and grabbed her ponytail, yanking it back so she had to look at him. She blinked, looking up at that handsome face. He wasn’t angry. She was a little surprised that he didn’t seem angry. He was just…determined.

  “Try again, princess,” he said. “But if I have to ask, I’m spinning you around and spanking you with the spatula.”

  Her eyes widened and her pussy dampened.

  A spatula?

  There was one right on the counter: a plastic one she’d pulled out to make breakfast with, but she hadn’t even started cooking. He saw her eyes turning to it, and a devilish grin spread across his face.

  “Oh, sweetie,” he said. “If you wanted me to spank you, all you had to do was ask.”

  He spun her around and pushed her against the counter.