Page 43 of Viking Ink

I kissed him then, soft and sweet, and he melted against me, gasping softly against my mouth. Pulling away, I pressed several soft pecks on his cheeks and nose. “Ready to go play, baby bear?”

He gave a shy smile. “Yes, please, Daddy.”

I had to remind myself this was all new to Rhys. The boy standing next to me, with a vice-like grip on my hand, had never shared this side of himself with another person. He was likely equal parts excited and terrified about today. As his Daddy, it was my job to calm his nerves and allow him to explore his role as far as he was comfortable.

I led Rhys through to the spare room, where the boxes I’d packed up months ago still sat. Pulling one down, I motioned to Rhys to sit. He looked adorable dressed in the new clothes from Mags, and I made a note to find him some more comfy clothes to wear for playtime. But that could wait for now. I had fun things to show Rhys.

“For a long time, I had hoped to have a room set up for my boy, a safe haven for him to play and be little, but after Liam…” I gave a shrug. “I felt like it was just a dream.” I opened the box, showing Rhys the contents. Inside sat soft material books and squishy blocks, all brightly coloured and soft to touch.

A box of farm animals and another of zoo animals caught his eye. “Can I?” He reached out a hesitant hand to the toys.

“It’s why I wanted to show you. You said you never had a chance to explore your little side, and I thought we could set aside time each day for you to have little time, so you get to know what you like.”

Rhys’s eyes shimmered with tears, and I let out an oof as he flung himself into my arms. “How did I get so lucky?” He whispered against my chest. I blinked back tears of my own. Rhys wasn’t the only one feeling lucky.

I kissed the top of his head and brushed the stray curls away from his face. “Did you want to see some more?”

Rhys nodded. His thumb slipped into his mouth, and I was sure he wasn’t even aware of it.

“Okay, let’s see what else I have.” I looked over the different boxes and crates and smiled when I saw one. Folded neatly inside was a soft play mat with Velcro squares that the felt animals that came with it could be attached to. I pulled it out, and Rhys’s eyes grew as big as saucers.

“It’s a zoo?” Rhys hopped off the bed and knelt on the floor, watching me unroll the mat.

“Zoo this side, and the other side’s a farm. You can use the felt animals to stick on, or the animals in those boxes. Think this could be fun, baby bear?”

Rhys nodded, carefully reaching out to touch the mat and felt figures. His thumb crept back into his mouth while he traced out the patterns on the mat with his other hand. It gave me an idea.

I pulled down a smaller box, checking inside, and smiled to myself.

Still here.

On impulse one night, I had bought several adult pacifiers in a range of fun colours, as well as several pacifier chains to clip them to littles’ rompers. Sorting through the unopened packages, I let out a pleased, “Yes,” when I found the perfect one.

The paci, still in its packaging, was bright blue with a teddy bear on the front. I knew I’d brought a matching paci chain, thinking the combo was too adorable.

Pulling it out of the packaging I turned to see Rhys watching me, eyes bright with interest, one hand clutching his Mr Ted, the thumb of his other still firmly planted in his mouth.

“Okay, little man, let’s see how this feels.” I showed Rhys the pacifier as I gently removed his thumb from his mouth. I traced the pacifier over Rhys’s pink lips, watching for any sign that my boy didn’t want this. His lips parted with a soft sigh as I traced the rubber nipple against them, and he sucked the pacifier into his mouth. The scene shouldn’t have felt as erotic as it did, but my cock throbbed within the confines of my boxers.

“Okay, baby bear, let’s see what you want to play with.” I pulled down another few boxes filled with toys and soft plush blocks. Rhys’s eyes lit up when he saw them. “Did you want these?”

He extended his hands and wiggled on the mat excitedly, nodding his head.

I handed him the soft blocks and received an adorable, “Ta,” as he took them. He scooted to the mat and placed the blocks alongside the box of animals. He gave an excited giggle as he pressed one block, and it gave a soft squeak. I’d forgotten about that, but Rhys seemed to love it. Squeezing the blocks and eliciting a sound from each one pulled more sweet giggles from my boy.

Kissing him on the crown of his head, I moved back over to the piles of boxes. I could watch my boy play and explore his little side, and at the same time start to make this room into the nursery I’d always dreamed about.

The cube shelving unit with its colourful storage boxes came into view as I moved the boxes aside. It had been hidden for months, and I’d forgotten I’d set it up. There were drawers for toys and shelves for books, and the lower two storage boxes were designed to hold diapers and wipes.

I had given up on ever having someone special enough to fill this space.

Rhys’s giggles caught my attention. He was laying on his tummy, feet kicking in the air. I smiled at the cute wiggle of his bottom as he moved his animals about on the rug. I could imagine the soft padding of a diaper filling out his pants and the round, plump curve of his bottom under my hand. Looking skyward, I willed my cock to behave—not that it was inclined to listen to me where Rhys was concerned.

I started to make a mental list of things I wanted for the room in a futile attempt to get my dick to lose interest. I needed to find a comfortable chair to bring in here, one that I could sit in with Rhys in my lap so we could read and cuddle together, and perhaps a smaller daybed and a mobile to hang over it.

“Daddy, come play.” Rhys’s words were muffled around his pacifier, but I got the meaning well enough. I smiled at the thought of spending time on the floor playing with my baby boy.

“What are we making, baby bear?” The wooden building blocks and animals were all laid out on the play mat.

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