Page 51 of Viking Ink

“You’ve only been my Daddy for such a short time, but I couldn’t imagine what it would be like not to have a Daddy all the time. It’s good your friend is there for littles who need him.” Rhys wiggled in my grasp. “You have to let me go now, Daddy. I need to finish dinner.”

“Fine.” I sighed. “But one more kiss.”

Rhys narrowed his eyes, smirking. “I’m onto you, Daddy bear. One kiss leads to another, and then the gnocchi’s soggy and the pork loins are burnt.”

“Oh no, we can’t have that.” I brushed a kiss to his cheek and stepped away. “There. Now you can go back to looking very sexy while you cook.” I loved seeing the adorable blush that rose on my boy’s cheeks.

Rhys moved back and forth in the kitchen, dishing up our dinner. His smile was captivating. “Daddy, I think you’re the sexy one here.”

Now it was my boy’s turn to have me blushing. He was so open with his affection, and I’d never grow tired of it. “So, did you want to go to Club Crimson and let me show you off a bit?”

Rhys came to the table bearing two plates, a thoughtful expression on his face. “I think I’d like to, but I’m not sure how I’ll handle a big crowd of people, or being little in public. I mean Mitch has seen me regress a little bit, but not totally—not like today.”

“That’s completely understandable, baby. We can just go and have a look around, and meet up with Angus. I think maybe on Wednesday night the club will be quiet, but also the littles hold their mid-week get-together. Another friend, Anthony will be there. He’s a little.” He slid a plate in front of me—pan seared pork loin filets, covered in silky gnocchi, mustard, and cream sauce. “This looks amazing, baby.”

“Thank you. I found the recipe in one of the waiting room magazines. I may have taken the page—not that Doc notices.” He smiled. “I did manage to convince him to let me get some new magazines and colouring books for the kids who come in.”

“Doc would be lost without you, baby. I hope he’s been taking it easy on you?” I cut a slice of the pork and ran it through the sauce and took a bite. It was fucking amazing, and I didn’t hold back a groan.

“It’s not been too bad. I’m getting better at reading Doc’s moods, and he really is brought over to the side of good if you feed him chocolate biscuits. I enjoy working there. But I must admit, it will be nice to get out and busk again.” His smile was bright and hopeful, and I was all the happier I’d brought the guitar for him, no matter how much my boy had grumbled about it being too much.

“Are you going to the square after work tomorrow?” I got up and moved to the refrigerator, grabbing a beer for myself and a bottle of water for Rhys. Now I was actively his Daddy, I could start to curb my little bear’s sugar obsession.

“I think so. I’ve really missed playing.”

I’d loved the way his face had lit up when he played, and I was pretty sure I’d started to fall a bit in love with him when I’d seen him in the square. His voice could shift from hauntingly innocent to husky and sexy, depending on the song he sang, and there was a lightness to him as he played. “Would you play for me tonight, baby?”

Rhys smiled shyly and ducked his head, his soft curls hanging down over his eyes. “You really want me to play for you?” he asked, not looking up from his plate, his fork moving his meal about.

“I do love, but only if you want to.” I was hungry to hear him sing again, to watch that light in his eyes when he played, but I wouldn’t push him.

“Okay. After we eat, I’ll play something for you.” He tucked back into his dinner, and I grinned like the love-struck dope I was and shovelled food into my mouth.

We ate in silence for a while, both of us seemingly invested in our dinner. I was sure Rhys was thinking about our scene earlier, and the possibility of going to Club Crimson at some point.

“You’re quiet, baby. Are you okay?” I took a sip of my beer, savouring the malty flavour.

He flashed me a smile. “Yeah, just thinking about things.”

“Good things, I hope?”

He nodded, smiling. “I loved being able to let go today, just sink into my little space. I didn’t know it could feel so good.” He gave a wry smile. “Even when I was getting spanked.”

“How did the spanking make you feel, baby?” I knew how it had affected me, but I needed to be sure that it hadn’t caused any unpleasant or triggering memories for Rhys.

My boy gave me a bright smile. “This is going to sound weird, but I felt good. Not during—it hurt like heck—but there was a point when I stopped feeling the pain. All I could think of was that I’d been naughty, but all would be forgiven, and that my Daddy loved me. I went all floaty and warm, and the spanking still hurt, but in a good way?”

I felt a warm rush of affection for my boy. “It’s not weird at all. There’s a… head space, I suppose you’d call it, that submissives can reach through intense play, and it seems that spanking pushed you lightly into it.”

“Is it a trance or something?” Rhys screwed up his nose.

“Your brain releases endorphins and happy hormones. It makes you feel good, floaty, like you experienced,” I tried to explain.

Rhys’s cheeks heated. “I felt like that when I was, umm, blowing you, too. I just wanted to please you, and the thought of it made me feel really good.”

“Oh, you did. It was amazing. You made me so fucking proud. Do you have any idea how sexy you were, how fucking hot you looked?” I was growing hard again just thinking about it.

Rhys gave a giggle and blushed harder. “There you go, using that word again,” he said lightly.

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