Page 28 of Forever Ink

“Uncle Sy, a little help here.” Alice gave me a beseeching look. Rhys and I often played it when babysitting Alice, and I had to admit I’d ended up buying a deck for Rhys and I.

“Why don’t you play it with us? Your dad and Doc can be old curmudgeons and play chess like they really want to,” Rhys suggested, sitting up.

“Did I really agree to buy you a game called that?” Callum scratched his beard, looking perplexed.

“Gran got it for me.” Alice was already pulling her deck out from her rainbow backpack triumphantly.

“Of course, she did. I need to have a word with my mother.”

“Dad, don’t be a spoilsport,” Alice warned in a scarily adult tone. Perhaps spending so much time around us was rubbing off on her.

Rhys stood and held out a hand, playfully pulling me to my feet so we could join Mouse and Alice on the rug.

“Alright. I’ll go first.”

* * *

The coals in the hearth had burnt down but the room was still warm. I could hear the wind already picking up and a glance out of the window showed that the snow was falling heavily. The weather reports had all said we were in for the coldest Christmas in fifty years.

“Do you think Grandad is going to be okay driving up in this?” Rhys looked up from where he was snuggled in the circle of my arms. The games had been fun, but a few hours in Alice had fallen asleep where she sat. It hadn’t taken long for everyone except Rhys and I to follow. We’d been enjoying a quiet cuddle by the fire before turning in.

“What did your grandad say when you called him?” I stroked Rhys’s hair and waited for him to answer.

“That I shouldn’t get myself worked up, he’d driven in worse weather half blind with a strong westerly, and to stop blasted worrying and make sure Magnus has the rum.” Rhys mimicked his grandad’s thick west country accent with frightening accuracy.

“I think he’s going to be fine. You know your grandad wouldn’t push it if he wasn’t safe.” I lay back on the couch, pulling Rhys on top of me. “Let me take your mind off it.”

Rhys rested his hands on my chest, moving around until he straddled my legs. “How do you suggest you do that, Daddy?”

I cupped his cheek and brought his face down to mine, brushing my lips against his. “I have some ideas.” I kissed him slowly, teasing the tip of my tongue against his lips before nipping gently at them. “Why don’t we get up to our bed, nice and warm, and I can get you naked.”

Rhys rocked gently against me. “Brilliant idea, Daddy.”

I started holding Rhys against me. “Hold on, baby bear.” Standing while holding Rhys was not really hard, he barely weighed a thing, and I knew that me showing off my strength had him turned on faster than a light switch.

Rhys wrapped his arms around my neck and purred. “I do love when you do things like that.”

“It’s why I keep doing them. Got to keep my boy happy.”

“Oh you do, Daddy, every day.”

I couldn’t help but kiss him again as I tried to walk forward, but we nearly ended up in the tree, I was so distracted by the sweet taste of Rhys’s lips.

Rhys gave a soft laugh, shaking his head. “Maybe focus on getting us upstairs, then we can get back to the kissing.”

Getting up the stairs wasn’t an issue, nor was walking down the hallway quietly. I’d grown up in this house and I knew where every squeaky floorboard and door was. But opening my bedroom door was proving to be another story.

Rhys let out a soft, hard–done by sigh. “There is no help for it. You are just going to have to put me down.”

“Life is very mean when your Daddy makes you walk a few feet,” I teased, leaning in to nibble at the exposed skin of his neck.

Rhys let out a loud groan and I had to quickly usher us into my bedroom before someone woke up. With my luck it would be Doc, and we’d hear no end to it.

Closing the door behind me I turned slowly back to face Rhys who stood in front of the bed, his bottom lip caught between his teeth as if he’d been caught doing something naughty. Lowering my eyes I saw his hand was cupping himself through his jeans.

Ahh. That was why.

“No touching, baby bear. You know the rules.”

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