Page 79 of Awakening His Daddy

“Face forward, boy,” Daddy scolds lightly. “Remember what it felt like to get soap in your eyes?”

“I didn’t like that.”

“I know. Now head back and let me rinse your hair.” It reminds me of being a kid and my mom washing my hair. When was the last time someone washed my hair like this? I lean into his touch and find my butt sliding forward on the slippery bottom. I reach out to stop myself, but my hand is in a trash bag. There’s a big splash, and Joe’s in behind me, holding me up with his strong body.

“I’ve got you,” he assures me and pulls me back against him.

“Thanks. I promise I’m not usually this clumsy while getting cleaned. It’s this stupid broken arm.” I glare at it, and he chuckles.

“I figured, or you would have drowned by now.”

“Ha-ha, Daddy,” I deadpan.

“Sorry, but I couldn’t resist.”

We relax in the quiet bathroom before he asks, “What happened, with your dad?”

Ugh, do we really want to do this?

“Both my parents were addicts and my mom overdosed when I was maybe five or six. Dad got worse after that, and whenever he was sick of me or had people over, he would lock me in the closet.” Joe growls now, but I hurry to continue. “Sometimes he would forget about me, and he’d leave me there overnight. That’s when I would panic. It was so dark and cramped, but if I called out, he would…” I pause, remembering.

“You don’t need to tell me any more if you don’t want to.”

“No, I do. He would kick me and tell me to ‘shut up or it would be worse.’ Thankfully, he let me out to go to school every day.”

“I had no idea. I would have killed him.” I can feel the pure rage rolling off him.

“Is it wrong that I’m so hot for you right now?” I drag my nails up his thighs, and he shivers before he chuckles.

“Go on.”

“Things changed for the better when one of my dad’s relatives who I’d never met died and left him the house next to yours. Now there was a yard he could just banish me to, and since I was ten, no one worried about a ten-year-old wandering the backyard for hours, except for Leo. I guess he was watching me from his upstairs window, and he couldn’t figure out why I spentso much time outside doing nothing. When I told him I was bored, he invited me in, and you were so nice to me. I never wanted to leave, and luckily, you didn’t seem to mind that I was always there.”

“You kept Leo busy, and let me tell you, that kid was trouble. He needed to be busy every second or he would get into something.”

“I think that’s why we got along so well. He wanted to get into trouble, and I was terrified of getting into trouble. We helped balance each other out.”

“I did notice that he was better behaved when you were over, but he still wasn’t an angel like you.”

“I was naughty sometimes,” I defend.

“Yeah, but I always knew it was Leo’s idea.”

“True.” I look down at the water now. “I can never thank Leo or you enough for what you did for me.”

“Hey, I’m glad I could help.” He kisses the back of my head. “Now if you would tell me where your dad is, I would gladly go and kick the shit out of him.”

“Did you just swear?!” I gasp in shock. I’ve never heard him swear except in the shower, but he thought he was alone.

“It was warranted.”

“I suppose it was, but he’s in jail.”

“Even better. I can have one of the inmates take care of that for me.”

“No, don’t. I don’t want you to get into trouble.”

“Fine.” He nibbles my ear. “But only because you asked me not to. Why is he in jail?”

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