Page 42 of Saving Little Clark

My arms tightened around him involuntarily. "I would never--"

"You don't know that," he cut in, a thread of desperation leaking into his tone. "How could you? This is all so new. Too much. Everyone always says so. They try, in the beginning. When it's still fun and novel. But it always ends the same. They get bored, or frustrated, or just fed up. And then they always leave."

I gathered him closer, pushing his form to my chest as if I could absorb his hurt through sheer force of will.

"Not me," I bit out, emotion making my voice ragged. "Clark, I've never been surer of anything than I am of us. Can you trust that I'm not going anywhere, no matter what?"

For a long, breathless moment, he simply stared at me, searching my face for any hint of deception or uncertainty. I let him look, keeping my expression open and honest, willing him to see the truth of my words etched into every line of my being.

And then, like a sunrise breaking over the horizon, a tiny smile lifted the corners of his mouth. "I trust you," he whispered.

"That's my good boy," I praised, stroking a thumb over his plump lower lip. "You just relax and let me take care of you tonight, okay? No more worrying allowed."

I grinned, giving his hip a playful squeeze to get his attention. Those big eyes blinked open, hazy and half-focused.

"Hey, peanut," I said, deliberately pitching my voice low and coaxing. "Why don't we come up with a special phrase for you to use whenever you start feeling scared or insecure like this again? Something that will help remind you how loved and wanted you are, no matter what."

"Like a code word?"

"Exactly. And when you say it, I’ll know it's time for some extra snuggles and reassurance. We can even make up a little ritual to go with it, if you want. Something just for us."

His eyes went wide, a hint of excitement sparking in their depths. "I like that idea," he said shyly. "Would it be okay if it was kinda silly? To help make me smile when I'm feeling icky?"

"Of course." I paused, pretending to think. "How aboutDaddy's little Sunshine Bear?"

He giggled, swatting at my chest. "It's gotta be something I can actually say with a straight face. What aboutBaby Bug? I could sayI'm feeling like a sad little Baby Bugor something? And then you could..."

He trailed off, cheeks pinking adorably as he peeped up at me through his lashes.

"And then I could scoop you up and cover you in kisses until you're a happy little Baby Bug again," I finished for him, warmth spreading through my chest at the thought. "We could even do a specialBaby Bug Snuggle. I'm thinking lots of cuddles, silly songs, and tummy tickles."

"Yes!" he exclaimed, bouncing a little in place.

I caught his wandering hand and pressed a lingering kiss to his palm. Clark shuddered out a breath, pink lips parting on a soft, wondering exhale. I wanted to kiss him. So I did. Slowly, tenderly, with every ounce of love in my soul, I joined our mouths in a kiss that felt like coming home.

We clung to each other, lost in sensation. Eventually, desperate little whimpers began to spill from Clark's throat, his hips pressing insistently against my thigh.

As much as I ached to lay him out and worship every inch of his sweet, responsive body, I knew it was too much too soon. Tonight needed to be about building trust, not sex.

So I gentled the kiss, easing out of the hot clutch of his mouth with a regretful sigh. Clark mewled in protest, his eyes glazed and hungry when they finally fluttered open.

"Shh, easy," I murmured, petting down his flank. "Let's not get ahead of ourselves. We've got all the time in the world for that later. Tonight, I just want to focus on making my baby bug feel good in other ways."

Clark pouted, but I could see the relief lurking underneath the facade of disappointment. He wasn't ready to take that step either, no matter what his body was telling him.

"Hey sweet pea," I murmured. "What do you say we rustle up some dinner, hmm? Can't have my growing boy going hungry."

He nuzzled deeper into the crook of my neck. "I'm not hungry. Wanna stay here with you forever."

"Oh, baby bug," I crooned, "Daddy would love nothing more than to cuddle you forever. But even the cutest little bugs need to eat if they wanna grow up big and strong."

It was the first time I referred to myself as his Daddy. I knew he needed more time to call me that.

I tickled his sides for emphasis, delighting in the squeaky giggle it earned me.

"Brody," he whined playfully. "I'm already a big boy."

I raised a skeptical brow. "From where I'm sitting, you still look like Daddy's itty bitty snuggle bug.”

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