Page 197 of Daddy's Pride
Josiah followed him eagerly. He slapped a hand over his mouth as he took it all in. “Wow. It looks amazing. I don’t think it has been this neat and clean since I moved in.”
“It was truly my pleasure.”
“Thank you,” Josiah whispered, his eyes shining with unshed tears. “You’re making it easier to breathe.”
He stepped closer, and Brody opened his arms automatically and drew him close to his chest. How he had longed to hold him again. He’d never been a super strict Dom, and he definitely wasn’t a sadist, but the softness he felt for Josiah was an altogether new experience. Was it because, for the first time, his heart was involved? He’d always cared about the subs he’d played with, but never like this. He’d never wanted to bubble-wrap them and keep them safe.
The Instacart order arrived right on time, and Brody made Caesar wraps for lunch with crisp lettuce, strips of juicy grilled chicken, and soft tortillas. He added some sautéed garlic and, of course, a Caesar dressing. Josiah gobbled it up, leaving nothing but crumbs on his plate.
“Good boy,” Brody said, and pure joy exploded on Josiah’s face. How his boy needed that praise.
After lunch, Josiah sat behind his sewing table while Brody found a spot at the small desk in Josiah’s room where he could keep an eye on him while pretending to get some work done. When he was in the zone, Josiah was fully focused. His tongue peeped between his lips as he painstakingly stitched a gorgeous blue purse, adding sequins until it shimmered in every way. Brody couldn’t take his eyes off him.
It hadn’t escaped his notice that Josiah no longer called him Sir. He didn’t call Brody anything, deftly evading saying his name. He’d have to earn that privilege back.
“Thank you for everything,” Josiah said over dinner, a hearty lasagna that Brody had stuffed with vegetables.
“No need to thank me.”
“But there is. You’ve done so much today. I don’t know how to repay you.”
“Repay me?” Brody shook his head. “The whole reason you were in such a state was me. I caused this. Fixing this was the least I could do.”
“I don’t want you to feel guilty.”
Brody took his hand and pressed a kiss on it. “I should feel guilty, baby boy. I hurt you.”
“Yes, but I don’t want you to be here out of guilt.”
Ah, now Brody understood. “I do feel guilty and like I owe you, but that’s not why I’m here, and it’s not why I’m helping you.”
“No?” The hope in that one word pierced Brody’s heart.
“I’m here because we had something special I hope to salvage. I’m here because I care about you, and seeing you again has only confirmed that. I’m here because there’s nowhere else I’d rather be. I want to do this. Taking care of you… feels right.”
Josiah crossed his arms, the gesture more self-protective than defiant. “But I can take care of myself. You don’t need to?—”
“It’s not about needing to. It’s about wanting to. Being with you makes me happy.” He brushed a stray lock of hair from Josiah’s forehead. The touch lingered, a silent affirmation of the words left unspoken.
Josiah’s eyes shone, vulnerability flickering within their depths. “You make it sound so simple.”
“Sometimes the simplest things are the most profound.” Brody leaned in, just a breath away, not to invade Josiah’s space but to share it. “And when it comes down to it, I love taking care of you.”
The surrender in Josiah’s sigh was almost imperceptible, but it resonated through Brody. “You’re overwhelming, you know that?” Josiah said, but the warmth in his voice belied any frustration. “But I’m so grateful. I… I can feel myself getting better, like I’m waking up from a long sleep. And it’s because of you.”
At those words, Brody’s heart swelled with a mixture of pride and tenderness. This was more than he had hoped for. It was confirmation that the seeds of healing were taking root. “That makes me so happy.” He patted his lap. “Wanna come sit with me for a spell?”
Josiah jumped up and parked himself on Brody’s thighs, burying his head against Brody’s shoulder. His warm breath drifted over Brody’s skin, and a deep sense of rightness took hold inside him. This was where he was supposed to be, with his boy on his lap.
“I’ve never had someone who wanted to take care of me for no reason other than… wanting me,” Josiah whispered with a vulnerability that tugged at Brody’s protective instincts.
“You’re so special. You deserve to be treasured, even spoiled a little.”
Josiah leaned back, and their eyes met. Brody cupped Josiah’s face gently, thumbs caressing those high cheekbones, and leaned in. Their lips met in a tender union, hesitant at first, like the softest whisper against skin. But the hesitancy soon gave way to a burgeoning need, each kiss deepening, becoming more insistent. Josiah clenched Brody’s shoulders, holding on as if anchoring himself.
The kiss was a revelation, fanning a fire smoldering between them from the moment they’d met. It spoke of promises yet to be uttered, of nights wrapped in each other’s arms, of trust being rebuilt. Their tongues tangled, exploring the terrain of each other’s mouths with an eagerness that left them both breathless.
Josiah broke off the kiss, meeting Brody’s eyes. “Will you take me to bed?”