Chapter 10

Josiah lounged on the plush window seat, his gaze drifting across the Chicago skyline glowing with the rich hues of sunset. The apartment had never felt more like a home than it did now, with Brody's presence filling every corner with a warmth that seeped into Josiah's bones. His life before Brody was a canvas of muted grays, but now, it blazed with color. Brody had been there for two weeks, and Josiah never wanted him to leave.

Physically, he was more relaxed than he ever remembered being. The tension that once knotted his shoulders had unraveled under Brody's firm yet gentle touch. Emotionally, it was as though the fog he'd been wandering through had finally lifted. Brody's guidance was his newfound clarity.

His Daddy had been right. Josiah was his baby boy. It had taken him no time to accept it because it was true. From the moment they'd met, Brody had been his Daddy, and Josiah had loved being his Daddy's baby boy. They just hadn't realized it or labeled it until now. Somehow, those jagged puzzle pieces he'd never managed to fit together had slotted into the most perfect picture ever. His Daddy completed him, and that feeling was mutual.

The chime of his phone sliced through the tranquility. "Hey, D," Josiah greeted his friend.

Brody was out for some errands, and Josiah had texted Denali to ask if he had time to call so they could catch up in private. Not that Josiah had secrets from his Daddy, but the man didn't need to hear him gushing over him, now did he?

"Josiah!" Denali's voice buzzed with energy. "You sound so much better."

Josiah chuckled. "I've literally said one word."

"Two, technically, but it doesn't matter. I can hear it in your voice. You're happy."

"Happier than I've ever been. This is it, D. This is what I've been looking for the whole time. A Daddy."

"Not just any Daddy. Your Daddy."

"Yeah." Josiah was pretty sure the smile on his face was downright goofy, but he didn't care. "My Daddy."

"Sounds to me like you've found something special," Denali said softly, as if understanding the depth of Josiah's struggle to articulate his feelings.

"More than special, D. It's like we fit together perfectly."

"Then I'm truly happy for you. You deserve this," Denali replied, his tone as warm as the golden sunlight bathing the room.

"He's so perfect for me it's almost scary. He sees me. Truly sees me."

"Aw… that's so amazing to hear. You two had such a special connection from the start. That's why I was so shocked when he…"

Josiah hadn't told his best friend why Brody had walked away. He'd never kept a secret from Denali, but he would now. Not only had he promised his Daddy he wouldn't tell a soul, but it would also endanger everyone involved if he did. "I know. But he explained it to me, and he had a good reason, D, I swear."

"I don't want to see you get hurt again."

"He won't."

"Have you talked about the future?"

"Yeah, we did. I told him I could work from anywhere. So can he, but he likes his house… and I wouldn't mind living in New York and being closer to you."

"God, Josiah, I would love to have you here. I'm close with Kenn, who's so much like you and me, and you'd fit right in with us. You'd have a family here with us."

So would Brody. He'd mentioned never being close with his parents and older brother, especially after coming out as gay, so breaking all ties with them had not been hard. But how amazing would it be for Brody to have friends in Milan and Asher? He deserved that. "He has to go back to New York in three days. The thought of being alone again is…" Josiah's throat tightened. "I know we're moving fast, but?—"

"Once Milan, Asher, and I got together, we never spent a day apart again. If you know, you know."

"I do know. My lease is ending in two months, and I don't want to renew it. I want to be with my Daddy."

"Oh, honey…" Denali's sounded choked up. "It means so much to me that you're this happy, so in love. I've wanted this for you for so long."

"Thank you. Same." He let out a little giggle. "I just didn't know I was looking for a Daddy."

The unmistakable scratch of a key being inserted into a lock distracted him. "Daddy's back. I'll talk to you later, okay?"

"Love you."

"Love you too, D."

Josiah ended the call and jumped up to meet Brody. His Daddy. It still overwhelmed him, this intense feeling of happiness, of almost giddy joy at what he had found with Brody. It was so precious, so pure he could hardly find the words to describe what it did to him and meant to him.

"Hi, Daddy!"

The smile spreading over his Daddy's face made his belly flutter. "Hey, baby boy. Did you have a good talk with Denali?"

"How did you know I was gonna call him?"

Brody grinned as he pulled Josiah in for a kiss. "I know my baby boy. You needed to talk to him, so I made myself scarce for a bit."

"You did that on purpose?"

"It's a small space we're sharing, baby boy, with little privacy. You're entitled to have some time for yourself, especially to talk to your best friend."

Josiah hugged his Daddy tightly. "Thank you. It means a lot that you understand that."

"I will never come between you and Denali. Your friendship is precious, and you need to keep investing in it."

Josiah let go. This was the perfect opening to bring up the topic of moving. "Daddy, I've been thinking."

"So have I, so let's make some tea and talk. We have some important decisions to make, no?"

They curled up on Josiah's loveseat with a mug of steaming tea. "As you know, I have to head back to New York in a few days," Brody said. "And since I have some deadlines for important clients, I won't be able to return for at least three weeks."

Three weeks? Josiah wouldn't survive three weeks without him. "That's a long time, Daddy."

How he loved saying that word. It still felt like a declaration, a claiming every time he called him that.

"It is. Do you think you might be able to come and visit me?"

Josiah took a deep breath. "I want to move in with you, Daddy. In New York, I mean."

Brody's mouth dropped open, but then he caught himself. "That's… Are you sure about that, baby boy? That's a big step."

"I'm very sure." A horrible thought popped into his head. "Unless you don't want me to?"

"Oh, I want nothing more than that."

Phew. Josiah breathed out with relief. "Same."

"You humble me with your confidence in me, in us, you know that?"

Josiah frowned. "Confidence?"

"What you did was brave. You could've easily been too scared I would reject you."

Again.He didn't add that, but Josiah felt the implication, nonetheless. And with blinding clarity, he realized that this time, his Daddy needed a little help. Josiah might've been hurt by Brody walking away from him, but Brody was just as scared that he still had to earn back Josiah's trust.

Josiah put his tea down, carefully plucked Brody's mug out of his hand, and set it on the tiny coffee table as well. When the hot liquids were safely out of the way, he slid onto his Daddy's lap, letting out a happy sigh when Daddy's arms came around him to hold him tight. "I trust you, Daddy," he said softly. "You don't have to worry about that."

"Thank you." Daddy kissed the top of his head. "I promise I'll never break your trust again."

"I know. Just like I know that you love me… and I love you." Daddy let out a little gasp, and Josiah leaned back, meeting his eyes. "You thought I didn't know?"

"I didn't want to say it yet out of fear it would be too soon and put pressure on you."

"I figured. But it doesn't. I've seen your love and care in everything you do for me… and I hope you've seen mine."

"Oh, baby boy, you make me so happy. I've never felt this way with anyone. I was walking through a store and thought of you, and just that was enough to plaster this huge, goofy grin on my face. I caught my reflection in a mirror and stopped dead in my tracks. I've never smiled like that. Ever. You make me…" He hugged Josiah a little tighter. "You make me happy. You've lit this fire inside me that burns so hot and so bright, like in meeting you, I've found my purpose in life. Being your Daddy is all I never knew I wanted and needed, yet exactly what I was meant to be."

"Damn," Josiah said with a sigh. "That was beautiful and romantic, Daddy."

"I love you. I love you so much. It feels like my heart can't even contain it. Like you turned on the light after me stumbling around in the darkness for so long."

"To me, it feels like you brought back color when my life had become so drab and gray. Now everything is vivid again, and I feel more alive than ever."

"Tell me again, baby boy. I wanna hear it again."

"I love you, Daddy."

Brody cradled Josiah's face with a tenderness that belied his strength. Their lips met in a fervent kiss, igniting a blaze of passion that seared through Josiah's veins. "Tell me again."

"I love you, Daddy."

Another fierce kiss. The kiss deepened, and Josiah was pulled under by the current of Brody's hunger. Everything Brody had tried to put into words, he poured into that kiss.

"Daddy," Josiah murmured against Brody's soft mouth, every nerve ending alight with desire. His taste was intoxicating, a heady mix of need and comfort, and shivers cascaded down Josiah's spine.

"My precious baby boy," Brody said, his voice a low rumble that vibrated deep within Josiah's chest. Brody tightened his grip, brushing his thumbs over the delicate skin beneath Josiah's eyes. "You're so goddamn beautiful."

He took Josiah's mouth again, and something ignited in them. Josiah pulled at Brody's shirt while his Daddy dragged down his pants. Between hungry kisses, clothing came off, flew through the air, and landed in heaps on the floor. Josiah responded with an eagerness that surprised him, tangling his fingers in Brody's hair, tugging him closer as if he wanted to crawl inside him.

They broke apart, only to gasp for air, foreheads pressed together, breaths mingling in the sliver of space between them. Their passion was a living thing, wild and untamed, yet it was the tender undercurrent that truly left Josiah breathless. The way Brody held him as though he was something precious, something to be cherished. And Josiah, who had always felt like he was too much, surrendered to the sensation of being enough, perfectly enough.

Their naked bodies collided, clashed, and clung to each other like lifelines in the passionate storm they had awakened. Brody carried Josiah to the bed, where they crashed onto the soft sheets in a tangle of arms and legs. The heavy scent of their arousal filled the room as hungry mouths sought and found, hands reached and traced, tongues tangled and licked.

Brody worked Josiah open roughly, two fingers at a time, but Josiah embraced the sting, sharing the urgency to have his Daddy inside him. And when he was ready, his Daddy rolled onto his back. "Ride me, baby boy. Fuck yourself on my cock. I wanna see that sweet ass take every inch of me."

Hell, yes. Josiah spread his legs and straddled his Daddy with his ass toward him. He'd give him a show he would remember. With one hand, he held up Brody's cock as he positioned himself and began the process of taking him in. He didn't have to go as slow as those first few times. His ass was used to it by now. And he loved that burn and wore it as a badge of honor.

He worked Brody in bit by bit until he had taken all of him and then sat down, resting his weight on his Daddy as he made a gentle corkscrew movement. Fuck, he felt so full. So perfectly stretched and split open, with his Daddy's big cock all the way inside him.

"Fuck, what a sight…" Daddy said with an appreciative moan.

Josiah leaned forward so Daddy would have the best view, raised himself on his knees until only the tip of Daddy's cock remained inside him, and slid back down. Oh fuck, that felt amazing. Because he was in control, he could position himself perfectly so Daddy's big dick hit his happy spot on every single stroke. Wasn't that handy?

Two strong hands grabbed his hips and pinned him down. "I'm all for pleasuring yourself on my cock, baby boy, but you better remember not to come without my permission."

Oops. He'd forgotten about that little detail. "Yes, Daddy."

Daddy let go of his hips, and Josiah moved again. He'd have to be more careful, try not to rub his pleasure spot every time. And for a little while, he avoided it. It still felt good, but it wasn't the same.

Hitting that spot felt so amazing.

Daddy's cock filled him so perfectly.

And when he angled his hips just so, an explosion of pleasure spread through him with every stroke. Would it really be that bad to disobey for once? What was the worst Daddy could do, give him a spanking? He'd been dying to experience one. How bad could it hurt? Denali had said he loved spankings, that they were erotic and pleasurable, and that he loved nothing more than being fucked right after with his ass red hot and tight. If that was the punishment for coming, wouldn't it be totally worth it?

It had to be… right?