Chapter 5

CHAPTER 5

VINCE

It took me an hour to mow my parents' lawn, but I'm happy to have helped them in the end. Mom's in her mid-sixties now, with Dad in his early seventies, and even though they're spry, I worry about them sometimes. I know Dad's doctor has been talking about knee replacement surgery, and Mom's supposed to be watching her cholesterol, but they're set in their ways, determined to remain independent for as long as possible.

I can't exactly blame them. But a glance at the sky this afternoon told me that if I didn't get my ass into gear, my efforts would get rained out. There was no way Dad could have managed their yard on his own. Not before the rain came.

Afterward, Mom fed me as promised, then gave me a Tupperware container filled with my favorite cookies, freshly baked.

"Mom"—I'd gaped at the sheer amount of sugar and carbs—"this is too much."

She shrugged. "Maybe one day you'll have someone to share with, hmm?"

"And that's my cue to leave." I'd laughed, grabbing my jacket from the coat stand by the door. "But, I will say, waiting this long to nag me about my singledom is a record for you."

Then I headed home with her laughter ringing in my ears. The clouds rolled in fast as I drove, obscuring the light from the setting sun. Darkness fell quickly, and I decided taking the back roads would be better than battling city traffic in the rain. For some reason, people seem to forget how to drive the second the tiniest drops of water come down.

And this weather wasn't just a light sprinkle. Not even ten minutes after leaving my parents' house, it was bucketing down. I had my high beams on and my wipers swishing steadily. Hyper-focused on the road, I almost didn't notice the figure limping in the direction I'd just come from, drenched from head to toe, their thumb stuck out as they tried to hitch a ride.

I barely needed to consider turning my truck around. Taking some poor soul to shelter was worth putting myself out for another twenty minutes or so. After all, if they stayed out in this weather and in the dark, they could get sick, or hit by a car, or fall down into the ditch beside the road.

So, I turned around and slowly came up behind them, blinking in surprise at the mop of red hair, though lank and drenched, illuminated by my lights. I drove past slowly, convinced my eyes were deceiving me. But, no: I really had known the hitchhiker.

Instantly, I'd needed to know why Baron was out so late in the rain on his own and, more importantly, why he was limping.

Hearing everything he'd been through, the entire comedy of errors which had brought him to that point, was heartbreaking. I'd just wanted to wrap him in my arms and soothe him, especially when he broke down in tears. How could I not give in to that temptation? Especially when there was nobody else around to offer him comfort?

And that all leads us to now, with me driving him home.

It hasn't escaped my notice that he lives on the same side of the city as my parents, or that I could easily visit him any time I stop by their place. But I'm getting ahead of myself. Right now, I need to focus on getting him clean, warm, and patched up.

"I'm happy you found me," he murmurs, and I briefly glance over to catch him looking up at me from beneath lowered lashes, his chin to his chest and his face angled away. Color has returned to his cheeks now that he's scarfed down a few of Mom's cookies. He's gorgeous, even while he's caked in mud. Still cute and innocent.

"I'm happy I found you, too," I reply before focusing back on the road.

"It's like…like you're meant to be my Daddy," he continues, and the hopeful note in his voice does things to me.

Even after everything he's gone through, he's still flirting, still bringing the kink.

Fuck, that's hot.

Shifting in my seat, I shoot him another quick grin, this one a little more lascivious. "I still like it when you call me that." I admit, before asking, "You still want to be my Baby Bear?"

In peripheral vision, I see his head bob enthusiastically. "Yes please, Daddy. I'd like that very much. I can't wait to show you my toys."

It's sheer willpower that keeps me from veering off the road.

Jesus Christ, what happened to sweet and innocent?!

Not that I'm complaining! My cock swells to life at the idea of being shown Baron's toys , and my thoughts drift to how he likes to play with them. Is he a dildo kind of guy? Or kinkier? The daddy thing says he's not vanilla, that's for sure. So…cages, maybe? What about plugs? Oh! What about vibrating plugs? Prostate stimulators with remote control?

Okay, calm down, hotshot.

I'm embarrassed by how swiftly my thoughts turned filthy. Yeah, it's been over six months since I've been with anyone other than my right hand, but I've got to get my libido back under control.

Clearing my throat, my voice is strained with need when I confess, "I'd like to see your toy collection, Bear."

He bounces excitedly in his seat, and it makes me smile. I love the incongruity between the subject matter and his adorable, almost childlike behavior.

"I play with Sir a lot," he says excitedly, and I blink.

Sir? I guess that goes hand-in-hand with daddy kink, right?

"You…name your toys?"

"Uh-huh. Don't you?"

"I…" I clear my throat. "No, I never have."

Glancing his way again finds him staring at me with a hilarious, scandalized expression. "Daddy!" he scolds playfully, lighting me up inside. Then he leans forward in his seat and says, "You've gotta turn right onto Third Avenue, then left onto Hamilton. It's the second street on the right after that."

I nod and focus as we head into the sprawl of the outer suburbs. A few minutes later, I pull up outside a red brick apartment block at the far end of his street. In the low light from the single, flickering streetlight, I can see that it needs a little TLC.

Baron turns sideways in his seat, nibbling his lower lip. Outside, the rain is starting to slow.

"Will you come upstairs, Daddy? I know I gotta have a bath, but…maybe you can stay and play afterward?"

I swear to God, if my dick could speak it would answer for me, surging to attention at the sweetly phrased question. But I just grin and nod, ignoring my cock's insistence to leap out for playtime . "There's nothing I'd like more, Bear."