Secret Daddy

by Liam Kingsley

  “Ice cream for dessert?” Kennedy asked as she cleared away his plate.

  “No thanks.” Brock shook his head, and we all turned to stare at him. “I’m just going to play a game if that’s okay?”

  “No ice-cream?” Kennedy asked again to clarify.

  “No thank you,” he said in his most polite voice.

  “That’s very suspicious, Brocky,” Britt said, leaning forward and peering at him.

  “Have you finished your homework?” I asked.

  Brock let out an exasperated sigh, and I was about to lecture him about his studies when he shook his head again. “I have, I finished it hours ago. I told myself I could have a treat later if I finished my trees and animals poster for class. Come and see it if you don’t believe me.”

  “Oh, I want to see that!” Kennedy said. “Even though I already believe you.”

  “Me too,” Britt and I said in unison. We followed him upstairs to his room where, sure enough, he’d created a huge poster that detailed the trees, plants and animals that were found locally to Timberwood Cove. He’d included plant samples he’d taken from the woods and the beach, and he illustrated mini-ecosystems that existed in the area.

  “Brock, this is amazing,” I said genuinely.

  “Thanks, Dad.” He smiled, and I felt my heart swell with pride as I took him in my arms.

  “Seriously, Brocky, this is so cool,” Kennedy said as she traced her finger on the lines between trees.

  “I based the layout on a map from RuneMaze,” he said. “But all the details and drawings are mine, I didn’t steal that.”

  “Very cool,” Britt said in praise.

  Brock craned his neck to look up at me and asked quietly, “Can I play the game now?”

  “Sure, Brocky. Just don’t stay up too late, okay? Bed by ten.”

  “Ten thirty,” he said in an attempt to bargain as a playful grin crept onto his face.

  “Ten ten,” I said as a compromise.

  “Yes!” He fist-pumped the air.

  I hurried to get ready for work, and as I was about to leave I stuck my head in his door to find him engrossed in the game, headset on.

  “That’s so cool, Gavin!” he said, then he let out a loud cheer. “Thank you so much, oh my god, I had no idea how to get through the bad guy, it was so hard. The cylinder! Of course it was the codex combined with the crystal coil, duh. It makes sense now but I couldn’t have figured that out without your hints. Thank you thank you thank you, oh man I’m so excited for this next level!”

  He may as well have been speaking another language for all I understood, but the look of joy on his face was clear to me. I knocked on the door and he looked up.

  “Just a sec, hang on,” he said to his headset, and then he quickly yanked it off and beamed at me.

  “Thanks for letting me play tonight, Dad.”

  “You did great on that poster,” I said, praising him again. He jumped up to give me a big hug. I closed my eyes and held him close, my heart warming. I lived for these moments of affection with him.

  “Have a good show tonight, Dad.” Then he added quietly, “I love you.”

  I stopped into the lounge room on my way out. Britt and Kennedy were on the sofa watching their favorite show on television.

  “Hey guys, can you keep an eye on Brock tonight?” I asked.

  “Uh, yeah of course, what do you think we normally do?” Britt asked with a roll of her eyes.

  “I mean, more of an eye, while he’s on his game. He’s talking with Gavin.”

  “Oh my god, that’s right, you saw him today. How was it?” Britt asked. I realized she was sitting right where I’d been writhing around on the couch under Gavin’s hot, strong body, and I felt myself turning bright red.

  “It was good,” I said, my voice rising in pitch at the end. “I’ll fill you in later. Can you just… I don’t know? Make sure he doesn’t make any long-term plans with Gavin?”

  Kennedy stood up and smoothed down her cargo pants. “I’ll go get on the game with him and do a spot of chaperoning.”

  “Oh how selfless of you,” Britt said as she slapped her girlfriend’s ass. “Any excuse to get on that game, huh?”

  “No way, I hate that nerdy stuff.” She winked. “I’ll take care of him.”

  Relieved, I turned to leave for work but Britt stopped me.

  “Was it?”

  “Was what?” I asked as I doubled back into the living room.

  “Was it good?” she asked quietly.

  I nodded. “It was really, really good. I think.”

  “You think?”

  I glanced at the clock and saw it was almost six. “I’ll fill you in. I gotta go meet Trevor.”

  “Ugh, that guy gets all the best gossip out of you.” Britt sighed and slumped back against the couch.

  She was right. Trevor had been my best friend since we were young, and he was still my greatest confidant. We’d been talking about our love lives for as long as I could remember, and we had promised to be each other’s best man at our future, imagined weddings. I couldn’t wait to fill him in on what was going on. He’d know what to do.

  I pulled up to Trevor’s business, Pampered Paws Doggy Daycare, as a corgi and a husky were walking out of the front doors with a cute guy who reminded me a little of Gavin. I did a double-take, but on second look, I realized he looked nothing like him.

  The door swung open with a ring of the bell, and I found Trevor leaning on the counter in his usual get-up; bright pink shirt over a Taylor Swift tour t-shirt, pastel capris, and white boat shoes. He insisted the white shoes made the dogs more comfortable, though he never ventured to explain why, and I sure hadn’t noticed a difference.

  “Oh my god, look at you!” he cried as he rushed over and locked the door behind me.

  “Look at me? Look at you. Nice shirt.”

  “You look exhausted,” he said as he flipped the sign from “Open To All Puppies!” to “Closed. No Mutts Allowed.”

  “I am a little tired.” I smiled to myself.

  “Mmmm-hmmm…” Trevor looked me over as he squinted his eyes, then he led me through the shop to his office area. I fell down onto his red velvet sofa and he took a seat opposite me in his oversized floral armchair, and then I started to fill him in on the last twenty-four hours.

  “What are you going to do?” he asked after I explained how Gavin wanted to be a part of Brock’s life.

  “I have no idea. I’ve been parenting on my own for over ten years. I don’t know how I’m going to adjust to sharing it with someone else.”

  “But isn’t it exciting, finding a long-lost lover who wants to claim his son?”

  “And speaking of claiming… Gavin told me I’m his fated mate.”

  Trevor’s loud squeal was enough to have Bonnie and Clyde, his two huskies, barking from the outdoor play area. “Oh. My. God! Are you serious!”

  I sighed, not sure if I wanted to actually talk about what all that meant even though I’d brought it up. “Yes. He said I gave off a unique scent, and his attraction to me meant I was his fated mate. It’s something to do with him being a shifter, and—”

  “Oh, I know all that! What I want to know is, what are you going to do?”

  “I don’t know.” I ran a hand over my face. “I wasn’t looking for a relationship, but according to him, I don’t have a choice.”

  “Of course you do.” Trevor dismissed my statement with a wave of his hand. “From what I’ve heard, you don’t have to be with your fated mate. You’d just be a fool to pass up the opportunity.”

  I let out a short laugh, and then sighed. “Thanks.”

  “Wait. Are you seriously thinking of letting this go?”

  “I’m just thinking about Brock. I agree that Gavin should be in his life. Obviously I need help with the alpha stuff that Brock is going through…”

  “And the wolf stuff.”

  “That too.”

  Trevor crossed his legs and looked at me with concern. “S
o what’s the problem?”

  “If things between Gavin and me don’t work out, then where does that leave Brock? What if Gavin just disappears again?”

  “First of all, give the guy some credit,” Trevor said, pointing an accusing finger at me. “He disappeared after a one-night stand ten years ago. That’s different. And if things don’t work out, there’s no evidence he won’t still be in Brock’s life. If anything, it sounds like their bond is already very strong.”

  I thought back to the way Brock had said Gavin was “different” and how happy he seemed on the game with him. “Maybe you’re right,” I admitted.

  “Oh, honey. Of course I’m right. I’m always right.”

  I kept that in mind while I started my shift. If Trevor was always right, then that meant I should open the show with a Taylor Swift song and spin another one every hour.

  Halfway through the show, the producer gave me the report. “Huge listenership tonight, Kyle,” he said through my headphones, and I let out a short laugh.

  As I was starting the final hour, a call came through the line for a dedication. As soon as the producer hit play on the prerecorded request, my heart started racing.

  “I’d like to dedicate this to the new man in my life,” Gavin’s voice stated over the airways. “And the son I didn’t know until now. This one is for both of you.”

  The producer hit play on the record, and tears started to well up in my eyes. I leaned back in my chair, letting my tears flow as I listened to the lyrics of devotion, adoration, and true love.

  This I promise you / I’ll be with you / Until the end of time

  No need to hide / Let’s dance all night / Let’s make it right

  Together / Together / Together

  As the song faded out, I took a sharp inhale and wiped my tears before pressing my lips close to the microphone.

  “Another beautiful love song dedication on the Nightlight Love Lounge. What a lucky man and what a lucky son. Next up, you guessed it, a little more Taylor Swift. This one is going out to the biggest Swiftie in Timberwood Cove—the one and only Trevor of Pampered Paws. Thanks for the advice, my friend.”

  Two verses into the song, and I felt my phone buzzing. I grinned and reached for it, expecting to see a cheesy text from Trevor. Instead, my heart fluttered when I saw Gavin’s name.

  Glad you liked the song. I love that I can hear your voice even when we’re apart. - G

  You’re too sweet. Thank you :)

  I’d like to come over tomorrow. - G

  I had to get back to work before I could reply, and the dedications started coming in hard and fast in the last hour. After I wrapped it up and said goodnight to my producer, I pulled my phone back out, ready to text Gavin back. Instead, I found another message from him.

  Sleep well tonight. I’ll come by your house tomorrow. I’m going to have sweet dreams before I even get to sleep while thinking about you and remembering what we did today… You really are incredible. - G

  I sucked in a sharp breath and felt a thrill rush through my body. I hadn’t felt so adored in…years. If ever. I strained my memory to try and find a time when I’d felt so wanted, and I couldn’t. It was sad, really, how woeful my life was. Yes I’d had Brock, and I loved him with all my heart, but having him, being a single omega dad to an alpha wolf… It didn’t really allow me to have a love life. And now Gavin had dropped into my life like a tornado, blowing aside the barriers and walls I’d built up over the years, and like anything with that much power, his presence could be destructive.

  As I drove home I felt myself re-building a barrier against the fear that all of this, all of Gavin, was too good to be true.

  Take it slow. Take it slow. Take it slow. I used the mantra each time I laid a brick in my new wall, but I couldn’t help recalling the text he’d sent me and thinking back to the afternoon we’d had together.

  By the time I got home, I was completely worked up. I was about to jump straight into bed and take care of myself when I realized my bed was bare. I’d stripped the sheets—I’d had to, given how much we’d both come… But I hadn’t had the time to put fresh sheets on yet.

  I glanced from the pile of linens, to the bed, and back again. I let out a frustrated groan as my cock ached in my pants. I immediately stripped and ran a hot shower.

  All of the tension melted out of my body as I stood under the warm water and ran a hand over my cock. It was already half erect, and it bounced into a full hard-on as soon as I touched it. I leaned back against the wall of the shower and wrapped my hand around my length. My thoughts immediately went back to the feeling of Gavin pushing inside me, and my ass twitched. I’d felt so full with his knot lodged deep in my hole.

  But as I started jerking off, my mind wandered away from the furious fucking he’d given me. Instead I began thinking of other things he’d done to me. I couldn’t shake the memory of his lips pressed against mine, the soft touch of his hand on my face, the look of adoration in his eyes when he stared at me.

  I gasped as a rush of pleasure pulsed through my cock. I jerked harder and faster, and each of my thoughts kept coming back to that beautiful moment when he’d first kissed me, and when he’d held me close in his arms. I imagined what it would be like to hold hands with him as we walked through town. I thought how it might feel to have him pick me up and literally sweep me off my feet.

  As I realized where my thoughts were taking me I frowned and tried to bring my mind back to the intense fucking from this morning. There was no way I was going to come while I thought about the way his eyes crinkled when he smiled at me… Or the way his laugh made my heart soar…

  “Oh god.” I gasped as my balls pulled up and a shot of heat raced down my spine.

  I squeezed my eyes shut and desperately searched for hot, horny, x-rated memories of his thick cock taking me from behind, but my balls relaxed and my excitement faded. I bit down on my lip… And thought about his fingers tracing over my jaw, his eyes gazing into mine. My balls drew close to my body once more, and my cock throbbed with such need. I moaned, lost in a romantic bubble where Gavin whispered soft, sweet words to me like that night all those years ago, when I heard him saying I love you.

  Suddenly my body jerked, and I moaned uncontrollably as my release finally took me from thinking to feeling. My mind blanked out with intense bliss, all thoughts gone as my cock pulsed in my hand and sprayed its load.

  I fell back against the tile wall with a heavy thud, but that’s when I was once again flooded with old memories, new fantasies, and worst of all, the realization that Gavin had already woven his way into my heart.

  7

  Gavin

  So much for taking it slow, but I couldn’t hold back. Kyle was in my head, and there was nothing I could do about it. I’d had to jerk off twice before I could get to sleep that night, and I was shocked that I was able to come at all, given how intense each of my orgasms had been with him that afternoon.

  I slept like a baby, and the next day I woke up at sunrise with a huge grin on my face. My wolf was excitedly jumping around inside my chest so I sprung out of bed then quickly dashed outside into the woods where I ran until my legs were tired and my lungs burned from the exertion.

  After stumbling back into my house I took a shower, and then played a round of RuneMaze to try and keep myself distracted, but I kept gazing at my phone, wondering if Kyle would cancel our plans. Surely he wouldn’t. Granted, he was a sassy omega, but he seemed to be going with my lead, which was a good sign. However, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I’d need to woo him a little more if I was going to have any chance of making him mine. Of claiming him.

  On my way to see him, I stopped at Petal Pushers, a local flower shop run by a packmate and good friend of mine, Jason Meredith. The heavy scent of blooms hit me as I walked into the store, making me a little lightheaded. The bright color practically smacked me in the face, and I had to blink a few times to adjust my vision. It was hot and humid in here, and I was shrugging off my long b
lack overcoat when Jason came out from the back of the store.

  “Hey! Gavin! Never thought I’d see you in here,” he said as he brought me into a familiar hug.

  “Hey now, I’m as romantic as they get,” I protested as I gave him a firm thump on the back before letting him go.

  “Hm, not exactly what you’re not known for.”

  I rolled my eyes. The playboy reputation I had earned was warranted, but it was getting old. And so was I.

  “Well, I need some new tactics now the gray hair is coming in,” I said as I motioned to my head.

  “Sure, I get that.” He laughed, but I didn’t exactly feel like he understood. The guy was still in his late twenties, when life seemed to stretch on forever, and he still had a model-perfect face. I’d take his empathy after he’d hit thirty, and not a minute before.

  “How’s Stacia?” I asked, mentioning Jason’s daughter.

  “She’s wonderful, but she’s become obsessed with the dogs at the doggie daycare next door,” he replied with a frustrated grunt. “I knew it was only a matter of time until she noticed them. She loves animals so much. But god. That place…”

  “Still having a rivalry with the owner?” I asked as I looked at a display of bright peonies.

  “Mhm, you could call it a rivalry. Or you could call it what it is… A disgusting, stinky, loud business that should be shut down,” he grumbled as he craned his neck to look out the window toward Pampered Paws.

  I grinned to myself. “Oh of course. Nothing to do with the cute owner.”

  “Cute!” Jason exclaimed. “He wears gaudy bright pink almost every day, and he has the sassiest mouth I’ve ever heard from an omega. That’s not cute.”

  “Sounds kind of cute,” I insisted.

  Jason let out an exasperated groan and started tugging at his hair.

  “C’mon,” I said. “Admit it.”

  Jason shook his head, but then sighed. “Maybe. But those dogs are heinous. Ugh. Horrible.”

  “Strange that you, a canine, can’t deal with dogs,” I commented.