Page 58 of Knox's Boy

Knox's arms tightened around me. "I'm scared too," he said simply. "Scared you'll wake up one day and realize you want someone your own age. Someone who doesn't need rules and structure to feel secure. Someone with whom you don't have to explain your relationship to concerned friends."

The reference to Luna made me duck my head. "She doesn't understand."

"Few people will," Knox acknowledged. "But I don't need them to understand. I only need you to trust that what we're building here is real."

"I do trust that." I whispered, resting my head against his shoulder. Knox pressed a kiss to my temple.

We sat in silence for a moment, my tears gradually subsiding as the pain in my ass settled into a deep, throbbing heat. My cock was still half hard as well. Knox's heartbeat was steady under my ear, his breathing deep and rhythmic. I felt wrung out, emptied of the tension and anxiety I'd been carrying since leaving the pub, but filled with something else, something warm and certain.

"You're the first real home I've ever had," I confessed, the words barely audible. "Not the house. You."

Knox's hand came up to stroke my hair, his touch achingly gentle. "And you're mine," he replied. "We found each other, against all odds. Two broken pieces that somehow fit perfectly together."

I nodded against his chest, too overwhelmed to speak. The sting of the cane still burned across my skin, but the pain felt right somehow, a physical manifestation of the boundaries that kept me safe, of the care Knox took with every aspect of my life.

Chapter 26. Florian

"Hold still," Knox murmured, his breath warm against the back of my neck as he secured the silk blindfold over my eyes. The world went dark, and I felt his hands settle firmly on my shoulders. "No peeking, little boy." His voice held command and affection that always made my stomach flip. I wiggled my toes against the floor, fighting the urge to reach up and tug the fabric away from my eyes.

"What is this about?" I asked, trying to keep the whine out of my voice. "Daddy, you know I hate blindfolds."

Blindfolds were close to a limit of mine. I could handle cuffs, I could handle being manhandled, but the moment that darkness descended, I was a child in a closet again, hiding from my parents' screams.

"Patience, I promise it’ll be worth it, baby boy," he said, and I could hear the smile in his voice. "Small step down," he warned as we reached what must have been the foyer. His thumbs made small circles against my shoulder blades, soothing me.

"Step down again," he instructed. The morning cold hit me. We were outside now. I could hear the birds, chirping happily.

"Almost there, you're doing so well for me, even though you're scared," Knox said, his hands firmer now. The texture beneath my feet changed again. I felt the smooth concrete of the driveway. We walked a few more steps before he stopped me, his chest pressing briefly against my back as he leaned close. "Ready?"

I nodded, suddenly nervous, my heart thumping against my ribs. Knox's hands left my shoulders, and I felt him move to stand beside me. Then his fingers were at the knot of the blindfold, untying it, so slowly that made me want to scream.

The silk fell away, and I blinked fast, my eyes watering, and then...

"Holy shit."

There, gleaming in the driveway before me, sat a midnight-blue Jaguar F-Type. A massive red bow was perched on the hood.

I couldn't move. I couldn't speak. I could barely breathe.

"Do you like it?" Knox asked, and it was almost laughable. If I liked it? Are you fucking kidding me?

"Is that... is that mine?" I finally managed.

"Of course it's yours," Knox replied. "No one else lives here who needs a car."

I took one hesitant step forward, then another, as if approaching a wild animal that might bolt. When I reached the car, I extended a trembling hand, my fingertips hovering just above the surface before making contact.

A familiar tightness wound around my chest, the old voice whispering that I didn't deserve this, that it was too much. But I pushed it away, I didn't want to be an ungrateful brat. Instead of protest, I turned and launched myself at him, throwing my arms around his neck with enough force to make him step back to steady us both.

"Thank you, Daddy," I said, my voice thick with emotion. "It's beautiful. It's perfect. I don't know what else to say. I know I can't repay you for this. But I'll try to repay you by being the best boy ever."

Knox's arms encircled me, one hand cradling the back of my head. "You don't need to say anything else. And you’re already the best boy ever," he assured me, his fingers threading gently through my hair. When he pulled back, his dark eyes were warm with affection. "I chose the Jaguar for a reason," he continued, turning back toward the car, one arm still draped across my shoulders. "It has top safety ratings in its class. And," he added, "I thought the color matched your eyes."

I laughed, loud. "You're such a sap, Daddy," I teased, leaning into his side. "A ridiculously generous, thoughtful sap."

Knox chuckled, eyes crinkling at the corners. "Only for you, brat. If anyone else called me a sap, they'd be sleeping on the couch for a week." He ruffled my hair with casual affection. "But I suppose you've earned the right to give me a hard time," he replied, pressing a kiss to my temple. Then he reached into his pocket and produced a key fob. He held it out to me.

"Go on," he encouraged. "Take it. It's yours. Your name's already on everything."