Little In The Woods

(Love In The Woods Book 1)

By Ruby Keller

Copyright© 2020

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be duplicated or reproduced without prior permission of the author. This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is purely coincidental.

Chapter 1: Elijah

Chapter 2: Oliver

Chapter 3: Elijah

Chapter 4: Oliver

Chapter 5: Elijah

Chapter 6: Oliver

Chapter 7: Elijah

Chapter 8: Oliver

Chapter 9: Elijah

Chapter 10: Oliver

Chapter 11: Elijah

Chapter 12: Oliver

Chapter 13: Elijah

Chapter 14: Oliver

Chapter 15: Elijah

An Excerpt from next book in this series

Chapter 1: Elijah

I looked around and then stared at the giant sequoia tree before me. Hadn't I seen it just a few hours ago? I had tried to follow a straight path, but it looked like I was going in circles, trapped in a never-ending maze of trees.

I sighed and leaned against the hundred feet tall tree. Looking up, I could barely see where it ended. The trees were so dense in this part of the forest, light barely reached the ground. It was tempting to rest in its hollow trunk for a quick nap, but it was risky to stop now. I wanted to run so far away from the world, nobody would be able to ever find me.

I couldn't resist the urge to close my eyes anymore. I stepped into the darkness of the trunk and lay onto the ground, pulling my bottle out of the backpack and shaking it over my open mouth. A single drop fell onto my lower lip and I eagerly licked it up.

Just as I closed my eyes, my stomach rumbled again for the umpteenth time. I had a habit of skipping dinner, so it had been twenty-four hours since I last ate.

I didn't know where I was heading, nor did I have a plan to survive. Sometimes I strongly believed in destiny, and running away into the woods had seemed to be the only logical option at the time. It probably wasn't the best idea and I was beginning to regret it, but it was the only place I wouldn't be found. I had run in the beginning, but now I was so tired I could barely move a muscle.

Just as I fell asleep, I heard a roar nearby, jolting me out of sleep. It was unlike anything I had heard before. I jumped up in surprise and ran in the direction away from the sound, or at least I thought so. Hopefully, I wasn't running right into the jaws of a hungry wolf.

A few minutes later, I was panting and leaning against another large tree. I was beginning to realize destiny might've brought me to my death. I was dehydrated, cold, and hungry. My life flashed before my eyes, moment after moment of tragedy. I hadn't even begun living my life, but the thing I regretted the most was not losing my virginity. I wasn’t sure if I'd ever be ready to lose it even if I survived the woods. Boys my age were either working their way through every attractive girl in their class or falling in love. I was fucked up in the head and no amount of love could fix me.

Love was for people who deserved it, who earned it. Not for 'disgusting boys' like me, as dad had put it. He never forgave me for what I had done. Growing up without love, I secretly craved for it. But time and again, dad reminded me I wasn't worthy, and that I would never be.

My life had turned into one desperate attempt after another to please him, to hear him say he was proud of me. But nothing I did was good enough, not even being the high school valedictorian. He had taught me something was wrong with me, and I was desperate to change.

Now it began to pour out of nowhere, and before I could find shelter, I saw a man in the distance. I must've been hallucinating because there was no way someone else was this deep in the forest. I slowly began walking towards the man, but my feet refused to move any further. The trees spun around me and my eyelids were getting heavier. Just when I hit the ground, an image of my dad flashed before my eyes.

"I'm sorry, dad," I whispered as my eyes closed. "And I'm sorry for being a bad son."

Chapter 2: Oliver

I took the photo frame out of the drawer and stared at it, just as I'd been doing for the past 2 years on my wedding anniversary. It was the only day I allowed myself to look at Rebecca's face. She looked so pretty on our wedding day. It was painful how I thought I'd be with my ex-wife forever, but destiny had a different plan altogether. Love was a trap, and contrary to popular belief, it never lasted.

I almost didn't recognize the 32-year-old man standing beside her in the photo. I was such a different person back then, it could've been an imposter pretending to be me in the photo.

I was a womanizer before meeting Rebecca, sleeping with every woman interested in me. I didn't have to try to seduce women, because they threw themselves at me. Apparently, I was irresistibly charming, but I never planned on settling down.

Then one day, Rebecca walked into my life and I couldn't stop thinking about her after a night of passion. I had a rule not to sleep with the same woman twice. There were far too many fish in the sea, and my strategy back then was to cum and run. I was ashamed of it now, but I used to view women as nothing more than objects to pleasure myself.

I had become desperate to sleep with Rebecca again after the one-night stand, and so I had waited every night at the club hoping to see her again. When I did see her after a week, we exchanged numbers and continued sleeping together. No matter how many women I slept with after, I went back to her for more. Soon I had realized her body wasn't the only thing I wanted.

I never believed in love, but I was sure it was love that I was feeling back then. After a month of being exclusive, I considered myself cured of my sex addiction, and that Rebecca had saved me. I no longer felt the need to fill the void inside me by sleeping with strangers.

I went down on one knee after a month of dating, which was way too soon, but I knew nobody else could make me feel the way she did. When she said yes, I thought I'd had my happily ever after. But after what had happened, I refused to fall for it again. Love was a trap and just like everything else in this materialistic world, it didn't last long.

As my eyes now turned wet, I placed the frame back into the drawer and headed to the kitchen. After heating the chickens' dinner, I stepped outside and put it in their pen. It was too cold outside in the evening for them to eat cold feed.

"How was your day, Penny?" I whispered as she began pecking. I had named all my chickens, and it helped to talk to them sometimes. They couldn't talk back, but it was a way to exercise my vocal cords. I doubted if it was even possible, but I was afraid I'd forget how to speak as years passed by.

I closed the pen and looked at the empty clearing beside it. There was enough space to build a small dog house there. Living in the woods was awfully lonely, and a dog would help with that loneliness. At least then I wouldn't feel stupid about talking to animals. Like babies, a dog could understand a few hundred words if I taught it right.

I shuddered at the thought of going back to the real world to get myself a dog. I hadn't seen another person in two years, and I told myself I didn't miss being social, but I knew it was a lie at the back of my mind. It was funny how a major life incident could make a man go from being a social butterfly to living in the woods like a hermit.

I would have to get a dog from a shelter of course because I didn't believe in buying pets. There were far too many homeless puppies in the world. We didn't need to bring more into the world and increase their suffering. It didn't matter to me if it were a mutt. I'd love it unconditionally nevertheless. I always had this need to protect and take care of someone, but it was unfulfilled ever since I moved to the woods.

Just as I made up my mind to gather some more wood for the cold night ahead, I heard the sound of twigs snapping in the distance. I almost jumped when I turned around. A man fell onto the ground with a loud thud. Surely, I must’ve been hallucinating. I had lived there for the past 2 years and not a single man had dared to venture this far into the woods.

I ran to him and leaned over, poking him on the shoulders before waiting for him to wake up. When he didn't, I placed two fingers under his nose and sighed in relief when I found him breathing. Having a ripped body had finally paid off as I grabbed the lean man and put him over my shoulders. He was so light; I had lifted barbells twice his weight back when I hit the gym regularly.

With my hands on his bottom, I carried him into my house and laid him onto the sofa. It was too dark outside, but in the bright light inside, I saw that it was a young man. I moved my face closer to his and pushed the blonde hair reaching his shoulders out of his face. He had high cheekbones, full and bright pink lips, and a sharp jawline. His face was almost too pretty to belong to a man. I almost couldn't wait to see what his big eyes looked like when he opened them.

He wasn't a lean man after all, but a lean muscular jock. He had seemed light as a feather because he was a head shorter than me. I was 6 feet 4 inches tall, so he wasn't short by any means.

It wasn't a surprise I was crushing on him like a schoolboy. Not seeing another person for 2 years would do that to a person. What surprised me most was how attractive I found another man. I knew at the back of my mind that I was probably bisexual, but I was so busy chasing women, that I never got to explore my homosexual side. Growing up in a big city, there were quite a few gay men around, but I just didn't pay much attention to men. I found women much more attractive, but the unconscious stranger laying on my couch was a handsome exception.

Maybe it was my own isolation that made him seem attractive, or maybe it was the fact that I hadn't gotten laid in years. Either way, I was sure I would’ve hit on him if I had met him under different circumstances.

I almost felt guilty for staring at him for so long, but I was trying to memorize his face. It wouldn't be long before he woke up and went back to his life in the real world, and I would have nothing but an empty house to look forward to, for Lord knows how many more years.

When I took the shoes off his feet, there was a wound on his ankle, big enough to cause him pain with every step he had taken. It must've been there for the past few hours, which meant he hadn’t stopped to take care of it.

As I rubbed some ointment on his wound, I realized from the redness of his feet that he had been running for the better part of the day. I had a case of a teen runaway at my hands, and it was the most dramatic event that had happened in this part of the woods.

My touch lingered on his feet long after I was done rubbing the ointment. I was swooning over a stranger, but I had to be realistic about the situation I was in. Once he healed and rested enough, he would go back to his normal life. If I got too attached, I would only get hurt. It didn't matter how handsome he was, the sooner he left the better it was for the both of us. I couldn't get hurt, not again. I had taken every measure to ensure that when I moved to the woods, and a pretty teen jock wasn't about to change that. Besides, as a 36-year-old man, I was old enough to be his father. I covered him up with the comforter before heading back to my bedroom.

Chapter 3: Elijah

I opened my eyes to find a shirtless stranger staring back at me. Bewildered, I looked around to see where I was. The last I remembered, I was running in the woods, but now I was in a beautiful home with handmade furniture everywhere. In fact, the home itself had a very handmade feel to it. I looked back at the man, who was excitedly smiling from ear to ear as if I was the first man he had ever seen in his life.

Clearly, I had died and gone to heaven. Why else would I be in a home instead of the forest? Why else would the stranger be the personification of an ideal man? He was rugged, with narrow green eyes, thick eyebrows, and a stubble.

So this was what happened to gay virgins in heaven. They weren't greeted by God, but by the man of their dreams, who would then hopefully proceed to take their virginity.

I smiled and just as I was about to reach out and caress his face with my hands, I saw out the window behind him. There were trees outside, so we were still in the woods. It hit me how ridiculous my thought process usually was when I woke up from sleep. Blood rushed to my cheeks and my morning wood when I looked at his bare chest. I hadn't seen muscled pecs from up so close. I almost wanted to reach out and feel them up.

"Where am I?" I said as my smile faded, sitting up and looking around again. "This can't be real. I was so far away from civilization the last I remembered. I thought I was going to die."

"I wouldn't let that happen." He stuck his hand out and I shook it, the deepness of his manly voice giving me shivers. "I'm Oliver and this is my humble abode. We are quite deep in the forest, yes. I built this house here myself. Do you like it?"

It was anything but humble. I could tell a lot of work went into every detail. The windows were so big, they almost covered the entire wall. Bright morning light poured into the living room from every corner, and there were trees outside in every direction I turned. The area surrounding the very vicinity of the house was cleared, probably to let the bright sunlight in.

"It's amazing." My mouth was wide open in awe. "I'm Elijah, and I was trying to find my way out yesterday. I was lost, I think."

I couldn't let him know that I was running away, that police were probably searching for me. If life had taught me one thing, it was that no one could be trusted.

I put my feet on the floor and stood up, looking downward and noticing the sharp pain in my feet. I almost fell back onto the couch, but Oliver swiftly grabbed onto me.

"Your leg was hurt pretty bad." He pointed at my feet. "I could give you a house tour if you'd like."

Before I could reply, he bent over and swept me off my feet. I yelped out loud when my feet left the floor, but relaxed when I saw his handsomely rugged face inches away from mine. I tightly wrapped my hands around his bare chest, the warmth of his skin giving me goosebumps. He carried me into the kitchen first and showed off the hand-carved bowls and utensils. Then he gave me a quick tour of his bedroom followed by an empty room.

"You're more than welcome to make this room yours as long as you're here." He looked down at me and smiled. "I've never had guests over, but you can stay as long as you like."

I could barely concentrate on his words. The manly musk emanating from his bare upper body was intoxicating. My morning wood still stood strong and refused to die down unattended. My knees were conveniently bent such that they covered my raging boner.

Then he carried me outside where the birds chirped as the sun shone on a bright Sunday morning. He walked over to a pen and looked at the chickens inside.

"I get eggs from the chickens here. Don't think about eating them, though. I’d know if any of them went missing. They all have names and Penny is my favorite. They've been here as long as me."

"Oh, I don't eat meat. My mom was a vegetarian, and being one was the only way I could feel close to her."

"Was?" He walked over to a tiny wooden house and opened its door with his feet. "I'm sorry to hear that. This over here is how I generate electricity. I built this hydroelectric grid and it supplies most of the power. You can see the turbo turbine in there. I have solar panels, but they don't contribute as much, and they only work in summer."

"I love the roof." I looked up at it and it was shaped like a cross. "Is that moss on it?"

"Yeah, there's moss everywhere in this forest. I got some from different trees and stuffed it on a few spots on the roof. It weaved and grew amongst itself. I didn't want to strip an entire tree. I wanted the house to look like a natural part of the forest environment."

I could tell by the glimmer in his eyes that he was proud of what he had built. It was so attractive to see a man who was good with his hands and who knew what he wanted from life. What he wanted were simple things, things that no other men dreamed of, but they were important to him nevertheless. Even the way he carried me effortlessly, it showed how strong of a man he was physically.

"This is the end of the tour." He stopped before a huge pile of wood under a shed. "The shed protects the wood from rain. I like to have more than I need, in case I ever run out. The heating is from a range of hardwoods. Nights can get freezing cold out here, even in summer."

I got out of his arms and stood by his side. His arms were big and strong, but I didn't want to strain them anymore. I wrapped my arm around his shoulder as we headed back inside.

"So, what made you move out here?" I said, sitting back onto the sofa. "I don't suppose free rent makes someone want to take such a bold step."

"No." He laughed. "I guess I just love nature. Living in a big city separates you from it, and we forget our purpose in life. It's so calm out here, I get to reconnect with mother nature. Isn't it beautiful here?"

I just nodded, but I knew it had to be more than just a love of nature. People didn't just wake up one day and decide to live in the middle of a forest. Something bad must've happened to him. He must've been running away from something, just like me. I found comfort in the fact that we had that in common. We were both smiling and lying about our reasons, but we were hiding our hurting souls behind those smiles, willing to go to extreme lengths just to run away from the cruel world.

"Are you sure no one's searching for you?" He sat by my side and frowned. "Nobody has ventured this far into the forest before. Isn't your family going to worry that you're lost?"

I wouldn't be running away in the first place if I had a loving family like a normal teenager. What I had instead was a drunk father who reminded me every day how much he hated me.

"Nobody's worried," I said. "Because nobody wants me."

"I want you." He said, causing me to turn my head in surprise. "I want you here, I mean. It gets lonely out here sometimes, and I'm glad that you're here, even if it's just for a few days. How old are you? Do you study in the city?"

"I'm eighteen, and I just finished high school a month ago. Do you grow your own food?"

"Oh, you must be hungry." He stood up and walked over to the kitchen. "I'll make you some breakfast."

I stared at his body from behind. His shoulders were broad and his upper body narrowed until his waist. Then there was his big muscled butt, followed by thick thighs.

"Growing my own food would've been a good idea." He turned around briefly and I quickly shifted my gaze to his face. "I plan on doing that soon. But until then, my brother has hired a man to deliver me groceries and things I need. I send him a list of things I need and he brings them over every weekend."

"It must take him hours to reach this deep." I laughed. "I'm surprised he hasn't been eaten by a wild animal yet."

"It is pretty deep from the direction you came from. But from the other direction, it's thirty minutes away from the road. He doesn't get lost because I've marked the trees on the path. I know where to head if there's an emergency. I'll show you the path once you’re healed. That's the easiest way out of here.”

That made my heart skip a beat. It meant I was 30 minutes away from being found. All my efforts had been in vain.

"Does anyone else know that you live here?" I asked nervously.

"Not that I know of." He turned around again and frowned. "It's strictly confidential. I didn't want anyone to find out where I was, not even my dad."

That was a relief. My breathing returned to normal as I realized I was safe. With a strong man like him by my side, no one would dare harm me.

As I went back to creepily staring at his broad shoulders from behind, I had to remind myself what dad had taught me, that I wasn't worthy of anyone's affection, that I shouldn't dream about having someone, that I didn't deserve to be loved, that love was for people, but I was a monster for what I had done, that I deserved to spend an eternity alone and unloved.

There were times when I wanted to believe that Dad was wrong, that nothing was wrong with me, but I knew at the back of my mind that Dad was right. My life had proven time and again that it was true, that I was in fact unworthy of love. I ruined everyone's life with my presence and I wished to God I wasn't about to ruin Oliver's. He was a kind man and he deserved someone good like him.

It was time I came to peace with the fact that I didn't deserve to be loved, especially not by a good man like Oliver. I was different from other people, and there was no way I could fall for him. He would be disgusted if he ever found out who I truly was. Dad had taught me never to reveal my dirty secret, that I would be spat on for what I had done, that he was looking out for me by asking me to keep it a secret.

Nevertheless, the heart wanted what it wanted. Devoid of love, I badly craved for it. Even if just for a moment, I wanted to know what being loved felt like, just to see if it was as good as people made it out to be. It didn't matter if it was love from a parent or a lover.

As we ate eggs with toast, I wondered how my body would feel pressed up against his big frame, to have another man caress my body in a gentle embrace. I also couldn't help but wonder why Oliver was being so kind to me. He could've left me to die in the woods like every other person I knew would do. Instead, he carried me into his house and cared for me like I was part of his family. Did he want something from me? Because I had nothing to give in return, nothing to repay his kindness with.

Chapter 4: Oliver

I had initially made up my mind to send Elijah on his way the moment he woke up. But when he opened his eyes, I saw how beautifully gray they were. The moment he smiled that sweet smile, I turned into a schoolboy with a crush. Suddenly I found myself asking him to stay as long as he wanted, showing him his new bedroom if he chose to stay long. I couldn't believe the words coming out of my own mouth.

I cringed at how desperate I must've sounded. Not getting laid for 2 years would do that to any red-blooded man. I had lost interest in porn long ago. I'd had so much sex in my life, nothing could ever come close to holding someone in my arms, caressing their body and feeling the warmth of their skin against mine.

Since I hadn't felt the touch of another in so long, I forgot how warm it felt. My instincts told me to kiss Elijah's full pink lips, to explore his mouth with my tongue, and feel his beautiful body pressed up against mine. But I didn't even know if he was into men.

When I had carried him in my arms to show him around, it was just an excuse to have him physically close to me. How light and vulnerable he had felt in my strong arms. The touch of his arms wrapped tightly around my bare chest had sent jolts of electricity down my spine.

But then when he was having a quick afternoon nap, I began hating myself for how weak I had been. I had learned a valuable lesson in life a long time ago, that love wasn't for me. It was beautiful, but it always ended in heartbreak. This was exactly how I had felt when I first saw Rebecca, and I was sure I would never feel that way about anyone else.

If I gave into my cravings and cared for another person again, I would only end up alone and hurt like the last time. Yet as I stared at Elijah peacefully sleeping on the couch, I couldn't convince myself that someone as sweet as him could ever hurt someone.

There was something different about him. Most of the men I knew were overly aggressive and arrogant. Elijah on the other hand was sweet, soft-spoken, and always smiling.

It was tempting to give someone a chance. Just because someone hurt me didn't mean everybody else would. But I had been hurt way too many times for a lifetime. I had learned that people couldn't be trusted, no matter how pretty they looked. In fact, the prettier they looked the harder they hurt. As if their beauty was just nature's way of trapping you into caring for them, only to have your heart broken into a million pieces.

When Elijah woke up, I gave him my favorite books to read. There wasn't much one could do to pass time in the woods. Books had been my way of keeping in touch with the rest of the world. Sometimes it was hard to believe that even without me in it, the rest of the world went on as it always had.

"Oh, I've read them all." He looked at the book covers and handed them back to me. "Do you like Jane Austen too? I love the social commentary in her books. There are parts of the world where women still rely on marriage to advance their economic status."

"I liked them for a different reason, I think. I never tried to analyze them. I only saw them as good romance books."

"Do you believe in love?"

"Yes and no," I said after a pause and sat beside him on the couch. "I went from thinking it exists only in books, to being in love myself. Then I went back to not believing in it."

"Why did you stop believing in it?" His gaze shifted between my lips and my eyes.

"I thought I was in love, but when I got my heartbroken, I didn't want to do anything with it. It was easier to not believe in it than accept that it usually didn't last very long. Have you been in love?"

"No." He laughed. "I have a long way to go when it comes to intimacy and personal relationships. Maybe much longer than men my age. I haven't even been kissed."

It was hard to believe him when he looked the way he did. Back when I was his age, I was having sex left and right. But then again, not every man wanted to sleep around like me. Some just needed to find that one person that was made for them, the Juliet to their Romeo.

"You're a handsome young man." I just had to tell him how good-looking he was, just in case no one had ever told him. "Any girl would be lucky to have you. Girls like it when you make the first move. You can't let the fear of rejection stop you from trying."

"Thanks." He blushed and smiled, even his ears turning red. "I bet you'd make a great wingman. You sound like you speak from experience."

"You'd be surprised how much." I folded my arms and went down the memory lane. "There was a time when women threw themselves at me. As I grew older, I realized it wasn't the number of women that counted. At the end of the day, I went to bed alone and I needed someone to wake up to. Going to work wasn't fun when I had no one to come home to."

"So, you want to start a family one day then?"

"I wanted to, back when I believed in love." I turned to him. "Now I don't want anything to do with people."

"Doesn't it get lonely out here? There isn't a soul for miles."

"Very." I nodded. "Sometimes I want to pack things up and go back to civilization."

"What stops you from doing it then?"

"Life experiences," I said. "I've been betrayed by enough people to know that it's going to keep happening. The only way was to go as far away from people as I possibly could. I would live on the moon if I could."

We went mushroom foraging soon after. He was like an excited little puppy, running from one cluster of mushrooms to the next, trying to learn from my expertise.

"Look how big this one is, Oliver." He kneeled over and stroked it. "It looks like a pretty blooming flower, begging to be eaten."

"I wouldn't actually call it pretty." I kneeled by his side. "The bright color is nature's way of warning you not to eat it. It's one of the deadliest known mushrooms. Some of them just don't want to be eaten. When an animal eats it, it quickly learns the hard way never to taste it again."

"Oh, that's a shame." He pulled his hand away and wiped it on his shirt. "I probably shouldn't be touching it then."

"You can never really trust pretty things or people for that matter. The prettier they are, the more dangerous they turn out to be, as if their beauty is tempting you to desire them."

I desperately hoped it wasn't the case with Elijah. Hopefully, he was an exception to the rule I had come to strongly believe over the past few years.

By the time we were back home, we had pounds and pounds of different edible mushrooms, ranging from various Chanterelles to Boletes. He watched as I stir-fried them in Olive oil.

"They shrink quite a bit when cooked, don't they?" he said, his gaze stuck on the pan.

"The sizzling sound is the water leaving the mushrooms. You can really taste the uniqueness of each mushroom when you brown them a bit. Caramelizing them brings out the flavor."

"How did you learn to tell them apart from the poisonous ones?" He said, taking a seat at the dining table. "They all look the same to me."

"You learn quickly when survival's at stake. It's a choice between learning and dying from hunger. I get groceries from the city, but I had to learn basic survival skills, in case I get lost and need to survive on my own."

"So you mean I could die from eating this if you've made a mistake?"

"Are you willing to take that risk?" I asked with a smile, placing the pan in the middle of the table.

"I'd gladly put my life in your hands, Oliver. We've just met, but I trust you."

It was nice that someone needed me. It had been ages since anyone relied on and looked up to me.

Chapter 5: Elijah

I had been right about Oliver. There were men in the world who loved nature so much that they'd give up their normal lives just to feel closer to nature, but Oliver wasn't one of them. I could tell by the way he was excited to see me when I woke up, as if stumbling into me was the best thing to have happened to him in years.

He must've been betrayed by someone really bad to have such distrust in people. I hoped I could change his mind about how he viewed people. Sure, I distrusted people too, but not to an extreme as Oliver did.

I meant it when I said I trusted him. There was something about his big strong body that made me want to submit, to give up all my fears. I could be carefree around him because he took care of everything. It barely felt like I was in the woods. He provided me with food, shelter, and good companionship.

I respected his ability to stick to one thing and not give up until the task at hand was finished. I would never have been able to build such a beautiful home from scratch, let alone decide to spend an eternity in solitude.

Sure, I was apprehensive about trusting people, but I knew I needed them. I would've gone insane if I lived alone. Dad had been cruel to me, but I knew deep down that he loved me, despite never saying it out loud. He could've abandoned me as a baby, but he didn't. For every moment he was cruel to me, it was followed by a moment when he wasn't, and that was his way of showing his love for me. I wished he could've expressed it as a normal father would, but he was simply incapable of it and it was my fault.

Initially, I didn't know why I was treated differently. As a ten-year-old, I asked him one day what I had done to deserve his hatred. That was when he told me how mom died in childbirth, that I had killed her when I came into this world, that I was a murderer who should be in jail, and I hated myself for it ever since.

As days passed on, my obsession with Oliver only grew stronger. He wasn't like other men. He was kind to me and he didn't expect anything in return. I constantly found myself feeling guilty, for I didn't deserve to be treated with love and respect as normal people did. He'd hate me just as much as my father if he knew the real me, which is why he would never know about it. It was my dirty secret and I was going to take it to my grave. No one apart from my father knew about the sin I had committed, the sin of killing my own mother, and I planned on keeping it that way.

Every morning, I woke up as early as I could. Oliver worked out shirtless every morning in the living room and I shamelessly watched him. I'd pretend to be doing something else, like reading a book or listening to music. But it was just a reason to watch his muscled body.

My dreams had been getting increasingly perverse. Initially, it had started with some innocent muscle worship, but soon they involved him having his way with my body as I begged for more. I would wake up in the middle of the night sometimes, turned on with a raging boner only to realize in disappointment that it had all been a dream. I would then proceed to vigorously masturbate, moaning and whispering his name in my new bedroom.

Now as he did some one-handed push-ups, I stared at his broad shoulders from the sofa, pretending to listen to music. When he looked up and caught me checking him out, he blushed and smiled, his cheek forming a cute dimple. When he finished, he sat by my side with an arm resting on the backrest, sweaty and panting. The intoxicating smell of his sweat caused me to pop a semi, which I swiftly covered up by crossing my legs.

"College applications start soon, don't they?" He said when his breathing returned to normal. "Do you plan on going to college?"

I was happy he had asked me. My own father had never brought it up, but I knew I'd have to pay for it myself. Dad was filthy rich and liked to spend a lot, but never on me.

"I've always wanted to be a data scientist," I said, my gaze fixed on his heaving pecs. "I'd like to create programming code and apply it to different fields. It'll have to remain a dream for a while, though. I'll have to figure out a way to pay for my education."

"How do you feel about applying data science to business?"

"That's the end goal, yes," I said. "I wish to analyze business data and help companies become more efficient."

"Then my company would like to sponsor your education. In return, you'd have to work for my company for at least 2 years. I bet you'll make a fine addition to our data science team. It's a small team, but we're looking to expand shortly."

He had mentioned in passing that he owned a business, but I had no idea it was big enough to have its own data science team. He was so casual about solving all my problems, as if handing out jobs and sponsoring someone’s education mid-conversation was normal.

"That's so kind of you, Oliver. You'd do that for me? Sponsor me without seeing my grades? What if I'm not good enough?"

"I have a feeling for such things. I started my own business fifteen years ago. Eventually, you develop an instinct for it. I'm sure you'll work hard. Besides, it'd be an entry-level job. The goal is to ensure you learn while working under the senior data scientists."

An experience like that would be invaluable. There's only so much one can learn in college. At the end of the day, applying it to a real-world setting could only be learned from hands-on experience.

"Can I ask you something?" I said, to which he nodded. "No one has been so nice to me. Why are you being so kind? I can give you nothing in return."

"Sometimes, people just do nice things for nice people, without expecting something in return." He shrugged. "I have my own business, thanks to several such acts of little kindness along the way. I wouldn't be here without them, so I try to be generous whenever I can."

I gave him a quick hug, taking a deep sniff of his intoxicating smell. He patted me on my back while I tried to make the hug last as long as I could.

"Are you going to miss high school?" He said when he broke the hug, my arms hesitating before letting him go. "Have you made a lot of good memories?"

I felt so safe in his presence that I wanted to tell him the truth. I had kept it hidden for so long, I now wanted to tell someone.

"It wasn't as good as it should've been." I looked down at the floor. Something happened in the locker room and I was vigorously bullied ever since."

"Kids can be stupid at that age." He shook his head. "Do you want to talk about it? You can talk to me about anything. You know that, right?"

"I haven't told this to anyone because it's so embarrassing." I looked into his comforting green eyes as blood rushed to my cheeks. "I popped a boner after practice in the locker room, and my team started calling me names. The news soon spread and I've been bullied for being gay ever since."

I tried reading his face, but he wasn't surprised or disgusted like I expected him to be. Was he about to kick me out?

"It isn't my fault, though," I said when he sat in silence. "People say it's a choice, but I think I was born this way. I've tried to change before, but I just don't know how. If you wish to kick me out, I'd completely understand."

"Kick you out?" He finally smiled and I sighed in relief. "I'm not letting you go anywhere. This is your home now as much as mine."

"So are you fine with me being gay? It doesn't freak you out?"

"The way I see it, it doesn't matter if one likes baseball or basketball. So why should it matter if you like men or women? Don't pay attention to your bullies. Most of them regret their actions later on in life, when they realize they only did it to hide their own fears and insecurities. Are your parents fine with your sexuality?"

All the straight men I knew in high school were homophobic jerks. It was nice to see how years of life experience made a man wise, like Oliver now was. No wonder I had a thing for older men. They were far more mature and understanding. Boys my age were cute but very immature.

"I never got to know my mom," I said. "She died before I got to know her."

I almost wanted to tell him the truth, that she died giving birth to me. But I was sure no one was generous enough to let a murderer stay with them.

"I never got to know my mom either," he said after a pause, looking at the tree out the window. "She cheated on my dad with a rich man when I was twelve. Then she divorced my dad and married the man for his money. I never saw her again. That was when I realized that money was everything in this world, and so I tried to gather as much of it as I possibly could. I started my own business, which soon turned into a multi-million empire, in hopes that when she walked back into my life, she'd be proud of me. It's been decades since I've seen her now."

I grabbed onto his hand while the other rested on his bare shoulder. He was sad, and I had never seen him like this before. He continued staring out the window, lost in deep thought. If he thought money was everything, why had he abandoned everything? Something else must have happened that changed his mind, which made him realize that money wasn't everything.

"Who manages your business now then?" I tried to changing the topic to distract him from his sad thoughts. "Have you set it up to take care of itself?"

"My brother manages everything. I've been such a bad brother to him. He hasn't wronged me, yet I haven't seen him ever since I moved out here. I extended my distrust in people to my family, but I'm beginning to realize I shouldn't have."

At least he had a family who loved him, someone who wanted him back home. The only family I had left was my dad.

Later that evening, I decided to go for a stroll alone. He warned me not to go too far, and I didn't plan to. I barely knew my way, so I decided to walk around in big circles around the house, making sure it was always in sight no matter how far I was.

The sun was about to set and just as I was about to go back, I heard the sound of twigs snapping in the distance.

"Who's there?" I shouted, looking around and squinting at a dark figure hidden in the bushes, which slowly began moving closer to me.

I walked backward, trying to walk faster than the figure was approaching. For a moment it got under a patch of sunlight and I realized it was some kind of a large animal. Soon it was running on all fours and suddenly there was a roar so loud that I fell onto the ground in surprise.

I was paralyzed with fear as it slowed down enough for me to recognize that it was a brown bear. I sat on the ground with my eyes wide and jaw dropped as it stopped a foot away from me. I knew to look in the eyes of a wild animal meant challenging it to a fight, but I was so scared I couldn't look elsewhere.

My body was in a fight or flight mode. I heard my heartbeat and I was hyperventilating. It stood up on its hind legs and opened its jaws. Standing nine feet tall, its head covered the sun to form a giant shadow on my horrified face. It roared another one of its ear-numbingly loud roars and slammed its forelegs back onto the ground, throwing up a cloud of dust. The thick fur on its half-ton body shook from the impact. It roared again for the third time as if to ask how dare I challenge it to a fight by looking in its eyes.

I put my head down and looked down onto the ground, trying to breathe normally. It moved its long snout closer to my face and began sniffing me vigorously, to assess if I'd make a good enough evening snack. I considered running away, but that would only decrease my chance of survival. Playing dead would've been my best bet.

Footsteps swiftly approached behind me until they stopped by my side. Oliver had his arms above his head and he was shaking them to distract its attention to himself. He was willing to sacrifice his own life just to give me enough time to run away.

"It's okay, Coco." He stroked its snout and it now licked his face with its tongue, which was the length of his face. He laughed and moved his stroking to the top of its head. It whined like a dog as if to say it had missed him.

Oliver knew this wild beast? How would one even go about taming such a giant animal? One bite and it could kill a man. He was like the jungle man, trying to calm it down with his touch.

"This is Coco," he said. "I forgot to tell you about her. I haven't seen her for so long, I assumed she must've been hibernating. She's back now that it's summer again."

When he turned to me, Coco did the same. She remembered I could still be a threat and bared her teeth. She growled, slowly moving its salivating open-jaw closer to my face as I began to tremble again.

"No, Coco," he shouted, kneeling on the ground and placing his hand on my shoulder. "He's a friend. Don't eat him."

I closed my eyes, preparing to ready myself for death. Once again, the only thing I regretted before death was not losing my virginity. At least I had a sexy man like Oliver by my side as I would get mauled to death by his pet.

I almost jumped when I felt Oliver's lips onto mine instead. I opened my eyes and saw that he was sucking onto my lower lip. I closed my eyes again and tried to enjoy my first kiss as if we weren't being watched by a nine feet tall brown bear who wanted to eat me.

I didn't stop to ask him what he was doing. I was just glad I wasn't about to die unkissed. Maybe this was his way of saying his goodbye to me, by not letting me die unkissed. When he pushed his tongue into my mouth, I eagerly sucked onto his tongue and whimpered when he pulled it out of my mouth. Then it was my turn to stick my tongue out, which he then sucked onto gladly.

When he broke the kiss and looked up at Coco, she began sniffing me vigorously, starting at my feet and moving up to my face. She then stuck her big tongue out and licked my face. It was slobbering wet by the time she licked me again. Then it was Oliver's turn and he seemed much more relaxed than me, as if being licked by the world's biggest omnivore was part of his daily routine.

"I'm sorry about the kiss," he said as Coco sat onto the ground and looked at us. "I had to let her know that you weren't a threat. Bears lick each other to show they don't mean any harm. They have the strongest sense of smell on the planet, about 2000 times better than humans. So I thought kissing you with some tongue would show her that I trust you. Kissing releases chemicals that are linked with social bonding and happiness, which can be detected by animals like dogs and bears."

How silly of me to think he was doing it because he wanted to. I was alive thanks to his quick thinking, but I couldn't help but wonder if he enjoyed it just as much as me.

"Do you think she'll let me touch her?"

"She's much smarter than she looks. She was just trying to protect me and my home. She was probably on her way to meet me. I give her treats sometimes, and she likes to hang out in the living room if she's got nothing else to do."

"So you've got a pet brown bear." I slowly placed my hand on her snout and began stroking it, expecting to be attacked at any moment. "How does that even happen? Did you just find her in the wild one day and began feeding?"

"No." He laughed. "She was just a baby when I met her two years ago. I quickly realized she was either abandoned by her mother or was an orphan. Mama bears are known to abandon the weaker cub sometimes when they give birth to twins. I cared for her until she was strong enough to hunt and live on her own. She kept coming back, though."

"She considers you her mother." I laughed when she licked me again. "How sweet. Good girl, Coco. Good girl."

"Do you want to feed her carrots?" He joined me in stroking her fluffy fur. "I always keep a bag of them at hand in case she's hungry. I don't think she can find them in the wild, which is why she demands them whenever she comes back home."

"Does she fit through the door?"

"Are you calling her fat?" He laughed and shook his head. "She's just a little big-boned. I had to keep making the door wider every few months."

Chapter 6: Oliver

I was glad that Elijah trusted me enough to come out to me. I was a homophobic bully myself back in high school, but I learned to put myself in people's shoes when I started my own company. People were so different from each other, it was silly expecting them all to have similar behaviors and sexual preferences. My homophobia back then was probably a way of masking my sexual interest in men, which I had ignored for the better part of my life. I probably would have continued to do so had Elijah not walked into my life.

My sexual preference leaned heavily towards women, but it didn't matter what gender Elijah was. I liked him for the kind and gentle soul he was, with an innocence that's usually lost long before reaching his age.

The thought of losing Elijah had been very scary. When I had heard Coco's roar in the distance, I was happy that she was finally coming back home after such a long time. Then I remembered that Elijah was out there alone and they hadn't been introduced before. I had run as fast as I could, and luckily, he was still in one piece when I found him outside.

I knew I couldn't fuck up when I had seen him on the ground, looking down as if preparing for his death. I had taught Coco to understand many words, but they were mostly foods, and 'friend' wasn't one of them. My initial plan was to stand between them, to show her that she'd have to go through me before she could lay a claw on him. I was willing to sacrifice my life if it meant saving his, which was a strange feeling to realize in such a crucial moment.

Then the solution had suddenly hit me. Coco loved to lick me as a cub, and she hadn't really grown out of it. I did what felt right and hoped Coco would understand how much I cared for him if she saw me kiss him. I let my instincts take over and made out with him as I had badly wanted to over the past few days. There was an instant connection, as if that was where he truly belonged, in my arms with his lips planted on mine. I almost didn't want to let go, my boner rising with every minute that our mouths stayed connected. When I realized it wasn't right, that I was twice his age and he was probably hating every second of it, I had finally broken the kiss. I didn't want to, but I had to. It was the most action I had received in years, and now that I had kissed him, I wanted to explore all of his beautiful body.

I had been a fool to think I could resist someone as hot as Elijah. Whenever we talked, my eyes were fixed on his full lips, trying to imagine how good they'd feel wrapped around my cock. Every time he turned around, I caught myself checking his ass out. I had never been with a man before, and I constantly wondered how different his muscled butt would feel compared to a woman's soft butt in my hands.

I could no longer lie to myself about my needs for him, which were both sexual and emotional. I had been in conflict over the past few days whether to let him into my heart, but seeing him almost die cleared my mind. Life was too short to hold onto fears and inhibitions. I couldn't let the fear of failing stop me from loving again.

Now as Coco and Elijah entered the house, I closed the door and gave him the bag of carrots. When she sat on the floor and waited patiently, he sat on the chair and fed her one. Then he watched in fascination as she held it between her five-inch claws and took small bites out of it.

"I was expecting her to chomp down on it in one bite." He looked back at me and grinned.

"Maybe she would in the wild. But I've taught her some table manners. You should've seen her when she was a cub. She sat on the chair and ate food from a plate, picking it up with her little claws and eating it like a human."

As he continued feeding her the rest of the bag, I stared at Elijah from the sofa behind him. Whenever he turned back and noticed that my gaze was shamelessly lingering on his body, I gave him a sheepish grin. I wondered if he'd ever consider dating someone twice his age. How would that even work with me living in the forest? Even if he liked me back, he surely wouldn't give up his normal life just to live with me.

"Do you like animals too?" I asked when she finished her last carrot. Coco laid on her back and spread her limbs as she did as a cub. It was her way of demanding to be pet. She looked dangerous, but she was a playful goofball once you get to know her.

"Yes." He knelt on the floor and rubbed her belly with both his hands. "There was a litter of stray puppies where I lived and I fed them every day. Dad wouldn't let me adopt one of them. He hates animals."

"I can never trust a person who doesn't love animals. If you can't be kind to animals, you can't be kind to people."

"Me neither." His smile faded. "Dad hates people too. I was never allowed to have friends over."

I couldn't put my finger on it but something about Elijah changed whenever he talked about his dad, as if just bringing him up caused him great pain and discomfort. My relationship with my father was strained too, but the more I heard about Elijah's dad, the more I realized my dad was a saint in comparison.

"If you ever want to talk about your family, you can. It doesn't have to be now, but know that I'm here."

As he nodded, I wondered if the reason he was lost in the forest had anything to do with his dad. I wanted to believe that he was simply lost, but his strained feet told a different story. He was running away from something, or someone.

"I hope you didn't mind the kiss," I said, walking over to him and kneeling by his side. "It seems silly now, but it sounded like a great idea. I'm glad it worked, and that you're alive."

I was so glad when Coco had calmed down. The outcome could've been far more dangerous, and I wouldn't have forgiven myself for letting him go alone. But the experience had made me realize something, that I wanted to protect him for the rest of my life. It didn't matter what danger he'd face, I'd gladly fight any wild beast to save him.

"Not at all." He blushed as I began rubbing Coco's belly. "I thought you were doing it so I wouldn't die unkissed."

"I hope it wasn't too bad of a kiss." My hand briefly touched his on Coco's belly as she purred and licked her chops to let us know she was enjoying all the attention. "It's been years since I last touched someone."

"I don't have anything to compare it with." His cheeks turned redder and Coco pushed her head up and looked at us as if she could smell the romantic tension between us. "I hope it doesn't freak you out, but I enjoyed it, more than I should have. I hope I wasn't too bad either, for a first-timer at least."

"It was my first time kissing another man too. It felt different from kissing a woman, just the right amount of initiation and aggression."

"I was worried things would be different between us now,” he said after a pause. “Kissing another man would freak any straight man out."

"No, I enjoyed it too. I'm quite comfortable with my sexuality. Besides, I like to try new things, and I would be lying if kissing you hadn't crossed my mind before."

He was blushing so profusely, he could barely maintain eye contact. He looked so cute trying to hide it, it made me want to have him pressed up against me while I kissed every inch of his lean body.

Coco suddenly sat up and took turns licking our faces until they were soaking wet, as if to approve of us as a couple. We laughed and wiped our faces, only to be licked again.

Chapter 7: Elijah

It was surprising to hear Oliver say that he enjoyed the kiss. I was expecting him to be disgusted. Did he feel the same as I did? When I couldn't stop blushing and our hands had touched, we stared at each other for a good few seconds. Just as I was about to lean in for a kiss, Coco had interrupted us by licking our faces.

As days passed by, we began stealing glances whenever we could. I was almost sure that we felt the same way about each other, but neither of us was willing to make the first move. I had gotten into the habit of dropping things onto the floor in his presence, just to bend over and tease him with my ass that he liked to stare at in secrecy. If he got caught, he'd just grin from ear to ear.

I had completely forgotten about the rest of the world. The world went on in my absence as it always had, and I didn't miss it one bit. Oliver and Coco had become my only family. They were the only ones who mattered and cared about me. For the first time, I felt like I belonged and was loved.

Coco visited us each evening. She roamed the forest with her bear friends during the day and hung out with us in the evening. She accompanied us whenever we went mushroom foraging, and no wild animal dared cross our path in her presence.

I switched my phone off when I had entered the forest, and it had been days since I last checked it. Now I switched it on and there were a bunch of texts from my classmates asking me if I was alright. People who barely ever spoke to me were now concerned about my well-being.

I entered my name online in the search bar with the weak signal that I had. Headlines read 'Missing teen suspected to have run away from home', and 'Father of missing teen pleads for his son to come home'.

I panicked as tears formed in my eyes. I had done what had seemed sensible at the time, but I didn't expect dad to be this worried about me. I thought he'd be glad I wasn't a part of his life anymore, that I had been a bad son.

"What's the matter, Elijah?" Oliver stopped combing Coco's fur and sat by my side on the sofa. "Why do you look like you're about to cry?"

"I haven't been honest with you, Oliver." I blinked repeatedly to try and hold my tears back. "I was indeed lost in the woods, but it was on purpose."

"Hey, hush now." He wrapped a hand around me and pulled me closer, kissing the top of my head. "Everything's going to be alright. I won't let anything happen to you, Elijah. Just tell me what's going on."

I didn't care what he thought about me anymore. I was tired of hiding the truth and running. I had to let go and share my secret with someone.

"I ran away from home." I looked up at him and felt so protected in his strong arms. "My dad has always been horrible to me because my mom died giving birth to me. He’s called me a little murderer all my life, and I hated myself for it. He developed a drinking problem over the years because he missed mom. It only got worse as the years passed on."

"That's a horrible way to look at it." He rubbed my hand as I snuggled into him. "You didn't kill your mother, Elijah. It's a classic case of gaslighting you in believing so."

"But it's true that I killed her." I sniffled. "She would be alive if it wasn't for me."

"That's what he taught you to believe." He kissed my head again as he continued to rub my hand. "It isn't your fault that you believed him. Any child would if he's taught to believe a lie all his life. Trust me when I say it isn't your fault. He's a bad man who wants you to believe it is, but you can't let him win. Did he hurt you in any way?"

"Yes," I said after a long pause, tears threatening to run down my cheeks. "Every time he was drunk, he'd hit me."

"God, Elijah." He shook his head and hugged me tightly. "Why didn't you tell anyone? Was there no one you could confide in?"

"He told me I deserved much worse, for what I had done."

"Don't trust that for another minute, okay?" He kissed my cheek before wiping a tear. "He's a bad man who needs to be sent away to prison. You'll have to go to the police. You can't let him get away with it."

"No, please," I begged as Coco walked over to us. "Promise me you won't tell anyone. He's been bad to me, but he's still my father. I can't ruin his life for a second time. He'll never want to see me again."

"Only on one condition." He looked down at me and grabbed my face in his hands. "Promise me you won't believe any of the lies he's taught you. You're just letting him win if you do. Tell me you're not responsible for your mother's death. Say it out loud. He wants you to believe it just to give himself a reason to hit you."

"Okay." I went back to hugging him, just to feel safe again. "I'm not responsible for my mother's death. He's a liar and a bad man."

"So, what made you run away finally?" He broke the hug. "Were you tired of all the abuse?"

Coco whined and sniffed my face, smelling the sadness on me. She rested her head in my lap, trying to calm me down in the only way she knew, by asking me to pet her. I put my hand into her fur while caressing her long snout with the other.

"No." I shook my head as Coco looked up from my lap and licked my tear away. "He looked at my browsing history and found out that I was watching gay porn. When I came back home, he called me names, that I'd been nothing but a series of disappointments. He said he was going to whip me to death. When he tried to grab the whip, I panicked and ran away into the woods. I knew he'd tell the police that I ran away, just to get me back home and whip me. He likes to hold grudges that last a lifetime."

"No way I'm going to let that happen," he scoffed. "Not as long as I'm alive."

"What am I going to do? I have nowhere to go and I can't hide forever. I'll have to face his wrath eventually, and I'm not sure I'll survive it this time."

"Don't say that." He rested my head on his shoulders. "Trust me when I say I won't let anything bad happen to you. Neither now nor ever. Coco and I are your family now. You can move in here with me. I want you to stay for as long as you want to. I like having you here."

"I want to stay too," I said and smiled.

It was strange how I had spent an entire lifetime being unloved by my family, and yet someone I had recently met was kind enough to let me into their home. Was this how it felt to be cared for?

"I know just the right thing to cheer you up." He got off the sofa and patted Coco’s head in my lap, who then began to follow him.

"Where are we going?" I followed them out the door.

"You'll see. It was Coco's favorite place when she was a cub. I bet it'll be yours too."

He led the way as Coco and I followed. Soon we arrived at a beautiful waterfall. Coco instantly jumped off a ten feet high rock, water splashing so high from her weight that it turned us soaking wet.

"Your turn," he said and looked at me.

I got out of my clothes until I was down to my briefs. I was overly conscious about my lean physique, but his smile reassured me. He slowly began undressing himself and I shamelessly stared at the wet bulge in his red briefs, which strained to hold his large privates. My gaze then moved to his thick thighs, which I hadn't seen bare before. His chest was the most attractive part of him, which was broad at the shoulders but narrowed down to his waist.

It was the least dressed I had ever seen him, and I took a sharp breath in trying not to pop a boner. He slapped me on the ass and jumped into the water screaming, another splash hitting me in the face.

"It's quite warm," he said, waving a hand. "Get in here."

After a moment of hesitation, I jumped in too. Coco was between us and she was so tall, she practically stood in the water.

Oliver laughed and splashed some water onto me. I covered my face with a hand and splashed back. Coco looked at our hands and tried to imitate us, wildly splashing her five-inch claws into the water.

We laughed as we now directed our splashes at Coco, who began shaking her head wildly to dry it off. Her fur was so wet, that the water from her shaking head slapped us in our faces. We looked at each other and continued laughing. We swam around and she followed us wherever we went.

After playing in the water some more, she was tired of constantly having to shake her head to keep it dry. She swam back out of the water and looked back at us one last time before walking away into the forest.

"I still can't believe how friendly she is," I said, following him as he swam towards the waterfall. "She's supposed to be an apex predator, but she's just the sweetest."

The sound of the waterfall grew so loud as we got closer, I could barely hear anything else over it.

"That's what a little love can do," He said and stood under the waterfall. "It has the power to turn a bear cub into a lifelong friend. Come and stand by my side now. Enjoy it while it's still warm."

I stood under it for a moment before pulling away, and soon he did the same. The waterfall was way too high and loud to be enjoyable.

We swam away from it and climbed onto a giant boulder, lying on it and drying ourselves in the warm summer sun as birds tweeted in the distant trees. Paradise was on Earth, and we were in it. After having my head buried under books for most of my life, it was nice to enjoy nature for a change.

"Did you mean what you said before?" I asked, turning my head away from the scorching sun and towards him.

"Which part? That I like having you here?" He asked and I nodded.

"Of course." He scooted closer and lay on his side, placing his hand onto mine. "I like you very much. I don't know how I managed to resist you this long, but seeing your bare skin like this is driving me nuts."

This was it. It was finally happening. He was making his move and I was finally about to lose my virginity. He found me worthy of his affection. Maybe father had been wrong when he taught me all my life that I was unworthy of it.

"Me too." I almost gasped at the touch when he stroked my cheek. "But I thought you were straight."

"I don't know what I am anymore." He leaned in closer and began whispering in my ear, his cheek pressed up and rubbing against mine. "The only thing I know is that I need you."

I shuddered when his hand moved down to my stomach, stroking it before moving onto my chest. He planted his lips onto mine, and this time it wasn't to save me from a bear. I rolled over on top of his body and let his tongue push into my mouth. I sucked on it and whimpered when he pulled it out. Then it was his turn to suck on my tongue when I pushed it in his mouth.

I moaned into his mouth as his hands moved down to my ass. He groped my ass cheeks through the briefs and I felt his erection twitch against my crotch. Just as I about to beg him to put his cock inside me, the image of my father calling me homophobic names flashed before my closed eyes.

I broke the kiss and rolled back onto the boulder, letting out a disappointed sigh when his hands stopped groping my ass. He looked at me bewildered while I just shook my head.

"Did I do something wrong?" He planted his hand onto my lips and caressed them gently. "We can take it slow if you'd like. There's no rush."

"It isn't you." I shook my head. "It's me. I think I'm broken. I still look for my dad's approval. I can't do this knowing he wouldn't approve of it. He hasn't been very good to me, but he's put a roof over my head all these years."

"You still love your father, don't you? It is a strong bond, but understand that a parent is supposed to take care of their children, to protect and provide for them. Instead, he has hurt you and he's a very bad man."

"I know, but I just can't get his image out of my head, as if he's watching me commit the biggest sin in his eyes. I know he isn't here, but I feel like he'll know somehow. He always finds out things I do behind his back. I don't know how, but he does. Then he punishes me harder for going behind his back."

"Hush, now." He wiped the tear that had begun to form in my eyes, wrapping his arms around me. "Remember what I told you? No one's going to hurt you as long as you're mine. I won't let anyone harm you. Do you trust me?"

"Yes," I said, rubbing my face in his bare chest, finding his embrace very comforting. "But I can't give you what you need, my body."

"Is that what you think?" He kissed me on my head and looked me in the eyes. "That I want you for your body? I've been celibate for years living in the woods. I can wait a little longer for you to be ready."

"What if I never get better? What if my father haunts me for the rest of my life? What if I can never have sex?"

"Hush now, my sweet boy. Forget all your worries and let me take care of you. I'll wait for an eternity if that's what it takes to have your body. I like you for who you are, not for what you can give me. Sex or no sex, a kiss is enough to show our love for each other."

"Really?" I said and smiled as he nodded. I planted my lips onto his for another long and passionate kiss.

Chapter 8: Oliver

I had a strong feeling that Elijah's dad had something to do with him being lost in the woods, but I didn't expect him to be so bad of a father. For an eighteen-year-old like Elijah, everything can seem dramatic, and so I had assumed he had run away from his father for a trivial reason, something like stealing or getting into a fight.

As it had turned out, Elijah put up with his father for way too long. It was hard to hear him speak about the physical and verbal abuse he’d been through all his life. Poor Elijah hadn’t even known what being loved felt like until he met Coco and me.

I prayed to God I would never cross paths with his dad, for I wouldn't be able to stop myself from sucker punching that jerk. There was no way I was letting that evil man lay another finger on Elijah. I had appointed myself as his protector, and I would continue to protect him until my last breath.

It had felt so good to have Elijah's ass in my hands. I was happy that I was about to explore his beautiful body. When he freaked out about displeasing his father, I knew exactly how to help him.

Elijah had been deprived of love for far too long. What he needed was someone who loved him unconditionally, someone who would take care of him as he let go of all his fears. The trauma of his abuse haunted him and would continue to do so unless he dealt with them.

I had an idea about trying age play with him, just to relax his mind from constant worrying. He would learn to stop fretting about life's problems and let grownups take care of everything. When I ordered groceries for the week, I added a couple of other things to the list needed for age play. My brother didn't care to check the list anyway, so I didn't have to worry about him finding out. Not everyone was accepting when it came to kinks.

I eagerly waited for my brother's friend to arrive with them at the weekend, which was in five days. Until then, Elijah and I continued to sleep in separate rooms, but we kept making out whenever we could. It was the only way to calm the sexual tension between us. I could see that he popped boners when we made out too, and my instincts almost made me grope his body and initiate sex, but then I'd remember he wasn't ready for it yet. After a few days, I jerked off vigorously in the bathroom alone after our make-out sessions, imagining it was Elijah's hole around my cock and not my own fist. Elijah would just laugh at the raging boner in my shorts when I walked awkwardly to the bathroom. Somehow, he could calm his boner down without having to wank, which was a surprise. Whenever I tried it, I would either end up with blue balls or erections that refused to go down until taken care of.

When the weekend finally arrived, I opened the front door early in the morning to find two giant bags of items I had ordered. I brought them in just as Elijah woke up and walked into the living room.

"You don't have any clothes on." His jaw dropped, his eyes glued to the dick swinging between my legs with each step. "It's so big. I almost regret having to wait."

"Sorry about that." I placed the bags before him and pointed at them. "I was so excited for these when I woke up, I couldn't bother to put my clothes on."

"What are they?" He peeked in and pulled an adult-sized diaper out. "What's it for?"

"Have you heard of the age play community?" I sat beside him on the sofa.

"I’ve read about it, but haven't met anyone who practices it. It's got something to do with adults wearing diapers, and I think it's a sexual kink."

"It is sexual for some, yes. But for others, it's just a way for Littles to let go of their worries and trust in their daddies. I thought it would be the perfect way for you to have another childhood. You missed the pleasure of being a careless child, thanks to your father's lies. Now you get to relive your childhood, but this time with innocence. What do you think?"

"Oh, so these are for me?" He looked at me in silence for a while. "It doesn't hurt to try."

"That's the spirit! Do you want to learn more about it? We can start whenever you're ready."

"I could learn along the way." He put the diaper back in the bag and looked at me. "Let's start right away. If you think it'll help me, I'm willing to give it a try. But what if it doesn't work?"

"That's the first rule you need to learn." I stood up, held my arms out, and he climbed into them "You're a Little now and good Littles don't worry. They let Daddy take care of everything."

"Yes, Daddy." He rested his head on my shoulder and I kissed him on the cheek.

"Off to the bathtub, my sweet boy. Let's get you clean and ready for the day. There's a lot of playing and fun to look forward to."

I carried him into the bathroom and ran his bath, pulling his shirt above his head and then getting him out of his shorts.

"Look, Daddy." He pointed at me and smiled. "I'm in my birthday suit, just like you."

"Yes, my boy. Now get in and wait for daddy to come back."

He stepped into the full bathtub and stood patiently while I went back into the living room and grabbed his new toys out of the bag. When I returned with yellow toy ducks, he stuck his hands out eagerly and his face lit up with happiness.

"They even squeak like real ducks." He laughed, taking turns squeezing them in each hand before laying down in the bathtub.

He pushed them under the water, but they floated back up each time, making him throw his head back and laugh hysterically.

"Come in, Daddy. I want us to bathe together."

I stroked his hair and stepped in, laying in the water by his side and pouring some water on his head. I was glad the bathtub was big enough to fit us both.

"Look, Daddy. I'm Coco now." He shook his head wildly and smiled as the water hit me in the face.

I already knew this was going to help him. He smiled and laughed as I had never seen him before. He continued his efforts to sink the unsinkable ducks, being amazed each time they floated back up.

Having his naked body so close to mine turned me on so much, I had to divert my thoughts to something unsexy to prevent an erection. I didn’t want Elijah’s Little time to have anything to do with sex. As my boy, he needed his daddy’s protection and care. Making out could be saved for when he was out of his Little headspace.

I soaped his arms and belly as he rested his head on my bare chest. When he wrapped his hand around my waist, my cock twitched out from under the water, slowly growing in size as he stared at it. He looked up at me and laughed, pointing at it and pushing it back down under the water, only to watch it come back up.

“It won’t sink daddy, just like the ducks.” He continued laughing and pushing it back down.

“Yup, it won’t sink as long as I have your body next to mine. Time to dry you up.”

We both climbed out of the bathtub and I toweled us dry, my dick finally shriveling. I grabbed his hand and led him into his bedroom where he waited for me to return with his new clothes.

“It’s Coco,” he almost screamed with joy when I placed his shirt on the bed. “You had it specially made for me?”

It was a red shirt with ‘I love Coco’ written on the front, with a big image of a bear on the front and the back. The bear wasn’t Coco, but all bears looked the same anyway. I planned on having another one made with Coco’s picture on it this time, but I had to wait for Coco to visit us first. We hadn’t seen her for the past two days.

“Only the best clothes for my handsome boy.” I put it on him and he ran his hands through the bear’s image on the front and back. "Now lay on your back and raise your legs."

"I like where this is going." He laughed, jumped up onto the bed, and bounced on the soft mattress. Then he laid his upper body on the edge of it and raised his legs to the heavens. I put the diaper on him and slapped his bum.

"How do I look?" He walked over to the mirror and gave a twirl.

"You're not done yet." I showed him his matching red jammies, but with ducks on them.

"The ducks are back." He clapped excitedly. "Quack, quack!"

He raised his leg when I tapped on his knee, stepping into his jammies and giving me a tight hug. I went back into my room and got dressed myself.

"Do you want some warm milk before breakfast?" I asked, to which he nodded.

"It's Coco again!" He exclaimed when I returned with milk in a sippy cup, which had bears on them.

"Yes, I had to make sure you remember that Coco loves you, even when she isn't here with us. I bet she misses you just as much as you miss her."

"Why hasn't she come home in two days, Daddy?" He took a sip out of his cup and stuck his lower lip out. "Doesn't she love me anymore? Have I not been a good boy?"

"Of course, she still loves you." I sat by his side on the bed. "Bears have a busy life. They spend all day searching for food, then rest all night in their caves. They have to constantly keep eating to maintain their body weight. Sometimes she goes so far away that it takes her days to come back to us."

Just as he finished his milk, I heard the front door open. His face lit up instantly and he ran into the living room.

"Coco's back!" He screamed in joy as he threw his arms around her fluffy fur. He kissed her on the head and broke the hug. She licked his face and then sat on her hind legs before waving at me.

"No way!" He turned back and looked at me as I waved back at her. "Did she just wave at you? She looked just like a human."

"I taught her that years ago when she was a cub. I'm surprised she still remembers it."

"Look, Coco!" He stood before her face and pointed at the image of the bear on his shirt. "Daddy got me a shirt to remember you by. It's my favorite shirt now and I'm never taking it off."

"Well, you'll have to take it off at some point. It'll get all stinky if you wear the same shirt every day."

"But I'll miss her if I take it off," he said and turned back to her. "He's also got me a sippy cup with you on it. I'll think of you every time I drink out of it. Don't be gone for so long again. I missed you a lot, and so did Daddy."

Coco just looked at me and then back at him, proceeding to lick his face as he laughed.

"I think it's her way of saying she missed you too." I ruffled his hair. "Do you want to feed her some carrots? She hasn't eaten any in a week."

I watched with a smile on my face as he fed her, talking to her as if she could understand him. When she was done eating, she demanded to be pet as usual, by laying on her back and shaking her paws at us. I joined him by sitting on the floor by his side, and we scratched and rubbed her fluffy belly.

"She sure is getting fatter by the day." He laughed. "I think it's time to widen the front door again for the fourth time."

When Coco left in the afternoon, Elijah waved at her in the doorway long after she had disappeared into the forest. They had bonded a lot ever since they first met. I was surprised that she was coming over more frequently and staying much longer than she used to. She loved him more, and I couldn't have been happier about it. I wanted her to give as much love to Elijah as she possibly could. I wondered if she could smell that he was going through a tough time and if she was visiting us just to make sure he was okay. Animals were far smarter than people believed them to be.

He crayoned his coloring book until lunch. I fed him his favorite food, linguine with pesto and cheese, while he sat on his highchair. Then we watched an animated film with him sitting on my lap, halfway through which he fell asleep. I quietly carried him to the bed and he took a small nap. He got out of his Little headspace when he woke up, so he changed into his regular clothes.

When it got a little colder in the evening, Elijah and I laid on the floor by the fireplace in each other’s arms, rubbing our hands together and talking about Coco. I told him how I met her and about the time Coco had chewed through the furniture as a cub.

"Can I ask you something, Oliver?" He said and I nodded. "Why did you move into the woods? You've told me before, but I think there's more to it. It couldn't just have been for the love for nature, and it wasn't for the scenery either I assume."

"I knew I'd have to tell you the truth eventually." I grabbed onto his hand and placed it on my chest. "There was a time when I was in love, with Rebecca, my ex-wife. I married her because I thought I was in love, but she grew distant with each passing day. When she started coming back home late in the night, I started suspecting her faithfulness.

"I thought it wasn't possible because I had money, the reason which made my mom cheat. But I was wrong about it all along. People cheated because they were jerks, irrespective of money’s involvement.

"One day, I followed Rebecca's car late in the evening. I was surprised when she visited my best friend, Mark. They had only been introduced once, and a long time ago. Mark was a womanizer like I used to be, but he was a homewrecker, sleeping with everybody's girlfriends. He didn't care if he ruined lives in the process, all it mattered was getting laid. It was foolish of me to be friends with such a man, but I didn't think it would happen to me. But it did, and I caught them red-handed.

"I had not just lost my wife, but the man who was my best friend since kindergarten. Long story short, I divorced her and never saw him again. It made me realize that my love and friendship had been based on lies all along. They wouldn't have done it had they cared about me. People closest to you could hurt you the most, which is why I ran away from people, just to save my heart from getting hurt again.

"That was when I realized that love wasn't real, or at least that it wasn't for me, and that people can't be trusted. People use the L-word every day and it has lost its meaning. They shouldn't use it unless they really meant it. I handed my business over to my brother and moved to the woods, where no one could betray me anymore.

"It was also when I started caring about animal rights. People lied, but animals can be trusted. They don't expect anything in return. They just love you for who you are, and they never betray you."

"I agree." He nodded. "People should only use the L-word when they mean it. I'm sorry about your ex and your friend, but you can't let their betrayal define the rest of your life."

"I know, but it has," I said. "People go to extreme lengths to protect their hearts, knowing that it might isolate them in the process. The fear of another heartbreak can be far greater than the possibility of isolation."

"Does Daddy not trust Little Elijah then?"

"I always will. That's the beauty of a Daddy and his boy. No matter how naughty a boy is, Daddy will always trust, protect, and care for his boy."

He smiled from ear to ear and I gave him a quick peck on the lips. Wrapping his arms around my chest, he closed his eyes.

"How was being a Little for the first time? Do you think it's helping you?"

"Very." He opened his eyes and looked up at me sleepily. "I haven't told anyone about this, but I have anxiety. Not knowing when your father's going to come home drunk and whip you will do that to anyone. But for the first time today, I was carefree and without any anxiety. Gone was Elijah who worried about his father's approval before doing anything. All I cared about in my Little headspace was having fun, knowing that Daddy will take care of all my problems. It felt like I was living the normal childhood I was supposed to have but was robbed of by my father."

"I'm glad it helped you." I gently stroked his long blonde hair as he closed his eyes again. "I like being your Daddy too. I've always had this need to protect and care for someone. Now I know I was meant to be a Daddy. I'm glad you got lost in the woods the way you did. I don't know how I've lived my life without you. I've learned so much about myself over the past few days."

"You've taught me far more. I've learned that I deserve to be treated as a human. I wasn’t sure I was responsible for my mother's death, but I was taught to believe so all my life. My dad is manipulative, but I think he doesn't know it himself. He truly believes I deserve his cruelty for something that was out of my control."

Before the sun had begun to set, I showed him the shortest path to get out of the forest just in case of an emergency. It was a fifteen minutes straight path marked with giant 'X' on trees. As long as one walked between the 'X's one could reach the road and the supermarket. I hadn't been there for a long time, so I cringed when we reached the road.

Living in the woods had changed my mind. I now knew that I could never go back to civilization. I had grown way too attached to Coco and nature to ever leave them behind. I had gotten used to the calm and relaxing sounds of birds chirping and trees shaking in the wind.

Chapter 9: Elijah

Initially, I had been quite unsure about Oliver's idea of age play, but I trusted his judgment. I had never explicitly asked for help, but I was in desperate need of it. When I entered my Little headspace, all I cared about was playing and having fun, something I had never gotten to do as a child. I had been forced to grow up way too quickly at an early age. But with age play, I was in the comfort of Daddy's care. It felt so good to be bathed, fed, and spoiled by Daddy.

It was quite surprising that age play wasn't as popular as it should have been. Everyone needed some Little time, whether they've been physically abused or not. It was a great way to escape the stress and problems that came with being an adult.

Ever since Oliver had introduced me to it, I was spending a lot more time in my Little headspace. I was concerned my Little needs were far too tiring for Daddy, but he hadn't shown any signs of being tired of it. Maybe he was meant to be a Daddy, just like I was meant to be a Little. Maybe being my Daddy gave him just as much happiness that being his boy gave me.

Usually, I would've been fretting about every sentence that came out of my mouth, to the point that I would think thrice before speaking. It had been my mind's way of adapting to growing up with my father's short temper. Something as simple as speaking back usually earned me whippings. But now as a Little, I found myself speaking nonstop, talking to Daddy and Coco about whatever came to my mind. There were no consequences of my actions because he went so easy on his boy.

I could throw a tantrum and he would try to calm me down instead of punishing me. Sure, he'd warn me when I was too naughty, but he hadn't punished me so far. I wondered if it was because I had been punished so much all my life. Maybe he didn't want to punish me at all because of my history of physical abuse. I knew that age play involved some disciplining, and I tested his patience every time I threw a tantrum, just to see how far he would tolerate it without punishing me. Maybe one day when I had gotten professional help for the abuse I had gone through, I hoped Daddy would be able to punish me without worrying to damage me further.

Coco seemed to like my Little personality far better because she had been coming over almost every single morning now. We were like two loving siblings who loved to swim and go mushroom hunting together.

Now it was another bright summer morning and I had gotten used to my morning routine. Daddy would gently wake me up with kisses. Then we'd bathe together while I played with my ducks in the bathtub. He'd soap me up and wash me, followed by toweling me dry and dressing me up. He had quite a few surprises up his sleeve. I wore new clothes every day, and they were mostly animal-themed. Bears were to be found on shirts and jammies, and ducks on onesies.

Halfway through having my breakfast on my high chair, I heard the front door open. I unbuckled myself and got out of my chair, crawling on the floor until I reached Coco in the living room.

"Do you want some breakfast, Coco?" I crawled to the kitchen and came back with a long wooden ladle and a bottle. "Daddy ordered some organic honey for you, in case you're having a hard time finding it in the forest."

I sat on the floor and poured some of the honey onto the ladle as Coco sniffed the bottle. She probably wanted to eat it all in one go, but I wanted her to enjoy the taste.

"There you go." I stuck the ladle forward and she put it in her mouth, sucking it within seconds and patiently waiting for me to fill it up again.

"I think she likes it a lot, Daddy." I looked back when he walked into the living room. "This might be her new favorite food. I wonder what else we could feed her that she can't easily find in the forest."

"Do you want to see something cool?" He said, placing a chair by my side and sitting on it.

He took the bottle out of my hand and poured a handful in his hand. Then he smothered my face with it and watched as Coco moved her snout over my face and sniffed it. She stuck her long tongue out and began licking the honey off my face.

"Oh, she's tickling me." I threw my head back and laughed so hysterically that I could barely breathe. She licked my face clean until there wasn't a single drop left. I gasped for air when she stopped and Daddy wiped the happy tears off my eyes.

We went for a quick swim by the waterfall, another one of our daily routines. After lunch, Coco left and it was time for our nap. In the evening, I crayoned as he read a book. Then it was time for watching a cartoon on the TV, and he usually watched it with me. I knew it was his least favorite activity to do with me as it bored him, but he did it anyway. He cared enough about his boy to accompany me in everything I did.

When I woke up in the middle of the night, I crawled over to his bed in the other room and climbed into it. I wrapped my arms around him and fell asleep as I sucked on my binky.

That night, I dreamed that Daddy had finally had enough of me, that he was tired of having to take care of me. When I had done something wrong, he took a long whip out, just like the one my father had. Then he proceeded to whip me senseless and I could see the happiness in his eyes, the same happiness that my father had after he was done punishing me. Then Daddy proceeded to carry me to his car and he said he was driving us to my favorite restaurant. But he dropped me in the middle of the desert and drove off as I begged him to come back, that I was sorry I had misbehaved, and for being a naughty boy.

When I woke up from the bad dream in the morning, I was panting and covered in sweat. Daddy was still asleep because we had gone to bed late last night. The front door opened on time and I crawled into the living room to greet her.

"Daddy wouldn't do that to me, would he Coco?" I hugged her teary-eyed and kissed her head. "He wouldn't whip me as my father did. He would never stop loving me. It was just a bad dream. Daddy is a good man. He would never stop loving his boy."

Coco just whined softly and licked my face. She was either agreeing with me or she just wanted to have her breakfast. Either way, I covered some carrots in honey and gave them to her while Daddy was still asleep.

As she grabbed the sweet carrots in her claws and ate them one by one, I wondered if my dream could ever come true. Would I ever lose my daddy because he got tired of me? Would he ever stop caring for me? Would he turn mean like my father one day and abandon me? He was all I had, so I would lose everything if that happened.

Chapter 10: Oliver

I was surprised Elijah liked being Little as much as he did. He had been apprehensive about it in the beginning, but he was a natural. The pain he had gone through all his life made him enjoy his Little headspace more than anyone else. He was laughing and smiling much more often now and I was glad he had found something that took his mind off his evil father. He was bringing his father up much less often, and rarely when he was in his Little headspace, which was a good sign.

I could tell that he was deliberately trying to test my patience. He would suddenly turn adamant sometimes, a quality that was absent from his personality before. He was trying to find out just how far he could get without being punished.

The reason I didn’t want to punish him was twofold. He thought he was trying to test my patience, but it didn’t bother me at all. I liked that his true self was finally coming out, something he had kept hidden all his life for fear of being disliked. The second reason was that he looked so innocent and cute when he was Little, crawling on the floor from one room to another and riding on Coco’s back while he sucked on his binky. I couldn’t punish him even if I wanted to when he looked so innocent being a naughty boy. He was finally letting go and having some fun.

Over the past few days, I’d been reading him a bedtime story, but he had gotten into the habit of waking up in the middle of the night and sleeping in my bed. I wasn’t sure if he was ready for it, but we had now started sleeping in the same bed. I liked waking up next to someone as handsome as him in my bed. I had isolated myself for so long that I had forgotten how good such simple things felt, things like kissing someone goodnight, feeling the warmth of their hug, and waking up next to them.

I wanted us to last forever, but my experience had taught me that forever was just a fantasy. In reality, people betrayed and left you. My best friend betrayed me though we had been friends for over 25 years, and my ex cheated on me though I was ready to grow old with her. It made me wonder if Elijah too would betray me one day in the distant future.

Elijah didn’t look like the person who could cheat, but neither did my ex. Whenever I watched him happy in his Little headspace, a voice inside my head asked me to let go of all my doubts and fears, because Elijah was the one who was meant to be my happily ever after. And yet, another voice said he will hurt me just like the others have, that I have been a fool to let another so close to my heart. The closer they get, the harder it hurts when they betrayed you. I tried not to pay much attention to the negative voice, for I deeply cared about Elijah. Being his daddy, I felt the need to protect him from any danger, be it physical or emotional.

Now I smiled as I watched him ride Coco’s back as we went mushroom foraging. I was doing the foraging part while he was doing his part by looking cute while vigorously sucking on his favorite binky atop Coco. He was so light in comparison that Coco’s half-ton body must’ve barely felt any difference carrying him.

When we returned, I cooked while Elijah rubbed her belly and talked to her. He slowly crawled into the kitchen and sat at my foot before hugging my leg.

“Am I being a good boy, daddy?” He asked and looked up with his big gray eyes.

“The best, my sweet boy.” I bent over and kissed him on the head.

“I want to tell you that you’ve been a good Daddy too. Thank you for taking care of me. I love you, Daddy.”

I couldn’t believe he had just used the L-word, the word I shuddered to utter ever since my ex cheated on me. I had sworn to never say it to anyone else, as a way of protecting my heart from getting hurt again, but looking down at Elijah staring back at me with his big gray eyes almost made me want to say it back. I opened my mouth to finally confess how much I loved my sweet boy, but the words just wouldn't come out.

"Thank you, my sweet boy," I managed to say. His jaw dropped and he stuck his lower lip out, pouting in disappointment before crawling back to Coco with a frown.

Thanks to my unreasonable fears, I had broken his little heart. I almost wanted to go back and tell him I loved him, that I will always continue to love him, for a Daddy's love for his boy was pure and unconditional, the purest form of love. But I just couldn't do it, and I didn't know why. My distrust in people had damaged me so much that I couldn't recognize true love when it was right before my eyes. I had been blinded by my past experiences.

Chapter 11: Elijah

Oliver had once said love should be expressed only when people meant it. I knew it was too soon, but I was sure it was love that I felt. It was a shame he didn't feel the same. I thought he was the one for me, that I was lucky to have found love at such a young age when other people spent a lifetime searching for love.

When he just thanked me back instead of expressing his love for me, I was mad, not at him, but myself. I knew he was skeptical about believing in love, that love wasn't for him, and yet I expected him to love me back.

Part of the reason why I confessed my love was that I badly needed to hear it back. No one had ever told me they loved me, especially not my father. I had spent years trying to please him just so I could hear him say that he loved me. It never happened, and it looked like I would never hear it from Oliver either.

Could it be that something was wrong with me? I knew that I was broken, but was it true what my father had taught me all my life? That I was unlovable, that it wasn't physically possible for anyone to feel that for me, that I was unworthy of love because I wasn't like other normal people, because in his words 'I was disgusting'. As I slept in bed with Oliver that night, I couldn't help but repeat my father's words in my mind as I fell asleep teary-eyed.

I usually woke up in my Little headspace every day, but I didn't on that particular day. I was way too stressed to think about anything other than what happened the previous day.

"Is something wrong? You've always wanted to be in your Little headspace in the mornings."

"I just feel like I don't need it today," I lied. "Nothing's wrong. I feel so relaxed that I might not go back to bring Little for a while."

In truth, I knew I would openly show how upset I was if I went into my Little headspace. Being Little meant having no inhibitions, to be truthful about how I felt without worrying about consequences, and I wasn't sure he'd like the truth very much. The truth was that I was beginning to doubt myself. I was beginning to think again that I was unworthy of anybody's love, especially not someone as kind and generous as Oliver.

When Coco arrived for breakfast, it was as if she could tell I wasn't the same. She whined more frequently as if she could smell the pain I was feeling in my heart but was so effortlessly hiding from Oliver with my forced smiles.

After Coco left earlier than usual, we went swimming at the waterfall without her. I could hide my pain well, but I was speaking so rarely, he probably knew I wasn't fine. We sat on the boulder to dry ourselves.

"Do you want to talk about yesterday?" He asked.

"What's there to talk about?" I turned to him, scared that discussing it would only make things worse. What if he confessed that he didn't feel love for me? That it was just a casual fling for him while I considered him the love of my life.

"I know you're upset." He scooted closer and placed his hand on mine, stroking my face with his thumb gently. "Communication is the key to a healthy relationship."

"It is what it is. You said one should express love when one feels it. I know that I do, and all you feel is thankful for it. I've been a fool to think you loved me too."

"Love is just a four-letter word. My inability to say it doesn't change the way I feel about you."

"How do you feel about me? I wouldn't know, because you haven't told me yet. If this is a just casual fling for you, I deserve to know. I don't want to get hurt believing this is something it isn't."

"A casual fling?" He frowned and shook his head. "Is that what you think you are? You know I care about you. Why else would I let you come so close to my heart? I had sworn to never have feelings for anyone after my ex, but you changed that. I think you're the one for me. We're meant to be together. Don't you see how good we are together?"

"I do," I said after a pause. "I think you're the one for me too."

"I just need some time before I get used to opening up my heart. Just because I don't say it doesn't mean I don't feel it. I just have difficulty expressing how I feel. Rebecca fucked me up for good."

He moved his face closer to mine and kissed me on the forehead first, then on my cheek.

"I haven't told you this, but I love how your lips are so pink and full." He stroked my lower lip before pushing his finger in my mouth, causing me to instinctively suck on it like it was my binky.

"And I love how your pecs and biceps are so big." I rubbed my hand on his bicep while groping his pecs with the other. He planted his lips on mine, sucking on my tongue entering his mouth.

"I think I want to taste something else this time." I moved my hand down to his crotch and grabbed him by the erection beneath his briefs.

"But you aren't ready. I don't want you to do it to please me. I want you to do it because you want it just as much as me."

"I do." I pulled his briefs down, his fat cock jumping out in excitement. "I don't want to wait anymore. I love you and I want your body. That's all that matters right now."

He nodded slowly as I wrapped my fingers around his dick, jerking it off as he closed his eyes and began breathing heavily. He moved his mouth onto my chest and kissed my nipples before nibbling on them.

I sat up and moved my face closer to his crotch. His cock was so fat, my fingers could barely touch my thumb around his thickness. I put my chin underneath his dick and it was longer than the length of my face. I gulped nervously at the thought of trying to fit it in my mouth.

As I ran my hand through the length of his shaft, I was amazed at how different and big it was compared to mine. It curved slightly upwards and I loved that he was uncut. I enjoyed sliding his foreskin on and off his glans. When I pulled his foreskin back this time, I wrapped my lips around his cock and sucked on the head.

He ran his hand through my long blonde hair while his fingers caressed my lips tightly stretched around his cock. I slowly began pushing it in my mouth until it hit the back of my throat halfway through.

I was determined to make it fit, so I continued pushing it down until my nose touched his short pubes. I quickly pulled it out as I tried not to gag.

"It's so big!" I moved myself down between his legs and looked up at him with my wet eyes.

"I've heard that before." He chuckled and continued running his hand through my hair.

I pushed it back in my mouth, moving my head up and down while looking up at him in the eyes. He closed his eyes and moaned wildly, telling me how I was driving him crazy with my tight little mouth.

Each time I pushed all of him inside me, I let him stay longer. When I pulled it out this time, I put the glans in my mouth and waited as I sucked on it.

He grabbed onto my head and pushed in and out of me wildly, his balls slapping loudly against my chin with each thrust. Each time he pushed in, my lips stretched as it got thicker down the base. Soon he was going in and out so fast, he was practically fucking my mouth as if it was his plaything made just to please his dick.

One of my hands rested on his thick thigh while the other groped his pecs, rubbing and squeezing his nipple. When he pulled out this time, he announced that he was about to come.

I jerked him off and he whimpered, his eyes closed tightly and his mouth wide open as his body shivered. Soon he shot rope after rope of his warm cum on my face. When he was done, I swiftly put it back in my mouth to feel it shrivel inside.

"You look so handsome with my cum all over your face." He caressed my lips and moved my long hair out of my face. "It felt so good to be inside you."

I felt so proud to be marked by his cum, which I considered as proof of his love for me.

I dipped my head down into the water and washed his seed off my face. We lay there in each other's arms in silence for a while before getting dressed.

Halfway on our way back home, I heard the sound of twigs snapping in the distance behind us. We turned around and smiled at each other. We knew only a bear could take such loud and heavy steps. We waited for Coco to step out of the bushes, but our smiles faded when a different bear stepped out instead, a bear almost as big and heavy as Coco, but with a scar running down the length of its face.

"Don't run." He whispered. "Lay on the ground and play dead."

I nodded and we both slowly kneeled while it sniffed the air before charging towards us, ruffling up a bunch of dead leaves behind. My heart raced as I laid flat on the ground. I couldn't believe it was happening all over again.

"Run if it attacks me," He whispered, laying on top of me and protecting me with his body.

I closed my eyes and stopped breathing. He did the same and it slowed down when it reached us. It sniffed our clothes vigorously and gently nudged Oliver's body with its long snout, checking if he was dead. It then moved its snout onto my face and roared furiously, baring its teeth as its saliva dropped down onto my shivering face. Oliver on the other hand seemed surprisingly calm, as if being attacked by bears had become a part of his daily routine.

I began prepping myself for death, having a series of flashbacks of all the good moments in my life, most of which were made in the woods with Oliver. I was having a hard time holding my breath as it continued nudging our bodies.

Just as I was about to gasp for air, there was another loud roar in the distance. It turned its head and stood up on its hind legs. Taking advantage of its distraction, we swiftly got off the ground and took a few steps back. It turned towards us and just when it turned around again, Coco came charging out of the bushes and towards it, smashing her head into its belly.

When the bear took a few steps back from the force and got back down on all fours, Coco quickly put herself between the bear and us, growling viciously with her jaw open wide and baring her teeth. I continued shivering but for Coco's safety this time. I couldn't bear losing her. Her visits had become the favorite part of my day.

I held my breath when they both stood on their hind legs, their jaws open and inches away from each other. Coco roared her ferocious roar, but the bear refused to back down. When they got back down on all fours, they kept their jaws open and close to each other's necks. I braced for either of them to bite, desperately hoping it wouldn't come to it. I wrapped my arms around Oliver and held onto him tightly.

After standing there with open jaws for a few more minutes, the bear took a few steps back and turned around before walking away. Luckily, it had decided we weren't worth fighting Coco, who was much larger in comparison now that I had seen them together.

Coco turned to us and finally closed her jaws as she walked over to us. She licked our faces and we patted her head. She too was glad for not losing us.

"Thanks for saving us, Coco." I kissed her on the head and ran my hands through her thick fur. "We wouldn't be alive if it weren't for you."

"Are you okay?" Oliver said, wiping the saliva off my face with his shirt. "You look a little shook up."

"You put your life in danger by covering my body with yours. How could I have lived with myself if something had happened to you?"

"It is a daddy’s duty to protect his boy.” He kissed me on the cheek and wrapped his arms around me. “I told you, didn’t I? I won’t let anyone harm my sweet boy.”

I tried to imagine how the situation would’ve turned out had Coco not saved us in time. What if she was in the other part of the forest? What if luck hadn’t been on our side? Oliver would’ve been inside the bear instead of in my arms.

What if the next time I was in danger he offered to sacrifice himself again? I couldn’t live with the consequences of losing my love before even starting our lives together.

Later that night, I could barely get any sleep. Each time I was about to fall asleep, my mind told me Oliver was in grave danger. I would then open my eyes, sit up in bed, and make sure he was still by my side. I would then kiss him on the cheek before trying to fall back asleep.

When I woke up the next day, I was still preoccupied with the danger I had been in the previous day. Could I do something to save Oliver from danger? He was probably going through the same tribulations, wondering how he could protect me better the next time there was a threat to my life.

Why should there be a threat at all? Why were we even living in the woods anymore? Wasn’t it just better to live in the city where there weren’t any hungry bears looking for food?

“We need to talk,” I said when I finished my breakfast. “We can’t just go back to our lives as if nothing happened.”

“You’re worried about losing me?” He was doing the dishes.

“Yes, but I’m also worried about my own safety. I can’t watch you die right before my eyes. It isn’t safe to live here.”

“It isn’t as dangerous as you make it sound.” He sat back down at the table. “This has been my home for the past two years. This part of the forest is Coco’s territory. Other bears don’t usually venture this far into her territory.”

“What if there’s a different danger next time?” Tears formed in my eyes. “What if a snake attacks us? Or a wolf? I can’t watch you die. I won’t be able to live with myself.”

“Hush now.” He walked over to me and hugged me, kissing me on my head. “I’m right here, see? I’m perfectly fine, and so are you.”

“But for how long?” I wiped my tears. “We’re sitting ducks here in the middle of the forest. Why don’t we just move into the city? There isn’t any danger there.”

“You know why.” He broke the hug. “I swore to live my life away from civilization and people.”

“But you can trust people now. People betray you, but not everyone, and life’s good enough if you’ve found a person you can trust. You trust me, don’t you?”

“Yes, but you’re an exception, Elijah. Not everyone’s as good and innocent as you, which is why I need to keep living here.”

“You’ll leave the woods if you love me. Please, I can’t be the reason for your death. I can’t watch you die protecting me.”

“Hey, we’re both perfectly fine and safe. You’re overthinking this. Take a deep breath and trust me.”

“I can’t.” Tears threatened to run down my cheeks. “I was the reason my mother died. I can’t be the reason for someone’s death again, especially not yours. Please, please, Oliver. I don’t want us to live here anymore.”

“Please,” I said again when he sat in silence, a tear now running down my cheek. “We either move into the city or I’m leaving.”

“Elijah, don’t make me choose. You know I distrust other people. This is my home and I’m meant to be here.”

“Then you’ve made your choice,” I said, hoping he’d change his mind. “You’ll never see me again.”

“I just can’t.” He shrugged. “I can’t leave the woods. I’m sorry. I would hate myself if I left Coco and the trees. They’re my life now.”

“Goodbye, Oliver.” I kissed him on the lips, tears now freely flowing down my cheeks. “It was nice knowing you. Tell Coco that I’ll miss her.”

“Where will you go? I can’t let you go back to your father.”

“My friend, Shanice lives alone. Police must’ve already searched her place when I went missing, so they won’t care to look again.”

I went into my room and began packing my things. I didn’t even have a photo of Oliver and Coco to remember them by. Would I forget what they looked like as time went by? I didn’t want to forget my first love. I was sure we would’ve lasted forever. I was a simple man who didn’t ask much from life. I barely ever got into arguments and I knew we would’ve been together for the rest of our lives if not for the one disagreement we had.

At the end of the day, it was best for both of us. I couldn’t live knowing he died protecting me, and he couldn’t live knowing he couldn’t protect me from death. The only reasonable option was for us to go our own way. His chance of survival would increase in my absence. I would just be dead weight in a dangerous situation, like a damsel in distress needing to be saved at the risk of the hero’s life. Unlike me, he truly was meant for life in the woods.

I hugged him one last time in the living room, kissing him on the cheek and walking out the door.

“Don’t go.” He grabbed onto my hand from behind. “Please, stay.”

How could I have thought that life would finally be easy on me, that I could finally relax and live in happiness for a change, that I too deserved to be loved and cared for. I should've known better than that. I should've known that life would continue to be filled with sadness and disappointment, just as it had for all my life. Life with Coco and Oliver in the woods was just a break from reality, and now I had to go back to the real world, where people like my father would continue to treat me like the way I truly deserved.

“It’s for the best.” I patted his hand and smiled as he let go. "Thank you for showing me what being loved feels like."

I turned around and headed for the shortest path out of the forest, which Oliver had marked with ‘X’s on the trees for emergencies.

Chapter 12: Oliver

As I watched Elijah walk away, I wondered if he was right about it being the best for both of us. Were we not meant to be together? Should I have stopped him? Did I bring this upon myself? Had I let my fear of being hurt take over my life?

Irrespective of whether or not it was for the best, I tried to convince myself that it indeed was. I couldn't get hurt again if I was alone, if I didn't let anyone close to my heart. Maybe this is how it was meant to be, maybe this was my destiny, to live my life alone, to continue to go to extreme lengths to protect my heart. Maybe Elijah was just a passing distraction, a beautiful, kind, and innocent distraction.

As I tried to fall asleep that night, I kept trying to wrap my arm around Elijah, only to realize that I was once again all alone, that I would continue to sleep and wake up alone, with no one to talk to and no one to kiss goodnight, no one to cook for and no one to take care of.

By coming into my life, Elijah had shown me a glimpse of how happy my life could've been, had I not been betrayed by my ex and my best friend. But the truth was that people had betrayed me, and I was forever scarred by their actions.

The next morning, my first thoughts were that I had been stupid, stupid to let another person close to my heart. Elijah hadn't betrayed me, but he abandoned me forever just like my mother, ex and best friend had. Why was it that people came into my life, promised to love me forever, and then left without ever thinking about how I felt?

Just because I had a ripped body and acted all macho, it didn't mean that I was devoid of human emotions. I had feelings just like the others. I too wanted to love and be loved, to have someone who didn't just decide to stop caring about me one day and walk out of my life when it suited them.

I would never understand people, which was why I liked animals better. They never stopped loving you, never abandoned you, and most importantly, never betrayed you.

After a week of self-loathing, I was confused by my own feelings. I had thoroughly convinced myself that letting him go was the right decision, that he had abandoned me. But then why didn't I feel any better? Each day was worse than the previous one. I had stopped working out, I was barely sleeping or eating, and all I did was stare out the window at trees shaking in the wind.

I had tried watching a film or reading a book, but I felt too numb, as if I believed it was all just a joke, that Elijah would surely return, that he was just gone for a walk with Coco or swimming at the waterfall. I found myself waiting by the door, hoping he'd return and call me daddy again, crawl on the floor, hug my leg and tell me how much he loved me, that he missed me and didn't want me to ever leave him again.

I even had a dream the previous night that Elijah was lost in the woods, crawling in the darkness trying to find his way back to Daddy. He was sitting against a tree and crying, asking himself why Daddy had stopped loving him, why Daddy had abandoned him when he had promised to take care of him forever. I had woken up all sweaty and in tears, mumbling that Daddy still loved him.

Now as I sat staring at the breakfast I had made, I took a small bite and it tasted good, but I had lost my appetite ever since Elijah left. I picked the plate and put it in the refrigerator to have it for lunch, just like the day before.

As I was doing the dishes, the front door flew open and in strolled Coco. I hadn't seen her since Elijah left, which was weird considering how she had gotten into the new habit of visiting every day.

"Coco, here for some breakfast?" I grabbed the wooden ladle and a bottle of honey.

Filling the ladle with honey, I stuck it up to her snout. She sniffed it before putting it in her mouth, sucking on it and patiently waiting for me to fill it up again.

When some of it fell onto the floor and Coco swiftly licked it off, it reminded me how she had licked it off Little Elijah's face. He had laughed so hysterically, there were tears in his eyes.

As I stuck the ladle back to her mouth, she moved her snout close to my face and sniffed me vigorously. Could she tell I was heartbroken?

She looked behind me and then behind herself. Sniffing the floor, she walked over to Elijah's room, standing outside his room and sticking her head in. She walked back to me and whined out loud like an inconsolable child.

"Elijah's gone, Coco," I said as she continued whining, huffing and breathing heavily through her mouth. "He's abandoned us, just like everybody else in my life has. It's for the best anyway. You and I are the same, we're solitary animals meant to be alone. You'll always have me. I shall never abandon you."

Nevertheless, she whined and cried like a baby, ignoring the ladle full of honey right before her mouth. She stood on her hind legs briefly before going back down on all fours and walking out the door. Just like me, she had gotten used to Elijah.

As I sat on the floor, I could no longer lie to myself. Coco knew that I had been stupid in letting him go. She couldn't speak but that's what she would've said if she could.

I had let my fear of being hurt again take control of my life. I had cut myself off from the rest of the world to protect my heart. By moving to the woods, I had let my ex win in the end. Instead of moving on from a heartbreak, I had let it ruin the rest of my life. I had brought this upon myself. Life gave me a second chance when Elijah walked into my life, and I was stupid enough to let him go.

At least I had learned something new, that not everyone was untrustworthy, especially not sweet and innocent little Elijah, who had wanted nothing more in the world than for his daddy to love him. I couldn't give him the only thing he had wanted from me.

A daddy’s relationship with his boy was one of the purest, incorruptible ones. I was a bad Daddy unable to care for his boy, but he had stayed with me despite my flaws and insecurities, and now I had lost the love of my life because of my own stupidity.

Chapter 13: Elijah

I had been living with my friend, Shanice over the past week. When she saw me arrive at her doorstep, she began crying and hugged me. A police officer had come looking for me, and she should inform him if she ever heard from me. She had assumed something bad had happened to me, because why else wouldn't I call her and let her know that I was alright? People were saying I was probably dead, and that there were rumors about me being kidnapped and held for ransom because my dad was rich.

I couldn't tell her the truth, because she could get my dad in trouble, and so I lied. I told her that I had run away because I had a fight with dad over something so trivial that I didn't even remember what it was about. Shouldn't she let my dad know that I was alright? No, she couldn't tell anyone that I was with her. I was tired of arguing with my dad. I wanted to start a new life without him, and I would tell him I was fine once I earned enough money to have my own place. She seemed to have bought it.

I had told her I was hiding in the woods, but I didn't tell her about Oliver and Coco. I knew she wasn't homophobic, but I had been ashamed of my sexuality all my life. I thought I could change it, but now I had come to accept myself, thanks to Oliver.

I spent most of my days watching bear videos online, bears performing tricks for treats, tricks like blowing a trumpet, dancing on their hind legs, and riding a bicycle. It was sad that bears in captivity were being treated like slaves, slaves for entertainment in the circus and zoos. They belonged out in nature like Coco, exploring forests, climbing trees for honey and swimming and hunting for fish. I knew I was biased, but none of the bears I watched online were as majestic as Coco. There was something graceful about the way she walked, as if she was the queen of the forest and everyone else was her subjects.

Every morning at breakfast I had a smile on my face, wondering if Oliver was feeding honey and carrots to Coco. Would she even notice that I was gone? She had gotten so close to me that she hung out with me far more often than with Oliver. I had made a habit of looking at my favorite shirt at least once a day, the shirt with a bear printed on the front and back with ‘I love Coco’ written across it.

Occasionally I would find myself daydreaming, wondering what Oliver was doing right that instant, if he missed me just as much as I did, if he missed the warm touch of my body like I missed his, if he too woke up sad and feeling lonely. Oliver was a strong man, and he was used to living alone. Maybe he had long moved on and I was stuck obsessing over him.

Sometimes I wished I hadn't come across him in the woods, that I hadn't gotten to know him at all. Maybe then I wouldn't have to go through the pain of trying to forget him. He had shown me how good a normal life could be, a life filled with love and happiness instead of whippings and abuse. It was like giving sight to a blind man, only to take it away again. Now I missed what I never had before, which was love.

I could've taken infinite different paths in the forest. I was going in a random direction after all. But it was like destiny sent me at his doorstep, only for it to end in heartbreak. Then I would remember all the good times I had there, things like riding on Coco and feeding her, letting go of my fears as a Little, and slowly falling for him.

"Do you want to tell me what's going on?" Shanice asked when I was staring at the wall and daydreaming again. "Ever since you've come back, you're different somehow, sadder and lonelier than usual."

"I'm gay," I blurted out, not wanting to hide it anymore, for Oliver had taught me there was nothing wrong with it. "I'm gay and I'm proud of it."

"Come here," she said after a pause and hugged me. "Is that what this is all about? Did you fight with your homophobic dad? Is that why you're sad?"

"No," I said, breaking the hug. "I think I was in love and I threw it all away."

"Tell me more," she said softly.

I told her everything about Oliver and Coco, how badly I missed them, and why I had to leave. She listened to me patiently and smiled whenever I talked about Coco. When I was done, we sat there in silence as she just shook her head.

"You shouldn't have given Oliver such an ultimatum." She grabbed onto my hands. "He must've been quite traumatized by what his ex and his best friend had done to him. Why else would he take such an extreme step as moving into the forest? What happened to him might not look like such a big deal from the outside, but different people react differently to betrayal and heartbreak. Most people eventually move on, but others let it define the rest of their lives. You said his mother had left him when he was a child? It must've taught him at a young age that people can't be trusted, and when his wife did the same thing, it confirmed his long-held belief.

"What you should've done instead was slowly reintroduce him back to civilization. Take him bowling or to a supermarket, places where there aren't a lot of people. He would've eventually realized that civilization isn't as bad as he made it out to be. It would take a lot of time and patience, but relationships are hard work. They aren’t just kisses and sex."

"It doesn't matter anyway," I said and shook my head. "It's too late now. I can never go back. I loved him, but he was too scared to admit that he loved me too. He said it was because he had sworn to never love again, but what if it was because he didn't love me back?"

Before she could reply, there was a loud banging on the door. We both looked at each other and walked over to the front door.

"Were you expecting someone?" I said, opening the door to find two police officers standing outside.

"No," Shanice screamed as the officers grabbed onto my arms. "His dad is a homophobic jerk. You can't send him back."

"It's okay, Shanice." I turned back as they led me towards their car. "They're just doing their job. Dad would've found me eventually. He always does. I'll have to face him one day or another."

"How did you find me?" I asked the officer by my side in the backseat on our way.

"We knew Shanice was the only person close to you,” he said. “There was an anonymous call from a neighbor. We had asked some of the neighbors to call us if they ever saw you in the neighborhood."

When they drove me to my dad’s place and I stepped out of the car, I shuddered at the thought of seeing my father. Was it true what I had read in the news? Or was it all just an act to get me back home? Was he really begging for me to come back home? That all was forgiven and there was nothing he wanted more than to see me again. Can someone have such a quick change in character? Either way, I knew he would eventually find me, that I had just been buying myself time.

The officers waited behind me as I knocked on the door. The door soon opened and there he stood inches away from me, my lifelong oppressor, the cause for a lifetime of severe anxiety and trust issues.

“Oh, my son,” Dad threw his arms around me and hugged me tightly. “Why would you leave me like that? I was worried sick I was never going to see you again.” Then, turning to the officers, “I can’t thank you enough for finding him, officers. Please, come in.”

It was true after all. My father was a changed man. My absence must’ve made him realize that deep down he loved and cared for his son. If running away was all it took for him to realize that, I would’ve done it a long time ago. Maybe things weren’t as bad as I thought they’d turn out to be. I had lost Oliver forever, but at least I would have a loving father out of this experience. Maybe my life was finally going to change for the better. Maybe life was worth living after all.

“No, we better be on our way,” the tall officer said, shaking dad’s hand. ”We’re glad we could help.”

When the officers left, I stepped in and closed the door, looking around at the house I had grown up in. A lot of bad memories had been made at home, but it was time to make some new ones. It was time I forgave dad and we moved on to make some good memories.

“I’ve been dying for you to come back home,” he said when I turned around with a smile. “Have I not been a good father to you? Don’t you know that no one cares for you but me? I’ve been hard on you, but was it without cause? Have you not killed your mother when you brought your disgusting self into this world? Have I not provided you with food and shelter despite your crimes and sins? I knew you were a curse before you were even born. That bad man broke into this house and forced himself on my wife. She wanted to have you because I couldn’t give her a child, but I knew you would be the devil’s incarnation, a constant reminder of the night our lives were ruined by a stranger, a stranger just evil and sinful as you have turned out to be. She made me promise I would raise you as my own. After everything I’ve done for you, you have the audacity to run away from me, to live under my roof and be a homosexual.”

“What do you mean, dad?” I took a step back, tears forming in my eyes. “Am I not your biological son? Is that why you’ve hated me all my life? Why wouldn’t you tell me before?”

My life had been a lie. Why hadn’t he just given me up instead of ruining my life for a mistake that wasn’t mine?

He leaned against the wall and pulled open the drawer, producing the whip I had been so familiar with all my life, the mere sight of which made my body shiver with fear, just like I was shivering now. I knew the drill, which was to turn around, kneel and take my shirt off, and failure to do so would entail a few more whippings. He didn’t like that the shirt got in the way. He liked to see the skin blistering red when he hit me. Running away again wasn’t an option, because he would somehow find me.

I knew Oliver couldn’t protect me forever, that dad would eventually find me and punish me for being gay and running away. Oliver had made a promise that was impossible to fulfill. He had promised to protect his little, never let anyone lay another finger on me, and yet here I was back in my dad’s presence, tears running down my cheeks.

“Please, Dad,” I begged, knowing he wasn’t the forgiving kind. “Please forgive me.”

As I took my shirt off and turned away from him, I closed my eyes and braced myself for impact. Sometimes when he was in the mood, he could go on until I passed out from the pain.

Chapter 14: Oliver

One thing was clear, that I had been stupid. I should've stopped Elijah when I had the chance. Living in the woods had become unbearable ever since Elijah left. How had I even lived alone for so long?

Elijah had been right, that I needed to get back to civilization. Life was now incomplete without him. It didn't matter where I lived anymore, woods or in the city. Home was where he was, and I badly wanted to be with him.

What if it was too late to change my mind? What if he had already moved on? And here I was, thinking about him every waking second and hating myself for letting him go.

What was he doing right this instant? Was he thinking about me and Coco? Was he regretting his decision just like I was? Was he even alright?

As I scratched Coco's belly while she lay on her back, I picked my phone up and searched his name online. 'Missing teen sighted with a friend' it said, and the article said he could finally be reunited with his grieving father.

Elijah's father was grieving? He had years to regret the things he had done, then why would he suddenly have a change of heart and start grieving for his son? He was putting on a show, and they were nothing but crocodile tears, just to get him back home so he could abuse him some more.

If Elijah had truly been sighted with his friend, then he would be returned to his cruel father soon. I could only imagine the treatment he would receive at his father's hands. The image of poor Elijah being whipped by his father flashed before his eyes.

I had promised him I wouldn't let any harm come to him. I could no longer lie to myself. I couldn't live without him and I needed him back in my arms where he truly belonged. If I begged for his forgiveness and reassured him that daddy would never abandon his boy again, maybe he would take me back. If he didn't, I would beg him until he changed his mind.

"Come on, Coco," I said, patting her fat furry belly. "We're going to get Elijah back."

Hearing Elijah's name, Coco's ears perked up and she quickly rolled around. Getting up on all fours, she followed me out of the house and towards the path out of the woods.

I jogged down the path and Coco ran by my side, occasionally looking up at me. After a few minutes, we were out onto the road. She followed me a little down the road into a big abandoned ground on the side where I had parked my cargo van two years ago. It was occasionally repaired by the man who brought me groceries. It was only meant for emergencies like this was one.

I opened the back door of the van and stepped in. When I whistled, Coco sniffed the door before putting her forelegs in. When I stepped out, I gently nudged her from behind until she put her hind legs in. The van creaked by her half-ton weight as she sat down on her hind legs.

When I sat in the driver's seat and started the car, Coco stuck her head in the front and rested her snout onto my shoulder. Luckily, Elijah had given me his home address, but I had promised him I wouldn't use it to confront his dad.

"Don't you worry, Coco," I patted on her snout as she licked my face. "You'll get to see Elijah soon, and I'm sure he misses you just as much as you miss him. Now hold on. It's going to be a bumpy ride."

I drove as fast as I could while Coco looked out the window. She hadn't been outside the forest before, so it must've seemed very strange to her. I had gotten so used to a quiet life, it all seemed strange and new to me as well. Cars were honking and people were walking in every direction.

Whenever we stopped in traffic, people would stare at Coco's head on my shoulder. "Never seen a bear before?" I would jokingly ask.

After a few more minutes of rough driving, we finally arrived at Elijah's place. I quickly rushed to the van’s back door and opened it. Coco stuck her large snout out and sniffed the ground before carefully stepping onto the concrete. I closed the van door behind her and she followed me to the doorstep.

She sat on the porch and licked her chops as I banged on the door impatiently. The door opened soon and Elijah stepped out, just as pretty as I remembered him, but he was shirtless with tears in his eyes. I ground my teeth at his father standing inside with a whip.

Coco came up to Elijah and stood up, whining and licking his face vigorously before sitting back down by my side.

"What has he done to you, Elijah?" I closed my hand into a fist. "Did this evil man hit you? He's going to be sorry soon."

"No." Elijah held a hand up and wiped his tears. "He was about to whip me, but you interrupted just in time."

"That's a relief." I sighed and threw my arms around him, kissing him on the cheek. "Oh, how I've missed you, Elijah. I was a fool for ever letting you go. I can move into the city. I'll do anything you want, but please take me back. I'm miserable without you. I want to protect you from evil people like him, to wake up next to you and hold you in my arms for the rest of my life."

"I've missed you too," He said softly as he broke the hug and kissed me on the lips. "But I thought you didn't want me anymore, that you must've moved on by now."

"No." I shook my head and placed my hands on his face. "A day doesn't go by without thinking about you. I love you, Elijah."

"You mean it?" He grinned from ear to ear. "You aren't afraid to say you love me anymore?"

"I mean it." I nodded. "I told you, I say it when I mean it. I've loved you for a very long time, but I was just afraid of saying it aloud. I thought I could live without your love, but I was wrong."

"I love you too." He kissed me again and turned around, looking at his furious looking father.

"I've seen enough of this nonsense." His father almost shouted. "Two men can't love. Women bring love to a relationship. I knew you would be nothing but a series of disappointments the moment you came into this world."

Before his dad could ramble on some more, I clicked my tongue and hoped Coco remembered what it meant. Coco slapped the floor furiously, stood up on her hind legs and stepped inside, opening her jaw wide and roaring. Then she charged towards his dad, who screamed as he ran upstairs.

Instead of following him upstairs, she returned to my side and took turns licking our faces.

"So where in the city do you want to move?" I asked as he laughed and wiped the saliva off his face.

"No.” He shook his head and smiled. “I shouldn't have tried to change you. We can continue to live in the forest, but we'll have to come up with ways to protect ourselves in case we're ever in danger again."

"Oh, thank God. I would've found it very difficult to live in the city."

"About that, we'll have to socialize with the rest of the world more often. I want you to give people another chance."

"Sounds fair. I think I can do that. Wanna head back into the forest and feed Coco honey again?"

"I would love that." He grabbed onto my hand and we walked to the van with Coco behind us.

"You have to report your dad," I said as we drove back, Coco now resting her snout on Elijah's shoulder. "He's physically abused you for years and he needs to pay for it. What if he starts another family and continues to abuse children? You can't let him get away with it."

"You're right," he said after a pause, stroking Coco's snout as people continued to stare at us in traffic. "I can't let him do it to anyone else. I thought he did it because I had killed my mom, but turns out he did it for the sins I hadn't committed. I've lived my life believing a lie."

When we were back at home, he fed Coco honey and I put some of it on his face again. I then watched in amusement as he laughed hysterically when she licked it off his face.

Chapter 15: Elijah

It had been a month since Oliver saved me from my father's cruelty. Hearing Oliver say how much he loved me was such a stark change from what I was used to. He was no longer afraid to say it aloud. I had finally proven to myself that I too was worthy of love. After being taught lies for a lifetime, I was beginning to accept that I had nothing to do with my biological father's sins, and I wasn't responsible for killing my mother either.

My father had finally gotten what he deserved. He was under investigation for years of abuse, and though the trial would take ages, Oliver was convinced he'd be found guilty. There was enough proof on my body, the scars on my back which were barely visible now, but would never go away.

I hadn't seen Coco ever since we returned to the forest. She just stopped coming back, which was a surprise considering how much she loved us. I was concerned she was in trouble, or worse, hurt and in need of our help. But Oliver had reassured me that she was fine, that there was no animal stronger than her in the woods, that she had a habit of not returning for months at a time.

Now as I sat on my high chair in a diaper, Oliver fed me breakfast as usual. I was so in love with age play that I preferred being a little almost every morning. I would then usually get out of my Little headspace after my afternoon nap.

"I finished all my food. Am I being a good boy daddy?"

"The best, my sweet boy. Do you want to crayon, or play with your toys while daddy does some chores?"

"Crayon!" I undid my seatbelt and climbed out of the chair. "I can't play with my toys alone."

When I heard the front door open, I screamed in joy and swiftly crawled to the living room. When I saw Coco enter the living room, I screamed again.

"She's here, daddy!" I bounced on the floor and clapped. "Coco's finally here!"

I crawled to her and threw my arms around her, hugging her tightly and kissing her on the head. She sniffed my face before licking it. When daddy stood by my side, she stood up on her hind legs and placed her paws on his shoulders, which looked like she was giving him a standing hug.

"You've lost a lot of weight, Coco. You can always come over to have some breakfast if food is scarce. But please don't leave us again! Daddy and I have missed you dearly. I thought you had forgotten us, but daddy was right. You always return."

"Daddy is always right." He ruffled my hair and patted me on the head.

Just as I was about to crawl into the kitchen to grab some honey and carrots, a tiny bear walked through the door and sat by Coco's side.

"Ah!" I bounced again in joy. "Coco has a cub, so she wasn't fat all this time, just pregnant. Coco's a mother now, daddy."

"What a pleasant surprise." He sat on the floor by my side as the tiny bear sniffed his face. "No wonder she hasn't been coming over. She was taking care of her newborn cub and that's a lot of responsibility. Welcome to the family, baby bear. What do you want to name him, Elijah?"

"I get to name him?"

"Of course, he's part of our family now."

"He looks like a teddy bear, so I'm going to call him Teddy," I said, turning to Coco. "Can I please touch Teddy? I just want to let him know he's a good boy."

"I'm sure she won't mind. Bears are protective of their cubs, but Coco trusts us."

"Oh," I exclaimed and closed my eyes as I hugged Teddy. "He's so fluffy and tiny and cute."

Kissing him on the head and patting him on his tiny snout, I broke the hug and crawled into the kitchen. This time, I came back with two ladles and a bottle of honey.

"I hope you like honey just as much as your mom." I stuck the ladles before their mouths and Teddy ate from both of them "When you're older, I'll tell you about all the adventures she's had with us."

After lunch, I waved the bears goodbye and came out of my little headspace. I hoped they'd come over often. I wished to take Teddy swimming at the waterfall one day.

After doing the dishes, Oliver suggested we go to the waterfall and enjoy it before it gets too cold again. As we swam, I kept peeking at his muscled body. Sometimes I wondered how I had gotten so lucky, how I had tricked such a handsome man to fall in love with me.

Oliver and I hadn't had sex yet, and he tried not to bring it up, but I knew he wanted it. I was beginning to feel ready too. Life was too short and I wanted his body just as much as he wanted mine. We had been content with blowjobs and handjobs so far, but I wanted to feel him move inside me, to have his warm seed in my hole.

"Oliver," I said as we dried ourselves on the boulder. "Have I told you how handsome you look today?"

"You haven't." He placed his hand on my face and stroked my lips with his thumb.

"Not that you don't look good on other days." I planted my hand on his crotch and groped it through his briefs. "Sometimes I wonder how I got so lucky."

"I'm the lucky one." He gave me a quick peck on the lips. "Keep stroking little Oliver like that and you'll end up waking him up."

"That's the intention." I rolled over on top of him, his lips inches away from mine, and my hand still on his crotch underneath me. "I want you inside me, and I want to go all the way."

"Really?" He said, the mere thought of being inside me causing his dick to twitch and grow in my hands. "Are you sure you're ready?"

"I'm sure. I want to use my body to please you. Do with my body as you please."

Once again, I felt his cock twitch and grow to full size in my hands. He drew a sharp breath in and there was lust in his beautiful green eyes. He planted his lips onto mine and I moaned when his hands slipped into my briefs.

As I sucked on his tongue in my mouth, his hands groped my ass, spreading my cheeks apart and pushing them back together. I tried to moan when two fingers pushed into my hole, but it was silenced by his mouth on mine.

"Fuck, you're so tight," he said, breaking the kiss and pulling his fingers out of my hole. "I want to see that cute butt of yours."

We quickly got out of our briefs and I turned my body around, his face inches away from my ass. I leaned my upper body forward and grabbed onto his thick thighs for support. Licking the head of his fat cock, I pushed it in my mouth and jerked the shaft with one hand.

He gently nibbled onto my ass cheek and pushed two fingers in, pushing them in and out as his palm slapped my ass, making it jiggle. A third finger joined soon and I moaned onto his dick. I was being stretched like never before. He was preparing my tiny hole for his fat cock.

After I had lubed his dick up with my mouth, he slipped out from under me and positioned his dick at my entrance.

"I want you to go easy on me. I want my first time to be memorable."

"Of course," he whispered when he leaned over and rested his upper body on my back, kissing my neck and nibbling on my ear. "I would never hurt you."

I felt his dick push in as he wrapped his strong arms around my upper body. When he was all in, he stayed there for a while, getting my hole used to his thickness while I whimpered trying to accommodate his size.

"I want to feel you move inside me," I begged. "Make love to me, Oliver."

He slowly began pushing in and out of me while I moaned. He was sweating and panting on my neck. I felt his six packs rub on my back as he lay soft kisses on my neck.

When he picked up the pace, I whimpered at the emptiness inside me every time he pulled out, but then moaned again when he pushed back in. His balls were slapping against my ass with each thrust, in rhythm with the sound of the waterfall and birds chirping in the trees. When I closed my eyes, all I could feel was his dick moving inside me and pleasure running through my body.

"It's so warm and tight inside you," he moaned into my ear.

Knowing that my body was bringing him such pleasure sent me into an intense orgasm. I came without even touching myself as his cock rubbed against my pleasure spot. Halfway through my orgasm, I felt his body tense as he held onto my body tighter. Moaning aloud, he shook uncontrollably when he slammed inside me one last time. Ropes of his warm cum shot up inside me while he shivered and moaned, planting small kisses on my back. When he shriveled inside me, his seed leaked out of my hole and down my thigh.

"That felt so good." He kissed me on the mouth, pulling out and turning me around on my back. "I can't believe I get to enjoy that pretty ass for the rest of my life. Was I going too fast?"

"No." I grabbed onto his hand and rested my head on his heaving chest. "It was so much more than I imagined my first time to be."

"I love you," he ran his hand through my long blonde hair.

"I love you too." I was worn out, so I closed my eyes. "Now and forever."

Their story continues in…

An Excerpt from next book in this series

Two Daddies For Little Elijah (Love In The Woods Book 2)

Chapter 1: Lance

"It's been more than two years, Lance." John held onto my hand while his boy, Michael looked at me. "You know I only want the best for you. Don't you think it's time to move on?"

"Move on?" My eyes widened, the mere thought of having another Little feeling like a betrayal to Clayton's memory. "People move on from a breakup or a heartbreak. Clayton died, and I don't think I can just move on from something like that."

"Yes." John nodded. "I know how much Clayton meant to you. I wish things were different, but he's gone and he's never coming back. You need to accept that and move on with your life."

"I loved him," I said after a long pause teary-eyed. "He was meant to be my happily ever after. We were days away from getting married, for Christ's sake. It's a Daddy's duty to protect his boy, but I couldn't. I don't deserve to have another boy. It should've been me, John. I should've died instead of Clayton. He was such an innocent soul and I couldn't save him."

"It's alright." He stroked my hair and kissed my head as a tear ran down my cheek. "Clayton would've wanted you to move on. You barely leave the house anymore and you don't talk to any of your friends. You're pushing everyone away, Lance. Do you think Clayton would've been happy seeing you like this?"

Wiping my tears, I slowly shook my head and smiled. "He would've wanted me to find another boy. He was so selfless, trying to make everyone around him smile and laugh."

"He was also a minx, getting into trouble and being naughty." John laughed. "You tried to punish him with spanks, but I think he enjoyed them way too much."

"He did." I grinned. "I know for a fact that no one can take Clayton's place in my heart. He will forever be me boy, in life and death."

He nodded. "True as that may be, Clayton would've wanted you to try at the very least. So what do you say we go to the club and try to have some fun?"

"Fine." I sighed and stood up. "If it makes you happy, I'll come along, but only this time. And not to find a boy, mind you. It might not make sense to you, but I plan on spending the rest of my life alone. Soulmates come once in a lifetime, and only a lucky few get to find them. You don't just find them lying about in clubs."

John raised his hands. "At least I tried. If I get you out of the house and socialize again, it would be a win."

The truth was that I was depressed. In the months after Clayton's death, I could barely eat or sleep. I was wise enough to get back on track with my health and I was hitting the gym again, but that was as far as I was willing to go back to my normal life. Death of a lover ruined people, and most of them eventually got out of depression and went back to their normal lives. But me? I just couldn't forget him, and everything I did or saw reminded me of him. I cooked his favorite meal often but he wasn't there with me to taste it. I watched his favorite films because now they had become my favorites, but he wasn't there by my side laughing and crying while holding onto Dino, his favorite stuffed dinosaur.

After dating for three years, I had gone down on my knee. There was no point in stalling when I knew he was the one made for me. He was my boy and I was his daddy. He had made me the happiest man in the world when he said yes, and then I became the saddest man when he died on me. My initial reaction had been one of denial. I hadn't cried for days after, knowing for sure he'd come back home soon. I had convinced myself he had just gone shopping alone like he sometimes did, or he's at the movies and he's running late. I told myself he'll be back soon. How could he live without his daddy? He'll be back soon. But when he didn't return on his birthday a week later, I knew he wasn't coming back. I had wailed like a newborn, crying hysterically, begging him to take me with him, no matter where he was. How could Daddy live without his boy? How could he leave me here all alone? Wherever he was, did he miss me like I missed him? How could the world go on like nothing had happened?

I had vowed to never love again. How could I? I associated him with love, and now that he was gone, everything else in the world was hate and pain. And so I had shut my doors and drew the blinds. I didn't answer the doorbell and I didn't let anyone in. Everything and everyone was a reminder of what I didn't have. They were all going to die one day too. It was better to push them away now than to suffer and grieve when they died.

Only a few months ago had I started letting people back in my life, only the closest ones like John, who I knew had my best interest in their mind. John had encouraged me to get back into business, to open up my restaurant and hire staff. I had then drowned myself in work, working overtime to make Clayton's dream of opening up a pizzeria come true. I had aptly named it 'Clayton's pizzeria', and I ensured it was the best restaurant in the neighborhood. I knew Clayton would've been proud of me, but I could never stop trying to improve it. It was Clayton's dream restaurant after all, and it deserved to be the best. I had absolutely no time to find myself another boy and fall in love as John had hoped.

Besides, I didn't need love. What I needed was Clayton, and it wasn't possible to bring him back. Life was a burden to live, but I had to live because Clayton would’ve wanted me to. I was married to my work and I was content without love, with loneliness and an empty bed being the only downsides.

"Are you serious about spending the rest of your life alone, Mr. Hoult?" Michael asked as we both sat in the backseat while John drove us to the aptly named club 'Kink'. "Isn't that, I don't know, a lonely way to spend your life? Don't you miss having a boy to take care of?"

"Well," I said and looked at him. "I miss having Clayton, yes. But I don't think anyone else can fill that void. You love your Daddy, right? I'm sure you can't imagine your life without him, can you?"

"That's true." He said after thinking for a moment. "I'm glad we found each other the way we did. He's been in my life for so long, I can't imagine being with someone else. But don't you miss being happy?"

"Maybe," I said. "You eventually get used to it when joy has been sucked out of your life. I do miss waking up next to someone, though. It felt nice to hug and cuddle too. I think it's harder for a Daddy to lose his boy, though. Daddies promise to take care of their boy forever, to protect, love and care for them unconditionally. But when you fail in your duties like I did? It seems like the end of the world."

"Oh, I hope you feel happy again, Mr. Hoult." He smiled and gave me a quick hug. "You can always come to my house if you need a hug. And I hope you feel better soon."

"Thank you, Michael." I patted his hand. I adored how polite and kind Littles were, just like Clayton. It was one of the reasons I had gotten into age play. I'd had a deep desire to take care of someone for as long as I could remember.

When we reached, we got out of the car while John searched for a parking spot.

"Be a good boy and hold onto Mr. Hoult's hand, little one." John kissed his cheek. "Daddy will be right there with you."

"Yes, Daddy." Michael nodded and smiled, holding onto my hand tightly. "You know I'm always a good boy."

Michael was the naughtiest little I knew. Even Clayton's shenanigans had seemed tame compared to Michael's. But his daddy loved him anyway, and such was the beauty of a Daddy and boy's love, unconditional and pure.

We waited for him to return at the entrance while Michael fished a lollipop out of his pocket and sucked on it, still holding onto my hand tightly like his daddy had instructed him. The three of us headed in together and the club owner, Nick, knew them well enough to let me in too.

"There's a separate area for daddies and their boys to spend some quality time." John led the way while Michael still held onto my hand, refusing to let go. He was probably trying to comfort me to make me feel less lonely. Littles were such kind souls, and no matter how much I denied, I knew at the back of my mind that I missed having one of my own.

"There are public nurseries for Littles to hang out together, and a couple of private ones for couples who don't have one at home," John continued, holding the door open as we stepped into a room with good music. "I'm sure you'd like to explore those areas if you ever decide to get back in the dating game."

"Not gonna happen." I patted his back as we walked over to the bar. "But I know you mean well, John."

"Won't you join us for a dance?" John stuck his hand out while Michael blinked pleadingly, probably knowing what the answer was going to be. "I haven't seen your dance moves in years. I bet all the Littles would line up if they saw a hot Daddy with such killer moves."

"Not in the mood." I took a seat and smiled. "Maybe next time, John. I'll be watching you guys, so show me your best moves."

John took his boy's hand and led him onto the crowded dance floor. It was surprising there were enough men into age play to fill such a large area of the already large club. Some of the single Littles danced by themselves. They looked like they were strong independent boys who didn't need a Daddy to make them happy. It was the harsh reality that there were more Littles in the world than daddies, and the thought of some of those Littles ending up alone and unloved saddened me.

The music was a bit on the loud side, or maybe it sounded loud because I'd been used to dead silence for the past few years locked up in my house. A part of me didn't want to stare at other people, but a bigger part wanted to be happy for all the cute couples around, a pleasant reminder of my happy years with Clayton. I particularly checked out the Littles, wondering how on Earth John wanted me to date one of them when none of the boys had that look in their eyes that Clayton had when I first saw him. I believed eyes were the windows to the soul and when I saw Clayton's I knew I was going to do everything in my power to make him mine.

My jaw dropped when John and Michael started to dance. When had their moves gotten so much better than mine? They'd had a couple of extra years to practice, but they were ruling the dance floor and turning heads. I almost wanted to tell everyone around me that they were my friends.

When I turned my head to the right, my heart skipped a beat at the sight before me. A young blonde man with long hair sat a few seats away talking to an older man. He was by far the most handsome man in the club and there was no doubt about it. There was something about his eyes that reminded me of Clayton, which was odd considering this man has big gray eyes while Clayton's were narrow and blue. Then it struck me when he blinked. He had the same sadness in his eyes that Clayton had, the same sadness that made me want to approach him and comfort him, to take care of him and protect him, something that I eventually hadn't been able to do and would regret for the rest of my life.

When I shifted my gaze back to John dancing, my heart wanted me to keep looking at the young man. I gave in after a couple of minutes and turned my head again. His eyes were just as sad as before, which was weird because he was smiling from ear to ear. I knew that smile very well though, the smile meant to hide your pain and fool others into believing you were happy, that everything was fine when it wasn't. Had he gone through a lot in life like I had? Is that why his eyes refused to light up no matter how much he smiled and laughed?

He must've felt my eyes boring into his soul, for he briefly locked eyes with me and once again smiled the all familiar smile. Was he hurting and needed a Daddy to take care of him? To tell him everything was going to be alright, and that Daddy was going to solve all his problems? I couldn't spend another moment not knowing, so I stood up and decided to do what I had sworn to never do again ever since my boy’s death.

"Did you see us dance?" John rushed to my side with a smile. "Let's be honest, we put everyone else to shame, didn't we?"

"You sure did." I could barely get my eyes off the handsome stranger, trying to keep my eyes on John but failing. "Great job."

John sat by my side in silence, but I could feel his eyes shifting between me and the young man.

"Are you staring at another man?" John chuckled and patted my back. "I told you, didn't I? You'll see someone you like if you look hard enough."

"No, this one's not like the rest of the Littles." I shook my head, still finding it hard to look anywhere but at him. "I can tell he's different. He needs a Daddy's love more than any other Little in this club. His eyes are just so sad."

"He won't be so sad with your hands down his pants." John chuckled, elbowing me in the back and nudging me towards him. "Go over there and get his number, cowboy."

Had I known I would be trying to get someone's number tonight, I'd have dressed decently. I had thrown on whatever clothes I could find and my facial hair was wild. As I approached the man, my heart beat faster and I was feeling nervousness that I thought I'd never feel again around another man. I should've felt bad that it was a sign I was moving on from Clayton, but the feeling of meeting someone like Clayton was just so exciting, and suddenly life was full of hope and endless possibilities. Life was beginning to feel worth living when there were Littles like him, going through pain and needing a Daddy's love and affection.

"I'm Lance Hoult." I sat next to him with a smile and stuck my hand out awkwardly. Boy, was I out of practice.

"I'm Elijah." He blushed before shaking it, finding it hard to look me in the eye.

Two Daddies For Little Elijah (Love In The Woods Book 2)

Oliver:

My boy's past haunts him. I thought my love would be enough, that he would get better, but I was wrong. When daddy Lance walks into our lives, I know just the thing Elijah needs - the love of another daddy. After all, two daddies provide more love for a boy than one. Besides, Elijah needs all the love he can get right now.

Lance:

After the death of my boy, I had vowed to never love again. That was until I lay eyes on Elijah. He makes me want to break all the rules I’ve set up to protect my heart. I shouldn’t fall for him, but I can’t help myself. It doesn’t help that he has a 9 feet tall brown bear for a pet who demands belly rubs and loves honey.

Elijah:

Sometimes scars are so severe that nothing can heal them, not even love. Lance is going through pain, just like me. Love can't heal our scars, but maybe we can make life less painful by helping each other.

Click here to get this on Amazon!