Page 39 of Faun Over Me

“Yeah, well.” Cricket shrugged, catching Avery’s ankle as it slipped from her shoulder. She pulled the bike shorts and panties the rest of the way off, separating the pieces and faltering on the waistband of her pink, flower-dotted underwear. “Who is ‘Elizabeth’?”

“Huh?” Avery’s head was a cotton ball of fluff, thoughts forming and slipping away on the gentlest breeze. Cricket cocked her head and twisted the panties around, showing her the label sewn into the waistband. Her cheeks heated, then burned as Cricket’s eyes gleamed at the slow crawl of pink down her throat and onto her chest. “Oh, that’s, um, my name.”

“Your name isn’t Avery?”

“It is.” She pressed her elbows onto the mattress, starting to sit up. Cricket set her hand between her breasts, keeping her in place. “Elizabeth Avery Payne. Avery was my grandmother’s maiden name, my mom’s mom.”

“Ah.” She tossed the panties aside and crawled forward, setting her head between Avery’s breasts and nuzzling into her. “Well, it’s nice to eat you, Elizabeth Avery Payne.”

“Oh, my gosh.”

17

Cricket

A door slammed somewhere in the cabin, rousing Cricket from a deep, delightful sleep. She stretched her arms and legs, groaning lightly, and a weight shifted beside her. Memories of the previous night flooded into her mind. Rolling onto her side, her back to the door, she propped on an elbow and gazed at Avery, unable to stop the broad, goofy grin spreading across her face.

The girl was dead asleep, her breathing heavy and slow, plush lips parted, and, oak and ivy, she was drooling.

No one had ever been more adorable.

Another door slammed, followed by a muffled, angry voice. Avery snorted, fists curling in the blanket and pulling it tighter around her shoulders as she snuggled into the bed. Cricket glanced out the window to gauge the time—graying sky, a few stars, and a planet just visible above the ridgeline. Dawn. She entertained ignoring every inborn instinct and staying right where she was.

Or maybe she could wake Avery up the same way she’d put her to sleep. Her ears flicked at the thought, heat curling in her belly. She’d probably taste as sweet as she had last night. Hells, she’d probably taste even better after a night beneath blankets. Sweat and sweetness on her skin, between her thighs. Her breasts warm and inviting, soft belly more welcoming than any pillow.

Cricket pressed her knees together to ease the dull throbbing and swallowed a mouthful of anticipatory drool. Gods, how could she be so hungry for one human and her sweet, sweet whimpers? Idly, she circled her nipple, pressing her lips together as the throbbing between her legs sharpened to outright need.

I’ll wake her with a kiss.

She snuggled closer, spooning Avery and propping her chin on the girl’s shoulder.

Right behind the ear, my hand on her waist.

She did just that, fingertips brushing the slight swell of Avery’s lower belly. Her breathing changed, rising out of the deep of sleep, and she wriggled against Cricket’s thighs, fitting that grabbable ass perfectly against her as if the Gods had built Avery for that purpose alone.

Cricket slid her hand higher, cupping a handful of breast and teasing her nipple. Another happy hum was her reward, this one paired with a tiny smile. Without opening her eyes, Avery grabbed Cricket’s wrist, guiding her hand down her front, over that lovely little swell, and toward the nest of curls. Heat and damp met her touch, thick thighs widening to welcome her fingers.

“Yes, ma’am,” she whispered against Avery’s neck, earning a delighted little wriggle. She parted her lips with a finger, circling Avery’s clit before sweeping through the gathering slick. She gasped, turning her head and seeking Cricket’s mouth.

Footsteps thundered in the hall, and the door slammed open, both faun and human freezing as Mac hollered, “Cricket, thank God. Have you seen Avery?”

Fighting every prey instinct in her body, Cricket craned her face around. Mac was a mess. Her cropped hair was tangled and wild, eyes shadowed, and her clothes were muddied and rumpled as if she’d spent the night in the woods.

“She said she was bringing you dinner, but no one has seen her since then, and that thing in the woods—oh, God. Have you seen her?”

Cricket swallowed, glancing at Avery, bright pink in her bed, then back over her shoulder at Mac. “Yes?”

“You have?” Mac sagged against the doorframe, dragging her shoulder down. “Oh, thank God. When?”

“Um…”

Avery clamped her thighs together, forcing Cricket’s hand away, and hugged the blanket to her front as she sat up. “Hey, Director Murray.”

Mac blinked, the color fading from her cheeks. She gaped at Cricket, then Avery, then Cricket again as she backed out of the room and yelled, “RAMBLE.”

“Yes?” Cricket’s cousin answered from downstairs, their voice as ragged and weary as Mac looked.

“I need you for this.” Mac shook her head at Cricket and Avery, wiped a hand down her face, and walked out of sight. “And coffee. Lots and lots of coffee.”

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