Page 28 of Faun Over Me

“No, not nothing, what?”

“You were also watching me pace.” She should be embarrassed. She ought to be burning up and horrified that Cricket had witnessed her minor breakdown outside the dining hall, but it was hard to be those things when she was so distracted by how the faun’s body leaned into hers, relaxing into Avery’s softer curves.

Cricket muttered something under her breath that sounded suspiciously like, “Shut up,” then cleared her throat. “I darted ahead when it started chasing you. I thought I could hide, and when it ran by, I’d … I don’t know. Jump on it?”

This time, Avery giggled outright, leaning back to take in all of Cricket’s face. “You hid here to save me from that thing?”

“Not all of us are monsters, Avery,” Cricket leveled, her expression going serious. “Some of us are—”

Whatever they were, the world would never know because Avery popped up onto her toes and kissed her.

13

Cricket

Soft.

Everything about Avery was soft, and Cricket didn’t know what to do with her hands. Didn’t really know what was happening other than Avery was soft, her lips were warm, and she was in Cricket’s arms, kissing her.

Kissing her.

Oak and ivy.

She spread her fingers wide, working them into Avery’s hair, and she sighed against her mouth, lips parting. Cricket took it for the invitation she thought it might be.

The girl had kissed her, after all. How else was she supposed to translate this?

She flicked her tongue against Avery’s lips, relishing her tiny gasp before slipping in and fighting against a groan. The salt from her dinner, the subtle strawberry sweetness of her lip balm. Gods, it was too much.

She didn’t think; she didn’t want to because if she thought for even a second, she knew the only coherent takeaway would be how badly she wanted this.

She cupped Avery’s cheek instead, marveling at the heat beneath her palm as she slid her other hand up and under her shirt. A low groan rumbled in her throat at the soft, plush feel of Avery’s body. Her waist was warm, her back heated, her mouth a blaze as if the human’s entire body had flushed as bright as her hair. And her tongue, Gods, her tongue. Slick and strong, narrow and slippery, unlike any of the faun Cricket had tasted before.

Sweet and salt, the feel of Avery’s tongue against hers, the tiny whimper that escaped as Cricket’s fingers brushed up the smooth skin on her waist and ribs. It was addictive, and she knew with a taste that she would never get enough.

A soft touch on her waist had muscles dancing in Cricket’s torso. It was testing, almost wondering, and Cricket leaned into Avery’s hand, pressing their hips harder together in a silent plea.Touch me, feel more, pull me to you. Let me know you want this as badly as I do.

She dragged fingers down Avery’s throat and danced them along the neckline of her shirt. The human arched into that touch, the swell of her breast meeting Cricket’s fingers and she pulled away, panting and half mad.

“Avery—”

“Don’t read too much into this,” she murmured. Her hands slid into Cricket’s muscle tank, fingers pressing into the soft down at her waist. Avery licked her lips, eyes darting over Cricket’s face, down to her throat, and she fought the urge to cover her pulse. “Thank you”—that pale gaze returned to her face, searching Cricket, but all she saw were Avery’s kiss-swollen lips—“for waiting and helping me. And for this, I guess.”

“You guess?”

Her eyes dropped to Cricket’s mouth, a subtle sadness creeping in. “I wanted to know what it was like.”

Cricket tensed, her arousal dwindling from blazing to tepid. “Kissing a girl or kissing a faun?”

A loaded silence followed as Avery dragged her gaze up her face. The grip she held at her waist loosened, Avery’s hips pulled away, and she whispered, “Kissing you.”

“Oak and ivy,” Cricket cursed and swept in. Whatever restraint she’d held before was long gone. A distant mirage, a waft of smoke, a faint memory. She pressed Avery against the wall, sinking into her curves and sweeping into her mouth without hesitation. Her hands had a mind of their own, flying up to Avery’s cheeks, curving around her waist, gripping her hips. They were everywhere at once and never where she wanted them to be. There was too much cotton between them; she wanted to feel all of that softness pressed against her every sharp angle. Wanted Avery’s hair undone and tumbling down her shoulders, and Avery—oh, Gods—it seemed like Avery wanted the same.

She hooked a leg around Cricket’s calf. Cricket’s hand came down on her hip. She drove her fingers into Cricket’s hair. Cricket left a trail of kisses on her jaw and nibbled her ear, adjusting their stance to work a leg between Avery’s. A delightful gasp left her as Avery’s fingers knotted in her hair, and the flash of pain brought an awareness of their panting breaths and the heady scent of arousal building in the humid air.

She slid her hand down Avery’s plush hip, squeezing before trailing fingers along her thick thigh. A quick glance down had Cricket smiling before she kissed her again. The creature had indeed ruined Avery’s skirt, ripping a long tear in the denim. She hoisted her leg higher, slipping a hand underneath the fabric to knead Avery’s thigh while rocking into her, eyes drifting closed at the ensuing groan.

“Cricket—”

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