Page 12 of Bride of Choice

“Why Jo wants him?” he all but huffed as his chest started to puff up. Those pretty blue peepers looked anywhere but at me.

Why did I want Rek?

I loved him.

It was as simple as that.

I mean, he was a pain in my ass and he drove me up a wall but he-

“Jo?” Sitting up from his uncomfortable slump, Goph leaned in, startling me out of the spiral my thoughts had quickly tumbled down. He had that look in his eyes. That look that gave me a funny feeling low in my belly.

“Goph,” I blurted, swallowing thickly as his gaze darted from my lips and his head dipped.

Good god, was he freakishly tall. I had to crane my neck to watch him.

Reaching out to clasp my hand in his once more, his thumb began to stroke my wrist.

He was so close now I could smell that damned cookie on his breath.

“Jo,” he rumbled out softly.

A shiver found its way up my spine.

My god, that should not sound that damned sexy rumbling out of him. Where was my head right now?!

It got fudged by a pushy sasshole and broke. That’s where the hello it is!

“Jo…”

“I, uh, heh-heh-” I was starting to shake, I was trembling so hard. I didn’t shake! I made other creatures shake! I- Good god, I can’t think when he’s doing that!

Was my skin super sensitive or something? A simple touch like that should not make me feel like this! Like- Like I was about to shoot off like a damned fire cracker.

“I think we’ve established that’s my name, Gogo. You wear it out, you-” I blurted out. “I- Oh- You-”

Lifting my hand, he rubbed the side of his face along the inside of my wrist. “Jo,” he all but purred, the rumbling in his chest sending goosebumps erupting all over me as impossibly soft facial hair tickled my skin, leaving it tingling, alive.

I tried to speak but found my throat dry. So dry it was like shit was sticking together in there as I worked to swallow.

“Go’ takes kisses.” His voice had gotten lower, deeper, a soft, sultry purr.

Holy fuck.

My throat worked double time but my tongue was tied.

I loved him. I knew I did. Deep down in the recesses of my tiny little pea brain, locked in a box and safely hidden away… I keep telling myself it’s nothing more than that special platonic love between super close besties, and that’s exactly what he’s been to me— nothing but the best—but...

But- No. No-no-no. No buts. It would never work. I’d break his heart and this thing we have going on, it would crash and burn. I couldn’t bear to lose that.

If that wasn’t enough to quell the urge to allow those feelings to swell, to be known, it always came down to one gigantic pain in my generous derriere in the end: Rek.

I couldn’t- wouldn’t do that to him. I’d die if the fuzz bucket did something like that to me. I felt like I might die, even contemplating the idea of walking out on him.

I fancied myself in love with my walking, loudmouthed, talking headache, the forever and ever crap I never thought I was going to get for myself… though I was beginning to question that love the more and more he pushed my damn buttons and attempted to force his ways on me.

That wasn’t love, was it?

“Where you go, Jo?” Pale fingers gripped my chin, urging me back to here and now.

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