Page 243 of Bride of Choice

“So… nothing’s changed then?” My smirky smile was unrepentant as my eyes glittered up at him.

With a loud chuff, he dropped down atop me, his arms on either side of my head, holding his upper body weight, caging me in. “Rek stupid for my Jojomine. Trip over own big feet, stupid words not right, want pretty, mouthy female so bad Rek take like bad male. Rek bad male for naughty Joanie,” he said slowly, like he was warming up to the idea of being the morally grey character of this story that got the girl in the end despite his rampant stupidity.

“Took me like a bad male?” My voice was almost a purr as I smoothed my hands up his chest, then lightly raked my nails down his abdomen. “Now, why do I like that so much?”

Rek snorted and rumbled without missing a beat, “Cause my Jojomine’s a naughty female.”

I shivered at the way he purred naughty, then gasped softly as he took my hands in his, capturing them, and then nuzzled my left wrist to playfully lave and then bite down gently at the spot, then lick it, before offering my right wrist the same affection.

When he would have leaned in to kiss me, I cupped his face, mushing it in my hands to stave him off. My lips quirked at his unhappy, mushed fishy lipped face, the soft rumble of being denied rattling his chest.

“I mean it. I’ve got one more ounce of forgiveness in me but that’s it. My heart can’t take any more of this merry go round with you. We do this or we don’t, understand? We try and make this work or we give up now. I’m serious, Rek. I need to know you’re in this with me. No childish tantrums, not sulking for days or hours on end. Fucking talk to me. Not shouting at me or accusing me of things you refuse to explain, because they’re probably ridiculous and you don’t even understand the crazy yourself. I need to know you’re going to give this your all. Come what may.”

“Rek give all,” he swore. I wanted so badly to believe him. Sincerity dripped from those three little words but I’d been duped before. So many damn times before. Looking away, dropping his gaze, he muttered softly, “Jojomine give all? No matters what? Even- Even if Celuk want Joanie be him’s mate again? No leave Rek all ‘lone in hut while Jojo goes to Celuk’s big, fancy hut.”

“If you’re my mate, and we’re all in this together, all of us, why wouldn't you go with us?” Did he think I’d leave him for Celuk? That’s what it sounded like.

“Rek know Kooky Jojomine’s fav’rite,” he mumbled, looking loath to admit it.

“I don’t recall picking a favorite,” I sassed, searching out his gaze until he met mine.

“Rek know,” he muttered.

“This bothers you.”

Face scrunching up, fighting a teeth baring snarl, he reluctantly nodded.

“Odix and Gopher think you’re the favorite,” I pointed out. “Maybe it’s a matter of perspective.” For someone who was supposed to be my favorite, if this were true, Celuk got the short end of the stick in the sex department. Rek was coming up aces with that shit.

“Stink Breath and Goober think Rek the favorite?” The furry idiot perked up at the idea, though he frowned. “Why?” he grunted out into the silence that followed.

“Probably because you pull the most shit and yet here I am,” I murmured dryly.

Rek’s engine revved purr made me snort. “You’re horrible,” I told him.

“Rek a bad, bad male,” he rumbled out softly, leaning in to nuzzle my cheek.

A squeak of a laugh left me when he mock growled into my neck, moving too fast for me to block him.

“I’m going to have the mother of all hickeys if you keep that up,” I gasped out, my claws digging into his biceps as I grabbed onto them and clutched them for dear life.

“Jojomine’s bad male making proposal to Joanie,” he paused mauling my neck seductively to growl into my overly sensitive flesh.

“A proposal?” A short, sharp bark of laughter left me. “What kind of proposal is that?”

“Bad male kind,” Rek rumbled against my throat, then dragged his tongue over the pulsing vein in my neck.

“Not exactly what I- I mean by p-p-proposal,” I burst out, feeling my eyes cross as he did that thing with his tongue that nearly sent me into orbit.

My nails were digging into him so hard I felt one of them break off.

“Rek propose… my Joanie-mine be Rek’s for the evers,” he whispered as he peppered kisses down my shoulder, jerking at my clothes to get them out of his way.

“The Festival,” I squawked, before this went any further.

Rek paused, giving up on working his way around my clothes to nibble his way down my chest, over them. His hands slip up beneath my shirt, thick fingers smoothing up my lower belly, headed for my breasts. Lifting up, hands halfway to the girls, I laughed at the incredulous look on his face.

“We’re going to do this right. This time, I want to do this right.” Face reddening, I admitted, feeling a little silly about it but wanting it too much not to say anything, “I want you to be mine. Truly. Out in the open, I’m with stupid, yes, I claim this ass, he’s my ass, kinda deal.”

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