Page 91 of Bride of Choice

Seriously? Was he for real? You know what, fine. Starting to yank off my layers, one by one, almost angrily, I huffed and puffed with a shrewd look, “Gee, I dunno, maybe because I’ll be butt naked in two seconds and I don’t have any fur to cover up the good bits?!” Whipping off my last layer covering the girls, I slapped my hands to my hips.

Bum-bum’s eyes went from suspicious to bug-eyed. There was a joke somewhere about him being the deer caught in my headlights, har-har, but I had about two seconds to put on that granny gown before my nipples froze clean off. The fire had died down while I was out.

Chucking my last shirt at his face, I nabbed the nightgown and wrestled it on over my head.

Once that was done, I shucked my pants and socks, and walked over to one of the two chairs by the small table to drape my wet items over the back.

When I turned around, I got one good look at Bum-bum and laughed.

“Oh, goody! I broke you!” My hands clapped loudly, so loudly he jumped, startled, which just set me off again, chuckling to myself.

Jerking the shirt covering half of his stunned face off as I passed him, I draped that one over the other chair and made my way towards the bed.

Bum-bum’s gaze slowly traveled the room, looking less like his eyeballs might pop loose and more curious now than anything.

“Do you think this place is safer than mine?” I asked.

He gave a grunt of a yes and drew closer as I slid under the covers.

Flapping out the woven blanket he’d placed over me earlier, he got all up in my business, despite my halfhearted protests, and tucked it in with the other blankets.

“I can’t recall the last time someone tucked me in,” I muttered absently, frowning as I tried to remember when exactly that was and my mind came up blank. “I think Rosa put a blanket on me once when I crashed on her sofa back on Earth…”

Leaning in, he waited until our noses were practically touching to rumble out, “Stay. No uppies. Sleeps. No ups. Stay.”

“Woof,” I barked, then gently nipped the tip of his nose. “Whatever you say, big daddy.”

Bum-bum jerked back, flat out gaping at me as his hand shot up to cup his poor widdle lightly nibbled nub of a nose.

“No funnies,” he grumbled down at me, lifting his free hand to shake a finger at me like I was a naughty child.

This was weirdly kind of fun.

“If we’re going to do this, Snow Patrol, we’re gonna do it right.” Pointing to my forehead, I instructed, “I’m gonna need a smoochy smooch, right here.”

“Smooched-ed smooch?” he garbled out uneasily.

“Just a little one.” My hand lifted and I pinched my fingers together, leaving a small space between them.

Leaning in, he was just about to peck said smooch to my forehead when I just had to go too far, bossing sweetly, “And then it’s time for a bedtime story. How’s about how you know my cuddle monster and where he lives. A map would do too… I’m not picky.”

That kiss turned into a fat tongue darting out to swipe along my forehead wetly.

A long, girlish squeal left me and I slapped his rumble-chuckling puss away from me.

Pulling back, Bum-bum laughed like a madman at the wet hen glare plastered to my mug.

Hopping up, I grabbed the small pillow on the bed, smacking at him and chasing him out.

Laughing his ass off, hands up to easily bat away my pillow bitch slaps, he allowed me to herd him outside, a fact we were both painfully aware of.

“You just remember that I’ll remember this!” I warned him, right before I slammed the door on his face.

“Lock!” he called out from the other side, lightly smacking his fist on the door.

“You ain’t gettin’ in here!” I snarked back, then smacked the flat of my palm on the door in return.

“Sleeps,” he ordered, like that meant shit to me.

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