Page 9 of Bride of Choice

“Say Joanie heart Rek,” he mutteringly mumbled.

Moving fast, I snatched it from him, leaving him with the empty box as I tossed the trinket inside my purse and zipped it up.

“You tried to force a mating on me,” I accused him. “You meant to have us caught and make me claim you’d just claimed me. You planned that whole thing out, didn’t you? You dirty, rotten bast- scoundrel!”

“That Rek’s,” he snarlingly argued, clutching the ring box in one hand while he demanded I hand over the gift I’d yet to actually gift to him, holding out the other.

“No, it’s mine until I say otherwise,” I bit out, “and not a moment sooner.”

“Why throw at Rek’s head if Jojo no’ want Rek have it?” he argued, going from upset to an odd, chilly sort of calm that set my ass off.

How dare he act so cool headed after all the shit he’d just tried to pull on me! Be mad! Be super mad, you dick! I wanna fight, damn it!

“If you deserved it, I’d have given it to you already,” I grumbled petulantly. Lifting my hand, I wiggled that naked third finger at him. “Do you see me bitching about a lack of ring on this finger? Well? Hm? Do ya? Suck it up, buttercup, because mama ain’t budging.”

Rek snarled and made as if to come after me. “What the hell you think you’re gonna do, blondzilla? Huh?!” I snapped. Bring it, sass-squatch.

He was right on me when we both heard it.

“Jo? Jo home?” Another knock sounded, following the first. “Jo? Jo no gone? Jo home? Jo safe? No byed byes? Like Rek say?”

“We’ll take this up later,” I swore, glaring at him all the while.

“We picks it up now,” Rek argued, slamming a hand down, blocking my exit. He leaned in, baring his teeth at me. “Jojoanie gives Rek backs him’s pretties first.”

“How about Rek takes his demands, folds ‘em up real small, and shoves them up his-”

“MINE,” Rek garbled out, leaning in and boldly brushing his nose along mine, shutting me up right quick with the action, to take my stunned lips in a brain melting kiss.

“You’re still not getting that damn ring,” I muttered when he finally let me up for air. Argh! He was such a beast!

“Mine,” he said simply, before attempting to dive back in.

A part of me hated myself for just how much a fool I was for the big idiot, even as I eagerly fell under his spell. My hands wove into his hair, tugging just enough, just the way he liked it, as he curled me close. We had that fire, the lingering sizzle slow burn bubbling just below the surface, ready to explode. And when it finally did? A soft sigh left me. I was hooked.

“Jo?” Gopher continued to call out.

With a snarl muffled against my lips at the continued interruption, Rek pulled back to glare at the ceiling above us. One look at my face and he tipped his head and bared his teeth.

“What the hell did you tell everyone?” I muttered, frowning at him mightily.

Ignoring the look I was giving him, my certifiable, pain in the ass leaned in to press his forehead to mine. Was that a soft groan, almost a whine, leaving my furry faced fuck buddy?

“JO?!” Gopher was starting to get that scratchy sound to his voice, his knocks growing erratic, impatient.

“Go,” Rek grumblingly rumbled out, with one last lingering kiss before letting me go with a look that said he really didn’t want to.

“We still need to talk,” I reminded as he took my hand in his and placed a kiss to the flat of it.

“No need talk. My Jojomine. Rek Jojoanie’s. My Joansie claims Rek, be Rek’s good female. Do Rek say. Gives Rek lots of babies.”

“You have lost your ever lovin’ frickin’ mind,” I said on a laugh, he was that deluded and ridiculous and my demented ass actually found his overconfidence stupidly endearing. Heavy on the stupid.

This. I wanted this?

“Rek has right mind. Jojoanie see,” the cocksure fool insisted.

With one last toe curling kiss, I told him firmly, bluntly, “Joanie will never, ever be Rek’s good girl. Ain’t never gonna happen, fuzz bucket. Perish the thought.” Thinking over today, I conceded, “We’ll talk about this whole claiming and us thing the next time I have you all to myself and your dumb ass hasn’t sicced a hunt on us.”

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