Page 177 of Bride of Choice

This was my payback for pulling such a silly stunt. Karma at its finest.

Grabbing my jaw tightly, he leaned in, squeezing my cheeks in the process until my lips made a teeny tiny little O.

Chest heaving like a bellows, sucking in huge lungfuls of air to snarl down at me to spit that shit out, everything in him stilled. Cautiously leaning in as I blinked up at him through watery eyes, he was squeezing my face so tight, he gave my mouth a sniff. Then another. One deep inhale later and all the fight left him.

“Jo,” he barked at me, sounding more relieved than pissed. Releasing my jaw, he slumped against me, his face mashing to my breasts, his ear pressing to my thundering heart. “No scare like that. Bad-” Stopping himself short as a soft gasp left me, realizing he meant to call me a bad female, just like Rek did, he corrected himself, rumbling, “Bad joke. Scary.”

When I didn’t respond he sat up, smokey blue-grey eyes meeting mine.

“I won’t joke like that with you again,” I blurted, assuming that’s what he wanted to hear.

I didn’t like the idea of him thinking I was a bad female. Rek had ruined me on that phrase at this point. They might as well call me a useless bitch.

With a groan, he pressed his forehead to mine, gently pressing, just shy of nuzzling the spot. “Jo not bad,” he whispered as his eyes closed, as if to read my mind.

Swallowing thickly, I forced the words past my suddenly dry lips. “Yeah? What am I then?”

Thick hands bracketing my face, he reached out and brushed my hair out of my eyes. Plucking straw from my tangled locks, his lips quirked. “Jo goot.”

“Am I?” He was so fucking close. I should feel boxed in, pinned down. I felt anything but.

His nose brushed mine, a feather light touch. Then again, as it to signify the first time had not been a mistake.

It was on the tip of my tongue to ask him what he was doing, because I was not about to get my hopes up thinking I had a chance to then be rejected yet again, when the screen door slapped open, Dougie made a loud, ARGH sound and turned right back around to stomp back inside. “Kissy faces,” I thought I heard him mutter. “Blech. No want see that.”

Lifting himself up off of me, Kooky held his hand out.

Just like that, our maybe, almost magical moment was gone.

Taking his hand, I allowed him to pull me up. One look at the straw all in my hair and I made a face.

Mock glaring up at Kooky, my hand shot out and I jerked a finger at my hair. “Do you see this, huh? Look what you did? Are you proud of yourself now? Hmm?”

“Jes.” Kooky’s grin was unrepentant as he turned me around and started to help me pluck straw from my hair.

“Just thought you might-” Dorothy started to say as she popped out back. She got one look at us, made an oops noise, and turned back around to walk her ass right back inside.

“Just picking the bugs and eating them!” I called out, to Kooky snorting out a laugh. “Want us to save you some?”

“We no want none!” Dougie bellowed out over his mother, who was snort laughing at my antics.

“No asks you!” Kooky called back.

“All sames! We no want!” Dougie shot back.

By the time those two were done, Dorothy and I were in stitches.

Holding my sides, a soft eep left me as Kooky wrapped his arms around me, a soft rumble building in his chest, and pressed his face into my hair.

“Hut too big, no big boobs to boss me ‘round. Empty,” he murmured into my hair.

Just say you missed me. Just say it. Say you want me to come back.

When he didn’t, I patted his hand. “Well, if you eat enough and work really hard at it, I’m sure your boobs will come in.”

Kooky gave my middle a squeeze that pushed my arms under my boobs, boosting them up. “Know I mean,” he muttered with a soft grumble.

“Do I?” Playing stupid was silly. That nose of his didn’t lie.

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