Page 17 of Bride of Choice

Realizing my door was not this driftwood looking, washed out shade of blue, I blinked, stared, frowned, and finally shook my head as I stumbled away. “Shit. That’s not my place.” I got a few steps away from the wrong hut and Mr. Know It All, pfft, before I came to several realizations quite quickly. Chief amongst them, besides castigating myself for letting myself get caught up in shit and ignoring what my body needed versus what I wanted, I was too out of it, butt assed tired, to find my way home at this point.

“Do you know- You wouldn’t happen to know where I live, would you?” I blurted blearily.

“You drunk,” he grumbled, sounding annoyed and inconvenienced by the very idea.

“I’m not drunk. I’m Joanie, you dick,” I hissed, bending to grab a fat gob of the white stuff sprinkling down all around us, to chuck it at him.

From the shocked noise he’d left out, I was hopeful I’d met my mark, until he started to chuckle.

“Damn. Another fuckwad.” Scrubbing at my face, I pressed my snow ball tossing cold hands to my cheeks, hoping that would help wake me the feck up. I jerked as the chill hit my face but it wasn’t enough to rouse me.

Ugh. I shoulda taken Gopher up on his offer to walk me home. I’d been so eager to get away from him and have a minute alone to myself I’d said fuck all else and slipped out the moment he was caught up in a convo with a few advice seeking stragglers. How did they function staying up like that? Hibernate during the day?!

Debating on whether I should just drop down and shove snow into my face until I felt more awake, I gave in and slithered towards the ground, about to do just that, when Mr. Mystery Know It All came grumbling up behind me.

Assuming the worst, I turned and whacked him with my purse, screaming triumphantly on the inside as I snarled outwardly in victory. “Touch me and they’ll never find every piece of you!” I warned. After trying and failing to stand to run away, I gave up and just crawled as fast as my thick legs could carry me through the growing snow storm piling it all up around us.

A thick wall of heat and fur landed atop me, a calloused palm clapping over my mouth before I could even think to scream for help. Snarling along with him as he went to scoop me up, my teeth sank in as I flailed, the urge to fight warring with my sleep deprived ass’ disturbing wanton thoughts.

My body lit up like a Christmas tree as he pressed his lips to my ear, teeth pulling back, chest idling away in a bone jarring deep rumble, to hiss in my ear.

Fuck yeah, mama liked. A shiver racked me from head to toe as he did it not just once, or twice, but after one big ol’ whiff of me, again and again.

The arm banding around my belly, I could feel that shite clean through all these damn layers.

Fear was never a factor as I trembled from head to toe, shaking in my damn boots.

Adrenaline was just the rush I’d needed, offering a shot of the good stuff to get my brain back online, clearing the fog as he started to tote me off.

Something like relief slithered in as I noted he was taking me to the unmated huts. Disappointment quickly followed on its heels for reasons I’d decided to deem out of the realm of needing a damned explanation. I’ve already established I’m a freak— no further anything needed —simple as that.

My god, I didn’t even know this guy. He was a perfect stranger to me!

Was I that jacked up I was desperate for forced affection from this guy?

Apparently so, I lamented as he leaned in, sniffed once more, then let out a decidedly less snarling sound than previously, though still not exactly friendly sounding.

“Shut up,” I grumbled right back through his bitten and bleeding palm. My fingers dug in where they were clutching his thick, furry forearms for dear life.

That strange snarl-purr of his grew louder. It was like a giant back massager at my beck and call. Slowly, unbidden, I found myself relaxing against him. Minute by minute, I melted into him, losing the fight with my gritty eyeballs.

One moment the tang of iron was filling my nose, warmth all around me, the next, I blinked, shooting up groggily, to find myself in one of the unoccupied huts near mine I recognized, a fire roaring, some pelt I didn’t recognize tucked in around me, completely alone.

“Holy fuck,” I muttered, licking my lips, wondering if I’d dreamt that all up and had some sort of weird sleep walking episode— like I was that far gone. That crisp, rich tang of iron crusting my lips jolted me back to reality. “Oh my god,” I muttered, jerking the pelt covering me up over my head as if to hide my beet red face from the empty room. “Oh my god. Oh my god. Oh my GAWD.”

Snuffing out the fire, grabbing up that pelt, pulling the dust of shame from the furry hip pouch Gopher had made me, I doused that room in the aptly nicknamed ground plant dust until it stunk like it’d been skunked with it.

Rushing out, I squinted into the sunlight beating down on me. I couldn’t get to my hut fast enough to wash up and hide in the comfort of my own place.

Chapter 5

I had no clue what time it was when the banging on my door started. Lifting my head, shaking the cobwebs out of it, I groaned as I stood, bitching about being woken up as I trudged my way to my door.

Wondering if I should have made a strong batch of wake-me-the-hello-up tea first before dealing with whoever was banging the door clean off its hinges as I blearily slapped my hand to the handle, my brain was not completely online for this shiitake mushrooms as I went for broke and flung the door open. “What?” I barked, squinting into the snowcapped ground around me, making the sun feel that much freaking brighter.

“Jo! You safe! Where you go?! Rek say you nowheres. No go Jo’s hut,” Gopher burst out, nabbing me up to clap me to his chest heartily and give me a spun.

“Oh my fucking god, Go’- Wait, what?!” I screeched as the world spun. “Put me down!” I bellowed, promptly stumbling into the side of my hut when he quickly complied.

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