Page 312 of Bride of Choice

Bracing himself on the wall with one hand, the other cupped us where we were joined and he jerked my hips into his as he pumped into me. Locked together like this, moving just the right way, I knew I’d come again if he kept it up.

He kept it up, lifting his head to stare over his shoulder with a snarl as I broke apart in his arms.

When the heat of the moment had ebbed, I lifted my head, searching out shimmering green eyes, but Rek was no longer there.

It wasn’t until we’d dragged our happy asses to Odix’s house and he’d stripped me down to pin me down to his bed for rounds one and two, then three up against the wall when I’d jokingly tried to escape Mega-peen, as I’d so lovingly dubbed his monster with zero quit in it, that he told me of his previously made plans.

Snuggled up in his arms, resting my head on his chest, I shrugged. “You had this planned out. You have to go.”

“No want,” he grumbled, sounding so petulant it was actually cute.

“I’ll be waiting for you when you get back,” I murmured, to a firm shake of his head.

“Odix just got my Jo back. No want go.” Rolling, forcing me to move or be crushed, he flipped me and jerked me into his chest, his big spoon to my little spoon. Taking my hand in his, he kissed it as I laughed at his manhandling. Then he smacked my hand to his ass, urging me to give that nice slab of cake he was packing a squeeze. “No want go. Doogie and Bia no’ make Odix.”

“You’re right,” I said reasonably, “they can’t.”

Odix growled at the small, self-assured smile pursing my lips.

“But I bet I can…”

???

“Be careful,” I fretted, fussing over him as he finished loading his pack. “Don’t let anything eat you.”

“Odix eat Jo… Jo lets Odix stay,” he mumble-muttered under his breath.

Mina, picking up little bits here and there, cracked up at Odix’s little boy frown. “He doesn’t want to go either, but it’s like a tradition from when they were growing up.” Mina grinned as she mockingly pointed at Bia.

Bia snatched her hand up and acted like he was going to bite it. Mina jerked her hand back, holding her belly with her free hand as she cackled her butt off at her mate. “Wouldn’t be half as fun if they didn’t resist at first,” she admitted.

Bia paused at that. “You mean to tell me that if I’d pretended I wanted to actually go, you’d have been fine with me not going?”

“Fun how that works, isn’t it?” I teased.

Now Bia was frowning at both of us.

Odix let out a warning rattle aimed at Bia, telling him to stop frowning at me.

Bia just rolled his eyes.

“Ready?” Noyel asked, looking more prepared than the rest of them.

“Gopher not here,” Doogie muttered. “No know he go this one.” Cupping his hand over his eyes, Doogie squinted into the distance.

Already having been brought up to speed on everything, Odix nodded knowingly. “Famlied ‘mergency.” They’d stalled their expedition a week to give Gopher more time. Odix had insisted it was for himself so he could spend time with me, which wasn’t exactly a lie. While on the one hand I was worried about Gopher, on the other, this time with Odix has been more than memorable.

“It’s okay. Go’ can catch the next one,” Mina said with a shrug as she patted Bia on the back.

Celuk has yet to return with Tokre, but I’d expected as much. It was a sort of deep woods fishing expedition, kinda like Odix, Doogie, Bia, Noyel and Gopher planning this foraging foray. Some healing herbs don’t grow well in the village. They need the much colder climes near the base of Mt Creepy, as I’ve generously dubbed the big, pointy mountainside with a rock face that looks like the mouth of a monster. Apparently, some of the best healing shit is found right there at the toothy-rock-formation mouth of it.

It was far too cold for a human. I’d have to sit their unofficial guys’ trips for weeds out.

“Bia and Noyel aren’t bringing enough gear for a weeks long trip,” I murmured to Odix, glancing around at the lack of shit packed on their backs.

Odix glanced to Doogie, who was loaded down, exchanged a look with him, and they turned to frown at Bia and Noyel together.

“Ey! What you know?” Doogie barked at them. Narrowing his eyes at them when they lifted their hands and their eyes widened innocently, he bared his teeth at them and aptly corrected, “What you do?”

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