Page 92 of Bride of Choice

“Yes, daddums!” I sweetly cooed, enjoying the choked sounds from the other side of the door that followed.

Glancing around the room, bare feet chilly, toes curling into the hard floor, I shivered. Grabbing the woven blanket from Bum-bum, I wrapped it around me.

He was crazy if he thought I was just going to drop right off to sleep with a quick tuck in and a few gentle reassurances.

Did he think I was making it up? Kirch certainly had. He’d accused me of doing it for attention! I’d heard him with my own fucking ears!

I knew what I saw. And I so saw what I totally thought I saw, damn it!

Speaking of what I saw… I ran to one of the windows and shut the curtains, then the other one.

Curling up on the bed, huddled in the blankets, listening for any and every noise, sleep eluded me.

I had no idea how long I stared into the fire, focusing on breathing and not panicking.

It was easier when someone else was with me, but when I was all alone… Another shiver wracked my body and I pulled the blankets over my head, forming a hood. Alone was a totally different story.

Chapter 14

Today was market day. It made me kind of sad now to think about it. Market days used to be something to look forward to. Now? I just wanted to curl up into a tight ball and sleep through it. Goph and me, market day had been our thing.

Flopping back on the bed, trying to ignore the fact that my heart felt like it was in tatters and life just keeps changing shit up on me without my okay, quite drastically, in ways I never could have imagined, and in many instances in ways I probably couldn’t have stopped even if I’d tried, I had myself a Beatles moment. Humming Let It Be under my breath, I stared at the ceiling.

Unearthing my foot from the bedding, I tapped it along to the song as it hung off the side of the bed.

Could I stay in bed all day and do nothing?

I so could.

Did I really want to, though?

“Hey! Ey! Hey!”

That familiar thud-thud-thud came-a-poundin’ away at my door, I’d guesstimate about an hour after my stomach started screaming at me to find sustenance and my bladder cried, but me first!

“No one’s home! Unless you have candy for reverse trick or treating, go away!” I called out hoarsely, grimacing at my croak of a voice.

“Someone’s home! Rek hears Jojoknee! No not home! Open!”

A snort left me. “Whaddaya gonna do, make me?”

“Opens door, Jojoknee,” Rek warned.

Lifting a hand, despite the fact he couldn’t see it, I flipped the door the bird. “I think… I won’t,” I quipped, dropping my hand to get back to my humming and staring at the ceiling.

“One…” he counted down.

Which just sent me switching to All Together Now, count-singing along out loud over him.

It was about when I hit the part about bringing a friend to tea that a loud growl issued from the other side.

One moment I was singing my little heart out, the next I had a beast of a headache breaking down the door.

Rek came charging through, taking the door with him on his second ram, which did not install the warm and fuzzies on the safe and sound from a Krampus front for me, flying into the room to slide right in, door and all, and right into the table legs.

“What the hell, sock monkey?!” I bellowed, snatching up the blankets in an attempt to cover my chest, because this nightgown, while thick and warm, left little to the imagination. Mad nipple tips on display was not the way to go in this moment.

Rek grunted, picking himself up off the floor. He got as far as lifting up on all fours, when those wild green eyes found and caught on my hairy assed leg swinging in the breeze. Jerking it back under the covers as a covetous rumble that had me instantly squirming in place left him, the purr beneath it was unmistakable.

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