Page 53 of Swamp Kings 1

“Dick slash tation. Your commitment to being Captain Hard ass about everything you put your mind to.”

“You think I can’t be dedicated to my job and obsessed over my wife at the same time?”

Mmm, he loved knocking her on her knees. She finally rolled her eyes, throwing an arm at him. “I guess you could, anal as you are. Which is one of the strengths I borrowed from you to get over that silly crush and squash all the emotions wanting to define my every step. And once I was free of that, I was able to become. Do you have prospects for a wife? Or are you using your standard tried and truly dumb methods. Orrrrrr, did you and the Kings build some kind ofsomethingto locate her.”

“One of the Marsh Kings is working with King Thakx on a program that would allow us to find a perfect match,” he said, grinning at how much her feisty side aroused him.

She gave him a ‘These dumb ass fools’head shake. “Y’all justdon’tlearn.”

“I’m trying to marry last,” he said, giving her a little more rope to play with.

“You don’twantto marry?” She seemed to forget he was reading her every expression three dimensionally, thankfully. Right now, she’d just told him exactly what he wanted to know. She wanted time. Hopefully, time to seduce him.

“Not at all,” he said.

“Then why are you?” she demanded incredulous.

“Because I agreed and I’m the leader.”

She leaned her body to the right now with more head shaking, like her brain didn’t know how to unpack this level of stupidity. “Well, I can tell you that love doesn’t like to be strategized,” she informed with a quick finger point. “It doesn’t want to be penned into the calendar or entered into an equation.” Two more finger points. “Andnobodywants a man that needs reminders, they want a man that can’t forget.” She pointed all her fingers at him with that one.

He didn’t hold back his smile. “Duly noted, Miss Lyric.”

“Duly noted,” she muttered. “Have you ever even been on asingledate?”

“Maybe I have other plans in mind.”

She quirked her brow, managing to be both curious and accusing. “Like?”

“Well, these marriages are supposed to be unlocking my gifts. But this bat bite has already done that. What exactly will this marriage be for besides adding more casualties for the war coming?”

“But you agreed to marry you said.”

“Not everybody defines marriage the same.”

She stared at him, confused. “Wait… exactlywhatpart of this bat bite helped you unlock your gifts?”

That was the question of the hour, wasn’t it? “I’m not really sure,” he half lied.

“Well, if there’s a way to be sure, I would find it,” she advised.

“I’m not aware of one,” he admitted, opening the field for advice.

“So, what will you do?” she wondered, leaning forward with her forearms on her legs, back to his concerned helper.

“About what?”

“About getting out of marrying? Figuring out which is unlocking your gifts, the bite or the… lust from it? And will this condition always be with you? What if it’s not and then you lose those upgrades, and the carriage turns back into a pumpkin?”

He chuckled, shaking his head. “That’s a very strange expression.”

“Cinderella!” she cried. “The… never mind. What if you lose it, then what?”

He considered that, then looked at her. “I’m hungry, would you care to stay for dinner?”

The question threw her, and she looked at her watch. “You’re eating late.”

He stood and went to the kitchen. “It’s been a crazy couple of weeks.”

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