Page 102 of Gratification in Gluttony

“We’re gonna continue that too,” Toni declared as Jude backed toward the door.

A dangerous smirk curled his lips as he nodded, eyes dancing with dark promises. “Yes,” he confirmed, giving Toni a filthy onceover. “Yes, we will.”

Chapter twenty-three

Dumbass Chicks

The late afternoon wascool, even with the sun shining down on them, and Toni squinted against the harsh light as Oliver led them toward the horse field. A wriggling, yellow animal ran up to them, barking happily as Oliver crouched down to give it pets and kisses. Glyma, Gem, Quin, and Willow converged on it, cooing over its cuteness as it panted happily at the attention.

Tad asked if she could eat it, to which Oliver scowled and said, “No, Tad, you can’t eat my dog.”

Oh, so that was a dog. It was pretty cute.

The dog loped over to Zef next and hesitantly sniffed at their shoes. Zef stared down at it with curious eyes but made no move to touch it. Instead, they offered it a slight bow.

“Pleased to meet you, Molly.”

The dog—Molly—barked before she turned to Toni and cautiously circled him. He watched her, offering her a smile, and the dog whined, tucking her tail between her legs like she wasscared of him. He stopped smiling, tucking his hands into his pockets.

“I don’t think she likes me,” he said, trying to play it off, even though he felt bad for scaring her.

“He’s all bark and no bite, Molly,” Jude said as he came up beside Toni and lowered himself to one knee. “Come here, girl.”

Belly dragging on the ground, Molly crawled to Jude and licked his hand. He petted her until she flipped onto her back. Then he reached up and took Toni’s hand, guiding him to crouch down.

Toni moved slowly, allowing Jude to place his hand on her belly. He directed his hand as he said, “Rub in circles.”

Obeying, Toni couldn’t take his eyes off Jude’s hand on his. Jude was touching him in front of everyone, like he didn’t care who saw, and it had warmth blooming in Toni’s stomach.

“Like this?” he asked, voice weak as he rubbed the dog’s fluffy belly.

“Yeah, just like that.” Jude angled his head and grinned at him. “See?”

Toni tore his gaze from Jude’s and looked down at Molly, patting her gently as she panted up at him. “She’s… wriggly.”

“She had pups about five weeks ago,” Oliver said, pointing at the barn. “They’re probably in the barn, if you wanna hold them.”

“That explains the titties.” Toni scratched Molly between her swollen nipples. “Are you a mama? Where’s your babies?”

Like she understood his question, the dog stood and headed toward the barn, stopping a few feet away as if to wait for Toni to follow her. With a shrug, Toni rose to his feet and brushed off his jeans. He grabbed Jude’s sleeve and tugged, forcing him to follow as they trailed after the dog.

Behind him, Toni heard Gem say, “I wanna see the pippies too.”

“It’s puppies,” Rusty corrected.

“Whatever. Let’s go pet them.”

By the time they made it to the large barn, Gem and Rusty had fallen into step with Toni and Jude. Gem glanced at Toni and Jude simultaneously, and a smile split his mouth when he caught Jude hooking his pinkie around Toni’s. Toni’s chest swelled, and he tightened his grip on Jude’s finger, giving Gem a wink.

Molly led them to a pen full of squirming, whining golden puffballs, and Gem squealed so loud it made Toni wince. “Oh my gods, they’re the cutest things I’ve ever seen. Well, you know, except the cows.” Reaching into the pen, Gem grabbed three and hugged them to his chest. “I want to squeeze them until their heads pop off.”

Jude’s brows flew up. “That’s what we call an intrusive thought.”

“Maybe you shouldn’t—” Rusty reached to take the puppies from Gem, but the Araknis bared his fangs, angling away.

“I said I wanted to, not that I would. Let me love the pippies.”

Chuckling, Toni reached inside the pen and scrubbed a hand over the remaining pups. Molly stood at his side, head high, tongue lolling. “You should be very proud,” Toni told her, giving her head a pat. “They’re very cute.”

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