Page 105 of Gratification in Gluttony

“If you can lift that ginormous ass,” Rusty said dryly, lying across his branch, tail swaying, feet swinging, like he’d never been more comfortable than he was right there in this alien tree.

Gem gasped dramatically in offense before he proceeded to clumsily haul himself into the tree. He didn’t get very far, his feet barely dangling above the ground. He scratched bark off the trunk with his tarsal claws as he screeched in frustration.

Toni tucked himself into the hammock to watch the show as Gem failed to climb farther than a few inches.

“Need help?” Rusty asked lazily, inspecting the black polish chipping off one of his claws.

“No!” Gem lied.

Snickering under his breath, Rusty rolled off the branch, landing on all fours on the one beneath before deftly climbing down until he perched on the branch Gem was trying to pull himself onto. In all honesty, it was impressive the way the kid could so easily navigate the branches. Not that Toni was going to admit it out loud or anything.

“Stop trying to climb it like a ladder,” Rusty said.

“I don’t need your help,” Gem snipped.

Rusty cocked his head, one ear folding down as the other stood tall, his tail swaying behind him. “You have eight limbs, Gem. This is easier than you’re making it.”

“My ass is way heavier than I thought it was, okay?” Gem whined, and Rusty barked an unexpected laugh. It was rough and husky, and Toni frowned as Gem’s entire face lit up at the sound. “Stop laughing at me, Rus! I’m doing my best.”

“I’m not laughing at you,” Rusty lied. “Listen, just use that knot there. No, there on the trunk.”

They bickered for several minutes before Gem finally listened to Rusty’s instructions. With the Pyclon’s help, Gem managed to get himself onto the lowest branch, though the bough creaked under his weight. Giggling with excitement, Gem sat up and waved down at Toni.

“Look! I climbed a motherfucking tree.”

“Good job, Gem,” Toni said.

“Told you I could do it,” Gem said to Rusty, who was now several limbs above him.

“You sure showed me,” he deadpanned, and Gem snickered, sending numerous middle fingers his way. “Just don’t climb higher, or your heavy ass will break the branches.”

“Keep talking about my ass, and I’m gonna think you like it.”

Rusty snorted from high in the branches. “In your dreams, Akyllo.”

As Gem laughed, Toni frowned. If it had been anyone else, he would have thought they were flirting. But they couldn’t have been because… Well, it was Gem and Rusty. Them flirting was like the sun and moon colliding. Physically impossible! And equally nauseating.

Honestly, Toni was relieved when the others returned, and he could forget about the whole disconcerting thing.

Chapter twenty-four

Love That Big

It was early, muchtoo early to be awake, but something had roused Toni from his slumber. He cracked his eyes open, but it was still dark. The sky outside the window was lightening, more of an indigo than an inky black, which meant Toni should not have been awake.

But something nudged his brain, forcing him into consciousness. Gem was breathing deeply beside him, his twin hearts chugging sluggishly in sleep. But there was another rhythm, a more familiar one. A heart-song Toni had memorized weeks ago.

He propped himself on his elbows and turned toward the door. A shadow shifted at the bottom, and fingers lightly drummed against the wood before footsteps shuffled away in the direction of the living area. Toni inhaled, smelling sandalwood and bergamot.

Fully awake now, he slunk out of bed and dressed quietly. He slipped out of the room and tiptoed down the hall. He expected to find Jude in the living room or the kitchen, but he wasn’tthere. Stopping at the back porch doors, Toni strained his eyes for movement in the yard, smiling when he caught sight of a figure in the barn.

The second floor hayloft doors were open, and Jude swung one leg over the edge as he hugged the other to his chest. As Toni exited the house and loped down the porch stairs, Jude’s head turned in his direction, and Toni heard the uptick of his heart. They hadn’t found a time to talk alone since Friday afternoon, given Oliver’s birthday and, later, Oliver and Liel’s love confession. Ass-crack of dawn wouldn’t have been Toni’s first choice, but beggars couldn’t be choosers, right?

When Toni came to a stop at the barn doors, he looked up, finding Jude smiling down at him. “Good morning.”

“Good morning,” Toni said. “Can I come up?”

“I hoped you would,” Jude said.

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