Page 143 of Gratification in Gluttony

“We wanted it to be a surprise,” Oliver said.

“Plus, if we’d waited, we might have missed—”

“Ah, the surprise!” Toni waved at Glyma to shut her up. “Don’t ruin the surprise.”

“There’s more to my surprise?” Gem said with a giddy body wiggle. “Really?”

“Yeah, so get dressed.” Toni patted his side, pushing him back toward his dresser. “Put on something warm.”

“Okay, no peeksies,” he chimed as he disappeared behind his room partition.

“Well,” Jude said as he retrieved an intimidatingly large butt plug from where it had rolled halfway under Gem’s couch, “that went well.”

Chapter thirty-two

Great Family

Gem wasted little timegetting ready. He scrubbed his face clean in the bathroom after donning a cropped hoodie, six sleeves ending just past his elbows, and a pair of sweats he’d cinched high on his calves so most of the leg fur from his knees to ankles wasn’t smothered by the fabric.

“Okay,” he said as he shook out his black and red curls. “I’m ready.”

Twirling the keyring around his finger, Toni said, “Let’s go.”

Outside, the group gathered around the large Town Car and once again, glared at Toni.

“What? I told you, I couldn’t get a van on such short notice!” Toni snarled, calming when Jude placed a hand on his arm and squeezed.

“It wasn’t short notice,” Oliver mumbled, hissing when Toni smacked his arm.

“We can fit,” Gem said confidently.

“I’ll take the trunk again!” Tad crowed as she waddled toward the back of the car.

“Rusty, you go with her,” Toni said, making Rusty huff.

“I amnotgetting in that trunk with her.”

“But you’re the next smallest.”

Pointing at Jude, Rusty said, “I’m taller than Jude!”

“Barely. Besides, Jude’s riding up front with me.”

“Perks of sleeping with the driver,” Jude said.

“Godsdamned right.” Without looking at each other, Toni and Jude high-fived perfectly.

“I’m not riding in the trunk!” Rusty yelled.

“That’s fine, you can sit on my lap,” Gem said easily, grabbing Rusty’s wrist and yanking him around the nose of the car as he chittered.

“Wait, what?” both Toni and Rusty exclaimed, with nearly matching tones of horror.

Snickering, Jude crawled to the middle of the bench seat and straddled the gear stick once more. Oliver, Liel, Quin, Glyma and Willow managed to squeeze into the back again, Liel on Oliver’s lap, Quin on Glyma’s. Zef curled into the trunk with Tad, and Toni could hear them whispering and giggling conspiratorially.

Toni started the car, checking the rear-view mirror to find the backseat glaring back at him.

“Should have gotten a van, man,” Oliver said.

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