Page 13 of Embracing the Stalk

I can!

That breathy note was destined to drive me wild, and I couldn’t wait to show him how excited I was when I finished doing what I had promised him. Perhaps we could try out his backyard, doing it amongst the flower scents could be fun. Then a cough distracted me from my thoughts and I looked up to see thesheriff rolling his eyes like he’d known exactly what I had going on in my head, which of course he couldn’t… could he?

“Much as I’m pleased for you, Gordon…”

By pleased, I suspected by the way he said it, he meant exasperated.

Always an over-explainer, I tapped at my temple. “I’m sorry, but it’s all new and hard to focus. There’s so much going on in my head.”

“I get it,” Sheriff Butch assured me. “Every newly mated couple is the same.”

I’d beg to differ as I’d had no action and now all my goaty-goatness was there for my stalk of rhubarb wanting to unleash everything—all at once. But I asked, “Does every couple broadcast their love to the whole town?”

I was part of a weird and wacky pride, these things weren’t something we had cause to talk about in the past when it wasn’t sexy times we were broadcasting. When we’d formed, it had taken us time to quit broadcasting every thought to each other, but we’d gotten used to it. Being part of Valentine Growville was a whole new freaky experience. It was as if our thoughts were on blast to the whole town, especially the newly mated couples—that was how it appeared with the side looks the stalks gave us. Get a rhubarb mate, sign into the rhubarb superhighway.

Thoughts changing tack of their own accord, I smiled, thinking of my Red as I’d left him in bed.

You should have seen me in the shower,Red said coyly.Tim saw the bite marks on my ass cheeks.

I shivered as I remembered putting them there.

“Oh Great Rhu, either focus or go back to your mate,” the stalk in front of me said, frowning hard enough to give him a monobrow, which wasn’t a good look on him.

I shook my head, trying to clear my horny thoughts. Damn, that rhubarb had me tied up in knots.

“Gordon!”

I jumped at Butch’s yell. “I’m listening,” I protested, hoping to convince him I was.

“I haven’t said anything yet,” he snapped. “But now I have your attention, why are you being chased by monsters?”

I pressed my lips together.

He sighed, rested his elbows on his desk, and steepled his fingers together. “Why is no one from the pride talking to me?”

I didn’t look sideways at Maximus, who’d joined me. No, if I didn’t look, then there was clearly nothing to see. Right?

“We just want the lions out of here,” I muttered, still not looking at the silent lion next to me.

Sheriff Butch gave us both a hard stare. “I get that. We do, too. But this is more than just a pride dispute. The monsters are going after members of my town, and I can’t have that. Crimson has asked me to handle it. If the pride doesn’t start talking,” his gaze moved to Maximus, “then I’ll have to take action.”

What kind of action?Red said, sounding concerned, evidently hearing the whole conversation.

It’s okay,I soothed, even though I was out of my depth. I didn’t need a map to understand what Butch was saying. I wasn’t the alpha of the pride and I gave Maximus the side-eye, seeing that he looked undecided. My only concern today was my beautiful mate. I needed to know he was safe.

“Are either of you going to answer me?”

I forced a smile and glanced at Maximus fully. “The sheriff wants answers, alpha.”Please give him some, I need to get back to my mate.

We never used his title, but this was important, and Maximus hesitated before he gave a curt nod.

“I know he does. He should be talking directly to the alpha of the pride. That’s me,” Maximus said pointedly to the sheriff.

“The alpha of the pride isn’t talking, is he?” Sheriff Butch huffed in exasperation. “So I’m speaking to the new alpha of a member ofmyparcel whose mate was nearly kidnapped, twice. And you both came to me, remember?”

“I did,” I confessed, sensing the macho face-off they had going wasn’t really going to get us anywhere.

“Sorry, Maxi,” I tagged on. “I need to know Amell and the others will be locked up far away from my omega. Red is scared.” I hoped he’d forgive me for divulging that information. “And I’m worried there are other monsters out there. I’m scared for my mate and my town.” I made sure they understood I meant both prides.

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