Page 17 of No Potions Needed

“No,” he shook his head. “I swear I didn’t plan this. I didn’t plan to just get hard and slick and---”

“Dicks have a mind of their own. Even more so when it comes to the true-mate response,” I said trying to reassure him. “I’m hard too. I’m sure you felt me all pressed up on your hip.”

“I thought I’d be able to talk to you first at least.”

“We don’t have to do anything. Our dicks aren’t the boss of us,” I chuckled, trying to lighten the mood.

“I don’t know about all that,” he said, almost laughing.

“Hey,” I leaned down to whisper in his ear. “Want me to help you? Then we’ll go right back to talking. No claiming vows until we talk about them, okay? I don’t know what you were trying to ask before, but I want you to have them the way you want them. I’m not sure I’m up for a huge wedding. I’ll have one if you really want one but the claiming vows can absolutely be jaguar style.”

“You don’t even know what that is,” he laughed, managing to sit up and meet my gaze. “Are you sure you want to promise before you find out?”

“I’m pretty sure I’ve been around enough blocks to be okay with just about anything.”

“Alphas here are weird about sex. I’m not so sure about that.”

“Weird how, mate?” I arched a brow. “They can’t be too weird. I’ve topped my fair share of alphas.”

“But have you bottomed?” he asked as if the question would catch me off guard.

“For sex or BDSM?” I shot the question back at him.

“BDSM?” he whispered and for a second, I thought I’d have to explain what it was. “For that you’re a total dom. I know that just by smelling you. So, for sex of course.”

“I have when the mood has struck me and the guy looked like he might know what he was doing with his damn dick,” I smirked. “See, I’m not that easy to shock.”

“We trade bites for the claiming vows. The topper bites,” he said.

“Okay. That’s simple. You thought that would scare me away? What sort of guy did Mori tell you I was?” I laughed and glanced down at Othoni’s lap. He was rubbing the heel of his hand over his crotch absentmindedly. He turned crimson when he realized what he was doing.

“Sorry,” he stopped and held his hands up.

“Don’t stop on my account. Unless, of course, you want some help,” I grinned, leaning in closer.

“Just help. No vows yet. I’m such a sucker,” he flopped onto his back. “I thought we could do this grand courtship thing but here I am – hard and slick and playing with myself through my clothes!” he covered his eyes with the heels of his hands.

“Mate, it’s sort of hot. Okay, it is hot. No sorta to it. I want you driven crazy by me. Hell, I want you to have the urge to touch yourself any time I cross your mind.”

Othoni’s blush deepened, and I stretched out next to him. I wasn’t sure how much of his upbringing was sexually conservative and how much of this was just sheer frustration brought about by our true-mate response.

“I--- I usually have more control than this,” Othoni said.

“Do you want me to give you a break? I could go for a walk or something,” I offered.

“No!” He answered quick and grabbed my hand, moving it back onto his stomach. I rubbed his belly again, hoping it would soothe out whatever rough edges poked at his anxiety.

“Okay. Then I’ll stay.”

“It’s your room anyway,” he managed a laugh.

“That doesn’t matter. If you need time alone, I’ll go.”

“That’s the last thing I need,” Othoni said, turning onto his side to face me. “I’ve waited a long time to meet you. I thought at some point when my parents started showing signs of being older, I’d have to use the potion to find you. Until then I was going to live as hard as I could because it meant going back and being leader.”

“Uh…. Do you want me to sleep for a few decades then?” I teased him. “That way you can still live hard and all that.”

“No,” he shook his head fast and hard. “I never thought I’d get to meet you and live a whole life with you before everyone was looking to me for answers.”

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