Page 28 of Moonlit Alexandrite

“Lex!”

I looked up in surprise to find Colbie and Aggy both watching me closely.

“Naked Ren. Start talking, woman.” Colbie narrowed her eyes, daring me to become side-tracked again.

“Wait... Ren? You mean that chiseled god of a man with a scary-looking scowl on his face that I’ve seen lurking around here lately? Has an adorable little mini-him with him?” Aggy asked.

“Umm, yeah. Turns out he’s one of my mates. I didn’t mention that?” I ask, trying and failing to sound innocent. Why was I so bad at this?

Aggy kicked off the ground, hovering mid-air in her excitement, and I focused on her tiny grubby feet. Was it safe for her to walk around barefoot through a construction site? I supposed she could just fly if she needed to.

“Who else?” she asked.

A whinny was all the warning we had before a familiar horse shouldered through the front door. I grinned stupidly at the sight of his black pelt, but Colbie was all business as she snatched up a woollen blanket we had taken to leaving behind the counter in the last week for just such an occurrence.

“Shift and put this on. You don’t fit in here in that form.”

Aggy immediately directed her gaze to the ceiling, as though it were the most interesting thing in the room. It was polite, but damn, she was missing out.

“Spoilsport,” Tase grumbled as he wrapped the cloth low over his hips and wandered over to nuzzle my hair. I was unsure if the drive came from the kelpie or the man, but this ritual occurred any time we had been apart. On cue, his arm encircled my waist, pulling me closer to his body so he could wrap himself around me.

“Good day?” I asked, trying to avoid the distraction his naked chest provided.

“Now it is. Oh, and if Stone comes by... I was here all morning. Okay?”

I huffed a laugh that turned into a languorous moan as his short beard scraped against my ear. He mouthed at my neck, causing a shudder to work its way across my shoulders.

“So, I’m guessing he’s another mate,” Agate said loudly, reminding me of our audience.

“Yeah, you need to get used to this. The only one who isn’t hanging off her is Dion,” Colbie said. The words were light, but I still felt them as a blow to the chest. Dion wasn’t like this, because Dion wasn’t around. Sensing my shift in mood, Tase tightened his hold on me.

“What are you making?” he murmured, flicking my ball of yarn. I held up the almost finished piece.

“Is that... a crocheted cock warmer?” Tase’s voice was tight with an emotion that sounded suspiciously close to amusement.

“Yes. I noticed last night that Ren doesn’t seem to own underwear, and I got to thinking how cold his willy must get in winter. I thought I could make him a few in different colors. They can be quite festive, see? This one looks like an elephant. Isn’t it fun?” I pulled the first one I had made from the shelf below the counter and straightened to find everyone in the room in peals of laughter.

“What did I miss?” I asked Tase, who had tears running down his cheeks.

“Fuck, I love you. Please let me be there when you make Ren try on the elephant.”

I froze. Colbie and Aggy froze. Had he just said...

“Don’t panic on me, babe. You’re my mate, and you’re amazing. I’m not going to play hard to get when I know unequivocally I am yours. I’m not expecting a response, but I want you to know, I mean it. I. Love. You.”

He kissed me on the head, and, clearly recognizing now was one of those times I needed space, he sauntered toward the door. Standing at the threshold, he threw a wink over his shoulder before dropping his blanket.

Shamelessly naked, he strode out onto the street, as all three of us tilted our heads to watch his wonderfully firm buttocks bounce until he shifted mid-stride and galloped off.

“Where can I get one of those?” Aggy asked almost hungrily, having completely given up on trying not to look.

“I’m pretty sure he’s one of a kind,” I said, still trying to process the fact Tase had said he loved me in such a way there was no chance for misinterpretation. My succubus was suspiciously quiet, but seeing as though she hadn’t spoken up earlier, I had a feeling this panic was all me.

Casting around for something to say to break the tension of the room, I remembered Colbie’s original question. While embarrassing, I did have a bone to pick with her.

“How come you never told me blow jobs have nothing to do with blowing?”

Colbie blinked.

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