Page 31 of Hers to Claim

Although there were so many things Mari looked forward to now, movie night was still one of her favorites. She had a heaping nest of blankets already set up on one of the couches in the media room and a jug of Giselle’s tasty margaritas ready to pour.

“Hey, babe.” Tilly bounced in with a huge tub of popcorn and set it on the side table. “What are we watching?”

“Hot lady action movie or tearjerker?”

Tilly scoffed. “No contest. Hot ladies all the way.”

“Thought so.” Mari hit a few buttons on the remote and got herself settled while Tilly poured the margaritas. “Speaking of hot ladies…”

Tilly flicked a glare her way. “Nope.”

“Come on, you have to give me something.”

“Do I?” Tilly wrinkled her nose. “You didn’t give me any details at all about what the fuck exactly happened when you made the entire house shake!”

Mari felt her cheeks heat. Fair was fair. “It was my first time really topping someone. Cisco coached me through it while Rio watched me flog Dante. And then after that he fucked me so thoroughly that some weird magic thing happened we still don’t understand. Is that enough or do you want more?”

Tilly stared as though she was still processing the mountain of information Mari had hurled at her. “Holy shit.” She laughed. “Well I don’t have anything nearly that exciting. Kima is a bitch. She continues to be a bitch every time we have to interact at all.”

“Aw, come on.” Mari sulked. “There has to be more than that. What’s the deal with Bren? Do we hate him?”

Tilly sighed. “No, we love Bren. He’s her best friend. Has been forever. He’s very sweet and he’s definitely Team Matilda.” She ruffled her feathers. “It’s complicated, okay? I know she cares about me. But the Basilio years left a mark and a lot of us aren’t over it yet.”

Mari frowned. She knew that scarring intimately. “She thinks if she admits her feelings it puts her and you in danger.”

Tilly nodded. “Used to be I let her fuck me whenever she looked at me sideways just to be close to her, but I put my foot down after the last time she walk-of-shamed out of my room at three in the morning and didn’t talk to me for two days after. I don’t need that shit.”

That made Mari’s heart hurt. She knew how much Tilly cared about Kima, and being treated that way sucked. “Ouch. You really don’t.”

Tilly frowned. “Anyway, now she’s bitchy that I won’t put out and she lets me know every chance she gets.”

“She was trying to push the issue during the soccer game?”

Tilly pulled some of the blankets up over her. “Yeah, she was rubbing all over me and whispering dirty things in my ear to try to convince me that I’d made a mistake and I got pressed about it.”

Mari put an arm around her and rested her head on the harpy’s shoulder. “I don’t blame you. That would make me mad too.”

Tilly hugged her back. “Anyway, maybe one of these days she’ll realize that she just has to admit how she feels and all will be forgiven.”

“Well, let me know if the time limit on that lapses and we can have an ice cream and vent night instead of a movie night.”

“Yeah, I might need it.” She shook her feathers loose. “I just don’t know what to do if I don’t love her, you know?”

Mari nodded. “If she doesn’t come to her senses then you do what you have to do to move on. Because you don’t deserve to just be hanging around hoping that someday she comes around.”

Tilly smiled, a little sadly. “Thanks, I think I really needed to hear that.”

“I’m here for you. No matter what.”

Tilly sniffed. “Okay, no more of that. I demand hot ladies. What are they blowing up in this one?”

“I think it’s cars.” Mari pressed the play button.

Tilly snuggled down against her. “Ooh, good. I love a car chase. Maybe a car fucking scene for good measure.”

They shared an evening full of strong margaritas, good company, and a thoroughly terrible movie. Mari couldn’t remember laughing so hard in a long, long while. Possibly ever. She headed off to bed in good spirits, snuggled between Rio and Cisco and everything was perfect.

Chapter 10

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