Page 2 of Sticky for You
Burke nudged my elbow, giving me a pitiful look. “Sorry,” I muttered under my breath, “you’re outta luck.”
Three sacks of shopping later, we exited the store and Burke sniffed loudly, letting us all know he was miffed.
“There is nothing we can do if the lady won’t sell it to us,” I pointed out.
He sniffed again.
Randy, who’d remained quiet throughout the trip around the store, stopped at the side of the minivan we’d bought to accommodate all of us. “It’s odd, she was almost being motherly over the rhubarb… don’t ya think?”
“Yeah, it was odd for sure. I mean, who clutches rhubarb to their chest like I was threatening it?” I asked, once more figuring we might have made an unwise decision to move to Valentine Growville.
“You were thinking about Potatoville, weren’t you?” Randy said.
I nodded, while opening the side door to put the shopping in, because I had been.
“I thought so. It’s almost like you have to look at everything as a sentient being.”
“Why do you have to say that shit!” snapped Apollo, all sharp teeth and blown out mane, a lion who enjoyed fruit, same as all my pride. He dropped the sack he held next to the one I’d placed inside the van. “Now I’ll be thinking about that when I pick up a damn apple to munch on it.” He shuddered and stomped to the front of the minivan. Opening the door to the front seat, he climbed in, still grumbling under his breath.
Randy, used to Apollo’s outbursts, continued on. “There was definitely a vibe coming from the rhubarb. Couldn’t you pick it up?” He didn’t wait for an answer as he slipped into the seat behind Apollo.
I rolled my eyes at thoughts of the return trip to the house and two bickering pride members. We weren’t ever going to be a traditional pride. In fact, we weren’t really a pride at all. Three lions, a pink ram, a bull, a goat, and a llama. Some might, and in fact many had, say we were just a bunch of misfits. We didn’t care. We were a co-op. Friends brought together by circumstances.
I ran my finger down the jagged scar running from my left ear, down my throat and disappearing under the collar of my sweater. That one I’d gotten for protecting Randy from another pride member. One who didn’t see the value of any other shifter when they weren’t a predator. I had other scars that weren’t so visible.
It was easier to shake off the terrible memories nowadays, and think about the rhubarb that at least was more amusing. I swear that rhubarb squeaked and wiggled. I breathed a little faster at the thought.
“Hurry up,” Randy grumbled.
And then I realized I was standing in the parking lot, considering hitting on a squeaky rhubarb. I hoped they didn’t see me blush all over.
As the designated driver, I started the engine and shut out the others behind me, focusing partially on the minimal traffic as I drove back to the place we’d found just on the edge of town. My mind latched on to what Randy had said about there being a vibe coming off the rhubarb. Now, without the distraction of the woman in the shop, I could clearly recall one stalk of rhubarb had moved independently of the clutching hands.
I chuckled about the little tingle in my boxers at the next thought that popped into my head. What would a piece of rhubarb be like to fuck? The chuckles turned into full-blown laughter at my own crazy thoughts.
“Whatsup with you?” Apollo asked from the seat next to me.
Would it be weird, I mean really weird, if I said what was in my head? No, they’d never let me live it down.
“Anyone ever thought about rhubarb fucking?”
Chapter Two
Tim
Twirlie, get your damn hairs out of my face!
Quit wriggling, Twirlie.
Geez, it’s bad enough that the monster wants to eat us, without getting all hot for him.
I’m not hot for him, and don’t call me Twirlie.
Seriously, my name was Tim Early. Mom, whom I adored, had stupidly decided to give me the nickname Twirlie, just because I wiggled a lot. I adored her despite her weird choice in nicknames.
My hook-ups called me Twirlie too, but that’s because of how versatile another part of my anatomy was. I was so tempted to twirl it at the spicy hot newcomer I’d heard about but hadn’t yet met.
I tried to keep still while Crimson clutched at us to protect us from the monster. I knew where I wanted to be, and it wasn’t pressed against my alpha’s boobs. As soft as they were, I much preferred a harder, muscled surface.
