“Oh, baby, that is not a threat. That is an invitation.”
When Gem added pressure to Rusty’s neck, the Pyclon dipped his chin enough to kiss him, mumbling, “I’m not prepped for that.”
With a shriek of laughter, Gem shoved the Pyclon away, and Rusty laughed too, tail dancing. He seemed so much lighter, his smiles and laughter coming easier and more frequent. It filled Gem with joy and affection and something that tasted like love.
Gem had never been in love before. He’d fucked a lot of people, and he’d liked quite a few of them. He’d even dated every now and then, but he’d never felt this before. This all-consuming desire. For everything. For all of it.
He wanted Rusty’s body and his pleasure, his moans and dirty words. But it was deeper than that too. He wanted Rusty’s smiles and his laughter, his quiet focus and lazy exhales of spicy smoke. He wanted Rusty’s dreams and his fears, his painful past and his bright future. He wanted his secrets, and his gentle, soft heart.
Gem wanted it all, and he wanted to give everything of himself in return. He’d given pieces before, tiny offerings of his most palatable self, but never his all. Because he knew his everything would be far too much for any one person to accept.
Except Rusty didn’t think he was too much. Never once had he told Gem to be quiet, to calm down, to be less. He’d accepted Gem with his crazy cow closet and his overly active brain and his silly quirks and his loose tongue. And he’d stayed. Even after Rusty had gotten the one thing most men wanted from Gem, he’d stayed. And that had to count for something.
“Okay, so don’t laugh,” Rusty said as he sat down beside Gem, entirely unaware of the calamity of thought and emotion crashing through Gem’s psyche. “It’s about alien warlocks in space. Which sounds really stupid when I say it out loud.”
He handed Gem a tablet, and Gem took it on instinct, mind still reeling. “You made it, so it won’t be stupid.”
Another one of his shy smiles made an appearance, and Gem couldn’t stop himself from kissing it from his lips. Rustyoomphedin surprise, but after a moment, kissed him back enthusiastically. Framing his face with twohands, Gem kissed him with all the unexplainable emotion inside him, and Rusty was breathless by the time they parted.
“What—” Rusty cleared his throat, blinking heavily. “What was that for?”
“I just think you’re wonderful,” Gem said, because it was true.
Rusty’s tail puffed up, but he ducked his head and chittered uncomfortably. “I don’t know about that.”
“I do,” Gem said confidently, dragging his knuckles down Rusty’s throat, mirroring the way Rusty scent-marked him. Rusty gasped, eyes widening as he stared at Gem.
For a moment, Gem hesitated, thinking he’d done something wrong. But then Rusty slowly, cautiously, tilted his head, baring his throat. It was vulnerable, the ultimate show of trust in many Mammylion cultures, and Gem understood the weight of it.
He rubbed his knuckles into Rusty’s neck, and Rusty’s eyes drifted shut, a rumbling purr vibrating in his chest. His body went slack, tail wrapping around Gem’s hips, and Gem smiled, continuing to massage his scent into Rusty’s pulse point.
Rusty had always been the one to mark Gem, but Gem had never thought to mark him as well. Judging from the slight hitch in Rusty’s breathing, this meant something, something important. Gem should have done it sooner. Rusty had claimed him as gaiz a long time ago, but Gem hadn’t claimed him back. He would remedy that now.
Leaning in, Gem rubbed his cheek against Rusty’s, then buried his face in the fur of his neck and sighed. They stayed that way for a long time.
Chapter twenty-four
Cow-Furries
Rusty
The evening passed withRusty napping, head pillowed on Gem’s thigh as Gem read his graphic novel. Several hands pet absently through Rusty’s fur, lulling him to sleep. The last time he’d felt this safe, comfortable, and cared for had been with his mother, and he never wanted it to end.
Even as he dozed, he was dimly aware of Gem’s fingers blazing a path up and down his throat, a continuous scent-marking that made his heart constrict. Gem had been his gaiz for a while now, but this was the first time Gem had marked him back.
Gem was his gaiz, but now, he was Gem’s too. And that? That was everything.
A giggle woke him, and Rusty rolled from his side to his back, mouth stretched in a yawn. Gem rubbed his chest and belly, smiling down at him as he blinked drowsily.
“I didn’t mean to wake you,” Gem whispered, and Rusty shookhis head.
“It’s fine.”
Gem smoothed down the fur between his ears. “Did you have a nice nap?”
With a nod, Rusty brought one of Gem’s hands to his face and kissed his palm. “Mhm. What were you laughing at?”
“Oh, Jewyl’s just sassy, and I’m so here for it.” Gem shifted on the bed as Rusty sat up, setting the tablet aside. “Though I’m disappointed in the lack of space cows.”
