Seth sighs, trailing a hand through his hair. “Shit, I’m sorry, Briella. I thought you could use it for your leg instead of hobbling around all the time or leaning on us. I probably should’ve checked first. Not trying to treat you like a granny or?—”
“I love it.” Her voice cracks, her glistening eyes not leaving the cane.
I could swear a boulder falls off Seth’s chest. “Really?” He leans closer, practically crouching before her as she takes out the cane, her slender fingers tracing the flowers and chain designs.
“It’s beautiful, Seth.” She turns to him, practically glowing. “More beautiful because you made it.”
Seth pounces. Good god almighty, I shift out of the way as he rolls her onto her back and kisses her neck again and again, with her laughing the whole time. Rory snaps his head up from his semi-nap, then shakes his head, chuckling.
“Still gonna marry you, woman.” Seth rubs his nose along her cheek until she shoves his face away, her cheeks redder than ever.
“Ok, lover boy.” Rory kicks his partner in the ass. “It be my turn now.” He gestures for Briella to come closer, but she raises a brow until he takes a small, bright red box out from behind the couch pillow. “Come to Red now, Lass. I got ye the best gift. One ye can use every day. And let’s not forget how I was the first to give ye the best gift. I said ‘You know what’ first.”
“We know!”we all say in angry unison because he likes to rub it in every chance he gets.
“Now, that’s a mighty fine sight,” Rory remarks when she starts to crawl toward him. “Be even finer with what I got you.”
And now I can see where this is going.
He dangles the box above his head, legs spread, making sure she gets as close as she can. And she does until she’s pressed up against him, making the puppy dog face, her fingers idly stroking his beard. Too curious.
After caging her in with his legs, Rory hands it to her, copping a feel of her ass at the same time. I grunt and back up closer to Jude, crossing my arms over my chest. His hand wanders into my hair, idly stroking. As long as he doesn’t havesome weird hair fetish, I don’t mind him playing with my brown waves. Not like he’s got anything more than his military cut. Be a crime to cover that polished, perfect obsidian head in any way.
“Oh, good grief, Red,” Briella mutters, shaking her head in disbelief. But we can all see the crazy big grin on her face. The one she gets only with Rory. Like she’s about to bite him just to teach him a lesson before humping him.
“Don’t ye be rolling those pretty eyes at me, Firecracker.”
When Seth gets curious and leans over to look, he laughs, falling onto his back.
“Go fuck an axe, wood boy,” Rory spits out.
“Come now, Babydoll. Don’t keep us in suspense,” adds Jude, fingers still in my hair.
With that cute grin still on her face, Briella holds up a matching lingerie set. Should’ve known. But I’ll give him credit. The set is homemade and handcrafted from leather he tanned himself. Not a crude leather either. The rich auburn hide is soft but sturdy, showing hours of work. He stitched the bra and thong with a lot of care, rough in all the right ways. Just like him.
“Do you really expect me to wear this?” Briella takes another item from the box—a matching throat collar. He even etched tiny flame motifs on it. Firecracker, of course. Like his brand of ownership…and worship.
Hungry, he seizes her hair, yanking her head back and trailing his mouth down her throat. “I expect to put it on ye while ye’re kicking and screaming and tied to my bed.”
“No need.”
Seth guffaws when she lifts the collar and fastens it around her throat.
Rory loosens his grip as she asks, “Can you hold up my hair?”
Even he gets twitchy, a muscle bouncing in his jaw with his surprise, but a second later, he’s twisting her braid onto her head.
“Velcro,” she chirps, her eyes shimmering. “Fancy.”
Just after securing the collar, she arches her neck and kisses his cheek. He drops her braid, and his mouth is still open when she slides off his lap and says, “Who’s next?”
61
Jude
“WAIT. I UM-I HAVE SOMETHING FOR YOU, TOO.”
Citizen Soldier Playlist
