“Oh, me too!” Hai added.
“Are we having a berry gathering party? I’d like to join,” Ashley interjected.
Soon Orsu’s berry-gathering comment had turned into a group activity. He relented with a promise that he would teach us where and how to forage while we were outside.
After breakfast was done and the tables were cleared, Ashley, Talia, Sarah, Anusha, and myself joined Orsu at the base of the mountain.
“Hey! Wait up!” Axon called out just as Orsu was about to push the boulder guarding the entrance back into place, Axon, Sozu, and Jax came running down the hallway with woven foraging baskets in hand.
“You might need us to protect the females,”Sozu blurted out.
Orsu rolled his eyes. “Come if you wish, but you know the berry vines are located in the safest place in our territory. There is no need for extra protection.”
“Maybe we just want to pick some berries,” Axon suggested.
“I had no idea you all had such passion for foraging. I could have used your passion these past few seasons when I collected all our spices, berries, and root vegetables on my own.”
“We’re here now,” Axon said with a placating smile.
“What about you? Do you have any excuses to add?” Orsu turned his attention to Jax who gave him a sheepish grin and innocently shrugged his shoulders.
“That’s what I thought. Let’s get going,” the bear-shifter sighed.
To my surprise the berries weren’t far from the mountain; in fact they were on the mountain itself. We walked along the base until we came upon a large swath of vines that grew like ivy on the southern side, which received the most sun.
“Wow, there are so many of them,” Talia commented as she pulled a cluster of berries off a vine.
Anusha picked a berry and inspected both it and the vine it came from. “These seem similar to elderberries.”
“Can I go ahead and taste one?” I asked Orsu, unsure if they were safe to eat off the vine or if they needed to be dried out first.
“Sure. Here.” Orsu held a cluster of berries inthe air near my mouth, implying I should open up for him. He stood over me like a sexy attendant just waiting to fulfill my every need. I looked into his eyes and the heated gaze I found there made my toes curl.
Slowly I opened my mouth and bit a berry off the cluster. Orsu swallowed hard and I was pleased to see he seemed as affected by me as I was him.
“You have some juice…” His words trailed off as he swiped my cheek with his thumb, ridding my face of the juice that had spilled down my skin.
Orsu licked his thumb, showing off his ridged tongue, and purred, “You’re so sweet.”
I nearly fell over. What I wouldn’t give to have him say that as he looked up at me from between my thighs…
“Are you two done having a moment? It’s gross,” Talia commented as she scrunched up her face in disgust.
“You won’t think it’s so gross when you’re older,” Ashley teased.
Talia rolled her eyes and placed some berries in her basket, but when she thought no one was looking her gaze shifted to Sozu, who caught her glance. His tail thumped the ground and he quickly grabbed it as if it were an embarrassing younger sibling giving away his secrets.
Sarah was in her own world happily picking berries when she absentmindedly dropped a cluster of them. Jax was quick to pick them up for her and offered a warm smile.
“Thank you,” she smiled back as he dropped theberries safely into her basket.
They resumed their berry picking side-by-side, blushing dark shades of red and blue.
Orsu led the group in a lesson on the dos and don’ts of berry picking, explaining to only pick every other cluster up the vine.
“We need to leave some for the animals who help pollinate the berry vines.”
He pointed out which berries were ready to harvest and which weren’t ripe yet and I found myself staring at him the whole time. There was just something so sexy about a man who took pride in his craft and the time needed to hone his skills.
