Page 59 of Bound

“Make sure you do.” The goblin chief looks longingly at theempty basket.

The cookies went quickly. After the first was tried,negotiations began at a swift pace. Turns out Meg is a hard-nosed negotiator. Iactually feel a little bad for the goblins.

She negotiated a trade for two bags of coffee, a bolt ofsome sort of blue fabric she calls satin, a six-pack of Dr Pepper, which comesfrom the Earth plane, and a pair of brown boots she claims remind her of Uggs.I don’t know what Uggs are, but the boots look warm. Altogether, it’s aphenomenally good deal.

I would be more impressed if I wasn’t so damn sexuallyfrustrated. My wife handles the goblins with pure diplomatic grace. She knowswhen to be charming and when to beat the goblins over the head with her fists.She negotiated to give the goblins a second shipment of cookies in exchange fora set of sheets. She’s very excited about something she calls the thread count.The other part of the deal is something she has designated as a player to benamed later. Again, nothing I understand, but if it gets me out of these cavesand into her bed, I will support the deal all day long.

I’m supposed to be the intellectual half. I should have beenextremely interested in the negotiations. But today, I can’t take my eyes offmy wife’s breasts. I’m going to see them, touch them, get them in my mouth. Mycock swells again, and I’ve had enough.

“I am very interested in chocolate,” Meg says to the smallgoblin who serves as a clerk. He’s writing down the Seelie Queen’s demands.“It’s sweet and brown. You’ll find it in bars. It’s bitter in powder form. I’lltake that, too. Surely, some other plane has to have discovered chocolate.”

“I will ask around, Your Highness,” the goblin promises.

I reach over and take my wife’s hand. If I let her, she’llstand here all day negotiating. She’s drunk on her own power. It’s wonderfulfor her to discover her power, but I don’t give a shit. I wanted to discoverher pussy, and I’ve been sitting in a dank goblin cave for hours wondering whenmy hard-on was going to get relief.

“I’ll let my brother know you request our attendance when hereturns.” I manage a courtly nod of my head. “I expect him to return by the endof next week. I assume you’ll be staying here for a while?”

The goblin chieftain staggers to his massive feet. His eyesare sleepy. “Yes, Your Highness. We will stay while there is trade to be had.”

“Well, we need to discuss a deal for you to distribute mybaked goods,” Meg begins with an entrepreneurial gleam in her eye. I know thatlook. It will cost me another hour if I let her get started.

“And we can do that at a later date,” I say, hauling herbodily out of the cave. “Good day to you.”

Meg blinks in the light of day. “Hey, I wasn’t through inthere.”

I stride forward, pulling her behind me. “Yes, you are, mylover.”

It’s far past time to make her my wife in every sense of theword.

ChapterTwenty-Nine

Meg

I look back at the caves where the smaller goblinchildren are standing, staring my way longingly. They raise their littlegnarled hands in sad good-byes.

At one point, while Cian had done some manly sort of thingwith the chieftain, I found myself surrounded by the goblin children and theirmothers. I won them over with cookies and stories. One thing I’ve discovered isthat all faery creatures love stories.

The sidhe children like heroic stories, so I’vebeen recounting the plot line from Star Wars by the village fire atnight. The goblins are a bit more bloodthirsty. I told them Nightmare onElm Street. They don’t get that Freddy Krueger isn’t the hero of thepiece. I guess it really is all about your point of view.

“I was having fun.” I wave to the young goblins. I have towave with the boots I’m holding because Cian won’t let my free hand go.

He rounds on me. “Now it’s my turn. I heard a yes, Meggie. Itold you a yes changes everything.”

Ah, he’s horny. I have to admit the idea of that biggorgeous sidhe desperate for me sends a thrill through my system. Andmakes me want to tease him. “I said I intended to say yes. I didn’t actuallysay it.”

He stops in the middle of the forest, and when he turns tome, I almost take a step back. The playful, flirty man I’ve come to love isgone. In his place is a man who doesn’t look like he’ll take no for an answer.

His eyes are dark as he stares at me. “What are you saying?Think carefully before you answer. I might not be my brother, but I assure you,right now, I’m feeling a bit of his rage. If you’re telling me no, then I needto get away from you.”

Everything inside me softens. I’ve pushed him hard over thelast week. In some ways, I’ve made him pay for Beck’s inability to love me. Istep into his arms and let the packages fall to the forest floor.

“Yes, Cian,” I say, loving the feel of his body pressed tomine.

I sleep beside him each night, taking his comfort andholding myself apart from him. Every single night I start out telling myselfI’ll stay away from him, and every night I end up wrapped in his arms.

I’m done with pretending. I want to know Cian in every waypossible.

Cian acts as though his leash has been thrown away. He pullsme against the hardness of his body, pressing his swollen cock to my belly ashe kisses me roughly. He rubs against me and seems a bit out of control. Thebond between us gives me his thoughts.