Boone thought through what he could say to keep Demarien out of the kitchen for a while longer, but a single squeak ruined any chance he may have had. Demarien’s face lit up.
“Seriously?” Demarien rushed to the kitchen before Boone could answer. “Babies!” He cooed from the kitchen. “Three little beans!”
Boone wandered into the kitchen and leaned against the doorframe. Demarien was seated on the floor, a small brindle-coated guinea pig cuddled in his hands.
“It was fate.” Boone reached over and grabbed an ice pack from the fridge, pressing it to his face. “Those three went up for adoption just this morning. Look at them. The finest in the state, they are, just like I promised.”
Demarien planted a kiss on the guinea pig’s head. “And what are their qualifications?”
“Well, this little brindle here?” Boone squatted next to Demarien and stroked the guinea pig’s fur. “She won an award for Silkiest Fur in the History of Ever. And that Dutch-coated girl? Master of Popcorning.”
Boone reached into the carrier and scooped up the last piggie, a black-and-white-spotted bundle. “This one is the cream of the crop, though, if I say so myself. See these jelly-rolls?”
“Yeah?” Demarien watched with awe. “Those are some pretty spectacular rolls.”
“Well, check this out.” Boone carefully placed the guinea back in her carrier and pushed himself to his feet. He grabbed a blue ribbon from the counter and passed it to Demarien.
“Chubbiest Guinea Pig of the--'' Demarien snorted. “Of the ‘Wheek’? Oh, this is rich.”
“So, do they pass the test?” Boone quirked an eyebrow.
“Hell yeah. Felix is gonna flip.” Demarien cuddled the guinea pig. “He was asking for one, maybe two, but three?”
“The three are bonded so that I couldn’t leave a man behind.” Boone chuckled. “Or bean, as it would seem.” Boone’s stomach unexpectedly growled loud enough to startle the guinea pig in Demarien’s hands, and it ducked down against his chest.
Demarien’s gaze shot up as he cuddled the creature closer to his body. “I don’t care if she looks cute enough to eat.” He glared. “You can’t have her.”
“Never crossed my mind.” Boone tossed the ice pack back in the fridge. “Lunch, on the other hand...”
“I am 100% behind where this plan is going.” Demarien stood quickly, excitement lighting up his face. “However, are we just gonna leave them here?” He stared at the cage, his voice dropping with concern. “Won’t they get lonely?”
“Nah.” Boone crossed his arms. “Believe it or not, they actually sleep a lot.”
“What if they get lonely while they sleep?”
Lord, how Boone felt that concern deep in his soul. Countless nights, he’d struggled to fall asleep, only for his dreams to be full of a perfectly unattainable omega. The same one that was currently gracing Boone with his high-spirited presence.
Demarien wasn’t an omega you forgot. From his warm laugh, big as his kind heart, to his sense of humor and his love for his friends and family, well… just a glimpse of his smile could warm even the coldest of souls. The longer Boone looked at Demarien’s face, the less lonely he felt, so if Demarien wanted to bring those guinea pigs with them, they were gonna bring those guinea pigs, damn it.
“Isupposewe can bring them along.” Boone reached into a small closet next to the kitchen and pulled out a fancy, gilded pet carrier shaped like Cinderella’s pumpkin carriage. “They have their very own chariot.”
Demarien gasped and looked down at the little creature in his hands. “You hear that? You’re going on an adventure.” He carefully loaded the three beans into the carrier and closed it up.
“So, where do you wish to go?” Boone stretched, working a kink out of his neck.
Demarien scratched the back of his head sheepishly. “I was planning on asking you out to Wilma-Jean’s for lunch, actually.”
Boone lit up. “I love Wilma’s, and I would love to spend more time with you.”
Demarien smiled sweetly. “Good.”
Chapter 7
“Ican’t believe the rescue was closed for lunch.” Demarien lamented, carefully cradling the guinea pig carrier in his arms. “I wanted to visit Mr. Tibby before we eat.” Mr. Tibby was an ancient African Gray Parrot that’d been part of Fe Fido Fo Fum since they were kids. He was the rescue’s unofficial mascot, one could say. “Oh, wait. Good idea here. What if Wilma-Jean hosted a lunch with Mr. Tibby and friends every once in a while?”
Boone smiled. “That would be fun. Plus, I hear the badger they rescued is great at brunch parties.”
Demarien let out a loud, theatrical gasp as he clutched the carrier harder. “Don’t let Puck hear you say the ‘b’ word.”
