Nobody took notice of us. The peoples’ attention was firmly on the market. It was so picturesque with the snow and the lights they’d strung between the stalls. Their breaths plumed in the cold air, and steam rose from pans and kettles.
“I’m proud of you, too, Puppy. Look how full it is already.” He checked his watch. “And it’s barely five. Give it another hour, and you won’t be able to move between the stalls.”
“Yeah, I hope more people will come.”
Lew squeezed my elbow and lingered for a moment longer. “They will.”
“I’ll better go and get some more pictures. Do you want to come along?”
“You mean as your bodyguard so you don’t get trampled by the masses?” He moved behind me. “Lead the way, Noah. By the way,” Lew leaned in until his muzzle was next to my ear, “how do you know Asher Foxwood? Is he acolleague?”
The way he said colleague made me giggle and press back into his warm body for a fleeting moment.
“We never made content together if that’s what you mean. I follow him. I think he has an OnlyFangs account, too.” I knew for a fact that he did, but I wasn’t into knots. “And we’re not playing on the same team.” Lew inhaled a sharp breath when I sneaked my hand between us and briefly squeezed his cock. “And he needs press training—badly.”
We moved through the crowd with Lew shielding me from behind like a walking furnace.
“I don’t know the first thing about PR,” he said. “But I agree.”
Asher was a lovely guy, but he never quite grasped how much to share and which bits of information to keep quiet. When I’d arrived in Bali all those years ago, a digital nomad from Greece had taken me under his wing. Alexis had given me a crash course in public relations and how to curate one’s online personality.
When was the last time you texted him?
Asher needed one of those. If I hung around, perhaps I could ….
“Mulled cider, Puppy?” Lewis’ low voice sounded right next to my ear.
I half turned and held his gaze, teetering on the verge of telling him that I wanted to stay, but the moment passed. “Oh, yeah, thanks, Lew.”
He returned a few minutes later holding two cups of steaming cider in his hands.
“To us,” he muttered so quietly only I could hear him.
“To us,” I repeated louder. I didn’t give a fuck if anyone heard.
As much as I dreaded the inevitable confrontation with Ollie and what Lewis’ decision might look like, I didn’t want us to stay a secret for much longer.
We strolled around so I could take pictures. Lew got a small carved fox charm for me at one of the stalls that was run by a white-haired young man with fox ears and a tail, and I got us jams from an imposing antlered guy who promised that they had magical abilities.
“Let’s say hi to Duncan. I think he’ll have mead for sale. You’ve got to try it, it’s the best.”
He greeted us and refilled our mugs from a pot. The scent of Duncan’s mead alone made me slightly dizzy.
“Holy shit, this stuff is intense.” I giggled a little as I bumped into Lew. He steadied me with a hand on the small of my back and let it linger.
“Don’t worry, Puppy.” The hand trailed down to briefly squeeze my butt. “I’ve got you.”
For good, if you want.
A few days after the market at Lone Fox Distillery, Lewis and I spent a slow and cosy Christmas.
We’d decided to celebrate on Christmas Eve like Austrians and Germans did.
Lew had even showed up with a tree and an ungodly amount of decorations, and we spent an hour decking the tree while our roast was in the oven.
He bought them for me.
“This is the best, Puppy.” Lew sighed as he pulled me into his arms on the couch after dinner.
