Page 42 of Jorhee

“Like the ones on your dick.”

“And my tongue,” I conceded.

“Everyone will know I’m yours just by looking, even without the crown,” he said, looking giddy at the prospect. “The scales go all the way up my neck, yeah?”

“They do,” I replied, kissing his neck softly, loving the feel of the nascent scales against my lips.

He shivered.

“Ohh, they’re sensitive.”

“We’ll have to explore that later.”

He nodded, wincing as he shifted his legs.

“Maybe in a day or two. My ass is sore.”

Guilt swamped me. I should have applied salve or kept him awake longer and placed him in the bath with healing salts.

“Whatever you’re thinking, stop it. I like feeling you still. Just not quite this much, but it’ll taper off. I just don’t think we should have a repeat of last night until I need a reminder of what the morning after feels like.”

He winked, letting me know he really wasn’t in agony, simply sore. I heaved a sigh of relief.

A soft knock sounded at our door. I frowned, knowing we wouldn’t be disturbed this early unless it was important. I got up, not caring that I was nude. It wouldn’t be the first time my guards had seen me this way, like the time a reporter managed to bribe a new guard and was caught trying to take photos of me in the shower.

I found Kiprr standing there. He bowed, giving me a chagrined look.

“Sorry for the interruption to your morning, but I thought Jesse would want to know Buster is having his breakfast in the kitchen. Rosie says she is making something called French toast with bread she made using flour she ground herself from local wheat, and there is replicated bacon and Canadian maple syrup.”

“I heard that!” Jesse called from the bed. “Thanks for seeing to Buster, and please ask Rosie to hold breakfast for half an hour. I want to finish my coffee first and stuff before coming down.”

“Will do!”

He tilted his head to indicate that what he said next was best said out of Jesse’s hearing, for the moment at least. I followed him out into the hall, closing the door behind me.

“What is it?”

“I thought you should know that the town is full of paparazzi. They began arriving around three this morning. Bob has instituted a method to weed out the most undesirable, or so he says.”

I cocked an eyebrow in inquiry.

“Uh, he and Xeranos both told Kaelor that if people didn’t have a sense of humor, they weren’t very nice. So Bob’s making them listen to jokes. If they don’t laugh, they don’t get to land.”

I stared at him, then shrugged.

“Why not? The Tyridium have concurred that no measurable harm has resulted from Bob’s sense of humor, or shall, however questionable we find his jokes. As long as he doesn’t say anything offensive, it’s as valid a landing-clearance protocol as any, I suppose.”

He blinked at me.

“I guess.”

I grinned.

“Besides, it will infuriate the paparazzi, and just think how petty they will appear if they publicly complain about being told a knock-knock joke or a riddle.”

Understanding flooded his face, and he chuckled.

“You’re right. I guess it’ll do for now, then. I’ll let Kaelor know your decision.”