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“Stop threatening to cook my dog, human,” Althea said.
“When he stops stealing my shit, I’ll stop threatening to cook him,” Hedra said.
Althea harrumphed, and Hedra grimaced when Althea turned the television volume to eardrum damaging level. She turned to face Boone. “I’m willing to capture the little jerkface poodle if you’re willing to… Boone, what’s wrong?”
She hurried toward him, alarm making her stomach tense at the look on his face. She’d never seen Boone looking so sad and upset before. “What’s wrong? Did something -”
Boone pulled her into his embrace, hugging her so hard that her ribs protested the pressure as he buried his face into her throat. She returned his hug, rubbing his back in slow circles. His tiger trilled, a sound of such loneliness and pain that her throat tightened painfully. She swallowed hard and returned his trill. Boone trilled again, and she hesitated briefly before purring to him.
Hedra’s sister was sensitive and had always needed a lot of comfort when they were younger. Hedra had learned how to mimic trilling and purring to soothe her sister. It had driven her brothers nuts. They said it always sounded a bit off. Still, her sister loved it, and Hedra had employed her mimicking skills often, especially when her sister was a moody and emotional teenager. While Hedra rarely did it now, it was easy enough to fall back into, and she couldn’t deny that she found it a comforting habit as well.
She continued to purr and rub Boone’s back until the tenseness had eased from his body, and his tiger was purring loudly to her. She expected to see tears when he eased away, but he was dry-eyed. His smile was small but genuine when he said, “Thanks, Hedra.”
“What happened, honey?”
“Nothing,” he said. “Just a bad day.”
His tiger trilled to her, and she trilled back without thinking about it. Boone smiled again. “You know it’s kind of crazy how well you can do that, right?”
“My brothers would disagree,” she said.
“They’re right that it sounds a little off, but like I said before, I like it,” Boone said. He studied her, his face so close to hers that she could see a tiny scar below his left eye.
“I love your freckles,” Boone said, his big hands locking together in the middle of her back. “Have I ever told you that?”
She shook her head, staring at his lips, wishing like hell she could taste them again. She berated herself internally. Boone was looking for comfort, not sex.
Still, she couldn’t resist running her thumb over his jawline. “Do you want to tell me what happened today?”
“Nothing in particular. Just one of those days,” he said. “Fucking Mondays.”
“Are you sure?” she asked.
“Yes.” His gaze dropped to her mouth. “Can I kiss you, Hedra?”
“Yes.” Her voice was quiet, barely heard over the blare of the television, but Boone pressed his mouth against hers immediately.
They kissed hungrily, their tongues touching delicately before Boone nipped at her bottom lip, and his hard hand cupped her breast through her shirt. The bra she wore was thick and sturdy, not allowing Boone even a hint of the hardness of her nipple through it. She could almost feel Boone’s frustration.
“Hedra,” he groaned. “I want you so much.”
“I want you too,” she said.
He palmed her ass, pulling her up against his erection. She ground against his hardness. “Fuck it. Quickie in my room before dinner?”
His growl of surprise and the look on his face made her giggle. “Am I being too forward? I’m being too forward, aren’t I?”
“Fuck no,” he growled. “I absolutely want -”
“If the two of you are done groping each other like horny teenagers, do you think you could start my dinner, Boone?” Nan’s voice cut like a finely honed blade through Hedra’s desire.
Boone pulled away from Hedra, staring guiltily at his grandmother. “Nan, we weren’t, uh… I mean… we were just talking.”
His nan growled before rolling her eyes. “Do I suddenly look like an idiot to you, Boone?”
“No, ma’am,” he said.
“Then stop talking to me like I am.”
