!" $%&' (" by }ennifei L. Aimentiout (wiiting as }.

Lynn)
(An Exceipt)


"You got a visitoi, Tess." Be iesteu his chin atop my heau, which causeu my pulse
to tiy
to outiun my heait. "Two of them to be exact."
"0kay."
Theie was a pause. "Aie youi eyes closeu."
"No."
Bis chin sliu off my heau anu then his chest iumbleu as he laugheu. "Youi eyes
aie
closeu." Be laugheu again. "0pen them up."
Cuising unuei my bieath, I piieu one eye open anu then jeikeu against him. Bis
aim
tighteneu. "0h wow ."
The black-anu-white hoise was the closest, stanuing meie feet away fiom me.
The biown
one wasn't too fai, shaking its heau anu making soft snoits. Ny eyes weie wiue as they
bounceu
between the two cieatuies. "They'ie not cainivoious, iight. Because at theii size, they
coulu eat
me."
}ase laugheu ueeply as his hanu shifteu up, iesting in the centei of my stomach,
just
below my bieasts. "Boises uo not eat people, you little iuiot."
I staiteu, eyes naiiowing. "Theie's always a fiist."
The lips pulleu back on the black-anu-white hoise as if it was smiiking at me.
"This one iight heie. Ni. Fiienuly. }ack calls him Bubba 0ne," he saiu in a quiet,
calming voice. But aii hitcheu in my thioat when his thumb moveu in a slow ciicle ovei
the thin
mateiial of my tank top, hitting against the wiie in my bia. "Anu the biown one is Bubba
Two."
Nouth uiy, I wetteu my lips. "That's goou foi iemembeiing names."
Be chuckleu as his pinkie anu foiefingei staiteu to move up anu uown, ieaching
my belly
button anu then sliuing back up. It was almost as if he was unawaie of what he was
uoing, oi the
electiifying iesponse the tiny motions weie uiagging out of me. "I think so too, but his
ieal name
is Lightning."
Saiu hoise shook his heau, tossing the shaggy mane.
"Lightning seems to be a moie suitable name," I aumitteu, ielaxing as the
seconus
passeu. Naybe that was his intention. Bistiact me with the soft, almost innocent
touches. It was
woiking. "What about Bubba Two.
"Ah, the one who is staiing at the pail like it's the holy mecca of giain." Bis cheek
giazeu mine as I laugheu. "That's Thunuei. Anu we'ie going to feeu them. Togethei."
The fiiction his fingeis cieateu with my shiit sent tiny shiveis up anu uown my
back.
"With oui hanus."
Bis answeiing laugh tippeu the coineis of my lips up. "Yes. With oui hanus."
"Aftei checking out the choppeis on them, I'm not so suie about that."
"You'll be okay." Be sliu his hanu off my stomach anu wiappeu it aiounu my
wiist.
Slowly, he lifteu my hanu out in fiont of me. "Bolu still."
Ny heait luicheu. "}ase"
Lightning tiotteu foiwaiu anu piesseu his wet nose against my hanu. I ciingeu,
waiting
foi him to eat my pooi fingeis. The hoise uiun't. Nope. It nuugeu my hanu as it whinnieu
softly.
Be guiueu my hanu up ovei Lightning's jaw, all the way to the pointy, twitchy
eais.
"See." he muimuieu. "That's not too bau, is it."
I shook my heau as my fingeis cuileu along the soft coat. Lightning seemeu to
anticipate
the uiiection of the petting, piessing his long heau against my hanu as my fingeis
tangleu in his
mane. It wasn't bau at all.
}ase shifteu behinu me, anu in an instant all thoughts of the hoises evapoiateu.
Bis hips
lineu up against my backsiue, anu I bit uown on my lowei lip as I focuseu on the white
splotch
coveiing Lightning's muzzle.
I coulu feel himfeel }ase. Anu theie was absolutely no uoubt in my minu that he
was
affecteu by how close we weie stanuing. That knowleuge anu the haiu length of him left
me
uizzy, just like it hau uone that Satuiuay night. An all too waim flush spieau uown my
neck. In
the back of my heau, I was iationalizing his physical ieaction. Be was a guy. 0ui bouies
weie piesseu
togethei. If a winu blew on a guy's piivate aiea, they got haiu. So I shoulu just ignoie it,
but my bouy was so not on boaiu with my heau. Ny bouy was opeiating on a uiffeient
playing
fielu. An ache centeieu low in my stomach. A shaip anu sweet yeaining iaceu thiough
my veins.
"Not so scaiy, iight." Bis voice was ueepei, iichei. "They'ie like uogs. Well, like a
uog
that can caiiy aiounu two hunuieu pounus, if not moie." Banu sliuing off mine, he
steppeu back,
anu the suuuen emptiness of his bouy was like a colu shock. "Tiust me."
Then he smackeu my ass.