you fucked it in a glade.” She laughed.
He blinked and grinned shyly. “I suppose I did. It seemed like the right thing at the time.”
She nuzzled at his neck. “I would have to agree. It was definitely the right thing.”
Her voice was nearly a purr, but he got the idea and settled beside her, cuddling her against him.
He stroked her back and nibbled at her neck and shoulder.
She slid her knee up to rest it on his thigh. Augusta was content to stay there for the rest of her life, but the prickle of sun on her skin woke her to the reality of the situation. “I think I need to get dressed. I am getting a little scorched.”
Randal sighed. “I know. I am far more tanned than you are, and even I am feeling the heat. I am guessing that the Crossroads has a powerful sun just to keep this kind of thing from happening.”
“Or at least to keep it to a restrained amount of time.”
He grinned, “That too.”
“I think I am hungry. We should tidy up and get some lunch.”
“Sound advice. I am rarely one to pass up a meal.” He sat up and took her with him, carrying her back to the pond.
“What are you doing?”
“Keeping you from bruising your feet.”
“It didn’t seem to be a concern on the way out here.” She wrinkled her nose at him.
“Well, I could say that I just wanted to keep holding you.”
“Much better answer. I like that one.”
She rubbed her head against his chest a moment before he eased her back into the pond.
The cool water on her raw thighs was both pleasant and abrasive. She rinsed the sticky cum from her thighs while he did the same and walked out of the pond with her head held high. The sun warmed her skin and quickly dried her.
“Do you always wear skirts?” His question was casually tossed out as he hopped into his jeans.
“Not normally, no. It seemed appropriate here for some reason.”
“Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy seeing a woman in a skirt, but on you, it seems a little out of place.”
She settled her bra and slipped the dress in question over her head. “I normally live and die in jeans. It takes a bit of effort for me to feel pretty, and the skirts help.”
He paused with his shirt still rucked up around his abdomen. “What?”
“I am not the most striking member of my family. I tended to fade so far into the background that my request to go to the Crossroads came as a complete shock.”
Randal finished tugging the shirt into place, and he cocked his head. “Why?”
“Everyone except me had come to the conclusion that I wasn’t going to find a mate or do anything different with my life.”
He stepped toward her and rubbed her arms. “How did they react?”
“First, they were surprised, but then, they were all for it. Rayna paid for me to be here without a second thought, my mom took me shopping and, before I knew it, we were waiting for the transporter.” She grinned. “I even have a bon voyage card signed by all of my family members and most of the otter guild.”
“So, they did come around.” He smiled and kept rubbing her arms as if delighting in the smallest contact.
“Yup.” She placed her hands on his chest and felt the heavy thud of his heart. “If I put my mind to it, I tend to get my way.”
“When you put your foot down?”
“When I actually make eye contact via my big brown eyes.” She grinned. “My feet don’t even come into it.”
He blinked and understanding crept across his features. “I think I am beginning to get the idea. Shall we head to the café for lunch?”
“Please. For some reason, I believe I have worked up an appetite.”
Randal chuckled and offered her his arm and they left the woods a little more rumpled and far more exhausted than they had entered it.
Chapter Six
“So, where do you want to live?” Randal threw that out after the grinning waitress had left them alone. It was harder than Augusta would have bargained for. The waitress was Randal’s cousin.
“Are you related to all the