Page 69 of 20% Stud 80% Muffin
“Jast, what’s in the box?” I interrupted. Curious, my tail whipped out, and Geo gathered it around his wrist, sending shivers deep into my belly.
She leaned forward from her cross-legged position and picked up the white package, giving it a little shake. “Ah, this?”
Geo laughed as she teased, and I nodded vigorously. She cleared her throat with a flourish. “I thought you might be missing a little something from Lorne.” She lifted the lid and passed the parcel to me.
I sucked in a breath as my mouth watered. “Zilnas? Bless the goddess Sola, Jast. You’re officially my favorite sister-in-law ever!”
“I’m your only sister-in-law, Makir. Now pass them around.” The tip of her tail vibrated happily.
“Absolutely not. These are mine. They can have the…cheese.” I unwrapped my tail from Geo’s wrist and hugged the box to me before popping three in my mouth, humming at the delicious sizzle.
Geo pulled me to his side a moment later, his voice gruff in my ear. “Stop it with the purring, or we’ll need a private moment in the cave.”
Zilna and a private moment in the cave sounded perfect to me, but we hadn’t even arrived at the hot spring yet, so I stopped.
“Makir?” Ginger’s fingers wiggled toward the box in question.
With a mock huff, I passed the treat around. “If you must.” I leaned into Geo for a kiss and then popped one into his mouth when he least expected it.
His lips turned down in an adorable frown as he crunched through it. “These are…interesting.”
“What is it?” Ginger poked the half-eaten snack in her palm.
“It’s fermented zilna rolled in a rota coating,” Bonic replied, one corner of his mouth turned up. “The better question is, what is zilna?”
I’d been present many times when Bonic had gifted this treat to foreign dignitaries. His typical decorum was replaced by the carefully concealed amusement he found in their varied, often disgusted expressions when he explained what the small brown balls were.
“Okay, hot shot, I’ll bite.” Ginger still chewed on hers, and by the way her nose twitched back and forth, she was undecided whether she liked it or not. “What’s a zilna?”
Jast elbowed her husband as he sucked in a dramatic breath. Bonic grinned, the pleasure he took in drawing out the punchline evident. “Zilna, my lovely Earthlings and Rock Dweller, are the larvae of a hard-shelled black insect, a real blanting pest. The larvae are fermented in salt and their own juices and then covered in rota, which I’ve been told is similar to chocolate on Earth and cava on Yagras.” Bonic pointed his chin in Ginger’s and then JayJay’s direction.
“Welp.” Ginger swallowed. “I like to say I’ll try anything once, and that was my once.” She laughed.
JayJay could not keep his eyes off her. His treat melted on his fingers.
“What do you think, King Kong?” Ginger asked JayJay.
Rota dripped from JayJay’s fingers into his lap. Woodskies swooped in the sky overhead, and the lowing of mantu filled the plateau. I leaned into Geo’s side, my cheeks tight from the grin I held back as I waited for JayJay’s response. Ginger smoothed her hand over her leg coverings. Jast cleared her throat.
“What?” Startled by JayJay’s overloud voice, the woodskie that pecked in the grass near us took flight. He’d finally realized Ginger had asked him a question.
“The zilna…” She pointed to his pants, now smeared in rota. “Do you like it?”
He placed it in his mouth and licked his thumb. “I—it’s fine.”
“It’s blanting better than dill pickles.” Bonic’s reply had everyone smiling, and the picnic was packed away.
“I liked the pickle,” Jast said, smiling at Geo.
When Geo replied, his gushy smile filled me with joy. “It’s universal—pregnant women and construction workers galaxy-wide love pickles.”
“So, hot springs or trapping linobees?” I asked the group at large.
“I can’t be with you in that hot spring, Makir. You smell too damn good.” Geo’s whisper thickened with lust as he nibbled the tip of my ear. “I’m going totry and redeem myself with the High Commander of the Elite Protectors of the High Hold of Lorne. Now that’s a mouthful.”
My shoulders rolled in as Geo’s lips straightened into a tight line.Blant, he’s still upset I didn’t tell him about my royal lineage.I dropped my gaze in response to his displeasure.
At my reaction, he smoothed his calloused hand down my tail and smacked my ass. Then, he gave me a cheeky wink that ignited like wildfire in my groin before he strutted toward my brother.
