Page 13 of Tasty Tentacles

I lean back and undo the top button of my shirt, saying, “These cinnamon rolls are ready to come out of the oven. Shall we start with dessert?”

He smiles but says, “Let’s have some dinner first, my sweet confection. Do you mind? I need to unwind a bit.”

“Me too, now that you mention it,” I answer. “It’s been a long day and I’d like to get off these feet.” Truly, a beer will help me relax enough to savor the promises ahead…but I do sneak my hands into his kimono, stealing a preview of coming attractions.

I give him a quick kiss before I grab his hand and head for the kitchen. He has everything set up: glasses for the beer, plates for the sandwiches, candles on the table, and Johnny Matthis telling us that our chances are awfully good.

“So romantic!” I say. “You always take me to the best places.”

He gives me a lusty look and says, “Well, I have some ideas about other places for you to explore later, so be warned.”

“Ooh! You are a tease. I like.”

He pours me a life-restoring beer and we clunk our glasses together. “To the official start of date night!”

We’re both quite familiar with these leftover-sandwich dinners, so he scrounged up an apple and some chips to go with it. It’s all perfectly cozy, a comfortable ritual that binds us one small step more tightly together. I gaze at my husband across the table, pouring the beer in the candlelight, and I marvel, yet again, at how lucky I am.

“The neighborhood is looking festive,” I say. Our street is a sea of lights this time of year, but sadly we haven’t had time to put up ours yet. The holidays come and go so quickly these days.

“This weekend,” Hideo says. “I promise. We’ll carve out some time to put up some lights.”

“Sorry,” I say, hoping I haven’t broken the mood. “I didn’t mean to nag. We’re both busy and it is what it is. But it would be fun, if we can find the time. What are your parents doing for the holidays?”

“Last I heard, they’re going to be in Sydney. They’re doing a cruise of the Great Barrier Reef.”

I sigh and say, “How long do we have before retirement?”

“Afraid it’s still miles away in the murky future, BertieBear. But you love your job, and so do I. We’ll survive until then.”

“That is a blessing,” I say, and it’s entirely true. The bakery, despite the bills, is a delight. This is another way I’ve been lucky, finding a profession that brings people so much joy and allows me to meet interesting people, like my quiet ginger giant. “How about you? Sounds like you had a tricky day.”

“It was, um, interesting. I have a new patient with a unique challenge.”

He wears an odd little frown when he says this, and I lose him, just for a moment, to his thoughts. “I won’t pry. I know you like to respect your clients’ privacy. But good luck with them.”

“Thanks. I might need it. But back to holidays, have you heard from the guys?”

“Yes, we’re on for a potluck on Christmas Eve. So, we need to think about what we want to make.”

We’re both feeling far more relaxed after two beers and a lemon tart. He broke down and had two bites, so I count that as a victory.

“Just toss them in the sink,” he says as I gather up the dishes. He sneaks behind me and wraps his arms around my belly, already undoing a few buttons of my shirt. “They’re not going anywhere…but we are.”

He grabs my hand and drags me to the bedroom, an irresistible force, but why would I want to resist?

He pushes me down on the bed and clambers on top, overwhelming me with his muscled body and hungry lips. He nuzzles down into my neck again, and says, “Why do you always smell so good?”

“Hello?” I say, laughing. “I spend all day in a bakery.”

“It’s more than that,” he says, moving down and running his nose through my chest hair. “It’s sweat and man…”

He sniffs his way down, pulling down my pants and burying his face deep in my pubes.

“I smell feral bear and sex,” he growls, taking a deep whiff, and then taking me into his mouth. My day is certainly looking up.

“Flip around, Doctor,” I suggest. “I’d like a piece of that action.”

In seconds, I’m pinned to the bed under him, enclosed in the tent of his silk kimono. His rapidly mounting cock fills my mouth while he works on mine. He’s the perfect size, grazing my tongue with every thrust, making me his.