him. He had no doubt that Khelvar understood the situation—if they did not do as asked, Zevris would withhold Tabitha and all related data from them. He would take that hope away from them if they could not meet his simple demands.
And he refused to feel guilt for it.
He would always choose Tabitha first, no matter the situation.
Twenty-Six
“These are some of my favorites,” Tabitha said as she placed the soap bars into the paper shopping bag. “Though my favorite seems to change every day.”
“Oh, I can imagine,” the woman replied. “You have so many that look and smell so good, it was hard to choose.”
Chuckling, Tabitha slid the bag across the folding table that served as her sales counter. “We’re out of so many bars, too. The fair’s been so busy that we can barely keep up. But if you check the website, you can find a full list of what we have available, and order whatever you like.”
“Oh, I will definitely be doing that”—the woman picked up the bag—“and my husband will just have to deal with it.”
“Any wise man would,” Zevris said from behind Tabitha, brushing his hand down her arm. She barely suppressed a delighted shiver.
“You two are the cutest couple.” The woman leaned a little closer to Tabitha and whispered, “Even if I’m totally jealous of you.”
Tabitha laughed along with the woman. No matter how much she’d smiled over the last two months—and it had been a lot—she still managed to smile enough to make her cheeks hurt just about every day. “Thank you.”
“And thank you. Have a great night.” The woman’s eyes flicked toward Zevris. “I know I would.”
Tabitha smiled. “You, too. And have a happy Halloween!”
By now, she’d become used to women—and even some men—ogling Zevris, and she’d learned to ignore the little flares of jealousy it caused her and focus instead on her pride. Because he was hers, without question.
She turned toward Zevris and grinned up at him. He’d moved to lean against one of the display tables, one hand braced upon it and the other with its thumb tucked behind his belt. His jeans were faded, fitting him snugly in all the right places, and his black vest and boots had just enough wear on them. The green bandanna around his neck was almost the exact shade of her natural eye color. He had the sleeves of his white, button-down work shirt rolled up to reveal those strong, toned forearms.
Tabitha stepped up to him and lifted a hand, tipping his cowboy hat backward. “Have I told you yet that you make one fine ass cowboy?”
She’d been surprised when he’d chosen this as his costume for Halloween, but apparently one of the random movies they’d watched—an old spaghetti western with a grizzled, loner hero—had resonated with him.
She’d never been into cowboys until she’d seen him step out of the bathroom in his current attire.
“Mighty kind of you, ma’am,” he said, tipping his hat back into place. He looped an arm around her and drew her against him, leaning down to whisper in her ear, “And I can’t wait to devour this sexy little pussy.”
“I’m a pussy cat,” she giggled, her sex clenching in anticipation of what she knew would come the moment they got home—if they even made it home before he started.
“I know what I said,” he replied with that sly grin. His hands spanned her hips, fingers flexing. Though they were unseen, but Tabitha could feel his claws teasing her flesh through her black bodysuit and tutu skirt.
“Mmm, this kitty could go for a little cream herself,” Tabitha whispered back, grazing over the bulge in his pants with her fingers.
Zevris shuddered, drawing her even closer against him. That bulge grew beneath her touch.
Okay, so maybe it wasn’t a matter of whether they’d make it home before starting—it was whether they’d even make it out of this booth.
“Hey, Logan, got a question for you,” said Hank, the man from the neighboring booth.
Zevris tensed, and a low, rolling chuckle vibrated in his chest.
Tabitha’s face heated. She’d forgotten they weren’t alone. But that seemed to happen often while she was with Zevris; all the world simply fell away when she was in his arms.
Zevris placed a kiss atop her head and drew in a slow, deep breath through his nostrils. “To be continued, Nykasha.”
He stepped back, trailing those claws as he withdrew his hands, creating delicious tingles across her hips that stoked the fire in her core. It took most of Tabitha’s willpower to