Earth Husbands are Odd (Earth Fathers #2) - Lyn Gala Page 0,18

held his hand out. But Rick was having none of it. He kept all his appendages tightly curled. “He is exceptionally important, but the other peoples will think of Xander as a child. And even if they know the Hidden People are born cognitively developed, they will assume he has lived too short a time to do such complex work.”

“They be pursuing tasks of greater complexity than I when similarly full of youth,” Rick said. Some of the appendages twitched and seemed to straighten involuntarily. Yep. Rick was a proud papa, so proud he couldn’t stay mad even when he wanted to.

“They are wonderful offspring,” Max agreed. “We did good with them.”

“We did.” Rick’s tentacles uncurled a little more. “All three offspring are important. However, Xander is small. However, Xander’s smallness is significant in the lack of appropriate for assisting you in example of violence.”

“You think I need better backup,” Max summarized.

“Yes.” Rick trumpeted the word loudly enough that it made Max’s head ache.

Max stretched his hand out, and this time Rick wound his tentacle around it. “You lack eyes in logical rear position,” Rick added. Max was tempted to make a joke about parents and eyes in the back of their heads in logical rear positions, but it was unkind to tease Rick when he was upset.

Rick lifted himself up and leaned into Max. “I dislike possible future where you do not return.”

“I wouldn’t do that to you,” Max assured him. “I will always return to you.”

“The thrill of victory and the agony of defeat are both always likely. Promise is only word.” Rick’s voice was softer now.

He had a point. Max had made the same promise to his mother, and he hadn’t gone home to her even when he’d had the chance to. “I will always try to return. I fought through the Hunters to return to you and I will not let stupid people stop me from coming home.”

Rick didn’t answer, but he slid his tentacle under Max’s shirt. The warm touch made Max smile. “Are you trying to seduce me?”

“Yes.” Rick curled a tentacle around Max’s leg and lifted it into the air, pushing Max onto his back.

Max laughed. “You are pushy.”

“Yes,” Rick agreed. Using his multiple appendages, he tugged at Max’s pants and lifted him farther up the bed and teased a nipple all at once. Max captured the nearest tentacle and pulled it toward his mouth. He used his lips and tongue to explore all the small fingers on the underside of the tentacle. When he sucked it, Rick shivered with his whole body. As soon as he got control of his tentacles again, he flipped Max over onto his stomach and tugged his pants off in one motion.

“Bully,” Max complained softly.

“You like me to positive connotation bully,” Rick pointed out. Again with the logic, because Max really did. Rick ran a warm tentacle across Max’s hole and all the tiny fingers teased the sensitive skin so that Max thrust down into the soft bedding. Rick took advantage of the moment and slipped the tip of a tentacle inside.

“No fair,” Max said, “I want a tentacle up here.” Max made grabby hands.

It drove Rick wild when Max sucked on the underside of a tentacle, and it was one of Max’s favorite pastimes. However, this time Rick was not obliging. Rick gently pushed deeper in before he started the short thrusts he had learned to use to sexually torment Max. In and out, teasing with touch that wasn’t quite enough. Max squirmed with need, but still Rick didn’t change the too-gentle motion.

“You’re killing me.”

“Often you complain using hyperbole so I discount further death complaints.”

“Hey, now.”

Rick thrust his tentacle in so hard and so fast that Max yelped as the tentacles forced his body to adjust. He arched his back and gripped the edge of the mattress as lust caused a temporary white-out of all active brain cells. A few of the less important ones near the edge might have even leaked out of an ear. While Max was still trying to catch his breath, Rick slipped a second tentacle inside him. Max felt the tiny undulating fingers pulling at his rim.

“Careful,” Max warned.

Rick crawled over Max’s right leg before he settled on the small of Max’s back. For a medium-sized octopus, he was a heavy bugger. “Always with you much care,” Rick promised. The tentacles paused for a few seconds, and then the smaller one eased in and pulled out. Max’s rim ached at the