Page 9 of Ozma

Jack woke the next afternoon to Elidyr’s wet tongue gliding up his swollen cock. His lips twitched and a moan slipped from his throat. Opening his eyes was out of the question, at least for the moment. He could pretend better if he didn’t see. Pretend that the breath skating over his glistening head came from a different male. Pretend that, if hedidopen his eyes, he would see the brightest blue ones looking up at him.

“Morning,” Elidyr said with a sleep-filled voice far too deep to belong to Tip. “Or perhaps more like afternoon.”

The image of his ex-lover vanished from behind Jack’s eyelids. It wasn’t Tip—it was a fae hepaidto show him attention. The realization of what he’d done, how low he’d fallen, always struck the hardest when he first woke. Before the ale could drown out the humiliation.No.He would. Not. Feel. Guilty. If Tip loved him, he wouldn’t have left. There was no reason Jack shouldn’t enjoy himself. No reason not to seek momentary pleasure.

He sprung from the bed with a frustrated growl and jerked his chin to the headboard. “Hold onto that.”

Elidyr inched up the bed, his dark hair rumpled, and bent over to hold onto the wooden frame. Jack took in Elidyr’s lean form and pale skin. He hadn’t noticed just how pale he was in the shadowy alleys where they fucked, but the sunlight made it painfully obvious. Tip’s skin was darker from working in the field all day. Golden and beautiful.

Just close your eyes,he told himself as he knelt behind the fae and gripped his ass. Elidyr pressed back into his touch. Jack fisted his own cock, pumping until it was completely hard, and grabbed the oil from the bedside table.

Elidyr moaned the moment Jack slid inside him. The sound rang false to his ears, but he would ignore that too. Ignore, ignore, ignore. And simplyfeel. Feel each thrust. Thrust after thrust after—

A loud clang sounded behind him, followed by the shuffle of feet and a softer thud. Jack froze and his eyes flew open. Over his shoulder stood a young female in a blue dress. Blonde hair, blue eyes.Gorgeous. But no one came here. Ever. Unless she was new to the brothel and came to collect Elidyr on behalf of the redcap.

“Who the fuck are you?” he demanded.

She stared at him with a pained expression before blurting, “Tip’s sister.” Then she whirled around and fled the hut.

Tip’s sister? Tip’ssister? Her words immediately made him go limp. He pulled out of Elidyr and scoured the floor for his pants. There was never any mention of a sister or any other family for that matter. Not from Tip. Not from Mombi. “Shit,” he muttered.

“Here.” Elidyr lifted his eyebrows and threw Jack’s pants across the room. “Your lover?”

“Not even close,” he said, panting, as he tried desperately to get his legs in his pants. Why was one leg inside out? “Damn it!” His hands shook as he fixed the fabric, his pulse echoing in his ears. “You should leave.”

Elidyr began collecting his own clothes. “The other half of my money?”

He shoved a hand in his pocket and tossed him a coin. Without bothering to buckle his pants, Jack raced out the open door. The female was halfway across the pumpkin patch, sprawled in the dirt with her foot caught in the vines.

Jack sprinted after her, leaping over rows of pumpkins, while holding his waistband in place. The female saw him coming and scrambled to her feet.

“Wait!” he called. But she was already bolting straight for Mombi’s hut. Jack pushed himself faster until he was close enough to grab her wrist. “Please wait.”

“Let go of me,” she cried.

“Okay,” Jack agreed slowly. She couldn’t simply show up, claim to be Tip’s sister, and disappear. He needed answers first. “But … wait. Okay?”

“Fine,” she grumbled and Jack released her.

For a moment, they faced each other, steadying their rapid breaths, before Jack asked, “You’re Tip’s sister?”

“I…” She swallowed hard. “I’m Ozma.”

“Ozma.” Jack looked her up and down. She looked nothing like Tip. They had the same vivid blue eyes but that was where the resemblance ended. Where his hair was nearly black, hers was so blonde that it could’ve been spun from sunlight. She was taller than Tip, too. Her features were delicate, her lips full, where Tip’s cheekbones and jaw had been sharp-edged, his lips wide. “I’m Jack.”

“I know,” she whispered.

Jack cocked his head and ran his free hand through his hair. “Sorry about back at the hut. I wasn’t expecting company.”

“Of course not,” she said in a harsh voice.

At a loss for words, Jack simply stared at Ozma. A sister… Tip had a sister. But how did she find this place? And why did she come now? Was it Mombi’s doing? Had she sent this female to taunt him? Or check on him, perhaps? What kind of game was this?

He was torn between being patient and shaking the answers from Ozma. But mostly, he wanted to hide in his hut so she wouldn’t see his shame. The first time he’d brought someone back home, fucked someone other than Tip in his bed, and Ozma caught him. Of all the fae… He quickly buckled his pants.

“You should get back to your lover,” she snapped.

“He’s not my lover.” When Ozma glared at him, he added, “Not in the way you’re thinking.”

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