Page 14 of Big Bad Wolf: B.B.W
“Yes. The tribe has a monthly campfire gathering where we fellowship, eat, and listen to stories from the elders.” He peeked at me. “You’ll finally meet my homeboy Sebastian. His wife and her best friend are excited to meet you.” He chuckled, then said, “I told them that you needed some homegirls.”
My mouth dropped open. “Orion! I have friends.”
It got quiet for several minutes before we both chortled. He knew like I knew that I was lying my ass off. The only friend I had was my damn coloring books, glitter pens, coloring pencils, paint, and crayons.
When we pulled onto the reservation, I got uneasy with the amount of people that were around. I wasn’t sure what I thought it would be, but this was a lot more. There were bonfires going. I could smell the food even though the windows of the SUV were rolled up. Orion’s lips on my neck jolted me out of my daze.
“Baby, are you alright?” he questioned. Worry lined his face, so I assured him that I was fine. “Okay, well, I hope you’re hungry. These folks will feed you to death.”
We both chuckled. I watched him walk around to open my door. When I was out and the door was closed, he pulled me into him. His soft lips kissed my neck behind my ear.
“Calm down. I can feel your body shaking. I know you’re not nervous.” He pulled back to stare into my eyes. “Not my Elodie being nervous.”
“I’m not nervous. Lead the way, sir.” I gave him my award-winning smile.
I wouldn’t say that I was nervous, but I was uneasy. All eyes were on me, and I didn’t like that. The only time I liked that was when I was in a client meeting. With my hand in his, Orion walked us over to a smaller bonfire that had what looked like three couples sitting around it.
“What’s up, y’all?” He pulled me in front of him, then wrapped his arms around me from behind. “Baby, this is Thaddeus, the tribe chief, and his wife Elsbeth, Farad and his wife Jorie, and Sebastian and his wife Makayla. Y’all, this is my baby, Elodie,” Orion introduced.
Elsbeth and Makayla were the first to get up to greet me. The others looked at me like I was out of place.
“Elodie, it’s so nice to finally meet you.”
“It’s nice to meet you ladies as well.”
I returned their genuine smile with one of my own.
Jorie finally came over to greet me, followed by the men.
“Have you eaten, Elodie? Ladies, why don’t y’all take her to get a plate so the men can chop it up for a moment,” Thaddeus instructed.
“Orion, do you want anything?” I asked him.
After he told me to get him a little of everything, I kissed his lips. I followed the women who seemed jovial. Well, not Jorie, but yeah.
“Elodie, where are you from?” Jorie asked. We were all fixing plates for ourselves and our men. They were piling the food up on their plates.Maybe I should too.
“Oh, I’m from Sedona, Arizona,” I replied. “I haven’t been back home though since college really. My parents are still there.”
The girls nodded. Jorie smiled, then said, “Oh, Sedona is nice. I’ve been out there a few times. I have a cousin that is connected to a tribe out there. There are amazing woodlands out there.”
I stared at her for a beat blankly. “Oh, okay. Yeah, there are a few tribes out there. I’m always amazed to see the diversity in the Native American tribes. Nowadays, you can’t just look at a person and tell that they have any Native American blood.”
Makayla laughed. “Girl, when we first met Thaddeus and Sebastian, I thought they were just super fine ass niggas. Now, look at us, married with children and living on a reservation.”
We all laughed. We talked as we fixed the plates then headed back to the men with plates in our hands. When we got back to the bonfire, the vibe was a little off. Orion seemed upset about something.
“Here, baby.” I handed him the plate that was his.
“Thank you, baby.”
When I handed him his plate, he used his free hand to cup my chin and pull my lips to his. The kiss was short but intense. When he pulled away from the kiss, his gaze at me was unreadable.
It wasn’t until I sat next to him that I noticed that the rest of the men were gazing at me too.What the hell is wrong with these folks? Yeah, I’m ready to leave now.
A Few Days Earlier . . .
“Damn,I guess you’re kicking y’all’s relationship up to serious if you’re bringing her to campfire gathering?” Sebastian asked. “You know once you bring her here, you’re going to have to tell her sooner than later about your beast. At least, that’s what I hope you plan.”
