Free Remedy Maker by Sheri Fredricks

talk in the kitchen.”
    Alek’s smile grew, but he made no sign of straightening. Double rows of barbed-wire tattoos wound around his right bicep and jumped when he pumped the muscle. “I don’t think so.” He winked and pointed with his chin. “If he’s just your remedy maker, why’s your pretty face turning red, sweetheart?”
    Cheeks burning, Patience yanked the blanket over her head with a squeak. Alek’s laughter ensued, followed by hoof beats moving toward the kitchen.
    Oh gods . Her heart-stopping moment with Rhycious must have been written all over her face. She fought the urge to jump up and check in a mirror. With the tip of her tongue, she touched her lips. They were swollen and tender. Did the Centaur notice, and guessed what happened?
    “Not just, but such.” Rhy circled around the couch to where she lay.
    “What does that mean?” Alex’s hooves clip-clopped farther away.
    “It means you’re not just an ass, but such an ass. Stay there a sec. I want to help her back to bed.”
    Rhycious peeled the blanket off her face, and Patience smiled into his tawny eyes. The warmth directed back at her didn’t equal the scowl on his face. Tension radiated from his body, his needs clearly unfulfilled.
    Alek muttered, “You know, if you want privacy, you should take it to the next room.”
    Rhycious ignored the other man and gazed into her eyes. “You okay?”
    “Never better,” she answered. And that was the truth.
    She bit her lip to stifle a giggle, noting Rhy’s eyes riveted to the spot. With slow deliberation, she ran her tongue along her upper lip, loving the flare of his nostrils and the way his eyes narrowed.
    Aleksander chuckled. “Hey, Rhycious. Is staring a new type of remedy, or are you going to help her to bed?” Two hoof steps clopped closer. “Maybe I should do it for you.”
    Rhy shook his head and snapped out of his trance. “Piss off.”
     After tucking the blanket carefully around her, he lifted her into his arms and started toward the bedroom.
    “Déjà vu,” she whispered. Patience wrapped her arms around Rhy’s neck and held tight, breathing in his essence. Musk, citrus, and . . . clover? The heady scent curled a delicious knot deep in her belly. She nosed the side of his neck, rubbed her check against his shoulder.
    “You never told me your name, sweet-thing.” Alek called before she disappeared from the living room.
    Rhy answered over his shoulder. “Patience.”
    “All right. Suppose I can wait a while longer.”
    Rolling his eyes, Rhycious rounded the corner into the bedroom and set her carefully on the bed. Perched on the mattress edge, she allowed the cover to droop, teasing him with a view that proved she’d followed his orders and left the name Penn State crumpled high above her breasts.
    He groaned and grabbed the shirt’s blue hem, running the backs of his hands over her nipples one agonizing knuckle at a time. He settled the rumpled tee into place.
    “You’re driving me crazy, you know that?” Rhy leaned down, kissed her hard on the lips, and held her gaze. A hot flash of desire crawled up her neck. “We’ll talk later about what happened out there.”
    Patience grinned like a drunken Satyr, and when she spoke, her voice was steeped in sarcasm. “Your friend has great timing.”
    She stretched her arms above her head, dropped back onto the bed, and then ran a bare foot along the inside of his pant leg. The way she added to his visual discomfort with her sultry wantonness delighted her, and she reveled in her newfound talent.
    “I’ll give him a laxative and send him on his way.”
    Bashing cupboard doors slammed in the other room. Rhy’s facial scar twitched and his shoulders rose at the sound. He spun on his heel and marched to the door, clenching his fists.
    “There are more Centaur asses than there are Centaurs.” Rhycious left the room, grumbling.
    He’d left the door slightly ajar, and Patience listened to his cowboy boots thump a path across