Chapter Eight

Burke

You heard me!

Ricky smirked at my exclamation. I heard you, my bull. I can hear you loud and clear now. And I don't have to sing!

I wasn't having a freak out at the thought. I really wasn't. I stood there, belly and chest dripping in cream, custard running down between my legs out of my well-stalked ass, but I wasn't having a freakout.

I can do this.

Slow, deep breaths, bull. Deep breaths. I am calm. I am a bull. I am not freaking out. Well creamed, yes, but not freaking. See how calm I am.

Talk to me, Burke.

I jumped as someone thumped on the door, and Ricky grabbed my bicep.

"It's okay." Ricky grimaced. "That's Dom. He owns the bar."

I remembered someone yelling as Ricky plowed my ass, something to do with cows, but I'd been more interested in my balls trying to empty themselves through my dick.

"Get your asses out here!" Dom bellowed through the closed door.

"He sounds angry." Was what happened going to get my mate in trouble? I really wanted that tongue… just not with the threat of Dom barging in seeing my balls swaying in the wind.

Ricky ran his thumb along my cheekbone and I leaned into his touch. "I'll protect you."

"Will you lose your job?" I asked worriedly, deciding that was the supportive mate thing to ask. It also distracted me from asking for the other thing, which I couldn't stop thinking about. Was I kinky weird?

"He couldn't get rid of me. I'm the entertainment," Ricky said, sounding unconcerned, glowing brighter than a Christmas tree.

"Don't push me, kid," Dom growled through the door. "And clean the damn room."

Ricky didn't seem anxious as Dom stomped away, but I had to ask, "What if he does fire you?"

He shrugged, "I'll give pole dancing lessons. You can be my first client."

I touched my nose as I remembered my last experience with a pole. "I'm like…well…a bull. No grace. I'd probably kill you."

And p ossibly crush his rhubarb.

His grin said he'd heard my thoughts. "Baby, I can teach you anything. Now, you mentioned something about me licking you clean?" Ricky licked his lips and I shivered at the thought of his tongue sliding through my cream, but then I sighed, remembering I needed to be sensible.

"I think that moment went in the middle of my freakout," I said pathetically, admitting I had actually freaked out and wasn't hip-to-stalk like my mate. "I need a hug."

"I can do that, too." Ricky patted my cheek and then kissed me on the lips, giving me a taste of myself, which wasn't helping the situation with my balls. "Let's clean you up. We can re-stalk later."

I stood in the middle of the dressing room while he cleaned me with a washcloth like I was a new-born calf. Ricky was really thorough as he cleaned me up. My dick perked up in anticipation.

"Down, boy," he said, in amusement.

"You're talking to my dick," I pointed out, blushing at how close he was.

Ricky raised an eyebrow. "You have a problem with me talking to parts of your anatomy? Cos I've got to say we might have an issue if you ball block me."

"You mean cock block."

"No, ball block." Ricky cupped my sac in his hands, and I groaned, leaning into his touch. It was as if I'd become connected to the whole of Valentine again. That glimpse I'd seen before, now it was wide open.

"It's the power of your balls. That's our mate power." He leaned forward and whispered, "All I can think about is your balls, isn't that great?"

I stared at him skeptically. "We're connected through my balls? I don't have magic nuts."

He cupped my balls again, and once more, I became connected to the town. I looked up to see Ricky regarding me with a knowing look, and I flushed.

"You get more rhubarby when you're embarrassed," he said, leaning forward to sniff me, his nose wrinkling adorably. "You smell so sweet."

I shoved him back, because seriously? "Are you going to walk around Valentine with my balls on a leash?" The little buzz I got at the thought… yeah, I wasn't sharing that!

"No one would blink an eye if I did," Ricky replied, grinning cheekily. "We're relaxed here. Come on, let's get dressed. Wear the sweats, then your balls are easily accessible."

I gawped at him as I dressed in sweats, like he asked. "Seriously?" There was relaxed and then there was ‘ relaxed' . I was a shifter. Being naked in front of my pride meant nothing. But being walked through town on a leash to my balls was a whole new level of kinkiness. I shivered again.

"Your pride leader flashed the whole town. Did anyone say anything?"

Well, no, but it had been an emergency. "He was in his lion form when he ran through town," I pointed out. "But he needed to carry Tim back to the pride house."

I growled a little at the memory because that was my brand-new jacket Maximus had wrecked to keep his rhubarb covered in dirt.

Ricky chuckled in my head. I'll buy you a new jacket.

I grunted. I loved that jacket.

Then I'm going to wear nothing but the new jacket and give you a show on the pole you'll never forget.

My rhubarb scent flooded the room as I imagined him twirling around the pole in just a jacket he'd bought for me.

"See, no one cares in this town," Ricky said, as though he hadn't just nearly made me come on the spot. "Apart from my mom, maybe."

Pulse doing a jig, I stared at him in horror at the thought of being introduced to Ricky with my cock and balls hanging out. "You have a mom?"

Oh, this was not good. Would she want her son mating with a bull?

He blinked at me. "Of course I have a mom. How do you think we're seeded?"

I realized I needed to have a serious sit-down conversation with Ricky about rhubarb living. I knew nothing. I mean, nothing. Tim and Maximus had been together for five minutes. At least we weren't going to need the bull and the stalk mating talk. He couldn't make me pregnant.