In the House of Spite Ch. 15

Pearl stirred the powdery, spicy, flavoring into the meat. Then she left the meat alone to get the tomatoes, lettuce, and cheese ready. The tomatoes needed the most work, chopping and what not. She wanted to lightly toast the hard shells last. "The uh ... the meats smells good," she said.

"Yeah."

Talking to this fellow was so difficult for her! How could she live with him?

Time to toast the shells! She but them in a toaster oven. Then she stood

nearby, wringing her fingers and looking at the relaxed beast at the table. He was going to shed everywhere if he hadn't already. She hoped it didn't get in the food.

"Uhm ... so ...?" Pearl put on a very false smile. "How's Darren?"

"Happy." Reese's lips kind of waved with that word.

"Well I hope so." Pearl checked on the shells. They shouldn't be in the toaster oven for too long. "I love him very much." She lightly tapped one of the toaster's dials with her fingernail. "He can hear me, right?"

Rolling the R a bit, the beast said, "Right."

"Okay ... I just can't relate to that." She turned the toaster oven off and picked up an oven mitt. "I don't think I want to relate." The shells looked fine. She carefully put the pan on a few square shaped pot holders on a counter. "Okay, dinner's pretty much ready. Do you like your tacos how Darren likes them?"

"Yes!" Goodness, he sounded much perkier! Pearl even heard the chair bounce a little, as if he'd sat up so energetically that he'd moved his seat.

She was already setting a taco up on a plate. "Okay. I hope I don't break the shells." If Reese was really almost the same as Darren, then he probably didn't care, but Pearl liked to have the shells intact at the presentation. She arranged her plate too. She didn't like cheese nor lettuce on her tacos, but she made sure both plates had some sauce.

She picked up his plate first. "I'll get your drink in a minute." When she was at the fridge, she already heard crunchy, munching noises. She poured a glass of sweet tea and turned around.

He. Had sauce. In his arm's fur. It had just dripped down there!

Pearl cringed.

She didn't even care about the messy, chewing face above.

She rolled her eyes and set the glass down near his plate. Then she got a glass for herself. When she was sitting down across from the beast, she had to cringe again. There was definitely hair in his food. At least she didn't have to eat it.

It was one of the quietest dinners she'd had in a while, actually. There was a lack of conversation. Pearl found herself wiping her fingers and looking through her phone a few times. The only word she heard was, "More." That was Reese holding his plate up. She went to get him seconds. Big guy needed extra helpings. Nothing wrong with that.

She was sighing and trying not to mutter something when she was washing the dishes.

A big, furry wall.

Maybe she should try talking to him more often?

His voice!

"Hey."

She turned her head. Reese's claws were tinkling on a plate he held. He seemed to be earnestly trying to not scratch it all to hell. "Thank you," Pearl said as she took the plate and put it in the water. "You might want to wash up. That stuff's all in your fur."

"Okay." He casually walked off then. Probably to their favorite bathroom. He was going to smell like wet dog again pretty soon.

Some time passed, and sure enough that wet dog smell came. "Hey."

Pearl rinsed something off in the empty side of the sink. "Hi there. You feel nice and clean?"

"Yeah." He started sniffing her head.

Then she was held by wet arms. She had to drop the dishes. Some water splattered. "What?! Hey!!"

"Come!"

Reese just carried her off. A little dampness was spreading in her clothes. "Come on!" Pearl's legs wiggled and kicked. "I got dishes to do!"

He just licked the side of her head, even making a few cowlicks in the process. Pearl shuddered but didn't give much more of a protest.

On the bed upstairs, she was put on her back, and more licking happened. Reese even pulled her shirt off and lapped at her bosom and ribs. The food had barely settled, but he was apparently ready to go.

Her nipples tightened under the cooling saliva. Her toes were tight.

But this part of the day wasn't surprising at all. She knew what to expect.

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