I reached into the freezer without looking and pulled out a popsicle. "This better not be f—ducky licorice."

Sam looked up from playing some game on his laptop. "Ducky?" His eyebrow was arched as he stared at me. Loki, leaning against the counter while eating a bowl of oatmeal and looking very edible himself in his black jeans and hunter green silk shirt, wore the same expression when he looked up.

"I'm trying to go without swearing for a week. There's a case of Swiss chocolate on the line and I'm determined to win it." I ignored the flash of amusement coming from a certain spouse of mine.

Steve looked up from his phone. "When did this start?"

I flushed a deep red. "When I spoke to Tony this morning about the s—spiffy new program he installed on my f-fraggy computer. It's a royal pain in the...tuckus..." Tuckus wasn't a swear, was it? "...and it won't let me change the username to something else besides f—freaking 'Test' or the password to something other than f—bleeding 'Password'. Since our systems hold most of our secrets, that is f—extremely unacceptable."

Bucky and Nat, who were also sitting in the kitchen, were now staring at me as well. My peripheral vision caught Loki's shoulders shaking as he put another scoop of oatmeal into his mouth, undoubtedly to keep himself from laughing.

I rolled my neck as I ripped open the packaging. "Anyway...turns out he had me on speakerphone and his daughter was in the room." I got hot about it all over again. "And who the f—freaky hades let's their kid listen in on business calls?!"

"I think you need to avoid adjectives altogether," Nat suggested. The men at the table were all trying, and failing, to hold in their laughter. "Course, you can afford to get your own chocolate...or your husband there can buy you some..."

Loki's only response was to smile slyly while eating another spoonful of his breakfast. Oh, he was having his own thoughts about chocolate, alright, and I resolutely ignored the bits of them that I caught.

"Of course I can get my own f—freaky delicious chocolate!" That set all three guys sitting at the table off and had Loki turning his back to me in an attempt to hide his face. Nat was snorting into her tea. I had to shout to be heard over all the hysterics. "It's the principle of the thing!"

"So why the popsicle?" Nat asked. "You usually avoid them. Say they're too sweet."

"The taste will remind me not to swear. Whenever I'm about to let one slip, I'll stick it in my mouth." I grumbled. "I was using Red Hots, but I ran out of those."

"I wonder why," Steve gasped out between guffaws while wiping his eyes.

"So, you swore in front of Tony's kid, and Tony bet you a box of chocolate that you couldn't go a week without swearing?" Bucky summed up, also between laughing.

"Swiss truffles. An entire case of them. And all I have to do is not swear."

Steve grinned. "I want in on this. There is no way you'll make it two days."

"F-fudge you," I snarled and slid the popsicle in my mouth, my teeth protesting at the too-sweet chemically taste. Ugh. Steve was laughing even harder, as were Bucky and Sam. Nat was grinning. Loki was watching me as I slid the frozen rod of sugar water out of my mouth.

"I don't know guys, I think she might do it," Nat mused.

"Nope. She'll crack...but I say give her three days," Bucky remarked.

I opened my mouth, remembered the bet just in time, and slid the popsicle back into my mouth, closing my lips around it. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Loki was still staring at me, and I swore I heard him inhale sharply.

I held the frozen treat—if one wanted really wanted it to call it that-in my mouth, my lips curling tighter around it. I heard the clatter of a bowl falling onto the counter but I didn't look over, and I doubt anyone else heard it over the laughter that still bounced off the walls. I glared at Bucky, speaking around the popsicle: "And the horse you rode in on," and walked out of the kitchen, determined to keep what dignity I had.

"I'm more pessimistic than ya'll," Sam shouted, letting the Southerner in him slip. "She won't make it to the end of today!" I ignored him, and sucked on the cold mixture of high fructose corn syrup and water while trying not to gag.

Then a hand grabbed me and yanked me in a different direction than the one I'd been heading in. I started to turn to yell at the culprit but saw it was Loki. I let him drag me up the stairs and into one of the private studies. The one he chose was very much out of the way and rarely used.

After he shut the door, I started to say, "What the f-" I jammed the popsicle in my mouth and flinched at the taste. "What'd you drag me up here for?" I asked, my mouth full of flavored ice. "If it's about the bet..."

Loki marched over and plucked the popsicle out of my mouth with a popping sound. "This is not about the bet, and I have every confidence you will win by the way. I can even help you remember not to let a swear slip."

Uh oh. I could literally hear the wheels turning in his head as he starting thinking of very inventive ways to make sure I stayed on track as far as curbing my potty mouth.

"I just do not want anyone but myself watching you with something like this in your mouth," Loki held up the popsicle, partially melted, and...whoops...

I hadn't been looking and didn't see what color it was. "Um..." I winced. "Sorry."

"Honestly, Pet, if you wanted something hard, cold, and blue to suck on, you could have asked."

I felt my face flame as I crossed my arms. "I didn't want it, that was the point. Those things taste f—disgusting and I was working on the principle of negative reinforcement to help me remember not to swear. Kinda like how people who are quitting smoking snap a rubber band around their wrists when they have a craving."

Loki tilted his head while studying me. "I do think, my dear, that you should avoid speaking completely."

"I have a job to do and I'm not going to go a week without speaking to anyone, f—fudge on that."

His lips twitched and I was blushing from head to toe. "Yes," he crooned "I do believe it may help if you did something else with that mouth of yours."

I glanced at the now melted popsicle and blushed even harder. Even with all my senses, and being linked psychically to him, I could be really slow on the uptake at times and I was just now understanding what he'd been getting at with the remarks. I also picked up his arousal, and it dawned on me what watching me sliding a stick of blue ice in my mouth did to him. I'd just been so annoyed about the conversation with Tony and the subsequent verbal a—butt reaming I had received that resulted in this stupid bet that I hadn't paid much attention.

And that was just a flimsy excuse. G—Gag, I could be so dumb.

Now I knew why he had been watching me so closely downstairs, why he dropped that bowl on the counter, and why he dragged me up here. I shuffled my feet nervously.

Loki's eyes froze me with their gaze. "You need not feel bad, Pet. But if you truly wish to make up for it..." His eyes blazed with hunger and I swallowed, hard.

I knew what he was asking. Granted, I preferred him over a way too sugary concoction that served as an assault to my taste buds, but here? At home I was more than willing and would have dropped before him with no hesitation.

I still had a little problem with doing things anywhere else however, especially with our friends just a couple of flights of stairs away. Ok, our sex life wasn't really that private. I found that out when a whole lot of citizens of New Asgard came up to me and thanked me for "banging happy" into Loki, making the observation that he had been "less scary" since we got together. I had finally stopped blushing whenever someone said that to me recently. Yelena and Nat both had a very good idea what my husband and I got up to in the bedroom, with Yelena in particular possessing a habit of suggesting some truly outrageous things after dragging me into sex shops and lifestyler conventions.

Loki knew about my reluctance to do stuff in semi-public locations. If I refused, he wouldn't get mad. He wouldn't pout, he wouldn't try to guilt me. He'd suck it up and hold out until we were home.

But I didn't want to disappoint him, and he would be, if only a little. I would know it no matter how well he tried to hide it.

"You know I will make sure no one will know what we are doing," Loki reminded me. "In fact, they do not even know we are in here. If they walk out of the kitchen, they will see the two of use in our usual spots in the foyer."

That made me feel better...especially since I could still sense the others in the kitchen, showing no signs of leaving anytime soon. In fact, I could hear Steve on a Facetime call with Tony, talking to him about setting up a pool to make the most out of the impromptu bet. Bucky mentioned that he wanted to put 20 dollars on 3 days.

"Can you make it so I don't hear the Apple Dumpling Gang downstairs?"

The expression on Loki's face was mildly affronted as his finger made a gesture and blessed silence fell around us.

I grinned. "I insulted and teased you, both while McDonald's is still serving breakfast. I think that's a new record."

"Then get over here and celebrate, Pet," Loki growled with heat.

"Sh-" I bit my lip. "I can't believe I almost f—"

Loki's hand was around my throat before I could blink. "Yes. You do need to stop using that mouth to speak for a bit. I plan on winning that pool."

My jaw dropped and he took advantage of it. His teeth bit into my lower lip before his tongue swept into my mouth. I moaned.

Loki leaned back, smacking his lips. The taste of that popsicle had still been lingering on my tongue. "I see what you mean when you say those are too sweet. Perhaps I shall give you something to get the taste out of your mouth."

My hands were already reaching for the button on his jeans. "Yes, please," I whispered.

He moved his hand from around my throat to the back of my head and pushed my face towards his chest. Oh, he wanted to me start there?

Do something else with my mouth, he said. I leaned in, nudging the top button of his shirt with my tongue. Using it and my teeth, I very carefully used my mouth to undo the first button, my teeth gently grasping the material while my tongue pushed the button through the hole. I followed that move with a wet kiss to the skin that was exposed, and was rewarded with the sound of his breath catching. I repeated my actions three more times while I pulled the bottom of the shirt up from where he had it tucked in, and used my fingers to unbutton it the rest of the way while my lips and tongue trailed around his abs. He slid the garment off and tossed it onto the desk he was leaning on before bringing his hand back to my head to stroke my hair. I was on my knees by this time and I finished unfastening his jeans, carefully lowering the zipper.

He lifted his hips just enough to help me lower his jeans and his black silk boxer briefs down his legs, vanishing his shoes and socks to more easily step out of the clothes. I took a few moments to admire his lean, sculpted body, now naked with his erection jutting out, the head faintly purple and angry. If this was what watching me eating a popsicle did to him, I might have to put my dislike of them aside and lick them more often.

I sensed he was going to lose it if I kept teasing him though. I knew what he wanted, so I put my hands behind my back, clasping them together. Then I leaned in, running my tongue around his tip before I closed my lips around it, suckling as I looked up into his eyes.

"Gods, I love you," he growled, his fingers curling in my hair and his breath quickening. My tongue twirled around the head of his cock and my cheeks hollowed out as I sucked. I followed the very subtle push of his hand and took him even deeper into my mouth, humming in satisfaction. He almost jumped out of his skin at the vibration and he groaned even more. "That's it, Pet. Worship your god."

I worked him more with my mouth for several more minutes, breathing deeply through my nose and letting my throat muscles relax. I knew what was coming. I could feel him start to lose control. Loki wouldn't hurt me. He was always careful and never too rough. Even so, I was in for a wild ride.

His hand pushed my head down further, going from cradling my head to grabbing it. I swallowed when I felt the top of his cock slide down my throat. The desk he'd been leaning on was pushed back and he now stood.

He withdrew himself almost all the way, allowing me a break. Only for a moment though, as he pushed himself back in, even further. He repeated the action a few more times, until my nose was pressed against his pubic bone. Drool poured out of my mouth, tears flowed from the corners of my eyes, but I didn't want him to stop. I wanted to grab his hips and push him forward, urge him to use my throat, but I kept my hands where they were. "Good girl," Loki breathed out, having sensed the urge I was resisting.

He withdrew a final time, my tongue trailing the entire underside of his shaft. He was looking down at me, capturing my eyes with his gaze, checking in. I didn't say anything. Instead, just as he opened his mouth to ask if I was alright, I reassured him that all was well by catching him in my mouth again and swallowing him down.

And he lost it.

His hand gathered my hair into a tail and his hips moved, slowly at first, but then he sped up. Loki was still being careful not to hurt me, but he wasn't being gentle either. His thrusts started to gather more speed, more force, until he was pumping himself in my throat with urgency.

I swallowed around him, felt him swell even further, and moaned with desire in response to what I felt from him. My hands were no longer behind my back but gripping Loki's buttocks, my nails almost digging into his flesh.

"So eager. I can feel your greed, Pet. You want it. You want to swallow my essence. My sweet love, my woman, MINE." He growled and I felt his cock throb, my lips at the very root while I listened to him groan out his release.

Loki held me there until he was completely spent, then his hand spasmed as it freed me. I slowly slid him out of my throat, and, with my lips wrapped tightly around his shaft, made a production of cleaning him and letting him out of my mouth with pop. He stumbled backwards, catching himself on the desk, panting hard.

I rose to my feet and took the hand he held out to me. When I did, he drew me into his arms, holding me close. I listened to his heart trying to beat its way out of his chest, my own full of smug satisfaction.

"I think I'll be good with no speaking for a little bit," I whispered and he let out a shaky laugh.

"Good. Because my money will be riding on you. I believe I will put a hundred down on...half a day." He laughed louder when I smacked his shoulder.

"Smart..alek," I muttered.

"Hmmm..." Loki straightened up, grabbed my hair in his fist again, then twisted out from under me, his other hand pushing my upper back. By the time he finished manipulating me, I found myself bent over the desk.

"It seems you may need further help winning that bet, Pet. My illusions are not going anywhere, and neither are the privacy shields I have around this room." Cold air engulfed me when my clothes vanished. "I think making you scream yourself hoarse will ensure you will not be doing anymore talking for a few hours..."

He made good on his promise. When he was through, I was in no shape to do much whispering, let alone cussing.

And at the end of the week, I got my chocolate, and Loki was two hundred fourteen dollars and thirty-six cents richer.