Page 15 of Arrested By the Orc

He turns into a driveway. “Now I want you to see the home I have created with you in my mind.”

“Oh, you bought this especially for us?”

“Yes, remember I moved here and saw you and knew you were my future mate. At first I was going to live in a small rental but I decided I needed to create something that would be ready for our family. I hope you like it.”

“I'm getting all the warm fuzzies because I didn't realize that you got this for me.”

“I bought it for us and our sons.”

“I love the Wilson house. I knew the family that used to live here.”

“I've been having it remodeled but there wasn't much to do.”

“No, they always kept it up really nice. I mean I've never been inside I've only seen the outside but that's what everyone says.”

“It has been too big for me and it's been odd living there alone. I'm happy to finally bring you here.”

He parks the vehicle. I get out. It's the middle of the night so I can't see the outside, but the accent lights are on. It's not an actual lake house but it's up higher in the hills around the lake forested area with sweeping views of the Great Lake and the beaches down below, and still within easy driving distance to either my job and his job and also to the newer parts of town that include schools and shopping.

He opens the front door and we go inside. “I like the vaulted ceilings,” he says. “It's built for humans but can still accommodate me easily. The master bedroom is big enough that I put a California king sized bed which will fit the two of us.”

I walk in and see the dark windows with views of the lake from everywhere from the kitchen. But it's basically empty.

“I haven't filled it up any other furniture. I haven't done much repainting. When I say I remodeled, it was just some doorways that needed widening. A few ceilings needed to be raised. And I did ask them already to remodel the master bath so that one sink is raised for me and one sink is a regular human size for you. The bathtub is bigger, the biggest I could get. I enlarged the shower. In fact, this used to be a five bedroom house and it's now four bedrooms because I enlarged the bath.”

“Sounds good.”

“But other than that, as you can see, there's only just the small amount of furniture I needed. You can decorate it as you want.”

We end up in the kitchen and I put the cupcakes I brought in the fridge. “First,” I tell him, “you need to eat and then you need to sleep.”

“Next to you. I need your scent in my lungs.”

“Yes,” I agree. “And now I’m going to feed you. Are there certain dishes you like? Do you only eat certain orc food?”

“I love human food. One thing about humans, you make very good food. But I do have to admit I prefer meat. I am a carnivore. I eat very little vegetables. Although I do enjoy pizza and cupcakes. But if left to my own devices mainly meat. But I can eat anything. I do love orc ale.”

I chuckle. “I've heard orc breweries are the best.”

“They are.”

I look through the cabinets and there isn't much but I'm able to whip up a simple meal and I feed him. Meanwhile, he eats all four cupcakes.

“Where did you grow up?” I question.

“I was born in a small town in Maine. My father left his commune in order to live with my mother in her town, which was very accepting towards the both of us. We visited the commune often to meet with my grandfather, uncles and cousins. But I was raised amongst humans. I graduated from a human high school, the first orc to do so.” He snorts. “They were amazed at first, that I was able to learn so easily.”

“I read your resume.”

He snorts. “That only tells half the story. No one wanted me. All the doors were closed, but I kept trying.”

We chat while he eats and then at the end I can tell he’s fading fast. Finally, the dishwasher is running and I say, “Let’s go to bed.”

He sweeps me up into his arms, grabs my bag, and carries me upstairs. I giggle the entire time because I’ve never been carried like this before. He sets me down at the doorway of the master bedroom. “I'll give you a better tour of the entire house tomorrow in the light right now we sleep.”

Strangely, I realize I am totally ready for more sleep, especially if it’s next to Bowen.

Chapter 6

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