Page 14 of The Orc Outcast's Conquest

Miranda’s eyes burned. What an amazing delusion!

“Shh,” the alien shushed her again. This time, she felt a light brush on her hand. The stroke of his warm skin as he tapped her palm with firm fingers. The sensation of being touched after thinking she would never see another living being again rocked her right out of her already fraying senses.

She concentrated on his face, almost too scared to blink. She’d open her eyes to find herself alone and terrified all over again. Abandoned in the wasteland. Left to walk until…

She didn’t want to die.

He tapped her harder, and she became painfully aware of how close the snarling and sniffing had become. As if they were already found.

She had lied. She wanted to be abducted, not ripped apart by wolves. Miranda gripped the alien’s hand, clutching three of his thick fingers and prayed to any deity that might be around to hear her.

A distant howl sounded, low and sweet.

The clacking of the wolves running into the forest relaxed her chest. Both she and the green man froze in their places, listening for any sign that the animals might come back.

Then he burst up so quick that Miranda yelped, shocked at his intense speed. She’d hardly caught her breath when he grabbed her by the arm and yanked her out of the leaf pile. Debris rained down around them like they were in a tornado. The scent of decaying leaves flooded her nostrils, crisp and stark against her blistered sinuses.

Was this real? Could she dare to hope?

The tight grip on both her wrists caught her attention. The man dragged her forward, stilling her with the intensity of his gaze. She couldn’t break away, even as he pulled a length of rope from his dark leather pack.

“Whatever plot you were scheming has failed, woman.”

Her heart threatened to burst from her chest. He spoke. He could speak. She wanted to force him to say something else.

“Who are you?” He drew closer until she could feel the heat from his chest. He was so wonderfully warm. “What magic rendered you to these woods?”

“I... I don’t...” Miranda’s gaze skittered upward to the sky. “I fell off a cliff.”

“What?” The alien rasped.

“I fell . . . fell and . . .”

She took a deep breath. This was a dream. Just a dream. She looked down at her hands, still held tight in the stranger’s grip. His green skin was so stark against her peachy complexion. “I don’t want to be tied up.”

A fierce scowl crossed the man’s features, deepening his brow, darkening his eyes. Miranda’s lips parted half from fear and half from some other stupid, irrational emotion that made her gut quiver and her blood tingle with heat.

“You are in no position to make demands of me, woman,” he snapped before adjusting his grip so he could uncoil the rope.

She took advantage of his loosened hold and squiggled her hand free. He jerked to grab her again, but froze when, instead of bolting, Miranda reached up to touch his creased forehead.

His skin was cool and damp, like he’d just gotten out of a swimming pool. She soothed the lines away, stroking until he finally relaxed.

Dang, his eyes were so pretty. Green and gold with long lashes. She’d really worked up someone right out of her own fantasies, well, except for maybe the green part. And why freaking not? Might as well spend her last few minutes in bliss.

The male sucked in a harsh breath, distracting her from her lusty thoughts. And then he dipped down. Electric spikes zapped her spine as he buried his nose in her neck and inhaled deeply.

Oh goddamn! Was this shifting into a wet dream? She wouldn’t argue if it was.

He exhaled harsh against her skin. Snorting. Coughing. He jerked away and rubbed at his face, dropping her hands.

“Are you okay?” she asked, her stomach knotting at the knowledge that she probably smelled like absolute shit. Bleach and sweat and fallout grime. “I’m sorry. I haven’t had a bath in way too long. I promise, I don’t smell this bad on a usual day. I’ve got like, vanilla body lotion and this really nice, sweet pea scented hand cream.” She broke off, tongue too parched to babble on. Not that her hygiene routine was of any flipping interest to this alien.

But after looking at his wide, attentive eyes, she realized maybe it was? He was watching her so intently it made her skin prickle. Then he raked a massive hand over his face and shuddered out a harsh breath.

He bridged the gap between them again, chest so close to hers she could feel the heat of his skin. The warm pine scent of him drew her in, made her squirm.

He gripped her wrists.

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