Page 55 of The Orc Outcast's Conquest

“Keep your eyes closed,” he demanded roughly, grazing a gloved finger over them to force them shut.

“Why?”

He didn’t answer, and she supposed she didn’t really need one. She could guess it was for the same reason he hid his face while he was carrying her and kept getting confused by her compliments.

She couldn’t blame him. She was self-conscious, too. It took every ounce of her willpower not to cross her legs and cover her breasts with her arms.

She shut her eyes to slits, so a little light remained. She was reluctant to be in complete darkness. The slight scratch of his claws under the gloves distracted her as he gently began to rub her scalp, fan out her hair around her head so he could get between the strands, and smooth out the oil.

This felt way too good. It burned need into every cell of her being.

He raked his fingertips across her overstimulated senses until she was desperate enough to lose some of her reservations. “Govek.”

He let out a harsh sound, pulling her up and pressing her back into the heat of his chest. He was even hotter than the water. His hard muscles twitched against her bare skin. His breath was jagged against her ear.

She shivered, pushing her hips back into his groin and felt the hard length of him jerk.

A moan broke from her lips.

Oh god. Was she really doing this?

“Fuck,” he snarled, “Can...” He took a deep breath, hands still clutching her shoulders. “I’ll catch a hare for you to keep. So, can I touch you, Miranda?”

A nervous laugh left her. “I don’t actually want a hare, Govek.”

“What do you want then?”

She tensed a little. “I don’t want anything.” She felt him go rigid against her back. “I don’t want anything but you, Govek. Just you.”

He gulped. “So, I can touch you?”

She let out a long breath and all her tension and nervousness went with it.

“Yes, Govek. You can.”

Chapter

Ten

GOVEK

She said yes. He couldn’t fucking believe it.

But the scent on her couldn’t be denied, not even the water could dilute it. It was incredible. Raw and rich. Honey and passion. Like the Fades had dredged up his deepest fantasy and made it real.

Inexplicably, washing her hair with a simple tincture had been enough. She’d provided heady moans and squirmed against his cock while he raked her scalp. He shivered.

Govek’s nerves sparked as he worked on his courage, his control. He forced his mind to calm so he could relish and memorize every moment of this gift.

Miranda’s body was sheer perfection—rosy-tipped nipples and dark curls between her thighs. She needed more meat on her, more fat to soften her limbs, but he could accomplish that easily. He would relish the task.

But not nearly as much as he would enjoy this one.

He wrapped an arm around the smooth expanse of her stomach and pulled her into his torso, tucking her head into the crook of his neck so she couldn’t easily see him. He could not risk her rejecting him midway through.

Like he’d been rejected before.

“Govek?” Her voice was caught between curiosity and pleading. She tried to turn, but he tightened his hold and she didn’t fight further. “What are you doing?”

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