Page 2 of Secret Twins for the Orc

There’s a moment of silence as I pay for my beer, and she swivels on her seat to face me, eyeing me up and down. I resist the urge to flex at her again, and when the wyvern hands me my beer, I suddenly don’t know whether to leave, or stay right where I am.

“Take a seat?” she murmurs with a gesture, and I eye the too-small metal stool.

“I’ll stand.”

Her smile broadens, little creases forming around her eyes. “So long as you stay.”

A small shiver runs down my spine, and every fiber of my being in that moment decides I’m not leaving this woman’s side until I know what she tastes like.

“I’m Rho,” I grunt.

“Ella.” She extends a slender hand my way, and I stare at it. “No tan line, see?” Her fingers wriggle, flashing her empty ring finger my way. “I know you can’t always be sure at our age, but I didn’t just take a ring off. I’m single.”

I don’t tell her the reason I paused was because I was filled with the stupid desire to bring her hand to my lips instead of shaking it like a normal person, and I mentally shake myself out of it.

Lifting my own hand, I wriggle my fingers back at her, and am surprised when I feel a smile on my face to mirror hers.

“Single, too,” I confirm.

We shake hands.

And then she gives a light chuckle, her laugh throaty and warm, and I raise my brows.

“Sorry!” she says, mirth sparkling in her eyes, even as her fingers curl in my palm and squeeze. “Sorry, it’s just…been a long day at work. And that was slightly awkward somehow, even though it wasn’t? Ahh, jeez. Sorry.”

Her hand slips away, and she picks up her wine again.

I lift my beer in salute. “To long fucking days.”

And to my delight, she chuckles again before lifting her own glass. “To long fucking days!”

As we fall into conversation, she seems perfectly content to lead the flow of topics, allowing me to relax into it, and for once I’m not filled with annoyance at the idea of small talk. In fact, I like it.

In fact, I find her quite interesting. We both steadfastly avoid the topic of work, which is more than fine by me, and instead turn to all sorts of discussions ranging from silly to serious. My attention continues to drift across her body, and hers across mine, as I buy us a few more rounds. She’s intelligent, sharp, and extremely easy to talk to, and time flies by quickly at her side.

I couldn’t say what we talk about, only that I’m enjoying it. Much more than I normally would. There’s something magnetic about her, about the quiet confidence she exudes, and I can’t seem to get enough.

Every time she casually touches her collarbone or moves her hair, my eyes track across her pale beige skin like a hungry beast, and I find I’ve moved closer to her without realizing. Her scent is beginning to wash over me. Sweet and a little smokey, it wraps itself around my senses, and I tip my nose a little closer to her, holding back a suddenly intense desire to sniff her neck.

“What’s that look for?”

I blink and draw myself out of my thoughts. “What look?”

She shrugs, the corners of her lips playing at a smile. “That look.”

I don’t know how to answer, and my eyes drift across the planes of her pretty face, settling on the slightly wine-stained center of her lips.

“I think you’re handsome, too,” she says as if replying to the way my eyes practically caress her features.

Her voice is quiet, and when I look into her eyes, they’re warm and languid and interested. I’ve never been one for pretty words, and they continue to elude me now. Instead of speaking, I respond by lifting my fingers and touching the ends of her hair, which is just as silky as it looks. When I tuck the strand behind her ear, she tilts her cheek into my palm, and a warmth blooms in my chest that I’m not sure I’ve felt before.

“I have a hotel room—”

“Yes,” I respond before she even finishes, taking a decisive step towards her and dropping my hand to rest on her cinched, lovely, soft waist. “Let’s go.”

She laughs again, the sound breathier this time, and again I find myself smiling down at her. She really is beautiful. “Well alrighty, Mr. Eager!”

“Eager,” I repeat, dipping my face closer to hers, amused and interested—very, very interested in the turn of events this evening. “For you? Yes, I am.”

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