Page 63 of Secret Twins for the Orc

“What? But—”

I lean abruptly closer to her, and her words die in her throat. “Understand?”

A small, crooked smile tugs at the corner of her lips. “Jeez, fine, you bossy bastard…”

She’d told me she loves me. Those words suddenly echo through me again, and I hope she doesn’t forget that she’d said that, because I certainly haven’t.

It hit me like a shock in the chest when she’d said it in the forest, because even though we’re Fated Mates, I…hadn’t quite been sure.

About what she’d felt. About what she’d wanted to feel, what she’d allow. We’ve both been so hot and cold with each other, it was tempting to think she was right, and we weren’t in fact suited to one another—if I wasn’t so very sure that it was evidence of the exact opposite.

It appears wedohave the same hang-ups, the same fears. But I think that makes us perfectly suited to understand each other better than anyone else.

I tuck a stray strand of hair behind her ear, feeling an odd gravity between us as the memory of her confession surges through me. Those words, spoken in the midst of her worry, her fear, her panic—they’d been spoken instinctively, without thought. They’d been her truth. And now that the fear of losing our children is gone, something is beginning to stir within me, triggered now by my kiss. Something starting in my chest and trickling outwards, downwards, something that I suspect is…

“Alright, the authorities have been informed,” Ismelda says as she comes back towards us. “Your parents have arrived at the park, Rhokar, and they were about to enter to help with the search, but they’ve been told the good news now so—”

“Tell them to come here,” I interrupt her, without taking my eyes off Ella, who’s gazing up at me curiously now. I shake my head to try and clear the fog that’s beginning to descend over my thoughts, but it doesn’t help much. “Or better yet, drive the kids down to them. Ella and I need to…talk.”

Now Ella is watching me with exasperation. “Rhokar, I said I understand…”

But I just hand Rowan abruptly over to Ismelda, and take her chin in my hand once more. “Please.”

“I’m not sure about having them in my car without booster seats,” Ismelda starts, but I send a quick, heated look towards her as I feel my heartstring tug, tug, tug.

“We’re Fated,” I tell her simply, my fingers still on Ella’s chin.

After a beat, Ismelda’s expression clears, turning understanding. “The Claiming Chase,” she says with a small nod. “Right. I can tell your parents to come here and hold the twins for the car ride back, I suppose. I’ll cast a safety spell on the car.”

“Rhokar,” Ella says with exasperation deepening across her features. “I don’t know what you two are going on about, but we can just talk at home.” Rylah wriggles in her grasp and with a sigh Ella sets her down, breaking my fingers away from her skin in the process. I feel suddenly empty without her touch, and the feeling in my chest surges further, tightening my body, filling me with tension. With heat and need. I need her.

“Ella,” I start, rolling my shoulders to try and release some tension, but when she smiles and pats my cheek condescendingly, something in me snaps.

“We’ll talk at home, oka—ahh!”

With a smirk, I grab the hand at my face and haul it over my shoulder, pulling the rest of her body up to follow the motion with my other hand as I sling her over my shoulder and step outside, careful to shut the door behind me. I feel one firm, angry thump of her fist against my back as I stride towards the edge of the clearing, but this time she doesn’t struggle or screech, and my smirk broadens. She’s learning. Good girl.

When I gently slide her down my body at the tree line, it takes everything in me to step back and break our contact, so I can try to explain.

But she pushes at my chest and starts hissing angrily before I can open my mouth.

“You need to stop doing that, you barbarian.” Her voice is quiet and annoyed, and her blue eyes flash as she glares. “I’m not just some doll you can sling around whenever you damn please!”

I feel a warning growl building low in my chest, even as my smirk remains happily in place, and she takes a threatening step towards me. Which only makes my cock further twitch to life.

Gods, I love it when she challenges me. It makes her inevitable submission all the sweeter.

“We were in front of company. You can’t just—”

I snap my arm out suddenly, wrapping it around her waist and tugging her firmly against my chest, pressing her curves into me and allowing her no room to escape.

“Ella,” I growl quietly. “I’m going to tell you something now, and you’d do best to take my words seriously.” Then I lean my face towards her, so our lips are barely inches apart, and grin. “If you don’t want me to fuck you right here on Ismelda’s doorstep, you’d best start running.”

She blinks, and the words die on her lips.

I do my best to try to explain, even as the fog of desire thickens in my mind. I lean my face back to try to bring clarity, although my arm won’t unwind from around her.

“I am an orc. We are Fated. And you just told me that you love me.”

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