Page 56 of Secret Twins for the Orc

“When I first saw you,” I murmur, stopping myself from leaning forward and touching her hair, “I felt an undeniable pull of desire towards you. I had been trying to avoid females, but I couldn’t keep away from you.”

She snorts and sends me a wry look. “That’s called being horny, Rho.”

“Oh, it was definitely that.” I smirk. “I took one look at you and felt hornier than I had in years.”

She lets out a laugh and smacks my knee. “Shut up.”

“But it was more than just that,” I continue. “Scent is important for an orc, and yours was like nothing I’d ever experienced before.”

“I remember that,” she murmurs, sending me a considering look. “You made me stop just so you could sniff me in an alleyway.”

“Do you know what you smell like to me?” Her eyes remain locked to mine as I finally lean towards her, tucking a lock of hair over her shoulder. “You smell like forever.”

Her hands drop away from her wine glass. “Rhokar…”

“And right here?” Slowly I move my hand down to brush my knuckle just above the swell of her breast, where her heart beats rapidly. “There’s a tug, a feeling of being pulled towards you, sometimes seemingly against my will. As if a string has been tied around my heart, yanking at me to get closer to you.”

Her eyes are wide now as she stares at me, and her breath whispers from between her lips quickly.

“I’ve been trying to deny it, but my heartstring has been tied to yours from the start. You feel it, too,” I tell her, knowing from the look in her eyes that I’m not wrong. “It’s like nothing your heart’s ever experienced before, that tug. Terrifying, physical, real.”

I feel it now, a gentle tug, tug, tug in time with each beat of my heart, and when I turn my fingers to press more firmly against her skin, I feel her heart thumping in rhythm with mine.

I take her hand and press it over my chest, and a gasp tumbles from her lips.

“We’re in sync,” I say quietly. “Do you feel that?”

She pulls her hand quickly away from me as if burned, and her blue gaze darts from my chest to my eyes and back, looking frightened.

I smile and brush my knuckles over her cheek. “It’s alright.”

“I…um, Rho…” She looks away, rubbing her hands together as if she could rub the memory of our synchronized heartbeats away. “It’s—It’s late…”

“I know…” I murmur, because I know exactly what she’s feeling. It’s a lot to absorb. Hells, it took me this long just to admit it to myself, and I’ve been raised on the concept.

She needs time, and I’m willing to give her all the time in the world. But when she herds me to the door and makes as if to shut it in my face without more than an awkward, “Goodbye,” I move my arm up and stop the door from closing. Step back inside, closer to her, and slip my fingers to the back of her neck, curling loosely within her silky locks against the base of her skull.

“Goodnight, beautiful,” I whisper, before kissing her gently on the forehead.

Because I’ll give her all the time she needs, I won’t push.

But I won’t let her forget about us, about what we could be. I won’t let us slide into a platonic, co-parenting relationship, losing what spark we have only to get stuck there. I don’t want platonic. I don’t want co-parenting.

I want everything. I want to give her everything. And I’m willing to fight for it.

Even if it means I have to learn to fight gently.

Chapter 20

Ella

It’s midday on Saturday, and my house is a flurry of activity—much like my brain, if I’m honest. My thoughts are an absolute mess.

I hustle through the routine of preparing the twins for an outing to the park, trying to ignore my emotions, which have been wildly fluctuating since last night. I’ll be meeting with Rhokar for our first official co-parenting date today, as well as introducing our kids to their second set of grandparents for the first time.

The soft mumble of the twins’ unintelligible chatter and the pitter-patter of their bare little feet fill the air, as I herd them both into the living room where their shoes await them. But when I dump myself down on the couch and wait for Rowan to clamber up beside me, I can’t help but immediately flashback to last night, where I sat exactly here while Rhokar gently stroked my cheek and told me that our hearts were beating in sync.

My heart in the here-and-now immediately begins beating faster, sending a shot of adrenaline through my system.

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