Page 15 of Bossed By the Orc

Annoyed that he was being logical, I ran through the tiny room with a fine-toothed comb to make sure I didn’t have to return. Kelly gave me a sad smile when I exited the hallway into the living room.

“I’ll miss you,” she said, reaching out for a hug.

I accepted it, pretending I didn’t see Dave hovering in the background, eyeing me with a speculative look. I would not be touching that asshole with a ten foot pole. If he tried to hug me, I’d knee him in the nuts without batting an eyelash. Dave probably noticed the violence brewing in my eyes because he didn’t try to hug me, giving an odd salute instead, his eyes twinkling as if he was amused.

Ignoring him, I handed over my keys to Kelly, gave her one final hug, and stepped outside. Dristan was there waiting for me and we headed to his SUV together. He lifted the bags as if they weighed nothing, his arms bunching in his suit as he did.

I tried to keep my eyes to myself, but I was failing. After he put my things into the back, he came around to the passenger door, holding it open for me. My eyes widened at his chivalry. I definitely hadn’t expected it. I settled myself into the seat and he made his way to the driver’s side, closing us in together.

His heady scent filled the air and I gripped my hands against my thighs, wondering how the hell I was going to get through living with him.

Chapter Nine

Penelope

Dristan grunted his annoyance as a car skidded by at a speed that was illegal.

“Asshole,” he muttered, then glanced over at me. I hid my smile at his little outburst, not allowing myself to be amused by him. Now that I was working for him directly, I had to suppress any feelings I thought I was having for him.

I couldn’t throw myself at my new orc boss just because he was the sexiest male I’d ever met. I had to play it cool. I was going to be a professional or die trying. As I eyed his massive shoulders, I nibbled on my lower lip.

I’m going to die a quick death.

“I don’t like people in my space,” Dristan said, his deep voice startling me from my thoughts.

I quirked a brow at him, narrowing my eyes. “That kind of defeats the point of a live-in assistant, doesn’t it?”

“I didn’t mean you,” he protested, shrugging those giant shoulders that I wanted to take a bite out of. “I just mean that if you need to have someone over, I’d appreciate it if you let me know in advance.”

“Oh,” I whispered, brows furrowed, a pang of sudden loneliness hitting my chest. “I don’t imagine I’ll invite very many people over to be honest. My social circle isn’t exactly huge and everyone I know is still back home.”

He nodded, glancing over at me. “And Kelly? Your roommate?”

“We didn’t have enough time to become friends, but if it’ll make you feel better, I’ll go see her instead of the other way around,” I conceded.

“No, I don’t mind her,” he explained. “It’s her asshole boyfriend that I have a problem with.”

I smiled, turning in my seat to face him. “Me too, but I’ve been around him for longer than you. Why do you hate him already?”

His side-eye was killer, and I held in a laugh as he turned his gaze back to the road. “I don’t like how he was looking at you. Especially since his girlfriend was standing right there.”

My eyebrows were probably touching my hairline. “That’s why? Because of how he looked at me?”

Dristan nodded, not saying anything else, so I let it drop, too. We drove in silence after that, but he was such a looming, sensual presence in my peripheral vision that I couldn’t relax. I kept adjusting my position in the seat, accidentally brushing against him and then apologizing like I’d never been in a car before.

I blamed my pussy for most of it. She was acting like she was in heat. But a part of me wondered if I was brushing against him on purpose. I needed to get away from him before I figured it out, because I had a feeling the answer would be yes.

For the foreseeable future, I’d be asking to ride in the backseat. Or I’d ask him if I could drive, so I could have something—anything—other than his perfect, green-skinned body to focus on.

When he parked, I blew out an audible breath of relief and yanked open the door so quickly, trying to escape the confined space, that I forgot I was belted in. The seatbelt yanked me back into the SUV and I heard Dristan clear his throat. He was smothering a laugh, I knew it with every bone in my body.

It made me want to smack him and kiss him at the same time. He reached over to unbuckle the belt for me and I met his hypnotic yellow gaze for only a moment.

“You’re free,” he whispered, licking his lips.

“Free from what?” I breathed, and he grinned for one heartstopping moment, his face the most handsome thing I’d ever seen in my life.

“The seatbelt. You can get out now.”

---