Page 20 of Bossed By the Orc

“It’s not polite to speak with a full mouth,” he told me. “We’re heading into the office all day.”

Not rolling my eyes every five seconds with this male was going to be a test on my self-control. “Sounds great,” I told him, mouth still overflowing. I was doing it to get on his nerves, since he was keeping my own frayed. Besides, he was sort of cute when he was grumpy. I frowned down at my coffee. Where had that come from? Since when did I think this bossy, demanding orc was cute when he was frowning at me?

He huffed out a breath and we continued eating in silence. I pondered the possibility of one of us murdering the other, but decided that while Dristan could be a grumpy bastard, he wasn’t an outright asshole. We might be able to survive a few days together before we goaded each other into something drastic.

Chapter Twelve

Dristan

Satisfaction curled inside my chest as my female settled next to me in my SUV. Walking into the kitchen and seeing her eating breakfast had brought out emotions in me that I hadn’t realized I was capable of.

I wasn’t what anyone would call a morning person, but watching her eat her fill had the corners of my lips curling before I’d even drank my first cup of coffee.

“We’ll go shopping for clothes for you after my first set of meetings,” I told her, eyeing her leggings with a raised brow.

Her narrowed eyes, the fire crackling there, raised the temperature in the confined space. My female’s temper was off the charts and I adored it. While I couldn’t touch her—yet, I promised myself to make it my life’s goal to keep that spark in her eyes whenever I could.

“I can go shopping on my own,” she gritted out, her jaw tight as she clenched it.

“I’d prefer to be there,” I countered just to see that sizzle.

“I can go on my own. I know that I might not be wearing something that’s appropriate for work right now, but I can get some things while you’re in a meeting or something,” she mumbled and I glanced at her sharply. The fire was being doused and transforming into something I hoped to never make her feel—shame.

“What you’re wearing’s fine,” I said, keeping my voice nonchalant. “There isn’t a dress code for this job. I just noticed that you didn’t bring very many things with you. I assume you haven’t had the time to shop.”

I saw her study me out of the corner of my eye, but I kept my gaze focused on the road.

“T-that’s right,” she stuttered, her chin lifting and my heart clenched as my female gathered her pride around her like a shield. “And I can go by myself.”

“No,” I responded, pulling the car into the underground carpark beneath Everlock Financial Tower. “I’ll take you after our morning meetings.”

“Our meetings,” she sounded out, her head tilting to the side. I just stopped myself from leaning forward and kissing her. “I’ll be attending meetings? I didn’t prepare anything.” Panic was making her voice higher, but I waved her off.

“No, you don’t need to prepare. This week, you’ll just be observing. You need to become acquainted with my projects and the people I meet with. Eventually I’m hoping some of it can be passed on to you so that I won’t have to deal with it anymore,” I assured her, trying to put her at ease.

Her eyes widened and her mouth opened and closed for a few moments. “How would I take over anything? I didn’t go to school for any of this.”

I shrugged, scoffing as I parked in my assigned space, right next to the elevator. “You’re smart. Organized. And that’s all that matters for the things I’m going to hand over to you. If you want, I’m willing to pay for you to go back to school as well.”

I eyed the sedan next to us, tapping the steering wheel. “Do you drive?” I asked her, glancing over at where she was gaping at me. “What?”

“Y-you just said I could go back to school. And that you’d pay for it,” she breathed.

Nodding, I pointed at the car. “Can you drive?”

She nodded absently and I grunted, leaning over to open the glove box in front of her, ensuring that the back of my hand brushed against her knees. She almost jumped out of her skin and I hid my grin.

My female’s sensitive to my touch.

I pulled out what I was looking for and handed the key fob to her. “Here.”

She took it hesitantly. “What’s this?”

I jerked my head toward the car parked next to us. It was a sleek sedan that my brother bought for me as a birthday present last year. One that I could barely cram myself inside. “That’s yours.”

I didn’t wait for her response—already knowing that she’d fight me on it. She scrambled out of her seat and I growled low in my throat. She came at me with the keyfob held out and I lifted my hand.

“You’ll wait,” I groused, gesturing toward the door. “If you’re driving with me, you will wait for me to open your door.”