Page 14 of Captured By the Orc

“Is that what we’re doing here? Making peace?” I whisper, my words are laden with the hope and doubt that wrestle within me.

“Perhaps we are.” His gaze never wavers.

“Or maybe,” I add with a smile, “we’re making something entirely new.”

“Let’s find out,” Garoth says, and a thrill goes through me.

The rest of the meal passes in a blur of spicy banter and heated glances. We clean up after ourselves, our movementspracticed yet charged with a tense, electric energy. As we stand side by side, washing dishes in the tiny mess hall, I think of how far we’ve come—and how far we still have to go.

“What’s next, Garoth?” I ask in a hushed tone as if I’m afraid to jinx the fragile connection we’ve forged.

“That choice is yours, Lila.” My name on his lips sends butterflies racing in my gut. “Do you stay and continue your mission, or do you return to the safety of your world?”

I swallow hard, weighing the risk and the reward. “There’s unfinished business between my home planet Kylor and the warlords, and I vowed to see it through.”

He doesn’t respond, but his dark gaze speaks volumes.

“You won’t change my mind.” I lift my chin.

“The warlords will chew you up and spit you out.” I open my mouth to protest, but he continues, “Doesn’t matter how brave you are or rather how foolish.”

“I’m not foolish. This is the only way to save my people,” my voice catches, “humans have no homeworld and Kylor took so many of us in without complaint.”

Garoth’s expression softens, a glimmer of understanding passing through his eyes. He takes a step closer, his massive frame towering over me. Heat radiates from his body, and I smell the earthy scent that’s uniquely his.

“Your loyalty is admirable,” he rumbles, low and gravelly. “But loyalty can be a dangerous thing when misplaced.”

I shake my head, frustrated. “You don’t understand. I have to do this. For my people, for Kylor, for?—”

His hand comes up, calloused fingers gently tilting my chin upward. The touch sends a jolt through me, silencing my protests. Our eyes lock, and I see a storm of emotions swirling in his gaze — concern, admiration, and something deeper that makes my heart race.

“I understand more than you know, Lila,” he murmurs. “The fucking weight of duty, the call of honor. But sometimes...” he pauses, his thumb tracing my jawline, “sometimes there are other paths, other ways to fulfill our obligations.”

I’m frozen, caught between the pull of my mission and the magnetic draw of his presence. My breath comes quicker, and I can see his chest rising and falling rapidly too.

“Garoth, I—” I start.

Suddenly, his lips are on mine, hungry and demanding. I melt into him, reveling in the unfamiliar but oh-so-welcome sensation of his orcish frame pressing against mine. His tongue is sensual, teasing mine in a way that leaves me gasping for more.

CHAPTER 7

GAROTH

Iyank the human female close, a growl rumbling in my chest. Lila's scent hits me like a punch — fear mixed with want.

Fucking intoxicating. I crush my mouth against hers, my tongue forcing its way in. She moans, her hands pressing against my chest.

Lust explodes through me, my cock hard as steel. I shove her against the ship's wall, trapping her with my bulk. She's so damn small. I could break her easy. But those blue eyes of hers light a fire in my gut.

I stop kissing her luscious mouth, using my tusks to graze and kiss the tender skin down her throat. I grab her tit, rough through her jumpsuit. Lila whimpers and arches into me. I growl, approving.

“You like that, human?” I rasp in her ear, raking my teeth over her lobe.

She shakes against me, digging her nails in. “We shouldn't... This is insane...”

I shut her up with another kiss, grinding my hard-on against her. I'm drunk on her taste, her smell, those little noises she makes. Never wanted anything this bad. Fuck the consequences.

Tonight, she's mine.

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