Page 24 of How To Woo A Warrior Orc

I am at a total loss for words, so I just squeeze his big hand.

“Don’t be sad, sweetling.” His other hand reaches across the table, wiping a tear off my cheekbone I didn’t know had fallen. “It was so long ago.”

“Hurts like that don’t just go away,” I tell him. “I… thank you for telling me that. Thank you for trusting me with that piece of you.”

“I would trust you with all my pieces, and all the parts that are still whole, Piper.”

In that moment, I decide I’m not going to wait for him to kiss me.

I reach out, tentative, one hand on his cheek. His skin is much rougher than mine, beginning bristles of a coarse beard rasping against my palm.

His eyes pin me, and for a moment, I can hardly breathe, terrified to move—before I remember that this is Ga’Rek. This is my orc.

Then I’m moving, standing and leaning over the table, until our faces are barely a breath apart.

His gaze drops to my lips, and desire shoots up through my back, lightning hot and fast.

I move as he does, and our mouths meet. A huge hand brackets the back of my neck, possessive and needy. His tusks are strange, unusual, but not in a bad way—nothing about him could be bad.

I lick his lower lip, wanting more, wanting it now when?—

“Ahem,” Malia coughs.

We break apart, and I plonk back in my seat like a bag of flour.

She gives me a highly amused look, sweeping away the bowls onto a platter held by an older child, and then replacing them with dishes full of piping hot spiced meats.

I can’t even bring myself to look at Ga’Rek.

Not because I’m embarrassed, but because I’m afraid if he looks at my lips like that again, I’ll knock everything off the table and jump on him right here in public.

That would really get everyone talking.

As Malia sets down an array of ceramic pots filled with different sauces, I keep trying not to look at him.

“Enjoy, you two,” Malia says, then flounces off with a knowing glance.

“This is delicious,” Ga’Rek growls.

I snort, because he hasn’t wasted any time, digging into the meat eagerly. It’s somewhat awe-inspiring, actually, the way he’s already downed enough meat for three meals of my own.

“Have I not been feeding you enough at work?” I ask, suddenly concerned with how much he’s able to put away.

“Of course you have, Piper. But I’m not about to let any of this go to waste.”

I shrug, my eyes narrowing, because I’m not sure if he’s telling the truth or not.

However, he has a point about the meat.

A wicked smile turns the corners of my mouth up.

I don’t want to let it go to waste, either.

CHAPTER NINE

GA’REK

It’s the best night I can remember.

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