Page 17 of My Orc in Uniform

The meal was delicious. The company, even more so.

When I was with Simbel, I laughed more. I cared more. Ilikedthe person I was when I was with him, and I liked the way he seemed to genuinely care about my company too. As if I was making his life better somehow.

We talked about all sorts of things; local politics to history to his job in the city to my favorite books. I gushed more about my son, and he shared how his relationship with his brother had changed in the last few months.

That really hurt my heart, to hear his worry about Memnon’s mental state since the injury, and I did my best to help him brainstorm ways to pull his brother outof his funk. By the time the duck was gone, we were laughing again at our increasingly ridiculous plans.

We lingered over the meal for longer than we should have, but it was still over far too soon. When I offered to split the bill, Simbel smiled at me.

“I’m not diminishing your equality or ability to provide for me, Rissa, but this date was my idea, so please let me pay?”

Flushing with pleasure, I ducked my chin and smiled. He hadn’t demanded, he hadn’t insisted, he hadn’t cajoled. He’d asked, and his reasoning was sound. I was happy to let him pay.

It wasn’t until we were in the parking lot that I realized the date was finally coming to an end. Probably a good thing, since it’d been dark for a while, and Patrick and Ethan had likely finished their homework long ago and were now violating the no-video-games-during-the-week rule.

I couldn’t bring myself to care. I was having too much fun.

When we reached my car, Simbel squeezed my hand. I glanced up at him as he shifted to stand in front of me. “I had a great time tonight, Rissa.”

He was staring at my lips. “I did too,” I whispered, staring right back.

“When can I—I mean, would you like to go out again?”

Part of me said I should play it coy and text him later to make plans. But…I didn’twantto play coy. I liked him,and I wanted him to know it. If that made me look desperate, then so be it.

Briefly, I wondered what Kelly—confident, beautiful Kelly—would do in a situation like this, and that gave me an idea.

“Are you going to the school oyster roast this weekend?” My attention was still on his lips. “I bought tickets, since they’re supporting the booster club, and you can use one.”

His tongue flicked out to brush against his tusk, and I swayed toward him, suddenly overwhelmed with the desire totastehim.

“I…I’ve never been to an oyster roast,” he admitted.

“The school’s is small compared to the town Oyster Festival in a few weeks. They go all out to celebrate the end of oyster season; live bands, bonfire, everything. But Mr. Arbate always supplies a dozen bushels for the school, and they’re yummy.”

He was nodding along, but I wondered if he was listening. Well, that was fair; I wasn’t paying attention to what I was saying. Instead, I realized I’d pushed myself up on my toes, reaching, reaching…

“I’d like that,” he murmured, tipping his head closer. “Sounds like fun.”

“Good. I’ll bring an oyster knife you can use—it was my dad’s, so it should fit your hands. I don’t know what to do about a glove for you.” Yep, definitely babbling. “Maybe we can rush ship one by this weekend.”

“That used to be my nickname in the academy,” he murmured.

It was such a ridiculous thing to say, I smiled. I was still smiling when his lips claimed mine, and I surged upward, wrapping my arms around his neck to lock him to me.

I knew kissing wasn’t an orcish tradition, but Simbel had clearly had plenty of experience in the last decade. I wasn’t jealous; whatever he’d done, I got to be the lucky beneficiary, because he dideverythingright.

His tongue was wide and ridged, and it met and teased mine, his lips caressing, his teeth tugging on my lower lip. I moaned against his mouth and felt his grin as his arms wrapped around my back.

He pulled me against him, and my breath caught at the feel of his hardness—allof his hardness—plastered against my front. Or maybe I just couldn’t breathe because of howremarkablethe entire experience was…

There was a part of me, the part of me that knew I had to watch myself, which was clutching its pearls and gasping,You’re in public, you have to set a good example! But the rest of me was yelling,Who the fuck cares? This is more fun than anything you’ve done in the last two decades!

Guess which side won?

I wriggled my hips against him, even as his lips moved to my jaw. With a moan, I dropped my head back, inviting him to taste my throat, and when he did, I shuddered with desire.

Maybe that last move was a bad idea because Simbel suddenly pulled back.

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