Page 6 of My Orc in Uniform

There was something else going on here, something that sounded like a long-time issue, judging from how defeated Rissa suddenly sounded. So I, being incapable of keeping my nose out of other people’s shit, apparently, tried to cheer everyone up.

“So, Trick, you’ve done your good deed for the day.”

“Uh…yeah, bro.” He shuffled his feet, and I wondered what kind of mischief they reallyhadbeen planningbefore I caught them. “Anyhow, what are you doing? Up here, I mean. I’m getting a ride home with Mom.”

“Oh…” I shrugged. “Just trying to get your mother to go out to dinner with me. She turned me down.”

“What?” the kid blurted, grabbing the edge of the counter, suddenly lookingwaymore animated than he had. “Mom,what?”

“Patrick, my business—” she began, but her son turned incredulous eyes on me.

“Bro, are you going to let her get away with that? She needs some excitement in her life!”

Ah, a teaching moment. I glanced at Rissa, whose cheeks were bright red, and whose hands had curled into fists at her sides, and exhaled. I turned slightly, so my shoulder was facing her, as if I was speaking privately to Trick.

“Bro,that’s not how these things work. If a woman says she doesn’t want to go out with you—”

“You’re a good guy, Officer Simbel!”

That tripped me up. “I—uh, thanks. I mean,Iknow I’m a good guy, and I’m glad you think so too, but it doesn’t matter what you and I think.”

“No, bro, I mean, you just have to convince her—”

“Patrick,” she hissed, and I pretended to ignore her, keeping my attention on her son.

“Trick, if a woman says she’s not interested, it’s not up to you to convince her otherwise. I shot my shot, and she’s stated she’s not interested. I have to trust that she has her reasons—and knows her own mind—well enough not totry toconvinceher otherwise.” How to explain? “I need to respect her enough to listen to her when she saysnothe first time.”

The kid just shook his head and huffed out a breath. “Whatever,” he mumbled, straightening and hitching his bag higher on his shoulders. “She’s not interested inanythinganymore.”

It was almost painful to have to glance back at Rissa after that.

She was looking at her son with anguish in those lovely blue eyes, and I positively ached to reach out and gather her in my arms and assure her everything would be okay. But…I couldn’t. Because she’d said she wasn’t interested, and Ididrespect her enough to listen.

It’s just that…there was something about Marissa Gray. Something I hadn’t been able to figure out in the two months I’d been working here. Something that called me. I knew nothing about her, but Iwantedto know more.

Deep within my chest, myKteer—that primitive part of my soul that urged me tohunt claim conquer taste claim—throbbed, and my senses all seemed on overdrive around her.

But she’d said no.

So I stifled my sigh and tried to smile, only to see her expression suddenly shift to a careful blank as her son looked up at her. Interesting. She wanted to hide her pain and embarrassment from him instead of talking about it?

“Whatever, Mom,” Trick muttered. “I’ll be in the car.”

“Yeah.” She suddenly turned and reached for her purse, which was sitting on top of the printer behind her. “I’ll finish these emails at home. Let’s head out.”

And I was left standing there, feeling certain she was avoiding me.

I scrubbed my hand over my face with a sigh.

What had I done wrong?

Chapter Three

Marissa

“Dinner’s ready, Patrick!”I called from the kitchen as I plated the spaghetti for both of us, then reached for the garlic bread. It was a simple meal that we both liked, which meant we ate it twice a week.

The door of the second bedroom slammed, and I breathed a sigh of relief that he’d heard me the first time. Although I had a rule about no video games during the school week, sometimes he put on his headphones and listened to…whatever it was kids these days listened to.

---