Page 2 of My Orc (Secret) Boss

“Climbing the stairs?” she repeated, then blinked sleepily. “Why?”

Because it’s the only way I can work these fucking muscles without anyone seeing! But I tamped down the urge to scowl, because then she’d see my weakness, and tried for a nonchalant shrug as I lied. “Just getting back from a late night.” One in the morning? I winced. “Verylate night.”

“Gotcha.” She pressed the back of her hand to her lips to cover a yawn. “’Scuse me. I guess the steps are pretty good exercise for you, huh?”

She knows? I didn’t want to go there, didn’t want to admit to anything. So I turned the questions back to her. “What areyoudoing here? I thought your shop closed at six?”

In a flash, Maya’s expression turned from adorably rumpled to wary, and she shifted backward, tugging the door closed a bit so I couldn’t see around her to what was in the back room of her shop.

“Working late!” she blurted, eyes wide. “Big orders. Lots to do!”

One of my brows twitched, although I doubted she could see it. Must be somereallybig orders, to keep her at the shop this late. “Business is good?”

She was nodding, edging the door closed a bit more. “You know how it is. All alone, everything’s dark, I heard someone back here, got a little paranoid.” The door shut even farther, until onlya sliver of her showed between the door and the jamb. “Had to come check.”

I allowed my gaze to slide down the door jamb, eyeing the parts of her I could see. Dark curls, dark eyes, a dusky pink lower lip that was just a bit bigger than the upper, and made me wonder about the color of her nipples. That intriguing tattoo. Beautiful dark legs, looking even longer in those shorts, made me think about her strength and the noises she’d make when I licked her?—

What the actual fuck?

I’d met Maya only a handful of times—usually either coming or going from the back door—and there’d been no indication she would be cool with me fantasizing about her.

Besides, she was mytenant. I owned her shop. That made me her boss, didn’t it?

Not cool. That’s like three levels of creep.

She wasn’t mine to fantasize about.

I flexed the muscles in my forearm, practically yanking myself up that first step without any input from my injured leg, but came down hard enough to make pain spike through my thigh.

I hissed gratefully.

Yeah, that’s what I needed to distract myKteer: pain.

“Everything’s locked up out here,” I muttered, forcing my attention to the stairs ahead of me. “You’re safe. No one will hurt you while I’m here—I mean, while you’re in this building.”

It was mine, after all.

I heard her murmur“Goodnight,” heard her door shut, heard her lock slide home. I swallowed, tipping my head back to stare up at the twelve remaining obstacles between me and my bed.

And I had to fight against the way myKteer—that primitive part of me—howled that the building might be mine…but so was Maya.

Chapter Two

Maya

Staringinto my mug of herbal tea, I wondered—not for the first time—if I should start drinking coffee. I mean, everyone does it, right? How bad could it be?

I wrinkled my nose, remembering the bitter taste from the last few times I’d had the same thought and tried it.

At least you can dump a bunch of flavored creams and sugars into it to make it taste better.

Yeah, but if I was going to do that, why not just drink the creams and sugar? I made a mental note to look up if I could pour sweetened condensed milk into a cup of hot water. Nowthatsounded delicious.

Why not? You’re an adult. You can do what you want.

I sighed and put the tea down.

The whole point of the tea was that I was trying to be kinder to my body. Less supplements, more natural stuff. Like…vegetables. And whole grains. And herbal tea blends I made myself from the herbs I grew on my back porch.

---