Page 32 of My Orc (Secret) Boss

“Blossom, I’ve spent every hour of the last two weeks—hells,longer—thinking about you and how fucking delicious you taste. Do I want more? Yes, I want more. Am I going to push you for it? No, I’m not.”

“Are you sure?” she whispered. “You let me move in with you, you make me come over and over again. It just seems…lopsided.”

“I invited you to stay with me so you’d be more comfortable.” I slowly allowed her to slide down my body until her small feet hit the floor. “You moved out of your apartment?—”

“So I could have enough money to payyou.” Her hold on my arms loosened as she grinned a little ruefully. “But now I’mlivingwith you, and we’re…” She shook her head. “I don’t know what we are.”

Mates.

I wanted to shout it. I wanted to growl it.

I wanted to pull her into my arms and claim her once and for all.

She’s your Mate. It’s not an obligation, or a contract, or anythingother thanrightif you’re Mated.

And yeah, I was a coward for not telling her the truth about me owning her space, but maybe it didn’t matter? Maybe, because we were Mates, everything would work out okay?

I just had to tell her.

“I wouldn’t mind,” she whispered.

My gaze snapped back to hers. Her smile was shy.

“You said you wanted more.” Maya slid her hand down my arms. “I wouldn’t mind it at all. If you wanted…more.”

FuckyesI wanted more.

But I had to tell her how I felt about her, first.

“Come on,” I growled, grabbing her hand and turning toward the door to the apartment. “Let’s go for a walk.”

Because I wasn’t going to be able to talk clearly—explain the way my people did things—with the bed so close. And byso close, I meananywhere nearby when I could smell the sweet scent of her arousal.

We were halfway to the door when I realized she was resisting me. I immediately loosened my hold and turned to find her digging in her heels and smirking up at me.

“You don’t want to walk?” I asked inanely.

“I don’t want to parade around town in just my panties.” She skittered backward, her hands going to the hem of my shirt that she wore, a smirk on her lips. “It’ll give people the wrong idea.”

Gods of the ancestors, I reallywasdistracted—and messed up in the head—if I hadn’t realized she wasn’t even dressed.

You did realize it. You just didn’t care.

“The wrong idea about us?” I growled, realizing Ididcare. If I had my way, she’d spend all day naked and in my arms. Which would make it difficult to work.

“The wrong idea aboutme,silly.” Still smiling, she turned and hurried toward my—our—room. “Give me a minute!”

It took her forty-seven seconds to come hurrying back out, wearing another one of those sexy little sundresses—pink this time—and a pair of sneakers. She was breathless as she grinned up at me and twined her fingers through mine.

“There! Now I don’t look like…” Flushing, she broke off and looked away.

I was too busy staring at how fucking delicious she looked. Like a flower I wanted to peel open to get to the honey inside. “What?”

“Well…” Maya tugged me toward the door, and I realized she wasn’t looking at me on purpose. “Last weekend, at the auction, Mr. Harrison bid on me because…of the way I looked. Not because of what I could do. I just thought that if I went paradingaround half-naked, more people might think I was available for…well, it doesn’t matter.”

Itdidmatter. “You’remine, Maya.”

As soon as the words left my lips, I snarled and cursed myself silently.Way to sound like a primitive fuck, you primitive fuck.

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