Page 42 of My Orc (Secret) Boss

“Holy shit,” she muttered a third time, pacing now. “I was worried about a workplace relationship, and fraternization with one of my employees, and obligation sex, and it turns outyouwere in charge the whole time!”

Eyes wide, she whirled back to me. “Was that—yesterday? Was yesterday just some kind of twisted obligation fuck to get me to?—”

I wasn’t sure what she was going to say, and I wasn’t going to let her finish that. Because if nothing else, ifnothing else, even if she was livid with me for the rest of her life, she needed to accept the truth about yesterday.

About us.

So before she could finish that thought, I closed my fingers around her wrist and stepped up in front of her. I pierced her with my gaze and poured as much sincerity into my voice as I could when I spoke.

“No, Maya.” I pressed her palm to my chest. “This is the truth.”

Chapter Fourteen

Maya

There is a knowing.

Maybe it was because I lived on Eastshore and had seen so many women find love with orcs. Maybe it was because I’d paid so much attention to Memnon’s stories of his home, or because Ididtrust him, in spite of current events. Maybe it was mytati, tapping me on the shoulder and telling me I needed to believe in things I couldn’t see.

Whatever it was, the moment my palm pressed to Memnon’s chest, I felt myself relax.

There is a knowing, and Iknewhe was still my Mate.

“Maya, this is the truth,” he murmured. “This bond between us, the Mating Bond, it’s real and true and no matter how much of a complete asshole I’ve been,pleasebelieve in this.”

For months, I’d only known Memnon as my scowly, grumpy upstairs neighbor. In the last two weeks, though, he’d shownme that hecouldsmile—occasionally—and I’d learn to read his moods and expressions.

Now, in his eyes—dark once more, with only that fleck of green—I saw only sincerity. His expression, his body language, his entirebeingwas begging me not to give up on this.

Onus.

I exhaled.

“I do,” I whispered the truth, curling my fingers around his t-shirt. “I do.”

My assertion seemed to help. He inhaled, as if he’d been holding his breath. “Thank fuck,” he murmured, and my lips twitched.

“Why didn’t you tell me the truth?” I asked, trying not to sound whiny. But dammit, Iwaswhiny!

He winced as he glanced away, and I realized I’d seen more expressions on his face in the last twenty-four hours than I had ever seen.

“I should have, Blossom. I’m sorry I didn’t. At first…” He shook his head and met my eyes once more. “When Sakkara told me about you getting the landscaping gig and how much you needed someone to help, I just…” He shrugged. “I didn’t realize it then, but I couldn’t stand the thought of someoneelsebeing the one to help you if I could do it. Ineededto be the one, Maya.”

His free hand rose slowly to settle on my hip, as if he were hesitating to give me time to pull away. “But I didn’t think I was doing anything more than digging some holes and hopefully giving my leg a workout. I didn’t need your money, so I didn’t pay attention to the paychecksorthe rent. I thought…” He blewout a breath and dropped his chin. “I guess I thought I was helping you.”

“And all the time we’ve been working together?” I asked gently. “When I was so worried about becoming intimate with you—moving inwith you—because I was supposedly your boss?”

One corner of his lips twitched almost ruefully as he lifted his gaze and shrugged. “You were so into beingmyboss and so worked up about the propriety of it.” His fingers tightened on my hip, as if he wanted to shift me closer but didn’t know if I was ready. “I was afraid, I guess.”

I stepped forward on my own. “Afraid of what, Memnon?”

Beneath my palm, his heart beat strongly. “I was afraid that if you knew the truth, about me owning the building and whatnot, you’d thinkIwas taking advantage ofyou. I wasn’t, Maya,” he tacked on, shaking his head quickly. “I—I hadn’t accepted what we had between us, not until the night of the auction, and by then…”

My cheeks heated, remembering that evening right here in the park before we’d started our renovations. Something had changed during the auction, something I hadn’t understood at the time.

He’d carried me out to claim me behind the dunes, his actions savage and beautiful and primal. That was the night I realized I loved him. And…

“That was when you realized we were Mates?” I breathed, understanding.

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