Page 30 of My Orc Pen Pal

“It’s—wait, no, two questions. What doesdkaarmean?”

He grinned. “Beloved. You are mydkaar, and you always will be.”

I tried out the strange syllables. “Dkaar. Beloved. That’s beautiful.”

Akhmim used one claw to gently tuck a strand of hair behind my ear. “It is. Now, what is your other question?”

I shifted my hold on his hips, settling us both closer, and grinned impishly up at him. “Well,dkaar…it’s quite simple. Will you marry me?”

His smile bloomed. “I thought you’d never ask.”

And right then and there, on my front lawn, my Mate kissed me.

Epilogue

Akhmim

“Wait,”I commanded sternly, holding my hand up to stop my new wife from entering her—ourhouse. “I’ve seen enough romcoms—well, watched them with you—to know how this is supposed to be done.”

Rosemary glanced at me in confusion, but when I bent to scoop her up in my arms, her squeal turned to laughter. Kicking her feet, she threw the arm holding her bouquet over my shoulders and laughed as I carried her up the stairs and over the threshold.

“You can put me down now,” she giggled, but I kicked the door shut and marched right into the bedroom.

“And miss the opportunity to cuddle with my wife? Never.”

“Wife,” she sighed, pressing her cheek to my shoulder. “Have I mentioned how handsome you look in your suit?”

“I don’t know why I even bothered having Karnak tailor it for me. Everyone was too busy looking atyou, my love.”

Our wedding had been small, hosted in her parents’ backyard, and catered by various friends and family. We’d planned it in a relatively short amount of time, but even then, I’d learned so much about human wedding traditions I hadn’t known.

For instance, the wholebride’s sideandgroom’s side? I thought that would mean a lopsided wedding, since she was the one welcoming me to her family. But it turned out that the groom’s side of the aisle was populated by all the Eastshore orcs and their Mates.Myfamily.

That had choked me up for a minute, let me tell you.

But when Rosemary had stepped out of the house with her mother on one arm and her father on the other? I forgot about everything else, including my name.

She’d been stunning. Her hair flowed around her shoulders; her smile had been radiant. And her gown, the gown she’d “whipped up,” had been flattering, unique, and beautiful, just like her.

“I love you,” I murmured, staring down at her. “Thank you for choosing me.”

My Mate scoffed and smacked my shoulder. “I just wanted to talk to an orc, and you were the only one who would answer my questions on MonsterSmash, instead of wanting something kinky.”

“Yes, but once I met you in person, kinky is all I could think about.” I waggled my brows. She snorted and smacked me again.

“Help me out of this dress, and we’ll see how kinky we can get.”

Well, withthatpromise, I set her down immediately. We did not, however, rush through the undressing process. First of all, because this was a beautiful, one-of-a-kind gown, and I would never want to wrinkle it, much less tear it with my ungainly claws. Second of all, because I loved unwrapping my Mate like a special present.

By the time we were both naked, and I’d spent the whole time kissing and teasing each inch of skin that was revealed, the air in our bedroom was thick with the scent of her arousal.

“Are you ready to christen the bed?” she asked, waggling her brows.

After weeks of squeezing into her bed, we’d finally moved my furniture out of storage. Her bed was in the second bedroom, which would become my permanent office, and my bed… I couldn’twaitto spread out, to roll around with her in it.

But first things first.

With a rumble low in my chest, I placed Rosemary gently on the bed and knelt at the edge. Chuckling, she scooted into position, knowing what I wanted, and eager for it herself. When I reached for her legs, she slid them over my shoulders.

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