Page 14 of Loved By the Orc

I’d been hearing that same thing or variations on it since junior high. Nobody had ever told me I looked good just the way I was. I wondered if Tark really meant it—but he seemed sincere. Especially when he coaxed me to take a second cookie.

We talked a little more but much sooner than I liked, my extra hour was up and it was time to leave.

“Can I go right from here?” I asked Goodie Albright, touching the tiny silver key that I had pinned to my blouse.

“Hmm, youcouldbut it would probably be better if you come and go from Main Street,” she told me. “That way if you want to come in the middle of the night, you won’t wake anyone at the Red Lion up.”

“Oh, because I’ll come back to the place I left from?” I guessed.

“Exactly.” She smiled at me. “Do you know your way to the front door? I can have one of the brownies take you if you like.”

“I’ll take her,” Tark said, rising. He offered me a hand and pulled me lightly from my chair. I got the idea he would have liked to swing me into his arms again, but he resisted the urge. “Come on, Babygirl,” he rumbled. “Let’s go.”

We wound our way through the Red Lion Inn again until we came out the front door onto the broad front porch. There I stopped to admire the view. I had been in Hidden Hollow for so long that the sun was sliding down behind the trees, setting the gold and crimson and vermillion leaves on fire with its dying light.

It was beautiful but there was more to see than just the sunset.

Up and down the sidewalks on either side of Main Street, I saw some of the more peculiar inhabitants of the town. An ethereally lovely fairy floated by, her wings barely waving as she went. On the other side of the street, a Centaur was clopping and beside him was a Minotaur. At least Ithoughtit was a Minotaur—he had a man’s body and a bull’s head with a silver ring through his nose.

“Oh—this town reallyismagic,” I breathed, taking it all in.

“It is,” Tark agreed, grinning again. “It’s pretty special, isn’t it? That’s why I chose to move here when my Tribe kicked me out.”

“They kicked you out?” I looked up at him in surprise. “Why? I mean, if you don’t mind me asking.”

“I don’t mind.” He shrugged, his broad shoulders rolling. “It’s because I don’t kill animals or eat their meat. They say I’m too soft hearted.”

“Well, I think you’rewonderful,” I said and then blushed—should I not have said that?

But looking up at Tark’s face, I was reassured. His own cheeks had gone a darker green which let me know that he was blushing too.

“Thanks, Babygirl,” he rumbled and reached for my hand again. Raising it, he leaned down and placed a gentle kiss on the backs of my fingers. “I think you’re pretty fucking wonderful too.”

“Thank you,” I whispered. My heart was suddenly pounding and I wished I dared to kiss him. If he wasn’t so far away, I would have doneit. Then I realized we were standing on the steps. “Hey…go down a few steps—would you?” I asked, nodding at them.

“Why?” he asked, even as he did it.

“Because…because I want to kiss you,” I told him in a rush. “If…I mean, if youwantme to.”

His golden eyes blazed.

“Fuck, Babygirl—of course I want you to!”

He went down three full steps before I could reach him and even then I had to lean forward, but I did it.

Tark leaned towards me too and when our lips met, I felt it all the way down to my toes. I mean that—it was like a tingle of pure pleasure ran through my entire body and suddenly my nipples were tight and my pussy was hot and wet. In fact, I felt right on the edge of orgasm!

“Wow!” I breathed, when the kiss broke at last. “That was…intense.”

“For me too, Babygirl.” His golden eyes were half-lidded as he looked at me. “Never felt anything like that before.”

“Me either,” I confessed. I hadn’t even noticed his tusks—maybe because he’d been being careful not to cut me with them.

We stood there for a minute longer, looking at each other, and all I wanted to do was lean forward and kiss him some more. But I was afraid if we started up again, I would never stop and I was going to be late if I didn’t get back to work soon.

“Well…I guess I’d better, uh, draw a door,” I said at last.

“Guess you should,” Tark acknowledged, though he didn’t sound happy about it.

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