Page 11 of Wrangling the Orc Cowboy

As long as I could make my influencer career work, they wouldn’t be able to drag me back for the “reunion” show they were salivating to film. That was the deal I’d made to myself, and I would stick to my word now, like I had back then.

“You’re my mate,” Tark roared, staring down at a golden, circular tattoo on his inner left wrist.

He slammed down onto his knees again in front of me and took my right hand reverently in his own, flipping it over.

“What are you—” My question ended in an eep as he leaned over my hand and dragged his scratchy tongue across my palm and up onto my wrist. He repeated the process with my left hand.

I should be repulsed by this, right? Instead, his odd gesture made heat swirl through me. It coasted from my arms and legs, spreading to my belly, where it dove down.

My clit should not be perking up over something like this.

Tark flipped my right hand over and leaned close enough his warm breath coasted across my wrist. He froze, his hand still cradling mine, his breathing catching as if he’d swallowed a storm. His eyes, wide and dark as an endless forest, darted to mine before he suddenly released me. The intensity in his gaze made my heart pound, but just as quickly, his expression closed off, and he cleared his throat, awkwardness spilling from him like water from an overflowing dam.

Silence stretched through the room until he rose to his feet, lowering his gaze to the floorboards, his wide shoulders tense.

“Tark?” I asked. “None of this makes any sense.”

Towering over me like a giant, he finally met my gaze. Other than a furrowed brow, his face was unreadable yet flickering with something I couldn’t define.

“You should rest.” His words came out clipped, his voice dropping an octave or more. “It was nothing. Forget I said anything.”

His shift in mood was startling, and I blinked up at him, trying to piece together what had happened. But whatever had passed between us seemed locked behind the wall of his silence. I wanted answers, but he seemed so uncomfortable that it felt cruel to press him.

“Alright.” I smoothed my face into the calm, practiced mask I’d worn for most of my life. No use dwelling on a puzzle that wasn’t ready to be solved. “Thank you for helping me.”

“You're welcome.” He looked relieved yet strangely sad at the same time, his lips pressing into a thin line that highlighted his thumb-sized tusks as he stepped back to give me space. His large hands fumbled at his sides before he motioned toward the stairs at the far end of the saloon. “You’ll stay here. Second floor. I’ll show you where.”

“Lead the way,” I said, forcing a bright smile even as my palms still tingled from where his tongue—histongue—had dragged across them moments ago. That was an experience I wouldn't be forgetting anytime soon.

Tark hurried over to lift my suitcases, his muscles bulging in a nice way when he did it. He really was gorgeous, all trapped power. A little clumsy, but that was cute as well. We all stumbled on occasion, so why not him too? His feet were big, which could be part of the problem. Actually, everything about him was big.It must be hard for him to maneuver himself around furniture and furnishings crafted for much-smaller humans.

Honestly, I could lounge around in this chair all day and just watch him move.

That thought caught me off guard, and I focused on rising and following him up the stairs, admiring the way his shoulders rolled under the snug fabric of his vest. The stair treads creaked beneath his weight, but his movements remained slow and steady.

At the top of the stairs, he paused, turning to glance at me as though ensuring I was still with him. His dark eyes lingered on my face as he gestured toward the long hall ahead. “Your room is here, partway down.”

He moved forward, stopping at a door on the right. After lowering my cases to the floor, he unlocked the pane and pushed it open, gesturing for me to enter ahead of him.

The room was a mix of rustic charm and surprising luxury. Late-day sunlight filtered through lace curtains, painting soft patterns on the wooden floor. The centerpiece was the bed—orc-sized, with a carved headboard and enough space for, well, probably him and another orc. It swallowed the room but in an inviting way, like it begged you to dive into its pile of thick quilts and pillows.

He set my bags down by the foot of the bed. “Bathing area is there.” He waved to a door on the left.

I poked my head through the opening, taking in two toilets—one raised and perhaps for orcs, the other shorter, plus a huge shower, a pedestal sink, and, most exciting of all, a clawed-foot tub tucked beneath the window. I couldn't wait to fill it and soak, adding some of the oils I spied in tiny bottles on the table nearby.

“This is…” I turned and walked over to the bed, wondering how I’d climb into it. “It’s high off the floor.”

“Oh, yes.” He stumbled around the foot of the bed, nearly falling when his foot snagged on the braided rug, joining me with his face darkening. Stooping down, he tugged a stool from beneath the bed. “We put in orc beds. We like them bigger and taller, but this is to help humans get into them.”

I climbed the stairs and sat on the edge, my feet dangling while I ran my fingers along the quilt that looked handmade. “Very nice. I love what you’ve done with this room. It looks authentically Wild West, though it has all the modern conveniences. Tourists are going to adore it.”

“We hope so.” He shifted awkwardly, one hand rubbing at the back of his neck. “We wanted to make it welcoming. For humans. Foryou.”

The way he saidyoumade something flutter deep in my chest. I looked down at my shoes, pretending to inspect the dusty tips. “Well, you succeeded. This is perfect.”

“You should rest,” he said again, his voice insistent but still gentle. It was starting to feel like his go-to suggestion whenever he wasn’t sure what else to say. “The journey here and the burn…”

“I think I’ve rested enough for one day. I dozed on the plane.” I took the stairs to the bedroom floor and brushed dust from my skirt. “I’d rather get started. There’s a lot to see, and I like to jump right in if that's alright with you.”

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