Page 73 of Wrangling the Orc Cowboy

“Wait for me?” she asked, and I could do nothing less than nod.

And get rid of the gee-tar. If she insisted, I'd strap it on again, but singing wasn't a me-thing, and I hoped she'd understand.

I placed the gee-tar gently against the wall, like it might explode if I moved wrong. It had already caused enough damage tonight. My fingers twitched, itching to do something. Adjust mybelt, smooth my hair—anything to keep from standing there like a lump. Light footsteps sounded inside the hotel, faint at first but growing stronger. Each step felt like it was stomping across my chest. It was crushing but freeing at the same time.

The back door creaked open, and there she was, standing in the glow of the doorway like a dream I hoped I never woke up from. Moonlight tangled with the indoor light, weaving across her dark hair, her skin, her every bit of her body. Her hair swayed as if the night breeze itself knew it had to move gently around her. She rubbed her arms, and I hated that she might be cold, but I couldn’t find my voice to offer my vest.

“You’re just standing there,” she said. The warmth in her voice soothed something jagged inside me.

“I wasn’t sure if…” My words stumbled, falling apart before I could push them out. “I wasn’t sure if you want me to go to you or wait here.”

She took a step closer, her bare feet whispering on the walkway. “Come closer. You’re not going to scare me off.”

I took a step. Then another. My boots scuffed the ground as I closed the space between us. I didn’t trust my arms not to grab her too fast or hold too tight. Instead, I stuffed my hands into my pockets, my fingers big enough to fill the entire space. “I didn’t know if you liked this kind of thing. Songs. Words. I mean, I was told humans enjoyed these sorts of gestures. Orcs don’t. If an orc female is interested in a male, they challenge him to battle. I don't think you're going to attack me with a sword, however.”

“I'm not.”

“This feels strange to me. But I want to do what makes you happy, even if it flips me inside out.”

Gracie tipped her head up, searching my face for something. Her eyes gleamed like the pools back home where the water ran so clear you could see forever.

“You don’t have to pretend to be human for me. I don’t need a serenade or sweet words. I just need you. With all your clumsy, honest attempts to show me what you feel. That's all that really matters.”

Chapter 26

Gracie

“Truly?” Tark asked.

“Truly.”

“How is this possible?”

How was it possible that he didn’t see what an amazing person he was? I felt his goodness, his sweetness in every touch of his hand, his every glance my way.

Well, it was time I showed him.

I took his hand and led him toward the back entrance of the hotel. He followed me like a puppy dog in need of pats, but a fearless wolf lurked beneath his exterior. I’d seen that side of him when he rushed in to protect me from the big pink ostrich and then with the sorhox bull.

This guy was everything I’d ever want and need and if it took me the rest of my life to prove it to him, I was up for that task.

I loved him.

“Where are we going?” he asked as the door banged closed behind us.

“Upstairs.”

“Your room is upstairs.”

“Yes, it is.” I shot him a smile as I started climbing the stairs with him trailing behind me. “We’re going to my room.”

“So I can say goodnight? I think in the streaming images I saw, that was what the cowboys did.” He scratched the back of his neck. “He maybe kissed her. I need to watch it again to make sure I’m remembering it right.”

“I have something steamier in mind.”

We reached the top of the stairs, and he stopped.

“Steam? In one of the other streaming images, the male prepared food over a campfire for the woman he adored. Steam rose from the pan. If that’s what you need to win your heart, we should go to the kitchen. Or outside. I could collect wood and light a fire.”

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