Page 37 of Her Orc Healer

I didn’t think. Just felt the world go still between us, waiting for something to shift.

And then, I rose onto my toes and kissed him.

Chapter 10

Forthebriefestmoment,Kazrek froze.

His lips were warm against mine, but unmoving—a wall of stunned stillness that made my stomach drop. I'd misread everything. The small touches, the lingering looks, the way his voice softened when he spoke to me. All of it meant nothing, and I'd just made a complete fool of myself.

I started to pull back, heat flooding my face—

Then his grip tightened, and the world tilted.

One large hand slid up my back to cradle the nape of my neck, fingers threading through my hair as he bent to meet me. The hesitation vanished. In its place was hunger—raw and undeniable. His mouth claimed mine with a quiet intensity that stole my breath.

This wasn't a polite kiss. Wasn't gentle or careful.

This was want, pure and simple.

His tusks pressed lightly against my cheeks, an unfamiliar sensation that sent a shiver down my spine. I'd never kissed an orc before. Had never felt the way their mouths worked differently, the way they had to angle to avoid catching you with the sharp edges. But Kazrek seemed to know exactly how to move, how to position himself to deepen the kiss without hurting me.

My hands clutched at his shirt, twisting in the fabric. He made a low sound in his chest—something between a growl and a groan—and walked me backward until my shoulders met rough bark. I barely registered the tree at my back, too consumed by the way his massive frame surrounded me, blocked out the world beyond us.

"Rowena," he breathed against my mouth, my name half question, half demand.

I answered by rising on my toes again, seeking more of him. My fingers slid up to tangle in his dark hair, tugging, feeling the soft strands between my knuckles.

His response was immediate. He bracketed me against the tree, one forearm pressed to the bark beside my head, the other sliding down to grip my hip. His touch was firm but not bruising, possessive in a way that made heat pool low in my belly. The air between us felt charged, electric.

I arched into him without thinking, chasing his warmth. The movement made my dress pull tight across my chest, fabric clinging in a way I suddenly felt acutely aware of.

Kazrek noticed too. His gaze dropped, lingering on the curve of my breasts beneath the green fabric, and the hunger in his eyes deepened. His thumb brushed the underside of one breast, a whisper of contact that made me gasp.

He searched my face, looking for any sign of hesitation. When he found none, his mouth returned to mine with renewed purpose. This kiss was deeper, his tongue slipping past my lips to taste me properly. I met him eagerly, a quiet moan escaping me when his hand finally cupped my breast through my dress.

The heat of his palm seemed to burn through the thin fabric. My nipple hardened against his touch, and he groaned at the feel of it, circling the sensitive peak with his thumb. Every brush sent sparks through me. It had been so long since I'd been touched like this—so long I'd almost forgotten what it felt like to be wanted.

But Kazrek wanted me. I could feel it in the barely restrained power of his movements, in the tension that coiled through his massive frame. He was holding back. Allowing me to set the pace.

I didn't want him to hold back.

I bit his lower lip gently, tugging, and felt him shudder. His hand tightened on my hip, fingers digging into the curve of my waist. He broke the kiss to trail his mouth along my jaw, down the column of my throat. The brush of his tusks against my sensitive skin made me shiver.

"You have no idea," he murmured against my neck, his breath hot, "how long I've wanted to do this."

The words sent a thrill through me. "How long?" I managed, my voice embarrassingly breathless.

He chuckled, the sound vibrating against my skin. "Since the moment you glared at me in the clinic." His teeth grazed my pulse point. "So fierce. So stubborn."

I would have rolled my eyes if I could focus on anything beyond the sensation of his mouth working its way down my throat. "That hardly seems—ah—like motivation."

"It was." He pulled back just enough to meet my gaze, his amber eyes nearly black with desire. "You’re a firestorm wrapped in human skin. Magnificent."

Heat flooded my cheeks at the raw sincerity in his voice. There was nothing practiced about the way he looked at me, nothing calculated. Just open, honest want.

I couldn't handle it.

I buried my face against his chest, inhaling the scent of cedar and musk that clung to his clothes. His arms wrapped around me, solid and secure. For a moment, we just breathed together, his heart thundering beneath my ear.

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