Page 23 of Buck Wild Orc Cowboy
I strode over to it and started climbing.
“Oh.” He followed. “You don't need to see.”
Which told me I did. It wasn’t snooping. It was about surviving. And I wanted to understand this man whose presence had made me start feeling again.
At the top, I stepped onto a plank floor. Bales of hay had been stacked in long rows, and they covered at least three quarters of the area.
“I don't see how anyone can sleep here,” I called down, turning and bumping into Sel. “Sorry.” I stabilized myself with my hands on his arms. I hated how much I wanted to keep my hands there, how much my skin noticed his. I pulled back like I’d touched something hot, but not before the wanting part of me registered how amazing he felt.
He really was tall, at least a foot or more taller than me, and broad. Muscular. Sweet smelling. That made me back up fast. My foot caught on something, and I tumbled backward.
Sel reached for me and somehow got caught in the fall himself.
We hit the hay-covered floor.
He landed on top of me, somehow bracing his body to avoid crushing me. His weight wasn’t heavy, but it was everywhere, from his arms to the press of his palms near my shoulders to the warmth on my chest. My body didn’t know what to do with any of it. Some part of me wanted to shove him away fast. That was instinct talking. But another part stayed still. My feelings weren't anything I had a name for. Just something old and hungry rubbing its eyes awake after a very long snooze.
He blinked down at me, frowning, his gaze oddly focused on my mouth.
Tingles spread through me as I gaped up at him.
I didn’t move. Didn’t breathe. Maybe I thought he could kiss the years off me, the way his kindness had already softened things I’d kept locked down.
I wasn’t sure I liked how much I wanted him to try.
Chapter 7
Sel
Holly’s sunset hair fanned out across the hay, a few wisps curling along her jaw. Her eyes were wide, blinking up at me, but her breathing wasn’t quick, telling me she wasn’t scared. The look on her face was almost curious.
I should climb off her. Ask her if she was alright. Not stare at her mouth like I wanted to kiss her. Which I did. Very much.
My palms sank into the hay on either side of her shoulders, caging her in, and her fingers splayed on my chest. She wasn't in any rush to let me go. Her body was warm beneath mine. She fit just right.
Everything inside me churned.
I'd been with a female. Lost her and our youngling. I'd told myself I'd never be with anyone else. Not necessarily because we'd been a love match, though I'd cared deeply for Challa. I hadn't felt I deserved to be with anyone new.
Was that a mistake?
Looking down at Holly, all I could think about was how well she was fitting into my life already.
And how much I wanted to kiss her.
She said nothing, just stared up at me. Stared at my mouth, too. Was she wondering what my tusks would feel like? Or was she wondering why I was lying on top of her and not moving away?
That was the reason I didn’t move any further.
“Holly,” I said, my voice raw. “Are you alright?”
Her nod came out small. “You?” The crease between her brows told me she expected me to make a joke, maybe leap away in embarrassment. I didn’t do either.
“No. I’m not alright,” I said softly.
“Were you hurt in the fall? Is that why you're not getting off me?”
“Not hurt. Do you want me to get off you?”
