Page 24 of Buck Wild Orc Cowboy
She shrugged. She didn’t push me away. She stared into my eyes before her gaze slid again to my mouth.
The light from the barn window cut across her face, turning gold as it touched her lips. Her bottom one trembled, and my breath left me in a slow sigh.
Ihadto kiss her. Even if it complicated everything. Even if it made this harder later.
She might pull away, but she might not. And if she gave me a single sign she wasn’t ready, I’d stop.
“Holly,” I whispered again, watching her eyes the whole time, “I want to kiss you.”
Her breath caught.
But her hands slid higher—to my shoulders, and she nodded.
I lowered my head, our mouths a breath apart now.
One last chance for her to back away.
“Tell me no,” I said, my voice nearly gone. “And I’ll stop.”
Her eyes fluttered shut as mine did, and I brushed my mouth over hers like a question. When she rose into it, her hands sliding down to grip the front of my shirt like I was the only real thing in her world, I deepened the kiss.
There was no thinking after that.
Her kiss was gentle at first, as though she was testing how we fit. Once I realized this was perfect, I let go. I kissed her like I’d been waiting for years to do so. Because some part of me told me I had.
She shifted beneath me, pressing closer, and I deepened the kiss, one of my hands sliding to the back of her head where her hair curled across my skin. She moaned, and that was the exact sound I’d dreamed of hearing without knowing it.
I kissed her slower, softer. Savoring every moment.
When we finally pulled apart, her eyes fluttered open. A smile played across her lips.
I couldn’t move. Couldn’t stop touching her. Couldn’t believe what had just happened.
“I’m not sure what this was,” she said. “But I’m not sorry.”
Neither was I.
“Hey, where did you guys go?” Max called out from below.
I could tell when his words sunk in. Her panic-stricken gaze met mine, and she nudged me off her. Sitting up, she smoothed her hair that was full of hay. “I’m up in the loft, Max. I’ll be right down.”
Rising, she scooted over to the hatch and sat on the edge, extending her feet to the ladder and quickly climbing down.
“Why is there hay in your hair?” Max asked.
“Oh, I tripped and fell into it. Help me take it out, would you?”
Because I didn’t want Max drawing any conclusions, I rose and made sure there wasn’t any hay in my hair before I descended to join them. Max shot me a frown but said nothing.
I didn’t meet his eyes. A lump caught in my throat. I wasn't a liar. But the truth of what happened in that loft, how badly I’d wanted her, how much I still did, was stuck somewhere between my chest and my mouth.
We left the barn, and I scooped up their bags from the ground where I'd left them and motioned toward the back porch. “Come inside. We’ll get you two settled.”
Max stuck close to his mom, who had removed most of the hay from her hair, though a small piece still clung near her ear. I almost mentioned it but didn’t. Part of me liked it there.
The porch steps creaked under our weight, a familiar sound that told me I was home. I unlocked the door and pushed it open.
The kitchen greeted us first, with its smooth floors that caught the light from the double windows over the kitchen sink on the opposite wall, clean counters lined neatly with jars and bowls, and a sturdy orc-size table on the left. Four chairs circled it, though only one ever saw use. I placed their bags on the island between the kitchen and dining room that I used as an office, and turned to find them standing by the door.
