Page 61 of Buck Wild Orc Cowboy
“That you are. I think you’ve grown at least two inches since we got here, though I can’t imagine how.”
“Good food.”
Her smile fell but only a fraction, and I knew she was thinking about times when they didn’t have enough. She was careful with everything she ate, and she put even a few leftover bites away for another meal. An orc like me didn’t miss things like that.
I wanted to press everything I had and all I'd ever be into her hands. Wanted her to open the fridge without worrying about eating something we might need later. Wanted to rip every worry from her shoulders. But I didn’t know how to do that without making her feel small. She was anything but.
Strugging to smile, I rested a hand on Max’s shoulder, giving it a warm squeeze.
Max grinned up at me. “Can we have dinner soon? I’m starving.”
“Of course we can.” Holly shook her head. The indulgence, the fierce love in her eyes, nearly undid me. It was hard not towonder what it’d feel like if she reached for me with that same all-in kind of love.
I wanted to be someone she needed. Chose.
I told myself I could wait without wanting too much. Some days, I even believed it.
We all leaned on the fence, the golden twilight wrapping around us, and for now, everything felt like it was going to be alright.
Chapter 21
Holly
We made dinner together, chicken, plus both starchy and non-starchy orc vegetables.
“Jessi grows them,” Sel said, pointing to the cragroot. “We use that one for all sorts of things. Grate it and mix it with chumble egg to make fritters. Or slice them into chunks and fry them for, well…cragroot fries.”
“Those sound amazing,” Max chimed in from beside us where he was mixing the ingredients Sel had written down to make a type of cookie bar that was popular in the orc kingdom. I’d never heard of some of the ingredients before, but I was sure the bars were going to taste amazing.
We worked together easily, like we’d been doing it for years instead of a week or so. I chopped cragroot while Sel handled the chicken, and Max flitted between us, proudly reading out the steps of his cookie bar recipe like he was a seasoned chef. Warm, savory smells started to fill the kitchen, and the windows fogged from the heat of the stove.
I caught myself smiling too much. It wasn’t only because of how good everything smelled either. It wasthis. The easebetween us. The way Sel bumped my hip lightly when he passed behind me, muttering “excuse me, little lady,” in a voice that sent a flutter racing through my chest. The way he was gentle with the directions he gave Max. He treated my son like an equal, someone to be respected, and boy, did Max beam whenever he looked in Sel’s direction.
This felt good. Right. It kind of scared me. I’d walked barefoot into what I thought was safety once, and the floorboards had broken underneath me. I knew better than to sprint into warm light without checking for splinters.
What Sel and I had done earlier at the bakery… Thinking about that made my face overheat. I shifted, slicing cragroot faster, hoping they wouldn’t notice the way my skin went all blotchy pink.
That kiss. His hands. His mouth. He’d looked at me like I was the only thing he wanted in the world.
I had no regrets. Not one damn bit.
If anything, I wanted more, and the thought of trying to bring that up made my stomach knot itself into a hundred complicated shapes. He’d told me I was his fated mate, but I still wasn’t sure if I could give him everything he deserved. Not yet. My heart wanted to race ahead, but my mind still trailed behind, dragging all the old scars along with it.
Sel wasn’t anything like my ex. Iknewthat. He was patient and open and solid in a way I’d never experienced before. No sudden flashes of temper. No little digs designed to chip away at me. Just warmth, strength, and that slow, crooked smile that made my knees threaten to give way.
But scars didn’t disappear because you wanted them to. Bad stuff stuck. I needed time, and I was grateful Sel didn’t push.
When we finally sat down to eat, the kitchen glowed in the cozy, golden light of the lamp overhead. Max shoveled mashedcragroot onto his plate, looking proudly at the bars he’d made that were now cooling on a rack.
Sel passed me the chicken platter with a smile. “Ladies first.”
“Thank you, kind sir,” I said, affecting my best damsel voice and making Max snicker around a mouthful of food.
Sel’s chuckle wrapped around me, making me feel safe. Wanted.
We dug in, and for a while the only sounds were the scrape of forks and the occasional hum of satisfaction. The food was incredible, the kind of meal that snuggled up to your ribs and made you feel cared for.
I watched Sel over the rim of my water glass as he laughed at something Max had said. I liked how he smiled with his whole face, how he always made sure Max was included, how he never once made us feel like outsiders.
