Page 87 of Buck Wild Orc Cowboy
She shook her head and hugged me again, breathing past my ear. “So happy for you two. This means you’re bidding on Sel’s picnic basket tomorrow, right?”
He’d paid me for my work so far and more generously than I’d expected, and I was finally building some savings. But it was a good cause, and there was no way I was letting someone else scoop up my mate and go on a picnic with him.
“I think I will,” I said with a grin.
She pressed a small bag into my hands. “This is for you. A gift from Tark. He said you should bid on Sel’s picnic basket, and I told him you already were. He wanted to make a little donation to help.”
I tried to hand the bag back. “No way. I have money. I can afford this.”
“Keep it. There’s tons more where that came from.” With that, she whirled around and started striding down the boardwalk, calling over her shoulder. “See you tomorrow morning at the barn at 9 am sharp!”
We’d made plans to start setting up early, though there wasn’t much to do other than string some decorations.
“Gracie,” I huffed, holding out the bag.
“No can do. I’ve got to go!” She started jogging down the street.
Scowling, though I really wasn’t mad, I stuffed the bag into my pocket and returned inside the warm, golden, comfy bakery. Sel looked up from where he was brushing oil over proofing rounds and gave me a slow, crooked smile that made my knees quiver.
“I added a secret ingredient to the dough,” he said. “I’ll be curious to see if you notice tomorrow.”
I arched a brow and slipped off my apron, tossing it onto a hook. We were pretty much done for the day. “If you think I won’t, you’re underestimating me.”
“Never.” Finished covering the loaves, he stepped toward me. The way his eyes moved over me, slow and hot and full of things he hadn’t said aloud, made my insides start quivering along with my knees.
We tidied up, moving around the kitchen, with our shoulders brushing and heat building between us. I reached for a pan; he was already handing it to me. He dipped his finger in honey and touched it to the back of my neck when I passed too close. I swatted at him, and he caught my wrist and kissed my mating mark before leaning in to lick off the honey.
When I straightened, his heated gaze met mine.
“Sel,” I whispered.
He backed me up until I reached the counter. “Hold that thought, mate,” he rasped. Rushing out front, he locked the door.
My heart thudded while everything inside me tingled.
He returned. “I’ve been craving you all day long.”
“Same.”
“You kept humming. And swaying. And licking your fingers like you didn’t know what it was doing to me.” His voice had deepened, gone rougher. He stopped in front of me and dragged his knuckles along my cheek.
“You did the same. Don’t think I didn’t notice you stroking my spine, cupping my ass when I passed you.”
“And here I was trying to be subtle.”
“I caught the cues.”
His brow ridge lifted. “And?”
“I believe it’s time you acted on this heat building between us.”
“Ah, mate. You’re utterly perfect.” He lifted me, setting me on the counter, and his big hands slid up my thighs to the waistband of my pants. One pop, and he undid the button. The zipper whizzed as he slid it down.
He nudged me to lay back and eased my pants down, delicately removing my shoes in order to get my pants out of the way, my underwear, leaving me naked from the waist down.
His mouth found mine, and I melted into his kiss. I tangled my fingers in his hair, pulling him closer. He smelled like bread and tasted like honey.
Sel pulled back only long enough to strip my shirt over my head and kiss his way down my throat. He didn’t rush, didn’t fumble. His hands knew exactly how to touch me. The way he unhooked my bra, then leaned in to taste the curve of one breast, the other, sent a shiver all the way to my toes. I felt worshiped. Undone.
