Page 43 of Steve's Barmaid
Billie looked relieved. “Oh—you scared me.”
Then, it was my turn to get nervous. I had never fucked anyone before. What if it wasn’t any good for her? The way she clung to me, digging her tiny fingers into my back and wrapping her legs around me to pull me closer, all pointed toward her enjoyment, but how was I to know?
“Was that—was that—was I okay?” I asked hesitantly. “I know that I am not as…experienced at this.”
Billie stroked a finger down my jawline. “That was incredible. I have never had a guy make me come twice. I can’t believe you’re new at this. I can’t believe I am saying it, but that might be the best sex I’ve ever had.”
I blushed. “Well, you made me come twice. It seemed only fair.”
Billie laughed. “That is not at all how things usually occur, but I could get used to it.”
This reminded me that Billie had been with others, several others. I didn’t like the ugly feeling that grew in the pit of my stomach when I thought of Billie atop someone else, crying out someone else’s name. I didn’t want to admit my jealousthoughts. She had a right to a past just as much as I did, but I owed her honesty.
“Sorry. Just mentioning how things had been different for you in the past made me picture you with others. I—I didn’t like it,” I finished lamely.
“Ah, that’s reasonable,” she said, nuzzling my neck. “I wouldn’t like to picture you with anyone else, either. I know we have pretty different past experiences, but I promise there is only you now.”
“So, does that mean you want to be my chosen mate?” I asked.
I had wondered how this might work. There seemed so little orc between the two of us that it felt unlikely that any Elska bond would happen. But, we could be chosen mates. Billie looked surprised.
“Chosen mates are like spouses, right?” she asked, eyes wide. “It’s a pretty permanent decision?”
Oh no, I’d asked too soon. I was scaring her off already. She’d had more casual partners than I’d had. Maybe she wasn’t ready to make this permanent?
I cleared my throat. “Yes, mates are usually taken for life.” I was a bundle of nerves as I watched her take in the information.
“When I got to this planet, I was excited about the idea of an Elska mate—someone destined for me who I didn’t have to look for. But I don’t think we have enough orkin in us to be fated.” I was so tired of looking for my person on Earth that I started to think there wasn’t anyone for me. “Here, fated mates solved that problem. But we aren’t fated, are we?”
“No, I don’t know if we have enough orkin blood between us to form an Elska bond,” I said truthfully.
“But you could probably bond with another orc, couldn’t you? What if there is someone else in my tribe that you are destined for?”
I shook my head vigorously. “I would deny the bond. There was no one else for me, Elska or not. Now that I know you—now that I’ve been with you. You are all that I want.”
Billie considered what I’d said momentarily, still tracing her fingers up and down my side. I assumed she was trying to reassure me, for which I was grateful.
“You’d be willing to deny an Elska bond for me?” she questioned after a time.
“Yes,” I responded, undeterred. “You are my everything.”
“Could we do a hybrid human-orc relationship to start?” she asked after a time. I could tell she was hesitant to dive into full-blown mates.
I didn’t love the sound of that, but I was willing to listen.
“Tell me more,” I said.
“Well, we’d continue to date, and then, if things went well, we’d decide whether or not to make this permanent when the season is over. If we decide to make this permanent, one of us is going to have to move, except I don’t know that either of us is ready to make that decision yet.”
I hadn’t thought about that. Forever meant one of us saying goodbye to our tribe forever. And yet I didn’t even need a moment to process. My mind was made up. I was staying. I’d already considered staying before Billie and I talked about a relationship. I fit in much better with the Fýrifírar than the Snaerfírar, and my only hesitation had been whether they’d allow me to stay. Surely, if I was going to take Billie as a mate, they would let me. Then, really, my only issue would be a difficult conversation with Reykr.
Billie wasn’t ready for forever today. We could continue to “date” until the end of the season, and then I would tell her I’d decided to stay.
“Okay, so we continue to date.” I paused. “Can we continue to do this?” I gestured at our still-connected bodies.
Billie, smiling as always, said, “Yes, we can continue to do this. I am going to insist upon it.”
I sighed with relief. Then, I asked the last question on my mind. “Do you still want to keep it a secret?”
