Page 16 of Falling for the Grumpy Orc
She blinks those big hazel eyes at me, wringing her hands. "Oh, no, really. The guest spaces should come first. Then I can worry about making a little nest for myself."
Not a chance, Princess.
"We're fixing your kitchen and bathroom first, then I'll move on to the foyer and finish with the guest bedrooms. End of discussion." I cross my arms over my chest, planting my feet. "Rule number one: we do things my way. Remember, Princess?"
She hesitates, and I watch the struggle play across her expressive face. Her gaze goes to the limp excuse for a mattress, then the window. I see it in her eyes when she glances at the bathroom, where the steadysound of a drip lets me know I'll find another horror waiting for me. She tries to hide it, but the desperation is right there, underneath that veneer of cheerfulness she waves around like a shield. She's cold, hungry, and she hates living this way.
And pain in my ass or not, I won't allow her to suffer like this for a day longer than she needs to.
"Okay. But only because you're so grumpy about it."
Finally, she gives me a small smile that hits me right in the gut. Because it’s a real one. There's a tiny part of me that whispers that I would do anything in the world just to have her smile at me that way again. Not in the over-the-top way she has when she knows her problems are about to swallow her whole. No, in the genuine way of someone who's not used to having another take care of her.
Well, I'm here now, Princess. Whether you want me to or not, I'm taking care of things now.
The day passes in a blur of measurements, lists for materials, and notes. By sunset, I have a pretty solid plan for how I'm going to tackle the apartment and kitchen, then it'll be on to her bathroom. She will have a comfortable apartment by the end of the month or I'm no longer an orc.
All that time Cassidy didn't lose a breath, carrying buckets of soapy water up and down the stairs to clean the guest rooms and the upper floor of the inn. She's way more energetic than I ever gave her credit for, and a reluctant feeling of admiration builds up in my chest whenever I catch sight of her determined face, flushed from exertion.
The entire place may be crumbling, but by might alone, Cassidy Perkins will have it sparkling clean.
The day's almost done when movement catches my eye through the kitchen window. A scraggly orange cat sits on the back steps, its matted fur glowing like embers in the setting sun. Green eyes meet mine through the glass, wary but curious.
"That's Marigold." Cassidy's voice is soft behind me. "At least, that's what I named her. I think she was living inside before I moved in. I leave food out, but she only eats after I go away."
The cat lets out a plaintive meow, pressing one paw against the window. Despite the dirt and tangles in her coat, there's something dignified about the way she holds herself.
I crouch down slowly, keeping my movements steady. "Looks half-starved."
"I know." Cassidy's sock-clad feet pad across the floor as she moves closer. "I bought some proper cat food yesterday. And a little bed, just in case she decides to stay. I think she might have been someone's pet once. The way she looks at me sometimes, like she remembers what it was like to trust people."
The cat meows again, softer this time. Her tail curls around her paws as she watches us through the glass.
"Are you planning on keeping her?" I ask, though I already know the answer. Cassidy has bleeding heart written all over her pretty face.
"If she'll let me." Cassidy's voice carries that same endless hope she's shown all day. "Everyone deserves a second chance at happiness, don't you think?"
I lock gazes with her as she says that, and for a moment, time suspends. There’s an eagerness in her pretty, heart-shaped face, an openness that makes my chest hurt and my hands flex at my sides.
I could kiss her. I bet her lips would fit just right between my tusks.The thought flashes through my mind like a lightning bolt and I stop myself just as my arm lifts, reaching for her slender neck.
I turn away from her to face the door to the back porch and reach for the door handle, but the slight movement sends Marigold darting into the shadows, nothing but an orange streak against the growing dark.
"Smart cat," I mutter, but the words feel heavy on my tongue.
I pretend to look for the cat for just long enough to rein in my impulse to crush Cassidy against that door and kiss her till she moans and writhes in my arms. When I turn back to her, the little human woman stares at me with her smile still plastered on her face.
"See you tomorrow?" Her voice carries that same bright optimism that should grate on my nerves but somehow doesn't.
I nod, not trusting myself to speak, then I gather my tools, hyper-aware of Cassidy's presence behind me. Of her warm, soft body with curves that make my fingers itch and my cock twitch to life just thinking about her.
If I wasn’t in trouble before, I am now.
She's been living in her crumbling inn, sleeping on an air mattress, eating microwave meals, and still she finds room in her heart to care for a stray cat that won't even let her close.
She definitely needs someone to take care of her.
And that someone is not me. But I’m all there is.
