Page 35 of Falling for the Grumpy Orc
"No!" I squeak, way too quickly. "Nothing's happening. I'm just, you know, trying to save this place. Keep it from falling apart."
Trying not to think about how Jason is still dragging his feet on signing the closing papers on our old house while I watch my checking account slowly die a painful death.
"Oh. My. God." Silvia's voice drops to a dramatic whisper. "Something happened. You're rambling. You only ramble when you're nervous. Spill it, Cassidy Perkins. Did you ride the green mountain man yet? Did you?"
I burst into laughter and snort midway into it. There's no point trying to hide anything from her. She's like a bloodhound when it comes to sniffing out my secrets. And I have to admit, I kind of need to talk to someone right now.
"I might have kissed him." I swallow hard, staring at my fingers. "But that’s all, I swear. No riding anything."
The shriek that comes through my phone could probably shatter glass.
"YOU WHAT?" Silvia's voice hits a pitch that could make nearby coyotes howl. "When? Where? How? Was there tongue? Did he pin you against a wall? Did those tusks feel as good as you thought they would? Tell me everything or I'll die right here!"
"Silvia!" I hiss, even though there's no one around to hear. "It was pretty great. I mean, it was just…"
But it wasn't 'just' anything. It was earth-shattering. Soul-rearranging. The kind of kiss romance novels try to describe and fail. The kind that makes you realize every kiss before was just practice for this moment.
His hands had been so big, so strong, yet so careful with me. Like I was precious. Breakable. But also like he wanted to devour me whole. The way his tusks felt against my skin, how his tongue claimed mymouth, the growl that vibrated through his chest when I pressed against him.
And then he walked away.
"Earth to Cassidy!" Silvia's voice snaps me back to reality. "You just went completely silent on me. Oh my God, it was that good, wasn't it?"
I take a long sip of my now-lukewarm coffee, trying to gather my scattered thoughts.
"It was, yeah. It was something else."
"Something?" she scoffs. "Girl, you sound like you're having flashbacks to the hottest moment of your life, and you're giving me 'something'? I need details!"
"Fine!" I burst out, my face burning. "It was amazing, okay? It was… God, Silvia, it was everything. His hands were everywhere and his tusks…" I press my thighs together at the memory. "But it was a mistake. It can't happen again."
"And there it is." Silvia's voice goes flat. "The classic Cassidy self-sabotage. Why exactly can't it happen again?"
"Because…" I trail off, watching Marigold stretch lazily in a patch of sunlight. The stray cat finally started coming inside last night, thanks to Gerralt's cat house. Another reminder of his thoughtfulness that makes my chest ache. "Because he left, okay? I kissed him, being the bold new Cassidy and all, and he kissed me back. It was hot, and it was amazing, but then he just dropped me and left me there, hanging."
I take a deep breath and the familiar sting of tears burn in my eyes, but I fight them back.
“I should just swear off men forever. After what happened with Jason, I should know better.”
"No." Silvia cuts me off. "We are not using that cheating bastard as an excuse. Jason was a weak man who didn't deserve you. Meanwhile, you've got a massive green dreamboat who builds you cat houses and renovates your life with his bare hands. There's no comparison."
I bite my lip, something warm and uncertain fluttering in my chest. "But…"
“No buts.” She cuts me off again. “You said you made the first move, and he kissed you back? That’s important to him, Cassie.”
When I don’t answer, I hear her exhale through the phone.
"Listen to me, Cass." Silvia's voice softens. "Orcs aren't like human men. They don't play games. They don't mess around. When an orc shows interest in a woman, it means something. They mate for life, you know."
My heart does a funny little skip. "They what? What do you mean, mate for life?"
"I mean for life. No cheating, no games. No take-backs, no half measures. When an orc commits, they're all in. Till death do they part."
The words settle over me like a warm blanket, making something deep in my chest ache with possibility. The intensity I felt in Gerralt's kiss was like nothing I ever experienced before. It was too much to be fake, too much to be just a casual fling.
Maybe Silvia was right. Maybe Gerralt was different enough that I could trust him with that tiny, broken part of myself that I feared would never heal.
A sudden, sharp knock at the door makes me jump, sloshing coffee onto my shirt.
