Page 26 of Wagered to the Orc
She’d enjoyed what we’d just shared, I was certain of it. I’dfeltit, I’d tasted it.
And the secret she’d been hiding from me, the secret I’d felt digging into my arse when I’d slept beside her…it proved that she wasinterestedin sexual pleasure.
Her whispered confessions indicated she wasn’t used to finding pleasure in the act, not like today. Could I woo her with more of that?
Only one way to find out.
I spent the rest of the afternoon cleaning the stable and working with the horses. The smell of roasting meat and pottage drifted from the croft, and my stomach was rumbling by the time I joined her.
As she puttered about, putting the final touches on the preparations, I pulled up the mattress and slid the scroll from its home. Tucking it into the back of my belt, I turned back to Effie before she noticed aught amiss.
The meal was set out on the table with some ceremony, and I couldn’t stop staring at her in wonder.
Wonder that this tiny female cared to make my eating experience pleasant. Wonder that she’d reacted in such a way to me. Wonderthat she wasmy Mate.
Effie, meanwhile, still in only her chemise, was blushing as bright assternkaberries, likely because of my staring. Which just made me smile.
“This is delicious.” I finally broke the silence after I took a bite of the pottage. “Ye can do things with carrots I hadnae imagined.”
“Thank you.” Her cheeks were bright pink as she poked at her bowl with her spoon, not looking up, not eating. “I was going to make stew, but I decided to roast the meat instead and use the root vegetables as a pottage.”
“And the bread—biscuits.” I slathered one with the butter I’d traded for earlier in our stay. “Delicious, as always.”
“Thank you,” she whispered again.
What else could I compliment her on? “These rags—”
“Serviettes.” She risked a glance up at me, then dropped her gaze in a hurry back to her untasted meal. “We do not have to use them. Lord Tarbert prefers them, and I thought—”
“They’re verra nice.”
If possible, her blush darkened. “Thank you.”
Fook.
This conversation wasn’t going to woo her if all she was going to say in response wasthank you.I tooka big bite of the meat and considered her as I chewed.
She still wasn’t eating, and I caught her flicking glances at me from the corner of her eyes.
“Effie,” I finally asked, “What’s wrong? Do ye want to talk about what we did?”
“I do not know what to say!” she burst out, dropping her spoon and clasping her hands in her lap. “I… Today…”
My lips twitched as I used the lovingly hemmed serviette to clean my fingers. “What we shared today was natural. Something perfectly natural between two adults.Consentingadults. Ye did want that to happen, aye, Effie?”
A peek of blue from beneath her lashes, then she slowly, mutely nodded.
And I exhaled in relief.
“I was afraid ye only allowed me to touch ye because ye felt somehow obligated to me.”
Her chin gradually rose until she was studying me warily. “I…the wager…”
“Doesnae matter,” I gently reminded her. “I explained I only made the wager to needle my cousin. And I only collected on it because of the way he treated ye. If I could be certain he’d treat ye well, I would’ve allowed yeto stay in his care.”
And would have lost the most remarkable opportunity of my life.
Her little tongue darted out across her lower lip. “And…now that I am yours?”
