Page 16 of My Orc Contract Husband
I’m a virgin, is what I’m trying to say.
I might not have had sex with a guy, but I wasn’t a complete prude, and Lord knows I’ve experimented enough to know what I liked. Like half of Eastshore’s female population, I’d ordered myself an orc-shaped dildo after they started moving here. What can I say? We were all curious, yeah? I’d been shocked by the size and the ridges, but let’s just say I’m now a convert.
Yeah, I knew what I liked… And I very much liked Tarkhan.
I liked his easy smiles and his strong arms and the way he seemed to genuinelycareabout everyone he met. Hewas curious, and he listened well and, well…I just found myself wanting to share all my thoughts and struggles with him, because I knew hewouldlisten and not judge me.
He was a good guy, is my point. And I couldn’t help liking him.
And maybe he didn’t need to know I sometimes thought of him when I was playing with my dildo, yeah?Try to be professional, Sami!
The point is, I was looking forward to this afternoon. Getting the text from him yesterday morning that he’d been turned down for the loan for the house hadn’t fazed me either. We just pivoted. We’re good at that.
“You ready to see your new property?” I asked him brightly as he climbed out of that gigantic pickup of his, the one I struggled with. Yesterday when he dropped me off at my house, I’d almost fallen out, dropping that stupid folio on the way.
Tarkhan, who’d been slipping something into the pocket of his jeans, jerked his head up, his mouth open to say something. But when he saw me, he just stopped and stared.
I glanced down at myself self-consciously. “What?”
“You…look great.” Did he sound like he was choking? “Very nice. I like that dress.”
It was just a sundress, in my favorite shade of green. Nothing special, but I liked that he was complimentary. With a shy smile, I tucked a strand of my hair behind my ear and tried to remember this wasn’t the male I sometimes fantasized about; this was my client.
“Thank you. Although it might be a little inappropriate for this property.” And for the dark clouds I could see forming in the east.
“Property. Right.” Tarkhan shook himself and looked around. “Is this…a farm?”
I smiled and began to walk, and he fell into step beside me, his dark gaze taking in everything.
“All of this used to be an orchard,” I announced, sweeping my hand and gaze around the property. “You can see it’s kind of gone to seed. The owner’s heirs are parceling off the property for home sites, but none will be smaller than five acres, so you shouldn’t have any close neighbors. This site is the least desirable, because it has the original barn on it, and the new owner will have to tear it down.”
Tarkhan was listening and grunting in agreement. Now, as we came to the old barn, he stopped with his hands on his hips to survey it. “Yeah, I see what you mean. But it doesn’t bother me—hells, it’s not at all ideal, but I could use it as a shop, since if I buy this one I will have to start saving again for the shop I really want. I’ll bet it’s not zoned residential though, which means I can’t live in it.” He slanted a look my way. “But does less desirable mean cheaper?”
I grinned at the possibilities. “It does indeed. I think we could get it for you for…” I swiped through my phone a few times, then named a number.
The little whistling noise he made around his tusks was completely adorable and distracting. “I guess…”
When he trailed off, I nudged him. “What are you thinking?”
With a little shrug, he took off toward the line of fruit trees. “I could pay for that with my savings. I wouldn’t need a mortgage.”
“That’s great!” I hurried to catch up with him. “Right?”
“Since I’m not going to get approved for a mortgage on my own, it might be my only hope.” He began to pace, the heel of one foot up against the toe of the other, his heavy work boots eating up the space. “But if I do that, then I won’t have the funds to build my shop, which means another year or two living in that apartment, unless I borrow money from friends.”
Oh. Not ideal. I let my wince show when I murmured, “I know all about not wanting to do that.”
“Really?” He paused in his measurements to glance at me. “You struck me as someone who always has enough money.”
With a little laugh, I flicked my fingers dismissively. “I grew up with money, but it’s important to me to stand on my own two feet here.”
I’d tried to be flippant, but maybe some of the last two days’ worries leaked through my expression or tone, because Tarkhan had stopped and was studying me, those gorgeous lips pulled into a little frown.
Worried that he might see too much, I hurried to distract him. “What are you doing?”
He glanced down at his boots, then at the space around him, between the trees. “Measuring the area. Trying tofigure out if I could build a shop without having to cut down any trees.”
“Using your feet?”
