Page 9 of Bread with the Orc
Did I preen under his praise? Maybe. “I told you.”
“And now I believe you.”
When he met my gaze, there was a spark of green in those dark depths, a spark I hadn’t seen before. Without looking away, he placed the cup on the counter beside us.
Suddenly my throat went dry, and I wished I could sip my own tea. “It’s too hot,” I whispered, more to myself than to him.
Dorvak shifted so he was facing me, and I couldn’t helpnoticing the way his t-shirt stretched across his muscular chest.
“I told you, I’m very strong.”
“Yes,” I breathed. “I can see that.”
He leaned closer, his hand sliding along the counter. “I can handle heat. And heavy things. And your father.”
I—what?
Look, I’m one-hundred-percent certain I was flustered because of his nearness, butwhat? Dorvak’s arm shifted until his forearm was brushing my elbow, and he leaned closer, trapping me against the counter.
Instead of leaning away, I found myself swaying toward him, mesmerized by his strength and that spark of green.
“What does…” I swallowed. “Father…” I wasn’t making any sense, and I knew it.
Kiss me kiss me kiss me!
What would his tusks feel like? I was suddenly desperate to find out.
And who knows? Maybe I would’ve thrown myself at Dorvak if he’d given me two more seconds. But instead, his fist slammed into the counter, and he straightened, the noise and movement sudden and startling enough to make me squeak.
“I will store your furniture,” he announced.
I probably said something like, “Blarrrrghf?”
But he was nodding and stepping back. “You needeverything moved from here, right? Because you have to close.”
My brain was scrambling to catch up. “I…the tea shop was a financial failure. My father would have told me not to invest in a community, but in a profit center. I’ve been losing money since I opened, and I just can’t keep it afloat any longer.”
“You sleep upstairs.”
The sudden change in topics, and the intent way he was staring at me, had me answering before I could wonder about his line of thought.
“Yeah. I hope I don’t make too much noise or anything.”
Those weird green sparks in his dark eyes flashed again and his nostrils flared. “I don’t mind. You said you’re losing the apartment too?”
Oh, yeah, now I understood. “I’m going to stay with my bestie until I can figure out what to do.” Maggie was the sweetest, and I could definitely put up with some chaos in her half-renovated house if it meant a free place to crash. “But that’s not for another few days.”
“Good.” With an abrupt nod, he backed away, scooping up the tea as he went. “I have a proposition for you.”
My eyes widened, and I followed. “Yes?”
Look, could you blame me—after that last line of questioning—if I was half-hoping he’d invite me to share his bed? But when he announced, “I have someplace for you to sell your tea,” I near choked in surprise.
“You—what? Where?”
A little smugly, Dorvak sipped his Earl Grey. “My bakery. You said your tea shop would have been a success if you could sell my pastries, right? So move your tables and chairs into my space, and sell your tea there. I’ll make the pastries.”
“But…” I shook my head as I hurried out from behind the counter. “Dorvak, you don’tliketo deal with customers.” I knew that much about him. “You really want to turn your bakery into a community hub?”
