Page 64 of The Orc's Thief
And I see it then, clear as day. She told me this, showed me the worst of herself, because she still thinks I’ll leave her.
That I’ll let her go. Abandon her, just as all the rest of them did.
So I grip her wrist more firmly and say, “Don’t go.”
Chapter
Twenty-Four
TESSA
Arlon’s words settle in the silence between us.
Don’t go.
He doesn’t say anything else—doesn’t offer false comfort or try to excuse what I told him. He just waits me out, his hand on my wrist, firm but not constricting.
My breath hitches in my throat.
He’s not sending me away. Despite everything I told him, he still wants me to stay.
“You’re mad,” I whisper as I take a step closer. “You’ve been tricked by the Fates to think you need me.”
He shakes his head slowly and tugs my hand, a small movement, but enough to shorten the distance between us by another inch.
“No tricks. My mind’s never been clearer.” He stares up at me, determined. “I’ve made my decision, Tessa. Have you?”
“Damn you.” My voice comes out as a broken gasp.
“For what?” he demands, his eyebrows snapping together. “What did I do, love? Tell me so I can fix it.”
My gaze drops to his lips, then jerks back up. “You’re making mewantthings.”
“You want me?” He releases my hand and straightens, shoulders drawn back, chin high. “I’m right here.”
I move for him at the same time he reaches for my waist, and then I’m in his lap, his hands warm on my back. We share a breath, eyes wide open. Then I kiss him, and the world melts away.
Arlon’s lips are firm as he moves them under mine. His hand finds the back of my neck, tilting my head back, guiding me where he wants me. I part my lips for him, desperate for a taste.
The first touch of his tongue against mine sends heat pooling in my belly. I dig my fingers into his long hair, because I don’t want him to move, ever. He lets out a groan, shifting his hips just enough for me to feel the hard length of him pressing against my thigh. I kiss him back with everything I have, and he takes it, then sucks on my lower lip, his sharp teeth nicking the sensitive flesh. He soothes the sting with a lick of his tongue, then pulls back, his heated gaze raking over me.
This is when we make bad decisions, I know it. I want Arlon, and he wants me too. Even if his hard cock wasn’t pressing into my thigh, I’d feel the proof in the way his fingers twitch on my waist, in his quickened breaths, in the strain of his big muscles.
But he drags in a shuddering breath, groans, and shifts me an inch back, just far enough that I’m no longer touching the part of him that’s sending wicked, dangerous thoughts through my mind.
“I don’t want you to leave,” he murmurs, leaning in to touch his forehead to mine. “I’m sorry for judging you. I don’t know what it’s like to be alone in the world. I’ve always had my family, my friends, and my clan to fall back on.”
I sigh and climb from his lap. “And I’m sorry for taking it all out on you. You’re not at fault here, I am. You didn’t steal or lie or cheat. That’s on me. I just wanted you to know that I’m not…”
“Perfect,” he supplies. “Aye, I know. I’m not either. I only want us both to give this a try. Can you do that for me?”
I bite my lip, considering his proposal. It’s simple enough, and if it were just the two of us, I wouldn’t hesitate at all. Arlon might have a point about us being fated mates, because it’s the only thing that would explain how quickly I’ve come to trust him. How everything about him appeals to me on the deepest, most instinctual level.
But I bring too much trouble. I’ve angered an entire gang of possibly murderous criminals. I’ve got no real home, no money—what little I do have was illegally obtained—and no connections. Like I told him, I’m not the kind of woman he could easily bring home to meet his family.
I can’t give him up, though. A better person would let him go, push him away once and for all, so he could continue living his honest, honorable life, helping people and serving his king. But I never claimed I was good.
So I nod and tell him, “I can try. For now. We’ve only just met, Arlon, and I…”
