Page 22 of Marked By the Broken Orc
Now he turns, his dark eyes focusing on me with an intensity that makes my breath catch. “What didn’t happen?”
I wave a hand. “The house hunting. Me acting like…like we were together. Like I had any say in where you live or what kind of house you buy.” The words tumble out in a rush. “I made a complete fool of myself, and now I feel like I’ve ruined things between us and we can’t even have a normal conversation anymore.”
He steps closer. “You didn’t make a fool of yourself.”
“I acted like your girlfriend or…wife…when I’m not even…we’re not even…” I gesture helplessly between us. “I don’t know what we are.”
“Neither do I,” he admits quietly.
I bite my lip. “Then maybe we should figure it out.”
He’s close enough now that I have to lift my chin to look at him. His expressive eyes search my face. He inhales, and a deep growl rumbles in his chest. “Mia,” he rasps.
“Maybe we should stop pretending and start something real,” I whisper.
That’s all it takes.
Kavin’s control snaps completely. My powerful orc drops everything he’s holding. One moment we’re three feet apart having a polite conversation, and the next he’s backing me against the wall of mailboxes, his large hands framing my face. “I can’t stop thinking about you,” he growls.
Oh my. This is what I’ve been waiting for since the moment we met.
Then his mouth crashes down on mine.
The kiss is nothing like what I expected. There’s nothing gentle or tentative about it. His lips are firm and demanding, and when his tongue sweeps into my mouth I moan against his lips, my hands fisting the fabric of his uniform. He’s so much bigger than me and has to bend down to reach me. I love the way he crowds me against the metal wall. His tusks should makethis awkward, but somehow, we fit together perfectly. The slight scrape against my lips sends heat shooting straight to my core.
This is the best kiss of my life.
One of his hands tangles in my hair while the other grips my hip, pulling me closer until there’s no space between us. My arms go around his neck and I kiss him back like it’s my last meal. The hard length of his enormous erection presses against my stomach, and the knowledge that I affect him this much makes me lightheaded.
When we finally break apart, we’re both breathing hard. His eyes are wild, and I can see the tips of his tusks extend past his lower lip.
“Fuck,” he breathes, resting his forehead against mine.
“Yeah,” I agree, because I can’t form any more coherent thoughts.
He straightens abruptly, his hands dropping from my body. “We need to talk.”
Before I can respond, he picks up what he dropped, grabs my hand and pulls me toward the building. We make it to his apartment in record time, and he kicks the door open, practically dragging me inside before slamming it shut behind us.
The sudden quiet feels deafening after the charged intensity outside.
He walks past me and drops everything he was holding onto the kitchen table. “I should apologize,” he says, running his hands through his hair. “I shouldn’t have grabbed you like that. Anyone could have seen us.”
A grin spreads across my face. “I don’t care who saw us. I want everyone to know you’re mine.”
He stares at me like I’ve spoken a foreign language. “You should care. Your reputation…”
“Oh please,” I snort. “My reputation in Spokane is already shot, Kavin. Trust me, being seen kissing the town’s respectableorc firefighter is probably the best thing that could happen to me.”
He paces his small living room like a caged animal. “There are things you need to know about me before this goes any further.”
“Really?” I settle onto his couch, trying to project calm even though my lips are still swollen from that kiss. “Then tell me.”
He stops and looks down at me, really looks at me, like he’s trying to memorize my face. “I’ve never told a human or any orcs beyond my own tribe this story.”
I cross my arms. “I’m listening.”
He’s quiet for a long moment, gathering himself. When he finally speaks, his voice is carefully controlled. “My mother left when I was two months old. She was human, obviously. My father met her when he was working on a construction project amongst humans in Maine. He was completely smitten, but she was just…orc curious, wondering what it would be like to be with an orc.”
