Page 50 of My Orc Billionaire
“I just…you want to meet my mother? Like, my family?”
Frowning, I used my other hand to tip her jaw upward so she met my eyes. “Of course I do. I owe Sami my appreciation for her advice.” I tried to smirk, to remind her of that evening I’d cuddled with her, but Riven still looked a little panicky. “Why wouldn’t I want to meet your family,dkaar?”
The endearment slipped out before I thought about it, but she didn’t notice. In fact, Riven wrenched her hand out of mine and stepped back. “Because you’re myboss, Abydos! Yeah, we’re fucking, and it’s amazing, but…” Her gaze dropped back to the metal piece in her hands, and she twisted the roller almost absentmindedly. “But that’s all we are. Fuck buddies. Right?”
My stomach had twisted at her words, and I wanted to lash out, to snarl a negative. MyKteerhowled in objection, insisting we were more than that.
But…Riven was holding her breath.
Holding her breath, waiting for my answer.
As if it really did matter to her.
As ifImattered to her.
Gods below, don’t let me fuck this up.
“Riven…is that whatyouwant? To be just fuck buddies?”
Green eyes slid my way from under her lashes. “What doyouwant?”
She did care.
So I took a deep breath, and to keep from reaching for her, I flicked my tongue against my broken tusk and winced. “I want to meet your family, Riven. Please.”
She turned back to me, her body language and her tone both hesitant. “You’re sure? They’re humans.”
Of course they were. “They’reyours.”
Her chin rose and those fierce green eyes met mine. “They are. And they won’t hurt you.”
“I know that,” I told her with a slight frown. “They’reyours.”
“So why do you keep hurting yourself, Abydos?”
I reared back. “What?”
“I’ll plan the best damn dinner party you can imagine, mister.” Her finger jabbed my chest. “Ifyoustop deliberately hurting yourself with that broken tusk. It helps you remember? Well, we’re trying to forget it!”
I wasn’t sure what exactly she was talking about. I wasn’t sure ifsheknew what she was talking about. But the fact that she’d noticed, the fact that she’d cared, pleased me inordinately.
MyKteerwas purring as I gently enfolded Riven—and the pasta roller—in my arms. “Deal,” I murmured against her hair. “But I’m going to expect some amazing lasagna.”
She was laughing when our lips met.
Chapter Eleven
Riven
I don’t thinkI’ve been this nervous about a dinner since my very first evening as a personal chef, when I hovered near the doors to the Binghamtons’ dining room, chewing my fingernails and panicking about the filet mignon.
Tonight I wasn’t nervous about the food—although I made twice the lasagna I thought we needed so Tarkhan could have a pan all to himself—but the company. Or rather, how my family would interact with Abydos. Which was stupid, because my cousin Sami grew up in a household with almost as much money as him, it wasn’t like she was going to wander in and gawk at all the evidence of Abydos’s wealth.
Maybe the flutters in my stomach were for a different reason. Maybe I was worriedformy family?
I shouldn’t have been. Abydos was never going to be called acharminghost, but he didn’t scare anyone off either. With a serious expression, he engaged my mother in conversations about her various volunteer jobs and her years as a social worker. And whenever the conversation lagged, Sami and Tarkhan jumped in with updates on their various projects.
By the end of the meal, I was breathing easier. Although maybe that was the wine… The same cheap cartoon penguin stuff. Every time I saw the bottle, it made me smile. Yes, because the little penguin was cute,but alsobecause he’d chosen it over one of the more expensive bottles.
