Page 28 of Pursued By the Orc
“Yes,” she murmured. And with that one word starting a fire in my chest, I nodded and gestured in the direction we had been headed in the first place, grabbing Ribbon and tucking him under my arm as we walked.
The little diva released a quickqwarkbefore settling against me. She smiled over at me before walking next to me, peeking up at me from under her eyelashes.
This female is going to be the death of me.
“What does that mean?” she asked me and I frowned.
“What does what mean?” I asked, struggling against myselfnotto reach for her hand once I adjusted my gait to match hers. It was slower now, less purposeful.
We were no longer walking the dog—er, toad. We were sharing a walk with each other, and it was relaxed and comfortable.
“Zemar,” she sounded out, and I stiffened, but didn’t react beyond that. I owed her a few truths.
“My heart,” I explained, swallowing hard. Her head swung in my direction but I did my best not to look at her. I wasn’t sure what I wanted her reaction to be to those words. “It’s a term of endearment where I’m from.”
While this was true, it wastechnicallya term of endearment that most males reserved for their mates. But if I explained all of that to her right away, I was almost certain that my skittish female would run for the hills.
“I see,” she said, and I released a breath, grateful that she wasn’t asking any more questions.
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you everything from the start,” I blurted out to her. “You didn’t seem very interested in talking to me, and I just wanted to find a way to get to know you. If you don’t trust me, you can ask—”
“I do,” she interrupted me and when I stopped, giving her a blank stare, she giggled. “I trust you. I don’t think you’re trying to hurt me or anything,” she explained and I nodded with enthusiasm.
“I’m not. That’s the last thing I want.”
“Do you like me?” she asked, searching my expression and I gave her a firm nod. “So you’re interested in somethingromanticwith me?” she confirmed, emphasizing the word to make certain thatIunderstood what she was asking.
“Yes,” I stated, needing her to know this part. If she wanted me to be her friend, I would, but I wouldalwayshold romanticfeelings for her, no matter what. And truth was going to be the only thing between us from now on.
She exhaled a long breath before giving me a winning smile and nodding. “Okay.” She started walking again and I couldn’t do anything but scramble after her. I would follow her no matter where she led.
“And you’re okay with that?” I asked, trying to get a read on her emotions, but I was coming up blank.
“I’d prefer to know,” she declared and I nodded in understanding.
“Do you…” I cut myself off,notsure what I was going to ask her, but changing it midway. “Do you think we could continue these walks with Ribbon? Just to… get him out of the apartment every day?”
Her gaze cut to mine and she nodded, pressing her lips together while her eyes twinkled at me. She was amused. She thought it was funny.
“I can actually cut down on my dog walking hours,” she told me in a low voice, nibbling on her lower lip as she looked up at me from under her eyes. “Because of the two tips that you’ve left me at the restaurant.”
I felt heat flood into my cheeks. “I’m sorry. I’m new to the plane and I didn’t know how much to leave—”
“You’ve never been to another restaurant?” she asked, sending me a questioning look.
“Well,” I sounded out, drawing out my answer. “Yes, I have. But… It’s not… the same.”
“Because the waitress wasn’t someone youliked?” she asked, looking ahead of us instead of at me the way I wanted her to.
“No,” I admitted, knowing it would be well within her rights to yell at me and throw the money back in my face. She nodded, and we continued walking for a few minutes in silence. I glanced at her out of the corner of my eye, wondering when she wasgoing to pull the bills from her purse and slap me across the face with them. I didn’t expect the words that left her lips.
“Thank you,” she said in a quiet voice that I might not have heard if I didn’t have the excellent hearing of my kind. “It was very sweet.”
I frowned, confused by what she was saying. I parted my lips, but she pointed in front of us to the open gates of the park that we were walking toward.
“Do you think Ribbon will be okay with actually meeting other dogs?” she asked, and I noticed that the park was filled with them. Owners and dogs off their leashes were running around, chasing sticks, balls and Frisbees.
“I hope so,” I answered with a shrug. I looked down at Ribbon from where he was panting in my arms, his head lolled against my side. When the barks of multiple dogs sounded from the park, he perked up, slapping his tongue against his eye. “We’ll find out,” I added, lowering him to the ground, cringing as he darted off with his odd, scrabbling walk.
