Page 31 of The Orc and the Innkeeper

When I glance up at Thorak, he’s studying me.

The words I’ve been carrying tumble out. “Why me, Thorak?” I ask softly. “What did I do back then that made me a target? Was it really just because I’m human? Or was there something else?”

My voice cracks on the last word and I look away, exposed and vulnerable. In the heavy silence that follows, the weight of Thorak’s gaze lingers on me, the air between us thick.

Slowly, I force myself to meet his eyes, my heart in my throat as I wait for him to answer the question I’ve always been too afraid to ask.

15

MARIAH

Thorak is silent for a long moment, his expression unreadable as he studies my face. Then, slowly, he leans in closer, his voice low and rough as he confesses, “I had a crush on you, Mariah.”

Heat floods through me at his words, desire pooling in my belly even as my mind races to make sense of this revelation.

A laugh escapes me, soft and disbelieving. “That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard.”

But there’s no real bite to my words. Instead, a strange tenderness wells up inside me, softening my hard edges. Thorak nods ruefully, his tusks glinting in the low light of the taproom.

“I know. I was a fucking idiot.” He runs a hand over his face, his shoulders slumping. “Do you remember that vampire in our grade, Lucius? He wanted to use you for your blood. I overheard the disgusting way he talked about you...”

Thorak’s voice trails off, his jaw clenching. “I thought if I claimed you as mine, if I bullied you and made everyone afraid to come near you, then Lucius would never be able to hurt you. It was easier that way, easier than admitting how I really felt.”

“You could have just told me,” I whisper, my voice thin and reedy to my own ears. “About Lucius or…about how you felt.”

Thorak reaches out tentatively, his fingertips grazing my cheek. I shiver at the contact, my skin tingling.

“I know that now,” he murmurs. “But back then…I was drowning under the weight of everyone’s expectations. You were the only human in our grade, but I was the only orc. Everyone saw me as a brute, and I didn’t know how to be anything other than what they wanted.”

His words hit me like a blow to the stomach. Because I understand that pressure all too well—the suffocating feeling of being trapped in a role you never asked for. I think of all the times I’ve been underestimated, dismissed, or objectified.

And in that moment, I see Thorak—really see him—for perhaps the first time. Not as the bully from my past, but as a man struggling under the same burden I’ve carried all my life.

Thorak’s gaze burns into me, heavy with remorse and longing. His calloused fingers brush against my cheek again, and my whole body alights in response.

“I know I’ve already apologized,” he says softly, his voice reaching a deeper, dangerous octave that makes my toes curl. “But I will never stop begging for your forgiveness, Mariah. I’ll grovel at your feet for the rest of our lives if that’s what it takes to show you how sorry I am.”

My breath catches at his words, at the raw vulnerability in his eyes. This powerful, imposing orc, ready to humble himself before me...

It stirs something primal deep inside, an arousal that takes me by surprise with its intensity.

“Thorak,” I whisper, my voice trembling. He’s so close now, his hulking frame radiating heat.

Almost of their own accord, my hands come up to rest on his broad chest. His heartbeat thunders beneath my palm, betraying the calm facade he’s trying so hard to maintain.

Slowly, deliberately, I trail my fingers upward, skimming along the curve of his neck. Thorak’s eyes flutter closed as he leans into my touch with a shuddering sigh.

The simple intimacy of the gesture is what finally undoes me.

I surge forward, my mouth crashing against his in a heated kiss. Thorak responds instantly, his strong arms banding around my waist to haul me flush against him. He kisses me like a man starved, desperate and consuming.

It’s intoxicating, the way he surrounds me—his taste, his earthen scent, the solid heat of his body pressed so tightly to mine.

It feels like coming home.

Thorak runs his large hands down my sides, and I try not to moan at the simple gesture. Then he picks me up, gently but with undeniable raw strength, and carries me over to the bar, setting me down on the countertop.

Thorak settles between my thighs, devouring my mouth with a hunger that leaves me breathless. His hands are everywhere—roaming across my waist, skimming up my ribs, cupping my breasts through my dress.

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