Page 25 of Fake Dating an Orc Cowboy

Chapter 10

Rosey

This was going to be okay. No, maybe better than okay. Solely because I was sharing this time with Ostor.

Somewhere between finding him adorable and sweet, to him singing on the plane, to him chatting with Macy’s friends, I’d started to realize this felt much better than fake. Since I didn’t know what to do about it, I gave up trying. I’d ride along with my orc cowboy to see where he took me next. We might end up galloping toward the sunset or drowning in a swamp, but if he was by my side, I’d follow.

We lounged in the pool for the rest of the day. Ostor sang after drinking the tequila. The rest of us did too. The sorhox song was catchy and fun.

As the sun dipped below the horizon, we left the pool and went to our rooms to shower and dress up, joining everyone at the entrance to the buffet. Ostor’s eyes bugged when he saw all the food available there, and he pronounced salsa food fit for the orc king. This turned into a competition among the guys to see who could eat the hottest salsa at the buffet. I loved that they included Ostor in the game.

He blended in with our group, maybe even better than me, but I liked that about him too.

After, with the sun long gone from the sky and the moon shining down to light our way, we walked hand-in-hand along the stone path lined with palm trees and lush vegetation, aiming for our building. We’d left the others at the entrance to the buffet, them heading to the beach bar for more fun, us feeling tired from our flight and eager to go to bed and sleep.

My skin prickled whenever I thought of lying beside him in the bed tonight. The bed was big, though. Would I even know he was there?

“I consumed an entire bowl of chips, salsa, and guaca-mosshie,” he pronounced.

“Guacamole,” I said slowly, repeating it until he got it right.

He stopped and turned me to face him. “Thank you.”

I gazed up at him, admiring how gorgeous he was in his collared shirt open just enough to show his beautiful green skin, to his jeans that molded to his ass as if it had been carved by a master, to the way his tousled hair hung to his shoulders. He’d left his cowboy hat inside the room. “Why are you thanking me?”

“For many things.” He stroked a strand of wayward hair off my face, smoothing it across my shoulder, his fingers lingering on the bare skin exposed by my spaghetti-strap sundress. “For bringing me to Mexico. I never would’ve come here on my own. For sharing your family and friends with me. For being kind enough to help me pronounce all these strange words. For not laughing.”

I knew what he meant. I’d seen how his face flushed when those people laughed at him at the bar, and I’d wanted to smack them. Toss tequila in their faces. Tell them that mean girl was so twentieth century. Instead, I’d glared and swallowed the words. I had no problem telling someone off, but I hadn’t wanted to embarrass Ostor further.

“I’ll never laugh at you, onlywithyou.” My voice came out much huskier than I expected. But my emotions felt brand new, and I didn’t know how to interpret them. This wasn’t supposed to be real, but already, I was beginning to wish that it was.

“And that’s why I . . .” His gaze fell into mine, and he leaned close.

His lips brushed mine, soft at first, and tentative, like he was gauging my reaction. Something spun in the pit of my stomach, a need I hadn’t realized was there.

The kiss started innocent enough, similar to the one at the airport. But this wasn’t for show, because there was no one watching. This was for us alone. His body pressed closer, the warmth radiating from him intensifying with every subtle movement.

The hand that had lingered on my shoulder now trailed down my back, his rough fingers grazing through the thin fabric of my dress as if he was mapping out the curve of my spine. I swayed into him. A low growl rumbled in his chest, vibrating against mine, and I swore that sound alone could've melted me into a puddle.

Ostor’s other hand cupped the back of my neck, pulling me closer, his big, solid body surrounded me like a protective wall. The rest of the world, our fake dating charade, my sister and Jacob, and even the tropical night air, faded until all I could think about was the way he was kissing me. The intensity of it left me breathless. Like he’d been waiting his whole life for this exact moment. Like I was the only thing that mattered.

I could’ve made him stop. Pulled back. Reminded us both that we’d just met. That this was pretend. A game. But I didn’t.

Couldn’t.

Instead, I leaned in deeper, my hands sliding up his chest to link them around his neck. His hair slid between my fingers,thicker than I expected, soft in comparison to the hard muscles under my palms.

His lips parted, urging mine to do the same, and the moment they did, his tongue swept in, stoking the heat burning through me. A tiny gasp escaped me, and he responded by pressing deeper, his fingers brushing the hollow of my jaw in a way that sent tingles down my spine.

This was no trial run. This was Ostor claiming me, giving me all the control if I wanted to step away. What kind of person would leave a kiss like this unfinished?

His hand shifted lower to skim along the back of my waist, the fingers of his other hand rubbing soft circles into the sensitive skin under my ribs. My breath caught as he shifted his angle, kissing me deeper, slower, as if he had all the time in the world to explore and taste me. As if he'd die if he didn't keep touching me.

Every nerve in my body felt exposed, wide open to this male alone. I was falling, tumbling into him, but I couldn’t bring myself to care. His grip on my waist tightened, and I half-wondered if he was trying to stop himself from pulling me against him even more.

My skin heated where his hands roamed, but they stayed respectful, never venturing to intimate areas. Yet the way his fingers curled possessively around my waist sent a different kind of fire through me.

I wished my dress wasn’t keeping us apart. Even so, the fabric might as well have not existed. His presence enfolded me, and I leaned into it, savoring every second.

---