Page 14 of Bidding on the Orc Outcast

He opened the door to the larger section of the greenhouse, extending almost thirty feet, and the familiar scent of earth and growing things surrounded them. Even in the depths of winter, life flourished here. Climbing vines wrapped the support beams, their tendrils reaching toward the glass ceiling. Herbs filled every available space - some in neat rows in the wooden planters he’d built, others sprawling wild in terracotta pots.

The mismatched windows filtered the morning light, casting a patchwork of shadows across the plants. Mist drifted above the water barrel in the corner, where he collected rainwater for watering.

Her eyes widened as she looked around his sanctuary.

“Wow, it’s like a jungle in here. Is that a silly thing to say?”

“Not at all. It’s very accurate.” The steamy warmth, the lush vegetation, the smells that were both familiar and exotic.

“It’s certainly warm enough to be a jungle.”

She grinned at him as she slipped off her coat. She wasn’t wearing anything fancy - a pair of faded blue jeans and a soft sweater with a beaded neckline - but they clung to her curves in a way that made his mouth go dry again. In the bright light of the greenhouse he could see the smattering of freckles that spread across her nose and cheeks, and the golden strands amidst the dark waves of hair. His fingers tingled with the urge to reach out and touch her hair, to see if it was as soft as it looked.

She turned and caught him staring at her. Pink colored her cheeks, but she didn’t say anything, just started wandering down one of the narrow paths between the beds. He followed her as she explored, eagerly examining the wide variety of plants.

“These are pretty. What are they?”

She bent over to examine a cluster of pink flowers and her jeans tightened across the generous curve of her ass. He swallowed hard, trying to focus on the flowers instead of his body’s response to the tempting sight.

“Those are wild geraniums. They’re native to the area. Good for stomach aches and migraines. I’ve been working on cultivating a hybrid, though, something that will produce more blooms and grow in a pot.”

He pointed to a pot containing a smaller version of the plants she’d been admiring and she nodded thoughtfully.

“This is a lot more involved than just gathering wild herbs, or even growing them. I don’t know a lot about it, but I do know it takes a lot of skill to hybridize plants.”

The tips of his ears heated at the praise, but she only smiled and moved on. The greenhouse felt smaller with her in it, but not uncomfortably so. Instead her presence added something - a warmth different from the humid air that nourished his plants. He found himself wanting to show her more, to share the knowledge he’d gathered over years of working with these herbs.

“This is forest sage. It only grows in certain spots around here but the oils help with headaches.”

Her small fingers delicately stroked the soft leaves, and he had a momentary vision of those fingers on his skin. His body threatened to respond to that image as well and he quickly moved on, pointing to a cluster of delicate purple flowers. “Lavender. Good for sleep, anxiety.”

She stroked those leaves as well, then brought her fingers to her nose and inhaled.

“Is that where the scent is? It smells so fresh and clean.”

“The scent is in the leaves and the tiny hairs that cover the leaves and the stems, called trichomes.” He ran his own fingers over the leaves, demonstrating, and she nodded. “They contain tiny droplets of the oils.”

“Can I taste it?”

He nodded, watching as she took a small leaf and put it in her mouth. Her eyes closed, and he saw her mouth move as she savored the flavor.

“That’s really good,” she said a moment later. “I can see why people would pay a lot of money for these oils.”

He shrugged. “I don’t charge a lot.”

“Why not?”

“I don’t need a lot.”

“And you only sell them online?”

“Mostly.” He hesitated. “I also sell some to Gladys and Jeremiah, as well as Dr. Jekyll.”

Her eyes widened again.

“Dr. Jekyll? Like Jekyll and Hyde?”

“Not exactly, and his real name is Dr. Jackson. But there are some similarities.” Her mouth opened again and he decided he didn’t want to encourage her curiosity about another male. “I sell to the apothecary shop as well, although I’d prefer you didn’t mention that to anyone.”

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