Page 12 of The Orc's Innocent Plaything

“From you,” she whispered, her little tongue darting out across her lips. “I-I agree to your terms, Vartok. For tonight.”

My hold on her tightened. “Pleasure cannae be taught in a night, my pretty little human. When I say ye need a lesson, ye’ll agree. Aye?”

That’s what I’d demanded earlier. I needed her to know the breathless anticipation of desire.

This time her hesitation was more than a moment, but eventually her dark gaze rose to mine.

“Aye,” she whispered.

I couldn’t help the way my lips curled in victory as I bent lower.

“And next time, ye’ll no’ be drunk.” I didn’t want a drunk lover.

“I am not drunk now,” she countered, her hands resting on my arms. “I know what I want.”

Mayhap the ale had just lowered her defenses? Still, I wasn’t going to take advantage of her.

But I couldn’t help the way my grin grew.

“And what is it that ye want, my pretty little human?”

“For you to stop calling me that. Like I am…” Her scowl was as adorable as the rest of her. “Like I am some kind of pet.”

“Och, ye are,” I purred, lowering my lips to her cheek and nuzzling her ear as I whispered, “Mypet. I’ll train ye to come on my tongue, Myra.”

She whimpered and swayed closer, her fingers digging into my skin. I brushed my tongue over her earlobe.

“I’ll give ye all the attention such a wee treasure deserves, and soon ye’ll be an expert on what kind of pleasure ye crave.”

No further complaints about my name for her, but her eyes were closed, her lips parted, and the scent of her arousal wrapped around my cock and stroked.

Well, she might have had too much ale for me to trust this is what she wanted, but I could still give it to her.

Gods knew I wanted to taste her—her lips, her cunny, her skin…but not tonight. Notyet. If she still agreed to our bargain tomorrow, then…aye.

Still, I wasn’t going to miss out on this perfect scent of her. But forcing myself to set her away from me? ‘Twas the hardest thing I’d done. Harder than working steel. Harder than my cock.

The way she blinked in confusion told me she didn’t understand, either. Still, with my hold on her hips, I guided her toward the chair in which I’d been sitting earlier and nudged her into it.

“Vartok?” she asked, clearly wondering why I was setting her aside when we were both so desperate for this.

I asked myself the same thing, while cursing myself for a fool.

Moving away from her was even more difficult, but I did it.

“Yer first lesson in pleasure, Myra, is following my directions, admitting I’m an expert. Yer second is kenning whatyelike.”

I settled into my favorite chair in front of the hearth, the one I’d patterned on my grandfather’s, the one with the pillows that allowed me to lean back. Now I planted myboots, spread my knees, and eased backward as she watched me, half-confused, half-wary.

“I want ye to show me, lass,” I murmured. “Show me what ye like.”

“I—what?” There was that flash of ire I recognized. “I came toyoufor this sort of thing.”

I fought to keep my grin from my face. She wasn’t going to make this easy? Well, she’d already agreed to follow my demands…

“Cup yer tits, Myra.”

She sucked in a breath at the command, eyes going wide. I nodded and pretended to relax in my chair, as if naught was amiss.

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