Page 5 of The Orc's Innocent Plaything

This was, perhaps, a bad idea.

Because Mkaalad became bawdy when he drank.

“An orc’s cock wasmadefor pleasure.” His words were too concise, proving four mugs of ale were beginning to affect him. “Tell her, Avaleen.”

“Oh, I have told her, Mate,” my sister giggled, winking at me. “We havealltold her.”

“An orc’s cock will make his partner climaxas soonas he enters her,” her Mate explained earnestly, as if I hadn’t heard it before. “’Tis intended to ease his way and prepare her for birthing his bairns.”

“That is why we practice so often,” Avaleen laughed, and Mkaalad followed.

I hastily gulped my own ale, hoping they wouldn’t notice my dark skin flushing even more. As the midwife who’d lived here in Bloodfire Village since last summer, I’d heard itall. The Mated women not only joked with one another, but assumed I should know about it all as well.

Or mayhap they assumed Ididknow it already.

After all, I was educated in the ways of healing, in women’s woes, and in childbirth. Surely they expected me to have personal experience with how the bairn got into his mother’s womb in the first place.

Oh Lord.

“Ye see, Myra—” Mkaalad began, but I interrupted him.

“I know!” I blurted, then took a deep draught of the ale to calm my nerves. “I mean to say, I have heard it all before.”

“Aye, but until ye choose a lover and actually understand?—”

I swung on my sister. “Avie,stopgiggling, ‘tis not so funny!”

“It is,” she laughed, her weight on her elbows as she smirked at me. “You have put up with our teasing and descriptions, and you sit there and pretend you are worldly and experienced?—”

“How do you know I am not?” I shot back in irritation.

“Because, lass,” her Mate answered, his own goofy grin in place, “orcs have a brilliant sense of smell. Ye’re embarrassed by this conversation.”

“I am not,” I ground out, sipping as haughtily as I could from the ale. “I knowplentyabout pleasure.”

All of it learned in my bed. Under the blankets. With my own fingers.

Mkaalad snorted and toasted me with his ale. “There areplentyof unMated males in this village who would thank the gods for the chance to teach a female like ye about pleasure, Myra. Choose one. We dinnae think of pleasure as something shameful, ye ken that.”

“I—I know,” I managed. And Ididknow. I’d seen my fair share of couples making love out in the fresh air to understand that. But…the idea of taking a casual lover…

Avaleen sat forward, a wicked sparkle in her dark eyes. “Do it, sister. You will not regret it. Orcs areverytalented with their tongues.”

I knew I was blushing darkly at the thought of a male with his face between my legs…

Nay, not justa male. In that moment, when Avaleen had said that and I conjured a picture of it happening…the male wore beads in his braids and his lips were curled in a wicked grin.

Vartok.

He was rumored to know more about pleasure than any male in the village. ‘Twas said he was a caring and generous lover, and a woman could do worse than learn about desire from him.

I hastily gulped my ale, hoping my sister couldn’t guess my thoughts.

But Mkaalad’s grin made me wonder ifhehad.

I swallowed more of the sweet liquid, already feeling my head swirling.

Orcs are very talented with their tongues.

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