Page 14 of Till Orc Do Us Part
“I didn’tletanything!” I hiss. “Jamie… likes him.”
She stares at me. “Shit.”
“Yeah.”
There’s a long beat of silence. Mira arrives with my coffee. I thank her distractedly, wrapping both hands around the mug for warmth I can’t seem to find in my chest.
Liara watches me over the rim of her cup. “Alright,” she says finally. “I have questions.”
“Of course you do.”
“One—what does he smell like?”
I blink. “What?”
She grins. “You heard me.”
I roll my eyes. “Like expensive cologne and… I don’t know. Ozone. Iron.”
Liara hums. “Alpha male with a side of brooding. Classic.”
“I swear to the Veil, if you call him hot, I’m leaving.”
She smirks. “Oh honey. He’s Hot Shrek with a credit score. You know it, I know it, the entire damn town knows it.”
I bury my face in my hands. “You arenothelping.”
She laughs, patting my arm. “Fine. Fine. What else?”
I lift my head, fighting the heat creeping up my neck. “He bought books.”
Liara cackles louder. “Oh, he issotrying to impress you.”
“That’s ridiculous.”
“Is it?” She quirks a brow. “Men like him don’t buy poetry, Rowan.”
I think of the way he stood at the counter. Calm. Focused. The faint twitch of his mouth when Jamie waved.
“He’s dangerous,” I say softly.
Liara sobers. “I know.”
“He stood too close. Not… threatening. Just…” I shiver. “Present.”
She studies me a long moment. “And you liked it.”
I glare. “I didn’t.”
“Younoticedit,” she corrects. “That’s what scares you.”
I sip my coffee, scowling. “I can’t afford to be scared.”
“No,” she says gently. “But you’re allowed to be human.”
That hits harder than I expect. I trace the rim of my mug, throat tight.
“It’s not just about me anymore,” I whisper. “It’s Jamie. The boardwalk. The town. If I let this—” I gesture vaguely, frustrated. “—distract me, we lose.”
