Page 7 of My Ogre Husband
It’s intoxicating.
When we get off the ride, my legs are wobbly and my head is swimming. Egorr holds me upright, letting me lean against his much bigger body, until I finally have my wits about me again.
“Wow,” I say, staring up at the tracks as the train goes by with a fresh batch of victims on board. “That was fucking awesome.”
Egorr laughs again, and I’d be lying if I said I didn’t love it. Making him laugh is easy, and I like how he doesn’t seem to care who hears him.
“Then why don’t we do another one?” he says. “We have all day.”
On instinct, I grab his hand in mine again, and he squeezes back.
“Yeah! I’d love that.”
* * *
We get on ride after ride, though there’s only one where I’m denied entry for not being tall enough. We barter and beg with the ride operator, but he’s insistent on the rules, even as he gives me a wide-eyed look.
“Haven’t seen a human before,” he says, cocking a brow. “But sorry. It’s too dangerous for you.”
With a sigh, we move on to the massive tower where people are buckled in and then sent plummeting to the earth.
“This looks terrifying,” I say with a grin. “Can we do it?”
Egorr nods gamely. “Of course.”
The rest of the day speeds by. After riding half a dozen rides, we eat some corndogs, and I have one while Egorr has four. We only get to ride a few more rides before, with a sigh, Egorr announces that he should probably take me home.
I barely register the drive back to the preserve that evening because we’re so lost in conversation.
“So basically, your job is to find mistakes other people made and fix them?” I ask.
Egorr nods as we pull up to the front gates of New Eden. “Yup. Usually, all you have to do is walk backwards from what they were trying to accomplish, and then suss out what common mistakes they might have made along the way.”
“Huh. That must mean you know how to do their jobs pretty well.”
He shrugs shyly. “I guess. I was a programmer for a long time, but bug-hunting is more fun. It’s creative, trying to figure out where it’s coming from and then how to crush it.”
I like how passionate Egorr is about his job, and I think I understand better now why he stays late at work. It’s his hobby, too.
As we pull up outside New Eden, though, all my good humor drains away. I had such an amazing time out in the world, at Egorr’s side, that I don’t want it to end. Our adventure wasn’t nearly as frightening as I expected—just the opposite. I felt safe and at home with him, even surrounded by an amusement park full of monsters.
I’ve been told all my life I should be afraid, that all it takes is one lone vampire to end you, but I felt nothing like that today.
“Hey,” Egorr says as he puts the car in park. He turns to me and places his hand over mine on the console. “It was so much fun getting to know you more. I had an amazing time.”
My heart beats faster. Is he going to ask me on another date? Is he going tokissme?
“I did, too.” I turn my hand over so our palms are touching. “Like, a really good time.”
Egorr is a little quiet, but it’s simply that he doesn’t talk to fill space. He loves conversation, and especially if it leads to a good laugh.
I lean forward, absorbing the sight of his unusual face, which is hot in its own way. I like how big and sturdy his body is, and how easy it was today to be with him.
Fuck, I hope he’ll kiss me.
Egorr takes in my expression, and a sideways smile pulls at his cheek. He leans closer to me, too.
“I’ve wanted to kiss you all day,” he says, his breath tickling my nose. It smells like funnel cake.
