Page 73 of Halfling
Scraping her nails from hairline to nape, she grinned to herself at his involuntary shudder and groan. On her next sweep, she dared to trace the tips of his pointed ears. They fascinated her; not quite as big or long as a full-orc, they were still entirely unhuman in shape and much more mobile.
She didn’t miss his sharp inhale, nor the blush that not even the low light could hide.
Another small grin touched her lips, but she couldn’t help the niggle of doubt, either. It was obvious that she affected him. His stares hadn’t gone unnoticed, nor the telling contours of the front of his braies sometimes. If that had been it, Sorcha might not have stopped herself from leaning down to nip that pointed ear tip.
But that wasn’t it. His blushes, his shyness, all of it spoke of a male who’d known little care or softness. Whatever his experiences were, Sorcha didn’t feel confident enough that whatever attraction he felt was because of her and not just because she was there and female. And then of course, he’d been raised orcish; she’d no idea what expectations or customs came with shows of affection.
There was also the possibility that he was truly just that shy and lonely. It plucked at her heart to think of him so ostracized from his clan that a few simple touches were enough to have him devouring the attention like a male starved.
He has been starved.Which was why, if she pushed, she was sure he’d be amenable to whatever she wanted.
What Sorcha wanted, though, was to bewanted.
As always, none of these thoughts helped her much, and her simmering lust was getting quite tired of her indecision.
She mollified it by skating her fingers down his neck to his shoulders and digging them into the meaty muscle there. Another groan tore from his lips, and Sorcha made sure to work the knots she found here, too.
His spine unlocked vertebrae by vertebrae, and in a few moments, he was relaxed and pliant again, heavy lids sliding closed. Tilting his head, he gave her better access to a particularly deep knot and moaned when it began to loosen under her fingers.
The new angle of his head let the small golden loop in his right earlobe catch the light. She stared at the little thing; she’d always found it charming, winking at her from the darkness of his hair, but she did wonder, “Why just one earring? Do they mean anything?”
She heard the long breath he inhaled, felt it too as his chest expanded with the air.
Sorcha held her own breath, worried her voice, while quiet, had ruined it.
But Orek’s posture remained easy and his eyes closed. It took him a while to answer, and Sorcha waited patiently, continuing to work his shoulders.
“They are for achievements,” he finally said.
“Achievements like what?”
“Winning fights. Big hunts. Mating.”
“But you only have one.” She couldn’t imagine he’d only had one good hunt, and she’d seen him fight. Even though he was small compared to a full-orc, he was just as strong, just as brutal, and faster. She doubted he’d have survived this long without winning fights.
“Only one they gave me. After my first hunt.”
She drew her lips into her mouth and bit them closed so she wouldn’t say something. He remained relaxed and content, but Sorcha grew angry on his behalf.
How a male as good as Orek could come out of a clan full of such rock-brained idiots was beyond her. He’d likely been hunting for his clan for years and he’d only ever earned one hoop?
A big hand reached up to cover one of hers on his shoulder. He gave it a squeeze before saying in that deep, delicious rumble he had when he was tired but content, “I can feel you fretting. It’s all right. That’s just how it is for a halfling.”
A bevy of retorts fought up her throat, but Sorcha clenched her teeth to keep them inside.
How could they treat him like that? How hadn’t one of those tall orcesses snatched him up?
The thought sent a frisson of pure jealousy down the center of Sorcha’s chest. Instead of words, it was a growl she bit back then, not liking the thought of Orek being claimed by some faceless, lissome orcessat all.
Because I want to claim him.
Fates, she wanted to so badly.
She didn’t know how or what could possibly come of it, but she wanted to all the same. She’d be stupid not to, and Sorcha wasn’t a stupid woman. Orek was one of the best males she’d ever met, and if his clan couldn’t appreciate him, she would.
I’ll appreciate him better than anyone ever could.
The ferocity of her thoughts unnerved her, but that didn’t stop her from having them.
