Page 50 of Grumpy Pucking Orc
“They’ll respect us. And that demon is going to respect us too,” Ugwyll said.
“Yes! That fuckwad of a demon is going to respect us,” Bwat agreed.
“Fuckwad.” Eng nodded from where he’d been standing against the wall for most of the practice.
“Yeah. All of the fuckwads are going to respect us.” I turned and hit a puck into the net. “Thirty more minutes of practice, then we’ll all eat cannoli.”
Andthenwe’d play checkers.
Chapter 20
Jordan
Leaving Ozar last night had been so difficult. I’d been attracted to him the moment I’d seen him on the ice during their game, and that attraction had grown each time I’d seen him since. It wasn’t just lust. Ilikedhim. He was interesting. He made me laugh. He made me feel admired, wanted, cherished…loved.
There had been some pretty good sex in my past, but nothing had rocked my world like last night with Ozar. It wasn’t just magnetism and orgasms though. Something had happened when we’d had sex, and I just couldn’t explain it. Everything had clicked together in a split second—physical ecstasy, emotional connection, admiration, respect, affection. Love.
And an odd linking that felt as if my very soul was now connected to his.
All I’d wanted to do was spend the night in his arms, cancel my appointments for the next day, and remain in his bed until the sun went down again. But I was a professional who had her own practice, and there were patients who’d planned their days around their appointments. As much asmy heart wanted otherwise, my responsibilities and commitments weren’t something I took lightly.
I knew that Ozar respected that—even admired that in me.
He’d watched me drive off, and I’d looked at him in my rearview mirror until I could no longer see him. Distance seemed to be no hinderance to the strange connection we’d forged last night, though. I’d felt those silken tethers as I’d slept, as I’d driven to the gym, even as I’d showered and dressed, and driven to work.
This was crazy. I couldn’t be so in love after just one date, after having known him for only a few days. Was this some orc magic? The elves were said to have the ability to enthrall a human’s mind. Did orcs have the same sort of skill? Or was this truly a case of fated, insta-love, soulmates that the romance novels I read on vacation extolled?
As flustered as I was over last night, I still kept to my schedule. Thankfully Judy had managed to keep her stomach contents inside her this morning. I spent forty minutes at the gym running on the treadmill before showering and getting into the office early. I was just pouring a cup of coffee before my first appointment when Shanelle came into the back to tell me that Abby was up front.
Concerned that my friend’s unplanned visit meant she had a dental emergency, I left my coffee and rushed up front.
“Crown?” I asked her. “Pain? Broken tooth?”
“Nope. I’m here about this.” She slapped a copy of theBaltimore Sunon the front counter.
Part of my morning routine involved reading the paper, but it was the online version and since I had a limited amount of time, I tended to hit certain sections and call it done. Clearly, I’d missed an important article, because onthe Sunday edition sitting on the counter was a picture of Ozar in a playground full of children.
I grabbed the paper and read the article, looking up at Abby with wide eyes once I was done.
“Are your ovaries exploding?” she asked me. “Because mine sure as hell are.”
“I might be having triplets just reading this,” I replied.
“No birth control can hold up against this kind of thing,” she added.
“Which might be a problem given what we were up to after dinner last night,” I told her.
Abby’s mouth fell open, then she screamed, throwing both hands in the air before hugging me. It was weird. I mean, good sexwasa cause for celebration, but it wasn’t like I’d won the Nobel Prize or cured cancer or anything.
“I’ve got a good feeling about this orc,” she told me. “Especially after seeing this article in theSun. Kids, Jordan. The guy loves kids. And they love him.”
My face heated up. It’s not that I had a ticking biological clock, but at thirty, I had frequently thought about what my future might hold. The career was a given, but my daydreams had often included a husband and had sometimes included a couple of children. It wasn’t top of my priority list, but the knowledge that Ozar was so easy and friendly with little humans warmed my heart. The guy had a whole lot of checks in the positive column, and this was a giant addition to those traits I admired in a guy.
“Sooo.” Abby glanced over at Shanelle, who was obviously listening as she pretended to go through patient charts. “Howwaslast night?”
“Good.” I eyed Shanelle, trying to keep this suitable for work. “We had a lovely dinner. He’s a good cook and anexcellent host. We played with some rubber knives, then…relaxed.”
Abby snorted at “relaxed.” “Wait…rubberknives? Is that a euphemism for something naughty?”
