Page 8 of The Orc Chief's Baker
He was frozen, looking down at her with huge eyes. They flitted from her face downward and her back straightened.
But his eyes didn’t linger for long. Instead, they continued to where her hand was still resting on his arm. His skin was surprisingly soft under her fingertips and incredibly warm.He smelled good—heady and spicy, almost like cinnamon, but deeper.
His arm twitched under her touch. There was a thick, raised scar right to the left of her pinky. The white was stark against his pine-needle-colored skin. She moved her finger slightly to stroke it and found that it was almost perfectly smooth.
A hard, hot exhale rustled her hair.
She let out a yip and pulled her hand away. “Sorry! I didn’t mean to take liberties.”
The smolder in his eyes indicated he absolutely did not mind. It was so hot she lost her breath all over again.
“S-so”—she cleared her throat, cheeks heating up at the intensity of his gaze—“the... the trade?”
His eyes flickered down her body again and she wished to the Fades and back she’d been built like Yerina—bright eyes, beautiful golden hair, and curves in the right spots with grace to match. Her sister had been blessed and Trinia had grown up seeing just how many benefits that got her. Had Yerina been here, this orc would have said yes to attending the trade in aheartbeat.
Instead, he sized her up for far too long and she could do nothing but hold her breath.
Thenfinally, the orc nodded. And she knew that everything was going to turn out right.
She would ensure it!
Chapter
Four
BROVDIR
Winter wreck him, he was inhugetrouble.
“Thank you for walking me back. I really appreciate it.”
He looked down at her as disbelief swelled in his chest. She was walking next to him without hesitation, keeping an easy pace, unaffected when he drew near enough to reach out and touch her. Though he was very careful not to do so.
“These woods are usually safe. I take walks in them all the time, and I’ve never seen a blighted animal like that cat around here before. Thank you again for saving me.”
He mentally counted how many times he’d walked women through the forest back to their homes like this, keeping close watch for predators, ensuring they didn’t lose their way...
“And about the trade tomorrow, it’s fairly simple and organized. Like I said, we trade every half-moon, so it’sveryroutine. There’s an open-air structure, and the humans use tables.”
Twenty-seven.He’d walked twenty-seven women back to their families like this.
“My table is always set up to the very far right when you’re facing it from the orc side. I primarily trade bread and baked goods. I’ll bring a good selection tomorrow, but if there’s something you want that Idon’thave, do let me know.”
And not one of them had ever genuinely thanked him for the task the way this woman had. In fact, most of the time he wasattackedfor his efforts. A thick swallow caused his throat to burn and throb.
“I’ll bring paper as well, so you can write things down, er—” She glanced up at him through her thick, dark lashes, and it took every scrap of his willpower not to gaze at her cleavage. “Youcanwrite, can’t you? I realize I never actually asked.”
He nodded, resisting the urge to gulp. She smelled sogood, warm and rich. Just like the cookies she’d given him. Endlessly sweet and comforting...
Vanilla. She’d called them vanilla cookies.
“Great.” She cast an easy smile that made his heart thunder rapidly in his chest.
Blast, this woman was sonice. Far too nice. It was giving him hope.
“You should stop here,” she said, and he blinked in surprise that the walk had taken so little time. A quick draw into his lungs revealed the scent of humans was strong. “Orcs are welcome in town, but only with an invitation from the headman.”
He’d never heard of an orc being welcomed in a human town underanycircumstances. Outside these woods, there were some human settlements that were so small they’d been overlooked by the Waking Order. Those very few sometimes allowed trade with orcs, but his kind certainly wasn’twelcome.
