Page 80 of The Orc Chief's Baker
“I don’t want peace with anyone stupid enough to make you their enemy.”
Trinia lifted her head to blink at him and then burst out laughing again, and he felt like he was drowning with contentment. He could hardly breathe.
She examined his face, and her expression softened. She tapped his nose gently. “Don’t look at me like that, Brovdir. It’s too cute.”
He blinked rapidly as shock snapped at him. Cute? Had she just called himcute?
She leaned up and kissed his nose then, further baffling him. Then she kissed both his cheeks and his forehead and finally his lips.
It was so soft this time. So, bone achinglyright. These little teasing kisses that muddled up his mind and forced the imprint to do the thinking for him.
“I suppose... we need to get back to business now?”
He blinked his eyes open rapidly and, Fades, rutting her a second time and begetting her with child should be the first thing on his mind.
So why did his whole body shiver in dismay at the thought?
He reached up and rubbed at his throat. The easing of the tension in his muscles there helped to clear his mind a little.
“Oh, raisin rum... I’m so sorry. I didn’t even think.”
He snapped his attention back to Trinia as her face flooded with guilt. “I completely forgot about how badly your throat hurt. And I’m sure all that... it made it worse, didn’t it?”
Honestly, his throat wasn’t any worse than it would be after any other day.
Trinia reached out her hand, stroked her fingertips along the scar, and his body all but melted into her.
“I’ll make you some tea. You have tea, don’t you?”
She wanted to make him what?
“Don’t look at me like that.” She narrowed her eyes, but her voice held no real irritation. “It will be good for you. Just wait here.”
Wait here? What?
Suddenly, she was slipping away from him.
He snatched her back in an instant.
She blinked her beautiful brown eyes at him, brows raised. “Brovdir,whatare you doing?”
“Keeping,” he said without hesitation.
She let out a trail of laughter that lit up the room. He was going to melt into a puddle of happiness.
“I’m in your house, Brovdir.” She shifted away from him, and he was forced to let her go. He didn’t want to harm her. “I’m about to spend the night in your bed. That’s about askeptas one can get.”
She was going to spend the night! He’d almost forgotten.
He wanted her to stay the night forever.
“One night.” She obviously read his expression. “I’ll stay with a friend in Oakwall after this. What would people think of me staying with Rove Wood Clan’s new chief?”
They’d think she was his mate and he would beecstatic.
His heart clenched. That’s what he wanted, wasn’t it? He wanted to keep her.
She left him then. Out of his grasp and into the cold. She was so determined, so strong. She’d had a major setback this night and yet all traces of the sorrow she must feel inside had been wiped from her face.
