Page 32 of My Orc Billionaire
In the kitchen, I arranged them in the windowsill herb garden I’d planted the other day. It would be a few weeks before I had any useful basil, but in the meantime, I liked the way the rocks—the feldspar andbiotite—glimmered in the recessed lighting. Humming quietly, I turned to the wine fridge.
I’m not a sommelier, but I’m not bad at wine pairings, and I’d learned Abydos’s preferences. I also knewmypreferences, which were much cheaper. As far as I was concerned, when it came to picking bottles I was going to drink, price was the first consideration, then label.
Anything with a cartoon animal was an automaticYes I’m going to try itfor me.
This one had a purple penguin on it, and dammit, adorable purple penguins made me smile. So I pulled it from the bottom shelf—where it couldn’t be confused for one of the bottles I’d purchased for Abydos’s dinners—and unscrewed the top.
Yes, it was a screw top. Stop judging me.
My brows rose with the first sip. It was surprisingly light and not too fruity. Delicious, and dangerous.
Grinning to myself, I kicked off my boots and planted a hand on the counter to balance as I pulled off my socks. There. Everyone knows wine tastes better with bare feet. I curled my toes on the tiles and strolled toward the bay window set above what would be the breakfast table if the master of this house didn’t eat in the big dining room each morning.
The storm still raged, and if you think bare feet are cozy while sipping wine, just throw in a magnificent thunderstorm, and you’ll go all gooey.
I stood, entranced, my wineglass hovering near my lips, as the lightning lit the clouds. Slowly, I allowedmyself to sip, savoring the tartness as it slid down my throat, my breathing shallow with wonder…
And then I heard Abydos step into the room.
I turned away from the show, sipping from my wine once more, trying to pretend a casualness I wasn’t feeling. His feet were bare as well, his gray sweatpants hanging low on his hips and the sleeves on his black Henley shirt shoved to his elbows, his chest visible at the neckline. Did orcs have hair on their chests?
I realized my mouth was watering, desperate to learn the answer, and I hurriedly took another sip of the wine.
“I couldn’t stay away.”
Abydos stepped closer, his bare feet making no sound. How had I known he was here, before? I don’t know. It just seemed as if I was always aware of his presence in this house.
So I forced a nod toward the window. “Welcome, then,” I managed to rasp. “Just enjoying the storm.”
“Yes.” He didn’t look toward the window but held my gaze. “Me too.”
Oh God.
The air between us seemed as charged as the maelstrom outside. I found myself holding my breath as I shifted closer, offering the wineglass in a stupid gesture.
“Everything’s better with wine.” That sounded so stupid.Isounded so stupid. Why couldn’t I manage to look away?
Then he was there, within arms’ reach of me. His huge hand closed around mine, tugging the glass close enough for him to sniff. Maybe it was erotic; I don’t know. All I knew was that I shuddered at the feel of his skin against mine, enveloping me, dominating me.
Yes please.
Abydos held my gaze as he smelled the wine. “May I?”
Did I have any idea what he was asking? None at all. Was I going to agree? Absofuckinglutely.
At my mute nod, hedrank from my wineglass. Why did that seem more intimate than what we were currently sharing?Swoon.
“Good,” he murmured as he lowered the glass. “Order more of it.”
“It’s—uh.” I swallowed. What were we talking about? “It’s cheap. I bought it…because of the label.”You’re blathering again.“It has a penguin.”
“I like penguins.” He pulled the glass from my hold and moved it to the counter. “I don’t need expensive wine. I liked that one, and I like that you picked it out.”
With that, his hands went to my hips, and I found myself with my head tipped back, staring up at his dark gaze.
Oh. “Um. Okay.”
“Riven,” he rasped.
