Page 20 of The Orc's Sweetheart
I take a deep, calming breath at the sound of his voice, reminding myself that I need to control my emotions because many of the species present can sense moods, and I’m not going to be the one to bring down thevibe in here.
Calixta swings an arm around my shoulders and carefully leans her head against mine. “Don’t you know that Tilly is my wife’s BFF and therefore mine too?”
“When did this happen?” Bodin asks, his brows furrowed in a way that makes me wonder if he’s even capable of smiling.
Beryl steps slightly in front of me, holding a threatening finger up at Bodin. “Calm your tits, little brother. We’re all friends.”
Bodin shakes his head. “I didn’t say you can’t be friends. Just wondering when it happened since she only arrived here like a week ago.”
Half of me wants to retreat to my cottage, curl into bed, and pretend this isn’t happening. The other half, though, is tired of Bodin’s shitty attitude and is feeling a little diabolical.
Batting my eyelashes in the most innocent expression I can muster, I say, “Jealousy isn’t a good look for you, Bodin.”
Beryl and Calixta snicker and Bodin blinks blankly back at me. Before he can come up with a retort, Calixta ushers me into the booth on the opposite side of him.
“Do you want something to drink? Beer? Wine?” Calixta asks, gesturing for me to scoot over to make room for her.
“A glass of wine, please. Anything they have. I’m not picky.”
The frown on Bodin’s face intensifies as I say that. He really must’ve thought I’m some snobbish city girl only wanting top-shelf liquor.
What could’ve possibly given him that impression? I’ve been fairly easygoing this entire time.I shake my head, giving myself a mental slap.Or maybe this actually has nothing to do withme. Maybe he’s just a dick who has made assumptions about me because I’m from the city.
“I’ll get it. Anyone else want something?” Beryl asks the table in general.
Calixta climbs her fingers up her wife’s arm. “Can you please write my name down for that song I rehearsed for you last night?”
“Which one, my heart?”
“The one that’s safe for public viewing. I’ll give you an encore at home.”
The sexual energy radiating off the couple is almost palpable and I try to look anywhere but at them. Unfortunately, my gaze lands on Bodin’s forearms resting on the table. The dark green veins running along his dense muscles have my eyes tracking them up to where they disappear under his sleeves stretching around biceps that might even be thicker than my thighs. My traitorous pussy likes the view, and I squeeze my legs together in case someone can sense the effect Bodin has on her.
Calixta’s attention snaps to me and I close my eyes. The succubus is probably picking up on the direction of my thoughts already. But like the cool friend she is, she doesn’t call me out on it.
Beryl walks off to the bar as Calixta props an elbow on the table. “Look, bro. We like Tilly, so I’m only going to say this once. For every rude comment related to her, I’ll tell one embarrassing story about you. And you know I have fresh material.”
I want to see Bodin’s expression, but instead, I look down to give them a moment to work this out. Staring at my chest, Irealize my dress must’ve slipped lower on my walk here, and I currently have a bit more cleavage on display than when I left the house. My tits look fantastic though.
Should I pull the dress up and risk drawing more attention to my boobs? Or do I hope gravity doesn’t let me down and have them spring free of the dress?
Bodin shifts in his seat and I chance a glance at him. He looks oddly contrite.
Dipping his head, Bodin says, “I apologize if my comment came across as rude. I was only curious about how you know each other already.”
To my right, Calixta gives him two thumbs up and I relax a little, my shoulders dropping as tension leaks from me.
I explain to Bodin, “Doc Calla gave me an easy schedule to adjust to, so I only worked mornings this week. I popped into some of the shops in the afternoons to introduce myself and get supplies for my house. When I went to say hi to Beryl at The Viny Shears, she took me next door to The Horned Pearl to meet Calixta. That’s the long and short of it.”
Calixta bumps me with her shoulder. “The whole town basically loves her already. The creatures who’d visited The Bandaged Heart this week are all gushing. Tilly also got Samara to stock the apothecary with some new drugs that your mom wasn’t aware of. Isn’t that right, Tilly?”
“Oh, I can’t comment on what I diagnose—patient confidentiality and all that. But I can say that Samara has been a great help by showing me the medicines she has in stock. And The Sparkling Cauldron is a beautiful apothecary, so convenient to have it next door to the clinic. I only made acouple of suggestions to her for newer medicines on the market that we found to be effective at my previous hospital.”
A muscle twitches in Bodin’s jaw and I brace myself for another snide comment. “Yeah, Ma said something about the new drugs and that the town seems to like her.” His voice is flat, but not cold, confusing me to a whole new level.
Raising my brows, I look to Calixta, waiting for some kind of explanation.
Should I know who Ma is? Samara is a naga and not old enough to be a mother to a male of Bodin’s age, so it can’t be her, right?
