Page 26 of The Orc's Sweetheart
Fuck. Did my brain just skip forward to calling it home aloud? I’m going to freak her out. Slow down, Bodin, before you freak yourself out too. Get her to fall in love with you first.
Wow, that’s a sentence I didn’t know I’d be telling myself today.
I slowly let Tilly down, keeping my mind on the stars and grass as the length of her body slides down mine. When her feet touch the ground, I keep her in my arms, not ready to let go of having her pressed against me. I take a moment to really look at her, at how small she is in my arms, how soft her skin feels in my callused hands, but mostly at how delicate she is.
Starting tonight when I get home, I’ll devise a thousand new ways to keep Tilly safe, to woo her, and protect her. To make her mine.
Chapter 11
Tilly
Bodin’s carrying me home on his back.
Bodin.
Is.
Carrying.
Me.
I’ve not been carried anywhere by anyone since I was a child. And now this orc, who I was sure held only disdain for me—but maybe not—is carrying me along the starlit path to my cottage.
What even is my life?!
Bodin smells incredible and I kind of want to bury my face in his neck and take a big whiff, but I’m not going toscare him off. No, I shall tell the horny beast inside of me to calm her pussy down and not get any sexy thoughts before she starts advertising just how much I’m enjoying the way his large hands wrap around my thighs.
In an effort to divert my thoughts, I say lamely, “The stars are really bright tonight.”
“They are,” Bodin agrees politely. “That’s how the island got its name. Arran, the vampire who founded our town, said when he first moved here almost four hundred years ago that he didn’t feel so alone because the stars kept him company when he would sit on the hill and look out over the ocean. One drunken night he told me he wished he named it something more sophisticated, but Starry Hill kind of stuck.”
I think on that for a second, and have to concur with Arran. “I like it. I can’t imagine a different name for the island now that I’ve been here. It’s like the stars join me when I go on my early runs. They stick around even after first light.”
Bodin looks to the east, like he’s imagining the sunrise. “Morning twilight, when the light forms a colorful gradient and you can see the stars slowly disappearing as the sun rises, is my favorite time of the day. It’s something I missed when I lived in Cape Easton.”
I perk up at this new information Bodin volunteered. “Wow! You lived there? When?”
His tone doesn’t match my excitement, as he hesitates to reply, “Uhm… a while ago.” I take the hint and don’t push any further. After the really nice evening we had, I’m not about to spoil it with my curiosity.
Needing to show Bodin that he has my understanding and support—or perhaps it’s an excuse to snuggle into him—I wrap my arms more securely around him, and rest my head on his shoulder. Bodin’s grip on the backs of my thighs tightens and he pulls me a little closer.
I can do this. This silent communication with our bodies when we don’t quite know what words to use. Until now, we seem to say things that set the other off, and maybe that’s been our biggest obstacle in getting to know each other. Bodin is clearly a treasure in Starry Hill and it’s bothered me every day that I’m the only person he seems to be on the outs with.
Tonight, however, feels like a turning point in our relationship.
We almost kissed! How the fuck did that happen? But I’m also not really against it either. The way he held me in his arms, but mostly, the way he looked at me—like he was really seeing me for the first time…
I blink the thoughts away and clear my throat. “Almost there. Your back must be killing you.”
Bodin takes a long, calming breath in through his nose. “I thought I told you not to insult my strength. You do it again and I might have to take you over my knee.”
I lean forward and, feeling brave, whisper into his ear. “That just makes me want to say it more.”
“Sweetheart…” The rumble in Bodin’s tone has my pussy weeping for him. If he’s not careful, I’m going to leave a wet spot on the back of his shirt.
Think of rainbows. Rocks. Bandages. Injections. Anything else, Tilly. If he smells the effect he has onyou…
The final stretch home passes in tense silence, but this one is not like any other I have experienced before with him. There’s a heaviness in the air, one that feels like possibility. Like we could be fucking the moment we’re alone in the cottage.
