Eng’s eyes grew huge.“Sevenbrothers and sisters?Seven?”
I laughed. “Iknow! I’m the youngest of the bunch. It was a crowded house growing up, but I loved it. I’m used to being around a lot of people, and I enjoy the crush of friends and family, but it’s nice to have my own place where I can walk around naked if I want and not worry about freaking anyone out.”
Eng smirked. “I will not freak out if you want to walk around naked all the time. I would enjoy that greatly. Although, you might spend most of your time in my bed if you are always unclothed.”
I grinned. “Likewise. Seeing you naked is the highlight of my day. Or night.”
Just then our waitress brought our beers and the appetizers. I hadn’t been sure she’d heard us, but the wink she gave me as she slid the pint my way confirmed she’d been listening and approved.
“Then we should see each other naked more often,” Eng suggested as the waitress left.
I lifted my glass, and he did the same. And this time he clinking his pint against mine.
“Eat,” I urged him after we’d taken a sip of the beer. “You’ve got to be starving after standing against the arena wall all night. That sort of lack-of-activity burns a lot of calories.”
He chuckled. “Iamstarving. Obstinacy is hungry work.”
Obstinacy? How the hell did he know that word?
“You should eat too.” He nudged the crab bites my way.
I hesitated. He speared one with his fork and held it out to me.
“I know you expend a lot of energy each day. And I know you expend a lot of energy the nights you are with me. Eat.”
He wasn’t wrong and all I’d had for dinner was nachos at the arena, so I leaned forward and let him feed me the crab ball, noting the warmth in his eyes as I ate it. Was it because I’d done as he’d said—which was a rare thing with me—or because him feeding me was sexy? I was opting for the latter.
“What’s it like being a prince in your kingdom?” I asked, helping myself to another crab ball.
He shrugged. “Boring. I was introduced to the important orcs in our government at a young age, and am present for meetings and decisions, but I am not asked my opinion or allowed to speak. I do suggest improvements and changes to my father and mother outside of official meetings. They listen and tell me that I can do those things when I am king. So I have little to do. I was told I would be granted authority over a function of my choice when I became an adult, but that did not happen. I doubt it will unless my father becomes ill or disabled.”
That was so sad. From what I’d seen of Eng he was smart and his talents were probably wasted sitting around and waiting for his father to retire or kick the bucket. No wonder he was eagerto bring home an acceptable princess. He’d finally have a valued role in his kingdom, even if that role was just providing the kingdom with a queen and future heirs.
“What government function are you most interested in?” I asked, thinking he’d probably specialize in military defense or something like that.
“Commerce.”
I blinked. “Commerce?”
He nodded, digging into the jalapeño poppers. “It is important that we maintain trade with other orc tribes and cities, and that we also exchange goods with the fae and other beings that inhabit our world.”
“You trade with the fae?” We humans had had some rather alarming incidents of fae kidnappings that the demons had put a stop to. It was the one good thing I’d seen come out of the demon and angel presence here among us.
“We do. The fae have magical items they are willing to sell. And we have metal work that they are unable to craft due to their sensitivities. They also enjoy produce that can only be grown on our lands, and need minerals mined from our territories.”
“You use magic?” I asked, even more curious about his world.
“Not really. We can use magical items created by others, but we are unable to perform magic ourselves. Spells do not work on us. Magical items crafted for offensive purposes have no effect on orcs either. It is an acceptable…trade-off. We rely heavily on fae magical items to perform many daily tasks though.”
I grilled him about all the various fae items they used in his world. His chicken arrived, and just as with the crab balls, he insisted on feeding me the juiciest pieces as well as forkfuls of gravy-coated mashed potatoes. It was a total turn-on.
As we ate, Eng turned the conversation back to my apartment, asking me to describe it and let him know what about the place made it feel like a sanctuary to me. I did my best to tellhim about the various things I’d collected throughout my life, and all the pictures of my family and friends that covered the walls.
“I would like a sanctuary of my own,” Eng said, his voice wistful.
“Dude. You have your own apartment.” And it was twice the size of mine. Which wasn’t saying much.
“It is not a den. It is not home,” he lamented. “It is ahovel.”
