He padded toward the door and waved at us awkwardly. “I’ll see you later, Brok, Hazel. And thanks again.”
And then he was out of the shop, leaving Hazel and me alone together.
At first, I didn’t know what to say. I couldn’t help but take in her beautiful form with greed. The dress hugged every curve of her body, and her bright red curls were slightly mussed from the evening’s chaos. A slight smudge of carob marred her cheek, mingling with her ruinedmakeup. It just made her more beautiful. More real. I’d missed her so much it hurt, and now she knew what I was.
“Are you scared of me now?” I asked her. It certainly seemed like it, since she’d used her prized creation as a weapon against me.
Hazel scoffed and shook her head. “Don’t be ridiculous. You’re still the meathead who came into my shop and started roaring about the terrors of sugar.”
“I never roared.” I tried to defend myself. Like a liar.
“You absolutely did.” The corner of her mouth curved up in a sweet smile. “You stood there in your too-tight workout shirt and lectured me about the evils of sweets like you were delivering a sermon.”
“Your chocolate truffles were sabotaging my client’s progress.”
“My chocolate truffles are works of art.” She moved closer, her earlier panic now completely gone. “And your brother is actually your client who needs them.”
“He’s not the only one who needs them. Who needs you.”
She tilted her head back to meet my eyes. This close, I could see the way her pulse fluttered at the base of her throat. The scent of vanilla and cocoa clung to her skin, sweet and alluring.
“Do you really need me,Brok? Truly?”
It was a real, honest question. I certainly hadn’t proven that I needed her when I left. But I did, and not because of how much she’d helped with Barnaby.
She’d asked me for explanations. Arguments. A proper conversation. But orcs didn’t speak with words. Not really. There was only one answer I could give, one way I could make her understand.
I closed the final distance between us. My mouth found hers with the same precision I applied to everything else. But the moment our lips touched, precision became impossible. The only thing I could think about was her.
The kiss turned hungry fast. Her tongue met mine with no hesitation, and the soft sound she made vibrated through my entire body. Every nerve ending fired at once. Every carefully maintained boundary dissolved. I backed her up against the refrigerator, the metal groaning under the force of our combined weight.
She gasped against my mouth, and I swallowed the sound. I slid my palms up from her waist to her ribcage, my thumbs brushing the underside of her breasts through that sinful red dress. She arched into the touch, her body curving against mine. It felt fated, almost intentional, as if we had been built to fit together exactly this way.
Her pulse raced under my lips when I kissed down her neck. My cock strained against my pants, and when her hips rolled against me, I groaned into the hollow of her throat.
She found my face with her palms, guiding my mouth back to hers. This kiss was messier, more desperate. I tried not to break her skin with my tusks, but she didn’t seem to appreciate that decision. If anything, my attempt at gentleness frustrated her. “I’m not going to break,” she hissed at me. “Just touch me.”
She was just as bossy as she’d been with me earlier. I was more than happy to obey her. “Whatever you want, Hazel,” I promised.
I bent down and scooped her up, one arm under her knees and the other supporting her back. She felt so small, so fragile in my arms. How could one tiny human hold such power over me? Once, I’d have deemed it impossible, but now it felt more natural than anything in the world.
Hazel grabbed onto my shoulders with a sharp intake of breath. “What are you doing?”
“Taking you somewhere more suitable.” Well, halfway suitable. Suitable enough. More appropriate for what I had in mind, at least.
In an ideal world, I’d have taken her apart on my big bed, in my apartment. But I’d run out of patience, and so had Hazel. A more improvised option would have to do.
I carried her to the large work table in the center of her kitchen. It was still stained with carob, remnants of the cake she’d thrown at me. I set her down on the edge and went immediately for her zipper. As much as the sinful red dress suited her, I wanted it off. As soon as possible.
And then it happened. Before I could touch her properly, she flinched.
My heart dropped. This was it. The moment where she came to her senses and realized she was about to sleep with an orc. I was a creature from another realm, someone who could never fit into her normal human life. There was no way she could want this.
Or… could she?Open your mouth and talk like an adult, Brok.
“Are you all right?” I asked her. A good effort. Hazel had taught me something tonight.
“Fine,” she rushed to assure me. She sounded about as confident as Barnaby. “I just… I’m not exactly…”
