Page 39 of Protective Pucking Orc

Then he was gone, striding down the hall, his shoulders tense, his fists clenched at his sides.

I sat there, stunned, my fingers still tingling where they’d touched his skin.

And then I saw it.

The way his sweatpants had tented when he stood, the outline of something thick and heavy and huge between his legs.

My breath came fast, my mind racing.

He wanted me.

And that changed everything.

I stood on shaking legs, pressing a hand to my chest like I could slow my heart, an awed smile on my lips.

I needed to think.

I needed to⁠—

A floorboard creaked in the hall.

I turned, half-expecting to see him come back, to see him change his mind, but the hallway was empty.

I exhaled, then turned toward the guest room.

I had a daughter to protect and a friend to whom I owed too much.

We couldn’t stay in Bramblewood, but maybe—just maybe—after I healed, and before we left, I could show Dakvaar how grateful I was.

My grin grew wicked. What I saw tonight told me he wouldn’t mind one bit.

Chapter Eight

Dakvaar

My Kteer was a living thing in my chest, clawing at my ribs, snarling at me to go back.

Go back and take what she offered.

I paced the length of my bedroom, my claws flexing, my cock hard enough to ache. The scent of her—warm, sweet, mine—lingered on my fingers where she’d touched me.

The memory of her breath against my skin, the way her lips had parted, the way her dark eyes had burned with something I’d never seen directed at me before—desire—made my vision blur.

Fuck.

I stopped in the middle of the room, my head tossed back, my fists clenched at my sides. My cock throbbed, heavy and insistent, pressing against the fabric of my sweatpants. I could still feel the ghost of her fingertips on my cheek, the way her body had leaned toward mine, the way her scent had wrapped around me like a promise.

I groaned, low and rough, and my hand dropped to my cock, palming it through the fabric. Just once. Just to ease the ache.

Just imagine it’s her.

My hips jerked forward at the thought, my breath coming faster. I could picture it so clearly—Sofia on her knees in front of me, those plump lips parted, her dark eyes locked on mine as she took me into her mouth. Or better—her beneath me, her thighs spread, her body arching as I sank into her, her nails digging into my shoulders as I⁠—

No.

I forced my hand away, my claws digging into my palms. The sharp pain cut through the haze of lust, and I exhaled sharply, my shoulders sagging.

She hadn’t been offering herself because she wanted me.