Page 5 of Bidding on the Orc Outcast (Sweet Monster Treats)

CHAPTER FIVE

P osy shifted from foot to foot on Varek’s porch, her heart hammering against her ribs. The worn wooden boards creaked beneath her vintage red boots as she remembered Flora’s words from the previous night after Varek had fled.

“Don’t take this the wrong way, dear. Varek is one of the finest males I know. But he’s stubborn and scared and… well.” Flora sighed. “Don’t give up on him.”

“Why did he run?” she asked, her cheeks still hot from the humiliation of his abrupt exit.

“Life hasn’t been kind to him. But he deserves some happiness. You both do.”

Flora had given her directions to Varek’s cabin, and she’d agreed to think about going to see him, then left through the back door, unable to face her friends. Both Robin and Elara had texted her but she’d simply told them she was fine and she’d talk to them later. She wasn’t exactly sure if she’d been afraid they’d try and talk her out of coming or if they’d encourage her instead.

But here she was, standing on Varek’s porch. The small log cabin was nestled in a clearing surrounded by towering trees, looking like something out of a fairy tale. She half expected to see a girl in a red cape coming down the path. The cabin suited him - rustic and solid, with herbs drying from the rafters of the covered porch.

She knocked again, harder this time, the sound echoing through the clearing. Maybe he wasn’t home. Most people were home on Sundays, but she suspected Varek wasn’t like most people.

Heavy footsteps approached from inside the cabin. The door swung open and her breath caught. Varek filled the doorframe, his face grim. His flannel shirt stretched across broad shoulders, the sleeves rolled up to reveal muscled green forearms.

“Hi.” Her voice came out smaller than she intended, and she cleared her throat. “I wanted to check on you after last night. You left so quickly.”

His tusks caught the morning light as his jaw worked. He gripped the doorframe, the wood creaking under his fingers.

“You shouldn’t be here.” The gruff words contrasted with the way his amber gaze roamed her face.

“Maybe not.” She lifted her chin. “But I am.”

A muscle ticked in his jaw. “Why?”

“Well, I did win a date with you at the auction.” She did her best to keep her tone light and cheerful. “I thought we could figure out when and where.”

His fingers dug into the wooden doorframe. “You don’t have to do this.”

“I know.” She tilted her head, studying the way the morning sun illuminated the strong lines of his face. “But I want to.”

A low rumble emerged from his chest. “Why?”

Because something about him called to her. Because she suspected he was lonely. Because there was a sadness in his eyes that made her heart ache.

“I’d like to get to know you,” she finally said.

“Why?” He repeated the word like a broken record, still eyeing her suspiciously.

“I told you. I won you.”

“I’ll give you your money back.” He started to reach into his pocket, but she put her hand over his. As soon as they touched an unexpected wave of heat swept over her.

“I don’t want the money. I want the date.”

His shoulders tensed, and she watched the muscle in his jaw work. “You don’t know what you’re asking for.”

“I’m asking for coffee. Not your hand in marriage.” The words came out teasing, but her stomach fluttered when his eyes locked onto hers.

The intensity of his gaze reminded her of a cornered animal - not dangerous, but scared. She recognized that look. She’d seen it in her own mirror after Larry announced he was divorcing her.

“The town…”

His voice trailed off. She still didn’t know why he’d apparently earned such a bad reputation, but he didn’t frighten her.

“I don’t care what anyone thinks. Do you always let other people make your choices for you?”

He scowled at her. “No.”

“Then stop using them as an excuse,” she said briskly. “If you really don’t want to have coffee with me, say so. But don’t hide behind what other people might think.”

Color darkened his cheeks, turning his moss-green skin a deeper shade as his hands clenched and unclenched at his sides.

“I’m not hiding.”

“Aren’t you?” She gestured at the dense woods surrounding the cabin. “When was the last time you actually went into Fairhaven Falls? And last night doesn’t count.”

“I don’t need to go to town,” he said defensively.

She could see the conflict on his face and decided to try a different approach.

“How about this? We don’t have to jump straight to a date. Maybe we could just… talk? Get to know each other a little?”

His broad shoulders relaxed a fraction. “Talk?”

“Yep. No pressure. No expectations.”

She started to sit down on the top step of the porch, but he shook his head. Her heart sank but her disappointment was replaced by shock when he pulled off his flannel shirt and spread it out across the step. Oh my. That was an awful lot of bare green skin. He looked even bigger without the shirt, his chest broad and thick, his arms heavily muscled. She didn’t miss the way his gaze ran over her again, but this time his expression was more assessing than suspicious.

“I don’t want your pretty coat to get dirty. Now sit,” he commanded.

“Bossy, aren’t you?” she teased, but took the offered seat as she tried to pretend that she wasn’t affected by the sight of his naked chest. And that she wasn’t touched by his thoughtfulness.

He lowered himself down beside her, keeping a careful distance between them, and they sat in silence for a long moment. The morning sun filtered through the trees, casting dappled shadows across his features. Up close, she noticed the slight chip in one of his tusks, the way his thick dark hair curled over his shoulders. His big body radiated heat even with the careful space between them.

“What did you have in mind?” he asked at last, the low rumble of his deep voice sending a pleasant shiver down her spine.

Her gaze caught on his mouth, on those fascinating tusks. Heat rushed to her cheeks as she wondered what it would feel like to kiss him. Would those tusks scrape against her skin? Would his lips be as soft as they looked?

She dragged her thoughts back from that dangerous path.

“Just talking.”

He studied her face, his expression unreadable, but he didn’t immediately reject her suggestion. The silence stretched between them again, broken only by birdsong and the whisper of wind through the trees.

Her heart thumped against her ribs. Had she said the wrong thing? Should she have suggested something more specific? She forced herself to wait, to not fill the silence with chatter.

“I don’t…” He cleared his throat. “I’m not good at talking.”

“That’s okay.” She pulled her knees up to her chest, wrapping her arms around them. “We can start small. Flora mentioned you work with herbs. Do you grow them or gather them?”

“A little of both. Things like wintergreen and juniper grow wild and are easy to find. I cultivate some of the rarer plants, or ones that won’t survive the winter.”

“And you make essential oils with them?”

“I started learning when I was young. My mother taught me.” A shadow crossed his face, and she decided not to ask about his mother.

“What do you use them for?” she asked instead.

“I use some to make a few traditional orc remedies, but mostly I sell them. Online,” he added, answering her unspoken question.

A rustic cabin in the woods seemed an unlikely location for an e-commerce business, and the thought of him packing and shipping the oils made her smile.

“Flora said they’re magical,” she teased gently.

“They are.”

“You can’t tell me you cast spells.”

He shook his head, but his lips curved up for the first time. “No. But there’s magic in the woods, in the plants. If you know how to find it.”

“Could you show me?” She immediately bit her tongue. He’d only agreed to talking, and she suspected she’d already pushed hard enough.

Instead of responding, he rose to his feet and she followed him. She half-expected him to send her packing, but after a long pause he pulled on his shirt, leaving it unbuttoned, and nodded.

“Greenhouse is around back.”