Page 11 of Buck Wild Orc Cowboy (Brides of the Lonesome Creek Orcs #3)

Sel

H olly’s sunset hair fanned out across the hay, a few wisps curling along her jaw. Her eyes were wide, blinking up at me, but her breathing wasn’t quick, telling me she wasn’t scared. The look on her face was almost curious.

I should climb off her. Ask her if she was alright. Not stare at her mouth like I wanted to kiss her. Which I did. Very much.

My palms sank into the hay on either side of her shoulders, caging her in, and her fingers splayed on my chest. She wasn't in any rush to let me go. Her body was warm beneath mine. She fit just right.

Everything inside me churned.

I'd been with a female. Lost her and our youngling. I'd told myself I'd never be with anyone else. Not necessarily because we'd been a love match, though I'd cared deeply for Challa. I hadn't felt I deserved to be with anyone new.

Was that a mistake?

Looking down at Holly, all I could think about was how well she was fitting into my life already.

And how much I wanted to kiss her.

She said nothing, just stared up at me. Stared at my mouth, too. Was she wondering what my tusks would feel like? Or was she wondering why I was lying on top of her and not moving away?

That was the reason I didn’t move any further.

“Holly,” I said, my voice raw. “Are you alright?”

Her nod came out small. “You?” The crease between her brows told me she expected me to make a joke, maybe leap away in embarrassment. I didn’t do either.

“No. I’m not alright,” I said softly.

“Were you hurt in the fall? Is that why you're not getting off me?”

“Not hurt. Do you want me to get off you?”

She shrugged. She didn’t push me away. She stared into my eyes before her gaze slid again to my mouth.

The light from the barn window cut across her face, turning gold as it touched her lips. Her bottom one trembled, and my breath left me in a slow sigh.

I had to kiss her. Even if it complicated everything. Even if it made this harder later.

She might pull away, but she might not. And if she gave me a single sign she wasn’t ready, I’d stop.

“Holly,” I whispered again, watching her eyes the whole time, “I want to kiss you.”

Her breath caught.

But her hands slid higher—to my shoulders, and she nodded.

I lowered my head, our mouths a breath apart now.

One last chance for her to back away.

“Tell me no,” I said, my voice nearly gone. “And I’ll stop.”

Her eyes fluttered shut as mine did, and I brushed my mouth over hers like a question. When she rose into it, her hands sliding down to grip the front of my shirt like I was the only real thing in her world, I deepened the kiss.

There was no thinking after that.

Her kiss was gentle at first, as though she was testing how we fit. Once I realized this was perfect, I let go. I kissed her like I’d been waiting for years to do so. Because some part of me told me I had.

She shifted beneath me, pressing closer, and I deepened the kiss, one of my hands sliding to the back of her head where her hair curled across my skin. She moaned, and that was the exact sound I’d dreamed of hearing without knowing it.

I kissed her slower, softer. Savoring every moment.

When we finally pulled apart, her eyes fluttered open. A smile played across her lips.

I couldn’t move. Couldn’t stop touching her. Couldn’t believe what had just happened.

“I’m not sure what this was,” she said. “But I’m not sorry.”

Neither was I.

“Hey, where did you guys go?” Max called out from below.

I could tell when his words sunk in. Her panic-stricken gaze met mine, and she nudged me off her. Sitting up, she smoothed her hair that was full of hay. “I’m up in the loft, Max. I’ll be right down.”

Rising, she scooted over to the hatch and sat on the edge, extending her feet to the ladder and quickly climbing down.

“Why is there hay in your hair?” Max asked.

“Oh, I tripped and fell into it. Help me take it out, would you?”

Because I didn’t want Max drawing any conclusions, I rose and made sure there wasn’t any hay in my hair before I descended to join them. Max shot me a frown but said nothing.

I didn’t meet his eyes. A lump caught in my throat. I wasn't a liar. But the truth of what happened in that loft, how badly I’d wanted her, how much I still did, was stuck somewhere between my chest and my mouth.

We left the barn, and I scooped up their bags from the ground where I'd left them and motioned toward the back porch. “Come inside. We’ll get you two settled.”

Max stuck close to his mom, who had removed most of the hay from her hair, though a small piece still clung near her ear. I almost mentioned it but didn’t. Part of me liked it there.

The porch steps creaked under our weight, a familiar sound that told me I was home. I unlocked the door and pushed it open.

The kitchen greeted us first, with its smooth floors that caught the light from the double windows over the kitchen sink on the opposite wall, clean counters lined neatly with jars and bowls, and a sturdy orc-size table on the left.

Four chairs circled it, though only one ever saw use.

I placed their bags on the island between the kitchen and dining room that I used as an office, and turned to find them standing by the door.

“It looks nice,” she said brightly, not meeting my eyes. I still worried she wasn’t happy about our kiss. I hoped not because I wanted another. I'd quickly gone from telling myself I didn't deserve to be with someone new to meeting this woman and craving much more than I should.

She let out a soft sigh, the kind people made when their feet found solid ground again. Her shoulders dropped. Her eyes roamed. “I like it. It suits you.”

I nodded toward the rest of the house. “Let me show you around.”

Holly grabbed her bag off the island, handing Max his own, and they followed me down the hall.

The living room on the left held two big chairs, one long couch, a bookcase with books in orcish, and a table where I propped my feet up at the end of the day.

“Your chairs are big,” Max said, touching the arm of one.

“Not to me,” I said with a low laugh.

“Oh, yeah, right. Sorry.”

“No need to apologize.” I was more watching Holly than him. What did she truly think of my home? I was grateful I kept it tidy. Some of my brothers did not. Dungar, our oldest, kept everything meticulously clean, but that was him, not me, though I wasn't what anyone would call messy.

Across the hall from the living room, I pushed open the bathroom door. “There are towels in the closet.”

I urged them to the end of the hall with doors on either side.

“Here.” I pointed through the open one on the left. “Max, this will be your room. The bed’s smaller than the other, but I think it'll work well.”

Max barreled past me. “My own room? Cool.” He rounded the bed and peered out the window.

“And this one’s mine, so yours, Holly.” Backing out, I tapped the doorway across on the right. “I’ll change the sheets. Just give me a bit.”

Holly stood beside me, scanning each room. “Thank you.”

I nodded. “Get settled. Come out when you're ready. I’ll get dinner started.”

“I can help,” she said, already stepping past me.

I waved a hand. “Tomorrow, maybe. You both deserve a break after traveling here, and you worked a full day today.”

She didn’t argue, just smiled.

Back in the kitchen, I dropped my hands to the counter and leaned into them. Pressing the smooth surface like it might hold me up.

In the loft, she’d kissed me back. She’d wanted the kiss as much as I did. Did that mean she trusted me?

I scrubbed my face with my palms and blew out a breath. My whole body still hummed from being that close to her. Close enough to feel her heartbeat. Her warmth still clung to my skin. And her mouth…

It wouldn’t be a good idea to think too hard about her mouth right now.

Flipping my arm over, I smoothed my fingertip across the small golden circle glowing on the inner part of my left wrist. I’d felt it blaze when we kissed. Still stunned about it, I crossed the room and dropped into a chair at the table, staring at the fated mate mark.

It shimmered like quiet thunder under my skin.

Holly was my fated mate. The very thing I’d never expected to find after the death of my first mate. I’d never even dared to hope for anything like this. And it had happened without ceremony, without anything but one perfect kiss.

This wasn’t supposed to happen. I wasn’t ready. I didn’t deserve a mate when I couldn't protect the woman I'd mated with years ago.

But the mark didn’t lie. The fates had chosen Holly for me.

My heart pounded with something much too hopeful. I’d been given a second chance I'd never thought I’d want, let alone deserve. She was my fated mate. That was the truth now, carved into me.

But I hadn't earned her. Not yet. Maybe not ever.