Page 12 of Enchanted with the Orc (The Kingverse Orcs #4)

Tasia

A s I walked forward in the line for popcorn, I peeked back at the male who was at the ticket counter. David had left me with enough money to buy snacks, and I still couldn’t believe that this perfect male was taking me out for a movie.

We met while I was at the grocery store and it was such a cliché way to meet. Still, I couldn’t help but be charmed by him. He was everything that I was looking for in a male, and I couldn’t believe that he was interested in me. He was tall, handsome and charming. The perfect trio.

I’d expected him to be attracted to one of the beautiful women walking in the aisles. Instead, he’d spotted me and immediately walked up to me with a gregarious grin. He’d asked me my name. I hadn’t been able to stop myself from responding.

And now we were on our third date. I still couldn’t quite believe it.

Everyone in the coven was happy for me, but I hadn’t introduced them to him yet.

I didn’t want to rush anything and introducing him to them felt like it would be too soon.

Although he’d hinted at wanting more. I wasn’t sure I was ready yet.

It was heady getting this much attention from a male. It didn’t help that I was always surrounded by females. Beautiful females. Females who usually took the spotlight while I stood in the background.

But not this time. This time, he’d asked me out and he told me I was the most beautiful female he knew. I blushed, I feeling the heat rising in my cheeks, even as I was called next in the line.

I move forward to the male Naga, who was looking at me with a smile. “What would you like to have?” he asked.

I beamed at him, ordering our popcorn and drinks, peeking backwards to look at where David was in the line. He was almost to the front and he sent a wink my way.

“On a date?” the Naga asked, eyeing the way that I was looking at David.

“Yes,” I said in a shy tone, not sure how to answer questions like this. I’d never been in the situation before. “It’s our third date,” I explained. “And I think he might be the one.”

The Naga was filling the cup, but he looked over at me with a smile, his fangs visible. “The one?” he said. “That’s a big proclamation for just a third date. ”

I giggled, looking away, not sure how to respond. “When you know, you know,” I told him and the Naga laughed.

“That’s true,” he chuckled. “I knew by the second date that I was going to marry my wife,” he added, with a grin.

Hope filled my chest at his words. I wasn’t being silly. Love at first sight was a real thing. And even though something was nagging at me on the inside, telling me that it wasn’t truly love, it was just that he was paying attention to me and no one ever had, that didn’t stop me from dreaming.

“I hope it works out,” the Naga added with a wink, his tongue flicking out as he grinned at me.

“Me too,” I confided, returning the wink and turning to leave. I walked toward where David was standing in the middle of the walkway, his gaze flicking from me and then to the Naga.

“Hi,” I breathed, smiling up at his handsome face. There was something different in his expression, something that I’d never seen before. It looked almost like anger, but that couldn’t be right. “I got you a—”

“Do you know him?” David asked, tipping his head toward the Naga.

I turned to glance behind me at where the male was now smiling at a new customer. “No, but he was really friendly,” I told him, turning back with a shy smile. “He was wishing me luck on our date.”

“I bet he was,” he muttered, taking the drinks and popcorn that I was holding.

Sighing at how chivalrous he was, I walked with him toward the screens. I tucked my arm into the crook of his elbow, giddy with the thought that maybe one day I could do it with his ring on my finger.

“I’m excited about this movie,” I told him, going on one of my usual rambles with him.

He never minded, but today, he didn’t respond to me, keeping his gaze straight ahead.

My brow furrowed, but I continued. “Tabitha—that’s one of the witches in my coven—she said that it was way more interesting than she expected it to be. ”

There was still no response from him as he settled into his seat and I did the same in mine.

“And the actress that acted in this one was in my favorite movie from last year,” I continued, not sure why a strange shiver was running up my spine. “I wish we’d seen it together,” I added, leaning my head against his shoulder.

He didn’t pull away, but he also didn’t put his arm around me the way that he usually would. Confused, I stayed where I was, but rejection filled my chest. Hot and humiliating.

But should I be feeling that way? This was our third date. While I’d worn sexy underwear in preparation for the possibility of things moving along in our physical relationship, maybe he was trying to indicate that he didn’t expect that from me.

Grinning at the idea of him being so romantic and thoughtful, I snuggled closer to him as the screen lit up with the trailers. I continued talking to him, indicating the movies that I wanted to see in the future. Hint, hint, David. With you .

He didn’t respond to me at all, and the bubble of hurt and confusion filling my chest grew bigger.

What had I done to upset him?

He hadn’t been in a bad mood when we’d first started the date. He’d been cheerful and flirty as usual. Was it… Had he not liked me talking to the Naga male?

He’d been different ever since that moment. While a chimera roared in the opening credits of the movie, I leaned over, whispering to him.

“Are you mad because I talked to the Naga? He’s married and I was talking about you—”

He shushed me, giving my hand on his chest a hard squeeze. I was startled by the rough treatment, but didn’t argue. The movie was starting.

Confusion swirled in my gut, churning it so much that I couldn’t enjoy the popcorn that I usually loved or even pay attention to the movie that I’d been looking forward to seeing for months. Swallowing back the hard lump in my throat, I blinked back the tears that were threatening to spill.

I hadn’t done anything wrong, but it felt like I was being punished for it. And I wasn’t sure how to explain to him that it was nothing. I would never cheat on David. I was already halfway in love with him for the Goddess’ sake. I could never hurt him like that.

But maybe he’s been hurt in the past and he thinks you’ll do to him what another female did before.

The thought made my heart melt with sympathy. It was possible. Most of my coven had been hurt by past relationships and it would be foolish to think that just because David was cheerful, sweet, and everything a female could want in a male, that no one had hurt him before.

I snuggled closer to him, turning to whisper in his ear. “There’s no one else for me but you.”

His stiff posture didn’t relax, but his hand curled around mine and the flood of relief that filled me had me nuzzling against his shoulder and settling in for the rest of the movie.

I had no idea what was going on since I’d missed the first half, but I didn’t care.

I was here with him and that was all that mattered to me.

It wasn’t until we were leaving, tossing my full drink and popcorn into the trash that I realized it wasn’t over. He still wasn’t speaking to me, and the iron in his spine as he held himself slightly away was a brutal fist in my stomach.

“David—” I started, but he gave a slight shake of his head that had me snapping my mouth closed.

I’m sure he was going to explain everything to me, but he wanted privacy. I could understand that. Maybe there was something else that was wrong. Had I done something? I was sure that I had. That was the only reason he could be this angry .

“I don’t like you talking to other males,” he told me as we neared the car. His voice was low and furious, and I frowned.

“But I wasn’t flirting or anything, David. We were talking about you—”

He spun so suddenly, that I gasped. He was much taller than I was, and the way he was looming over me was threatening in a way that I’d never felt before.

I was going to take a step back, but his hands came up, gripping my arms and digging in.

I was certain he wasn’t meaning to, but the fury in his eyes told me something else.

“He wanted you. I could see it. Why can’t you?” he growled, and I gaped at him.

This isn’t the David I know.

I was too startled to respond, but he must have seen the sudden fear that gripped me in my eyes because he released me, rubbing his palms across his face.

“I’m sorry,” he mumbled against his fingers, before shoving them through his hair with frustration.

“But you have to know that males don’t just want to talk.

They want more. And you’re too innocent to see it, Tasia, but I can.

I know what they’re like. He wasn’t just chatting with you. He wanted you.”

“Oh,” I gasped, reaching out to take his arm in a weak hold. “No, he’s married. He—”

“Marriage doesn’t matter to males like him, Tas,” he sighed, rolling his eyes.

He’s… jealous.

Never in my entire life would I have ever guessed that a male would be jealous of other males near me.

I wasn’t the typical type that they would get possessive over.

I was overweight, short and most definitely not very pretty.

While my coven often lied to me about it, I saw the kind of females that caught the eyes of males and I did not fit that bill.

The fact that David was being this way about me filled me with the hope that maybe he saw me that way. That I was beautiful to him .

Biting my lip, I lowered my gaze as I shook my head. “I told you before. You’re the only one for me.”

“You say that now,” he huffed, shaking his head. “But one day there’s going to be a male who’ll take you from me.”

“Never,” I insisted, reaching out to hold his arms again. “I’m telling you, you’re the only one for me.”