Page 26 of Enchanted with the Orc (The Kingverse Orcs #4)

Tasia

I smoothed my finger over my daughter’s hair, making sure everything was in place while she vibrated with glee.

She’d put on her best dress, which was saying something, since Enka had bought so much clothing for her, that he’d had to get a rolling rack for her that took up a big portion of the bedroom.

“And you’re going to be careful?” I asked her, ducking down so she was looking at me directly.

She nodded, her expression sobering. “I’ll only play with my friends and I’ll run to Darak if I see any adults I don’t know,” she repeated the rules that I’d given to her. “No going outside.”

“I’m sorry we can’t go with you,” I told her, and she shrugged, much less worried than I was.

“Jael’s going to be there,” she explained, as if that should soothe every worry that I had, and I smothered a laugh as I heard the low growl from behind me.

“Jael’s nice, Abu,” Gabbi whined, frowning at him over my shoulder.

I felt him before I saw him. His heat came up behind me, his big palm pressed against my back as he kneeled in front of Gabbi. “No kisses,” he told her in a stern voice that had me biting my lip to stop from laughing. “You only get kisses from Mommy and Abu, okay?”

“And the coven,” she said, nodding agreeably.

“And the coven,” he agreed. “But not Jael.”

“I like kissing Jael,” she announced with a shrug before turning to saunter over to the door, leaving Enka kneeling there in shock, his jaw hanging open while I couldn’t stop myself from laughing.

“I’m sorry,” I gasped, when he turned a betrayed look in my direction. “But you should see your face.” I dissolved into more laughter at his scowl as he poked my side making me fall over. He caught me, grabbing me quickly and holding me up, but it didn’t stop me from laughing.

Once I was steady, I used his shoulder for balance before standing. The heat in my face was from his hands on me, but I struggled to ignore it and pretend it was from laughter instead.

It had been almost a week after Gabbi’s birthday party and we’d formed a truce of sorts. We were… friends. And I was struggling to stick to that boundary .

We’d created a little routine around Gabbi, but even when we put her to bed—which she insisted needed to be a two being job—we stayed up together, chatting about her or watching TV.

On our first night alone on the sofa, I’d asked him if he wanted me to go to the bedroom so he could sleep, but he’d explained that since he’d come to this plane, the silence made it difficult for him to fall asleep.

It didn’t help that Gabbi’s bedtime was much earlier than when we both usually felt tired.

We’d started a series on one of the streaming services.

A cute comedy that had us laughing together before the end of the night.

And that was how I’d learned that I didn’t mind spending time with him.

In fact, I liked spending time with him.

It was throwing me for a loop, but I was embracing the weirdness of having a male in our space. And oddly enough, it was… nice. He took care of us so well that it was making me feel safe.

When the parents of Gabbi’s new little friends had suggested that they have a daily play date—most likely to wear them out and so the parents could have some down time during their vacation—Enka ensured that it would only be children with Darak and the female who was in charge of the on-site child care services supervising.

It was one less thing for us to worry about, and I was so happy that my little girl was finally able to spend time with other children her age.

Plus, it seemed she and Jael were becoming fast friends.

I hoped they’d be able to stay in touch once we returned home—after the danger with David had passed. Whenever the hell that was going to be.

“Tell her not to kiss that male,” Enka whispered, pulling me from my thoughts and gesturing wildly toward where Gabbi was painstakingly putting on her shoes.

“I think she should be able to kiss whoever she wants,” I giggled, and he glowered at me as he made his way over to where she was tying her laces .

I could tell he wanted to help. I saw it in the way his brow crinkled as he looked down at her tiny hands, his own huge ones twitching, but he didn’t.

He was patient and gentle and I tucked my folded fingers under my chin as I watched him get her little purse—another purchase that he’d made at her request.

Darak was waiting outside and I heard a low murmured conversation between the two males before the door closed and my daughter was gone.

Anxiety clawed inside of me, but I pushed it aside.

No parents were allowed in the area and Darak was watching her.

I exhaled the breath I was holding when Enka turned, striding inside, his handsome face looking smug.

“Did you tell him to stop them from kissing?” I asked, my hands on my hips, trying to look angry, but I knew I was failing when he grinned at me.

“Yep,” he said, popping the p the way Gabbi did when she was supremely proud of herself.

“She only kisses his cheek,” I said, rolling my eyes as we made our way over to the sofa.

“That’s bad enough,” he huffed, his brow crinkling again. “I don’t like him.”

“Because Gabbi likes him,” I snickered, shaking my head as I took my place at what I was considering my end of the sofa, opposite him. I turned myself and he did the same, facing each other with our feet sharing the center cushion.

This was what usually ended up happening when we were watching our show together, and even though we had finished it, and hadn’t started a new one yet, it appeared to be our new thing.

Our feet tangled together. His were warm and toasty while mine were a freezing abomination that Gabbi complained about when she tried to paint my nails.

But he never reacted, never complained that I was chilling him to the bone. Instead, he snuggled them against his ankles, warming them up .

“It’s not that she likes him,” he growled with vehemence, even though that was exactly what it was. “It’s just that…” he trailed off and looked away.

I ran my toes upward, along his calf, and he met my gaze again. “You can tell me,” I whispered, intimacy surrounding us.

Oh dear Goddess Mother, we’re alone in here. How had I only just realized that? This is the first time we’re truly alone together.

I ducked my gaze, but kept my toes against him. It wasn’t his fault I was freaking out. In fact, we’d been alone quite a few times when Gabbi was sleeping and he hadn’t been anything except a perfect gentlemale. There was no reason for me to think he’d do otherwise now.

“It’s my own problem,” he sighed, scrubbing his huge palm across his face. “I don’t want to lose her to another male already and I don’t know his intentions .” The last was said with a deep scowl and it was my turn to laugh again, my head thrown back.

How he could be so sweet, kind and considerate while also being absolutely ridiculous was beyond me.

“You’re not going to lose her to another male,” I told him, leaning forward and reaching out my hand toward him.

He hesitated for only a second, searching my expression with hope brimming in his eyes and sending a sharp panging ache into my chest before taking my fingers into him, his hold firm and warm.

“She’s only making friends,” I continued, clearing my throat.

“She can have as many female friends as she wants,” he explained, as if he was being totally reasonable.

“But why does it have to be a male?” he groaned, running his thumb over the back of my hand, staring down at it in wonder.

“And especially that male .” His lip curled, but adjusted itself while he twined our fingers together.

“ That male,” I laughed, pretending that I didn’t notice the heat of his touch or the fact that my hand was so comfortable in his it was as if it was made to be there. “Is a child.”

“And do you think I wouldn’t have known who you were to me if I’d met you at his age?” he scoffed, still marveling at our hands.

Until he realized what he’d said. He froze, his eyes sweeping up to mine, wide and round. “I mean…” he trailed off, and I smiled, suddenly shy, ducking my head and pretending that I didn’t know exactly what he meant. I’d been doing a lot of that.

“Well I think we should leave them alone and let her make a friend,” I told him, twining our fingers together even more.

He licked his lips, and I noticed his fangs were still blunted. He’d kept them that way after Gabbi had begged him to play “bite monster” with her. In the game, they would have to bite each other and leave the biggest mark they could.

The Goddess Mother only knew where she’d come up with the game, but he’d been terrified to hurt her with his teeth, and she’d pounced on him, prying his lips apart and poking his teeth to prove that he could bite if he tried.

That night, he’d gone into the bathroom with a metal file and then come back out with blunted teeth.

Only then had he allowed the “bite monster” game to continue.

Since the file now stayed on a shelf that Gabbi couldn’t reach in the bathroom, I was certain he was using it daily. It was so far removed from what David would have done, that I didn’t know how to feel. Then again, if David had had even a fraction of Enka’s strength, I wouldn’t still be alive.

I swallowed hard, running my fingers over his now, in a small grateful gesture for all the sweet things he did that were unconscious for him. He knew how to take care of my daughter and I without being told.

Friends touch. I can touch him and it’s okay, right?

I nibbled on my lower lip before glancing up at him from under my lashes. His reaction was exactly what I needed in that moment. His lips were parted as he stared down at where I was tracing patterns over his skin. His pupils were blown, the black taking over most of his eyes.

“Okay,” he whispered, his voice deep and growly. “I will.”

I’d almost forgotten what we were talking about.

Jael and Gabbi. Right.

“You’ll let her be friends with him?” I asked, my own voice husky in a way it had never been. My awareness of him—of us being alone—was pinging in the back of my mind.

“Okay,” he repeated, and I had to hide my smile.

He’d been arguing about this for a week, but suddenly, he’d changed his mind. Suddenly, with a simple, tiny touch, he was amenable to being reasonable. I smothered a laugh against my fingers as I pretended to yawn.

“Tired?” he asked, his brow furrowed, and I shook my head. “Are you sure? You’ll finally be able to get an undisturbed nap in.”

Maybe I want to be disturbed… by you.

I ignored his blatant attempt at changing the subject after his little faux pas.

The last thing I wanted was to lose out on our first real interaction with each other when we were alone.

“No, I’m good right here,” I told him, and I couldn’t stop the small flirty tilt of my head, my loose hair falling over my forehead and over my shoulder, hiding a part of my face.

I pretended I was stretching, my toes reaching out and nudging against his calf and I saw his Adam’s apple bob as he swallowed. I tried to push aside the deep, sweet, feminine knowledge inside of me that was crowing with satisfaction over his reaction to the simplest touches, but I was failing.

Life had been so much simpler and easier when I’d sworn off males and had never met Enka, but I couldn’t say that I regretted a single moment with him. Nibbling on my lower lip, I watched him focus there, licking his own lips as if he couldn’t stop himself.