Page 2 of Fake Dating an Orc Cowboy (Sweet Monster Treats)

Chapter 2

Ostor

W ho would’ve thought I’d meet my fated mate on my second day on the Earth’s surface? One touch, and symbols had appeared on our wrists, proving she was mine.

She might be tiny, and that initially disturbed me, but I could tell already that she was amazing.

I was incredibly large in all ways. We would find a way to make this work. Others had done so. Look at the half-human, half-orc younglings running around.

Though small and fragile appearing compared to an orc, Rosey had shown considerable strength already. Look at how she’d held herself against the male who’d harassed her.

Since they’d yet to meet their fated mates, my brothers would be jealous. They’d grin and rub their knuckles into my shoulder, telling me how fortunate I was. I couldn’t wait to tell them I’d found her and marked her as mine.

Her dark hair tumbled across her shoulders like the waterfall I’d discovered while hiking through the caverns deep below the orc kingdom. The rich brown water had sparkled in the light of the beam insects speckling the roof of the cave. Rosey’s hair glinted as if the sun, a brilliant, blinding ball of light that stunned me whenever I peered its way, had reached down and glided its fingers through the strands. Her dark blue eyes, unusual and intriguing when compared to the universal orc black, glowed with sweetness. Just looking at her made my heart thunder like a wild beast roaring across a cavern plain.

My life would not be complete without this woman by my side.

Rosey. Such an amazing, gorgeous, appealing name. It fit my tiny mate, and I couldn’t wait to begin our new life together.

She’d asked me to do something for her, and how could I refuse? I would slay vicious drundegs for her. Sever the heads of her enemies and mount them on poles on the outskirts of her city. Battle her in combat as was her due as my mate if she asked.

I was here in this town to finalize contracts with suppliers for a new business venture, but anything could be put on hold if my mate needed me.

Finished with her conversation, she placed her phone on the smooth bar surface and turned my way, uncertainty suddenly creasing her face. “Here’s the thing, Ostor. I had a boyfriend until he met my sister.” Pain shadowed her pretty eyes. “Now they’re engaged, and they’re getting married next weekend.”

I couldn’t feel bad that Rosey wasn’t with another male when she belonged to me, but rage roared through my veins at the thought that he may have hurt her. “Do you want me to slay him?” I bolted from my chair. “I’ll fetch my sword and gladly do so this instant.”

“No, no!” She lowered her voice. “No. You can’t kill Jacob.”

“He caused you pain. Tell me where he is, and I’ll lob his head from his body and mount it on a pole to display outside your home.”

“My parents would kill me if you did something like that.”

“Then I’ll slay them too.”

“No! Please, no killing anyone.” She huffed out a sigh. “I rent the apartment above my parent’s garage, and they’d be horrified if you mounted Jacob’s head anywhere. My sister loves him, and if nothing else, I want her to be happy. That means Jacob must hold on to his head.”

“Very well,” I said gravely, settling back on my stool. “Then what can I do?”

She pointed to the fries and not-blood. “Eat while I explain where you come into the equation.”

I collected another fry and swiped it through the tomato juices. I must share this dish with my brothers.

“Macy and Jacob are getting married next weekend, and the wedding’s taking place at a resort in Cancun. That’s where you come in if you’re still open to helping. I can’t go to their wedding alone. Talk about mortification. Everyone knows that I found him first, and while I’m glad for my sister, they’ll be watching to see if I freak out or sob. And it’s going to hurt to see them together,”

“I truly am sorry.”

“Thank you. So, the thing is . . . I need a fake date for the wedding.”

“Fake?”

“We just met.” Her laugh rang out, tickling across my skin and gliding down to slide through my cock, making the coorails spiraling around the shaft quiver. “You’re cute and all, but we barely know each other. I need a fake date for the wedding. Come with me to Mexico for four days and pretend we’re together. We’ll share a room, though I’m sure we can ask for one with two beds when we check in. You’ll need to act like you care for me—”

“This is not a problem.”

“You really are sweet.” Her smile grew. “We’ll hang out together during the day, though I’m more than willing to give you time alone whenever you want. There will be activities, and they’ll expect us to play whatever pool or beach games they dream up, plus participate in all the pre-wedding gushy stuff that’s going to crush me.”

“You love him?” How could this be true when her body had just responded to our first touch?

“No. It’s just . . .” Her swallow took a long time to go down. “I liked him. I wanted to know him better. But then he saw her and it was over for us. If she was anyone but my little sis, I would’ve ripped her eyeballs out.”

“Lob off their heads, mate. That’s permanent.”

She frowned. “Yeah, okay. Back to my problem. I need to go to this wedding and find a way to hold onto my pride. I’m happy for them. Somewhat. Whenever I think of him in generic terms and not as the guy I’d started to mentally make plans with, I can almost smile.” She held up her phone. “The trip’s all expenses paid. Jacob has oodles of money, and he’s footing the bill.”

I frowned at her feet, admiring how her legs looked in the shoes with long spikes at the heels, though I questioned how anyone could walk in such things.

“You have a passport, don’t you?” she asked.

“We were required to obtain them for identification when we came to the surface.”

“Good. If you say yes, we’ll leave next Thursday and return on Sunday. The wedding’s on Saturday. I hope that’s enough time for you to arrange to be away.” A shiver tracked through her. “We can get to know each other better on the plane. They’re not going to quiz us as if you’re trying to get a green card, but they’ll find it odd if we don’t know anything about each other. We’ll have to come up with matching answers to questions, such as how long we’ve known each other and where we met. Simple stuff like that.”

“Yes,” I said. “Whatever you need, tiny one, I will do it for you.”

“This is really kind of you.” She leaned close, and her light floral scent combined with a hint of her very essence befuddled my senses. “You’re not a serial killer or a misogynist, are you?”

“What’s a misogynist?”

“I enjoy a bit of alpha as much as the next woman, but don’t start telling me what I can do, who I can talk to, or hiding me away inside a basement.”

“I would never do such a thing.” In the orc kingdom, females were equal to males in all ways. How could they not be when they could defeat males in combat? Even during mating rituals, it was anyone’s guess who’d win a match over the other. But we respected them above all others, just like I did Rosey.

“Good. Just a few more things. Weapons are not allowed on the plane or inside your checked bag, so you’ll have to leave your sword behind.”

Now I couldn’t lob off Jacob’s head. Although, she said her sister loved him, and I wouldn’t want to cause my new family pain.

Her sly smile grew. “You can bring soft ropes.”

“Ropes?” I pictured the games my brothers and I planned to offer at our cowboy tourist destination that might include such things. Did she want to practice lassoing a fence post? I didn’t know anything about Mexico, but our destination must offer their version of cattle.

She shrugged. “I was just teasing.”

“I see.” Though I didn’t. There appeared to be a hidden meaning in her rope comment that I would need to examine further.

Sitting back in her chair, she studied my face. “Yes or no, Ostor? If you want to back out now that you know what I’m offering, you’re certainly welcome to do so. I’d never expect you to come with me and pretend to be my boyfriend if you find the idea unappealing.”

“Yes.”

A frown bloomed on her pretty face. “Yes, you find the idea unappealing or yes to . . .?”

“Yes, I’ll go with you as your date and yes, I’ll ensure your family believes we are happy together.”

And I’d happily do all I could to take this from fake to the real thing, but I wouldn’t mention that now. From the little I’d learned already, humans didn’t know right away that someone was their perfect match. Me mentioning it might drive her away.

“Perfect.” She held out her hand.

I stared at it. Did she want me to lick her again? Oh, no. Humans clasped hands and wiggled both when meeting and to solidify an agreement.

I held hers gently and after wiggling it, I lifted it to my mouth, kissing her palm.

A pink tinge rose into her face. “You really are special, Ostor.”

Special enough to agree to our mating?

Humans knew nothing about such things—they’d made this clear in the booklet we were all required to study when we arrived on the surface. She didn’t know what my licking meant, what the symbol she’d yet to discover on her wrist meant, let alone that we were essentially married already.

I’d explain soon, and she’d understand.

She might believe this was fake, but she was mine, and I was hers forever.

I was going to do all I could to show her this should be real.