Page 22 of Falling for the Orc All-Star

Kev continues, “A lot of times the ‘monsters’ around here just want to lead a nice, quiet life.” He gives me a look as we separate at our cars, conveniently parked beside each other in the staff row of the lot. “Sometimes they just need the right person to start it with.”

“Yeah, well, he can keep looking. He might have told the internet he’s interested in someone, but you’re just assuming it’s me. I bet a guy like that has a dozen girls waiting in line. I don’t need a player, hockey or otherwise.”

“Fine. Don’t date him. But you could still come to dinner. Marina is so excited about the wild boar. She says Ian Fenclan is a master at rustic cooking, and it’s probably been smoked slowly in his smokehouse, or done to the perfect blend of crispiness and juiciness over a spit. And you said you’d be there.”

“Are you trying to tempt the chubby girl with food?”Because honestly, that would work in some cases...

“No, I’m trying to tempt Ingrid Antol, goddess of the foodies and world traveler, with a local rustic delicacy.” He kisses his fingertips and looks skyward, as if enraptured at the thought of this meal.

“Fine. I’ll come.”

I drive home, muttering to myself. “I could be at home. On my couch with my dogs. Eating take-out from the Jade Forest, watching reruns ofOnly Murders, and crocheting the dog sweater I’m working on...”

You sound like a little old lady.

Ahem. Acontentedlady, correction.

Peace and contentment are better than love, you know that. Relationships are messy. You spent a decade in the middle of other people’s messes.

So why do I keep hearing King’s voice in my head, replaying the words he said yesterday on a loop?

“You ever meet someone, and you like them instinctively? And you know from the start that you’ll never stop?”

And maybe I keep thinking about the way he shoved off that ice bunny’s hand and said he had someone else he was interested in.

I’m definitely not thinking about the fact that he filled the doorway of his house and how all of his muscles were rippling as he had to rely on upper body support, being on crutches and all.

Nope. Not thinking about him or getting a long-forgotten heat in my middle. Not at all.

Chapter Nine: King

Having a distant cousin by marriage who is a witch is handy. Farrah Fenclan comes into the house, sets down three giant bags, and stares around the place.

I’ve been hobbling around, trying to clean things up. I’m not a messy person; it’s just that I don’t usually have company. My dining room table holds a stack of papers and magazines most of the time. My kitchen is only for putting away groceries and the bare minimum of cooking.

Still, when you can’t move easily, things somehow get messy, fast.

Farrah glares. “Your mother would faint. I’m sorry, poor boy, you’ve had a rough go of it.” She flicks her hands around as she unpacks the food, and each flick tidies up something. Clothes vanish off the back of the couch. Dishes fly out of the dishwasher. Curtains open and napkins fold themselves neatly. “There. That’s a little better.”

“Can you fix my knee?”

“How long do they say it’ll take?” Farrah asks, pausing to pin up her long, silvery-blonde hair with her slender fingers.

All of her is slender and willowy. For the first time, I wonder how in the world this little human married an Orc and had twins—even if one of them looks like a full human, the other one looks like and, more importantly, is the size of a full Orc. I mean, yes, I’ve wondered how Orc-human couples make things work, but with Farrah and twins, it’s mind-boggling. How did she not get snapped in half? “Uh. Anywhere from six weeks to six months,” I answer, bringing my mind away from questions about Orc-human coupling with a snap.

Do not think about Ingrid in that way in front of... well, anyone.

But it’s on my mind. I don’t want just a little fumble with her. Ever since I had to fend off Miss Handsy earlier, I’ve been thinking about Ingrid and how I don’t just want a single night of pleasure. I want her. All of her. And I want her to take all of me. I want... Wow, so many things that I thought were “afterthoughts,” accessories to the kind of life and career that should come first.

Farrah clicks her tongue. “The law of exchanges, dear. Six months of healing done in a few minutes? That’s six months of depleting something else, whether it’s another body part, another area of health, or your finances...”

“If I don’t get better, they’re not going to sign me to another contract, I know that,” I mumble. “And there go the finances, anyway.”

“Well, dear, let’s not borrow trouble. What plan did you have in place to cover you if you ever did get hurt? Hockey isn’t exactly a gentle game.”

“I never planned to get hurt.”

She rolls her eyes, and I realize how stupid that sounds now. “I’m an Orc! We’re...sturdy.”