Page 52 of Falling for the Orc All-Star
I’m having a hot flash.
It’s all centered between my legs, so I’m forced to admit that no, I’m not having a hormonal rebellion. Not of the pre-menopausal kind, at least. No.
King’s dad sounds like a pushy dad who expected perfection from his son, so much so that he gave him an ego the size of Texas, but Mr. Silverbow is also right.
King would make a good leader. When he has an idea, he puts it into action. When he sees a need, he tries to supply it. I’m stupidly turned on watching him step up and reassure the seniors that he’stheir go-to-guy if they need anything during their visit, and I overhear how he talks to Steve about his late wife, their old home, and their ancient cocker spaniel and lab mix that have now both crossed the Rainbow Bridge.
“He’s cute, if you like them huge and solid,” Grace whispers to me, taking her seat.
“Thanks. Uh. Nyx is cute, too. If you like them... shadow-y?”
“Oh, he is solid most of the time now. Shadows can be helpful, though, especially since his shadows have mass. How long have you and King been together?”
“Oh, we’re not.. Not long.” I swallow down the refusal it feels natural to spit out.
Mrs. Y beams at me and leans over across Mrs. Felice. “Life’s too short to waste. Good for you getting what you want, not just what you need. You’d be surprised how many of us never got that chance.
I nod. Yeah. I probably would.
“I have to go to the locker room. They want me to walk out with the coaches and take my seat on the bench.” King comes up to me.
“That’s fine.”
“You don’t mind?”
“No.” I hesitate, and then stand up to kiss his cheek. Do I admit that suddenly, a little part of my lonely teenager life and my “always the fat friend, never the girlfriend” trauma just lifted off my shoulders? “Can I walk you there?”
King’s face loses its look of concern and turns into pure sunshine. “Yeah! Come with me!”
We walk side by side through the narrow walkways at the base of the rink where the team plays. “Sorry we can’t hold hands. Maybe in a few more weeks,” King apologizes.
“That’s okay. Um. You know what? Um.” I cough and swallow a couple of times.
“What?”
“No, it’s stupid.”
“Well... Tell me. I’m stupid.” King grins at me.
“No! No, you’re not.” I shake my head, lips instantly thinned in anger. “Why—”
“I don’t know. Big dumb Orc jock, right? Probably what a lot of people think?”
“I’m not one of them. Don’t you be one of them, either. And... And maybe what I have to say isn’t stupid. Maybe it just makes me feel that way, because I think I should be more mature. More over it. Whatever.” I step in front of him and stare up into his eyes, watching the gold flecks in his eyes dance in the too-bright lights of the stadium. “When the pretty popular girls always had friends and cliques that I could never get into, when, even on a team, I always felt like I was on the fringes, I wished... I wished I could be one of the girls walking with the hot jock, that they would see me, that I would feel... special to someone. That I had a handsome prince. Not super enlightened, but when you’re sixteen and can’t remember the last time you had a best friend and have never had a boyfriend...” I shrug. “Well. Tonight, I got to kiss the all-star, the most beloved player on the team. Tonight, I have the King. Don’t need the prince.”
King says nothing. Just loses his smile.
There’s something deadly serious in his eyes as he approaches me, and I end up with my back against a wall, his broad shoulders looming over me.
“You were never a princess. You were a queen. Queens can go it alone if they have to. Queens make kings what they are. You’re mine, Ingrid. My queen. My reason for being better. Being even a little bit worthy of someone like you.”
His arms shift, one crutch drops, and I wish I’d seen him play. He must have been more than just blunt force; he must have been so lethal, so fast, so graceful, because in a split second, he’s gone fromtowering above me to locking lips with me, bending over me like he’d tilt the world on its side just to reach me.
Everything is wonderful and perfect, and it hurts in my chest.
Because I think this is the fall.
Why the hell does it have to hurt?