Page 61 of Grumpy Pucking Orc (Orcs on Ice #1)

Jordan

A small black ball of fur streaked across the living room, jumping onto the back of the couch and diving behind a cushion. All that showed was a twitching black tail.

If a cat could have rolled her eyes, that’s what Judy was doing.

We’d brought Coal over whenever Ozar spent the night, and she still little more than tolerated him in her house, but that was okay.

Secretly, I think she liked the little cat but was too proud to admit such a weakness.

I wasn’t so proud. I’d grown to love Coal and was happy he and Ozar were moving in.

Actually, I was more than happy that Ozar was moving in.

It had taken a couple of months and lots of long discussions about important things like separate hampers for our laundry, how often towels should be changed, how much additional milk needed to be delivered weekly, and which direction the toilet paper should roll.

Once we’d compromised on the major issue of where we would make our home and how often we would visit Ozar’s clan, everything fell into place .

Except the furs. There were too many furs. But that was something I compromised on, since according to Ozar, there was no such thing as too many furs when it came to home decor.

Our wedding date was over a year away. Neither of us was thrilled about the delay, but it wouldn’t have been possible to arrange the wedding and honeymoon we wanted during the break between this hockey season and the next, and I needed time to merge my business and arrange for coverage since our honeymoon would be for three weeks in his homeland.

I couldn’t wait. In preparation, I was learning Orcish so that I could at least have minimal, stilted conversation with his friends and family.

Ozar seemed under the impression that we were going to spend three weeks, seven days a week, twenty-four hours a day having sex.

I informed him that unless he was trying to kill me, I would need some time out of the furs and away from the bedroom.

“Where should I put these?”

I turned at Ozar’s voice, dismayed to see that he had a dozen more fur pelts stacked up in his arms.

“Um…the guest bedrooms?” The things were already all over the couches and even the dining room chairs. Some were serving as throw rugs. There were enough furs on our bed to withstand a sub-zero arctic blast.

He nodded. “Yes. Our guests will need furs on their beds as well.”

They most certainly didn’t, but if it made him happy, then I’d hang them on the walls and from the curtain rods.

“Come here first. I have a present for you.”

His eyes lit up at that. Tossing the furs onto the sofa, he came over to where I had a wrapped box on the dining room table .

“What is it?”

I motioned toward the gift. “Open it up and see.”

He made quick work of the wrapping paper, then carefully read the words on the box. “An ice cream maker?”

“I thought it would be fun. There’s a book with all sorts of recipes, and we can look on the internet for more.” I eyed him, letting out a breath at his excited grin.

“We can make ice cream with the special farm-delivered milk!”

I wrapped my arm around his waist. “I even bought ingredients so we can make some tonight, to celebrate our moving in together.”

“A perfect way to celebrate.” He pulled me into his arms and leaned down to kiss me. When he was done, I was thinking about other ways to celebrate as well.

And from the gleam in his eyes, Ozar was thinking the same.

“I have two more armfuls of furs to bring in, then we can make the ice cream,” he announced.

More furs? I eyed my curtain rods but smiled and agreed. He could have all the furs he wanted, all the milk and ice cream he wanted. Because I had him. Forever.

My mate. And soon to be my husband.