Page 7 of Loved by the Orc (Hidden Hollow #4)

6

HARMONY

T he next day, Mr. Price was even worse but I was buoyed by the knowledge that I would be seeing Tark that night for supper. So I was able to shake off my nasty boss’s cruel words—well, mostly —until I could finally escape at five.

It was Friday and a lot of people had gone home early. I knew I ought to wait until I got home myself to draw the doorway to Hidden Hollow, but I just couldn’t . It had been a hard day and I was so ready to see the big Orc again.

Beside the parking lot was a little piece of overgrown wilderness, which isn’t uncommon in Central Florida. We live in a sub-tropical climate—the minute you stop mowing, the jungle starts growing. I stepped into the tangle of weeds and vines until I felt I was safely out of sight. Then I drew the magic door and watched eagerly as the burning red lines appeared in the air.

I can’t explain the joy I felt when those lines formed! Part of me—a large part—had been afraid that my whole adventure in Hidden Hollow the day before had been some kind of illusion or maybe just a really vivid daydream. So when I saw that I was really going to be able to get back to the magical little town again, I felt like my heart would burst from excitement.

The door opened and I left the burning heat of the Florida Summer for the cool, crisp winds of Autumn. And standing on the other side of the door, waiting for me, was Tark.

“Babygirl!” His face broke into a broad, excited grin and he swooped down and swung me up into his arms.

He spun me around in the middle of Main Street, both of us laughing until I was dizzy. When he set me back on my feet, I nearly fell over—being swung around by a full-blooded Orc is at least as intense as being on one of those circular carnival rides.

“Hey, be careful!” Tark picked me up again, cradling me to his chest, like he had the very first time we met. “Sorry—did I make you dizzy? Are you okay?”

“I am now,” I said and nuzzled against him, breathing in his warm, woodsy scent.

I couldn’t help myself—I’d never felt such a deep and intense attraction to anyone in my life—not even the boy I’d given my virginity too. And I had honestly thought he loved me—until I found out too late that he’d only had sex with me on a bet with his friends. (Yes, I know that sounds like the plot of an awful teen drama but it really happened to me. As I found out when I heard them laughing behind the gymnasium about how “easy” it was to “fuck the fat chick”.)

But enough about my sad past—I was finally happy in a way I had never expected to be. Tark carried me to his house, pausing several times to make introductions to other people and Creatures who were passing on the sidewalk. None of them seemed to think it was strange that he was carrying me and all of them were welcoming. A flighty Pixie about the size of a sparrow flew right up to me, her diaphanous wings humming so fast I couldn’t see them.

“Welcome to Hidden Hollow!” she chirped in a clear, tiny voice. “You’re going to love it here! ”

Then she buzzed off again, making me think of Tinkerbell in the old Peter Pan movie.

The minute Tark opened his front door, a delicious aroma reached my nose.

“Mmm, that smells amazing!” I said, smiling up at him.

He smiled back.

“I hope you like braised cabbage steaks with mushroom gravy—they’re kind of my specialty.”

“I’ve never had those but if they smell like that, I can’t wait,” I said honestly.

“Good, but it’s going to be a minute before they’re ready,” he said. “I didn’t want to start it too early in case you came a little late. If you’re not careful, the cabbage gets mushy.”

“We could just talk,” I offered, nodding at the couch. Or he could kiss me again—I wished he would! I was so attracted to him I felt like I couldn’t keep my hands off him. I just wanted to rub up against him, like a cat in heat!

“Mmm, I guess we could,” he rumbled.

He sat down on the couch, but this time he didn’t put me beside him. Instead, I found myself sitting on his lap—which I confess, I really liked.

I wished I was brave enough to straddle him, but I didn’t want him to think I was “easy” like the boys from so long ago had said I was. That had made me feel almost as bad as knowing that the guy who’d taken my virginity had made a bet that he could sleep with the “fat girl.” So I just sat kind of side-saddle, facing the big Orc.

“I missed you,” I told him. “I mean, I really missed you a lot.”

“I missed you too, Babygirl,” he rumbled, looking into my eyes. “I hope you don’t mind sitting in my lap. You can move if you want.”

“Uh-uh.” I shook my head. “I like this. I mean, I like being eye-to-eye with you. You’re so tall it’s hard to get up to your level.”

He rumbled a laugh.

“I could say that you’re so short it’s hard to get down to yours. But I like it too.” Cupping my cheek, he looked into my eyes. “I really want to kiss you again.”

That was exactly what I wanted, too. Threading my fingers through his coarse, black hair I pulled him down and kissed him thoroughly.

To my delight, Tark let me take the lead. He groaned softly as I explored his mouth—first with soft, closed mouth kisses—and then opened for me when I probed gently at the seam of his lips with my tongue.

I have to say that kissing a full-blooded Orc is probably what kissing a Saber Tooth Tiger would be like. Tark’s teeth were sharp and lethal—I knew at once he could rip out my throat if he wanted to. But he was extra careful to be gentle with me, even when our kissing got deeper and hotter. His mouth tasted sweet and salty, a little like he’d been eating salted caramel before he came to meet me, and I couldn’t get enough of it.

I really wanted him to touch my breasts, but again I was afraid of him thinking I was “easy.” I gave him as many hints as I could, though—rubbing my breasts against his broad chest and running my fingers through his hair over and over again. I could tell he liked what I was doing by the low groans I drew from him. Finally, he pulled away.

“Goddess, baby—you’re driving me fucking crazy. ” His voice was a hoarse growl and his golden eyes were lazy with lust.

“You’re driving me crazy too ,” I admitted. “But I’m not done with you yet.”

Feeling daring, I leaned forward and licked his neck—right under the lobe of his pointed ear. His skin was salty and delicious and his warm scent was even stronger here.

Tark sucked in a breath and groaned more loudly this time.

“ Goddess …”

I took that as a sign that I was on the right track. My neck had always been a really sensitive area—apparently that held true for Orcs as well. At least, for Tark.

I licked and nibbled up and down the strong cords of his neck, not neglecting his long, pointed ear. When I ran the tip of my tongue along its graceful curve to the up-tilted tip, I could feel Tark’s big body shivering under me. But just as I was about to nibble the lobe, he took me by the waist and pushed me gently but firmly away from him.

“What happened? Don’t you like it?” I asked, feeling hurt.

Tark was breathing deeply with his eyes closed. He still had his big hands locked around my waist, so I wasn’t going anywhere.

“Yeah, Babygirl—I fucking liked it. I liked it too much,” he growled, opening his eyes at last. “Look, I don’t want to take things too fast with you,” he rumbled softly. “We need to be careful— I need to be careful.”

“Careful, why?” I demanded, feeling hurt and also extremely sexually unfulfilled. “I won’t break, you know!”

“Yes you will, if I don’t watch out,” he growled. Then he sighed and let go of my waist to cup my cheek in his hand. “Look, I don’t want to be fucking crude, but I didn’t jerk off before you came here.”

“Uh…what?” I gave him a blank look.

“I should have jerked off—so I could take the edge off—before you came. That would have helped me to have more self-control,” he explained. “As it is, I’m right on the edge and I don’t fucking trust myself! You’re too damn tempting with your gorgeous ripe tits and your soft curves rubbing against me…” He shook his head. “Don’t be offended, okay? I just don’t want to hurt you.”

“Well…” I thought of the boulder he’d told me he’d moved and how strong he was and nodded. “Okay, I appreciate you trying to be careful with me.”

“I would never want to hurt you,” Tark rumbled. His eyes went dark. “That’s another reason I left my Tribe.”

“What—because they like to hurt women?” I asked, frowning.

“You could say that.” He sighed and ran a hand through his shaggy black hair. “The males of my Tribe don’t court a woman before they take her for a wife or a bed partner—they just fucking kidnap her. And then when they take her…well, let’s just say they aren’t gentle. I can’t tell you the number of nights I lay awake when I was younger, listening to the people in the huts around mine and hearing women crying out, begging to be set free, to be…” He broke off, shaking his head. “I never wanted that. It’s fucking barbaric and wrong. So I left. But not until I set all the women who wanted to go free. That’s why they kicked me out—I let all of their victims go.”

“I’m so sorry,” I murmured, feeling chastened. “That must have been really hard for you to deal with.”

“It was,” he said shortly. “I just…don’t want to hurt you that way—I don’t want to be like the other males in my Tribe.” He cupped my cheek and stroked it with his thumb. “I want to be sweet to you, Babygirl. I want to make you feel good but we have to take things slow.”

“I understand,” I said, nodding. “But really—I’m not afraid.”

“You’re not? Well, you ought to be—I’m twice your size,” he said grimly. “Besides, you don’t strike me as someone who’s had much experience.”

“I’ve had lovers before—two of them,” I said, lifting my chin defiantly.

“Oh, two of them, huh? Well aren’t you a woman of the world?” he said dryly. “Look, I don’t care how many lovers you’ve had, I’m assuming they were both human—right?”

“Well, yes. A far as I know,” I admitted.

“Uh-huh.” He nodded. “Well let me tell you, Babygirl—being with a human is a lot different than being with an Orc. We have…different equipment.”

“Really?” My eyes went wide. “Like what kind of equipment? Can I see it?”

Tark frowned.

“Eager, aren’t you?”

“Oh, well…” I began blushing at once. What must he think of me? “I didn’t mean?—”

“Hey—it’s okay.” He stroked my cheek again. “Don’t be embarrassed, baby. It’s okay to be curious. Just…not now. Not yet, all right? I want to get to know you first. This…what I’m feeling between us—and I think you feel it too—is special. Too special to rush.”

I felt my heart swelling at his words and the soft way he was looking at me.

“Yes,” I whispered. “I…I guess you’re right.”

“I know I’m right,” he rumbled. “So for now, let’s keep things above the belt. Okay?”

I nodded reluctantly.

“Okay.”

“And now I’d better check the cabbage steaks,” he told him. “If I don’t they’re going to get mushy.”