Page 5

Chapter Five

T hough we just bought a ton of groceries, all I can think about is the delivery pizza Egorr mentioned at the store. I’ve always seen it on TV, showing up at someone’s house warm and steaming and melty, and I’m curious what it’s like to get my food delivered.

When I tell him what I want, Egorr doesn’t question my choice and quickly calls in one cheese pizza, one pepperoni pizza, and wings on the side. It’s a ton of food, but I have no doubt that someone Egorr’s size can eat it all.

When our food arrives, still steaming hot, it’s absolutely heavenly. I’ve never had anything like delivery pizza in my life.

“It’s even better than it looks on TV,” I tell Egorr, thinking of all the ads I watched back at New Eden. “Like, this is unbelievable.”

“If only I’d known all it took to woo a girl was to get her some pizza.” Egorr winks.

I think he’s coming on to me, and I’m all about it.

“Consider me wooed,” I say, shimmying my chair a little closer to his. I’m just about done eating anyway, even though there’s more than half a pie left. But Egorr makes quick work of it, and when he’s finished, he lets out a satisfied groan.

I’m in the same boat. I probably couldn’t move a muscle after everything I just ate.

Eventually we migrate to the couch, where we sit side by side as we talk. I’ve always been chatty, or so my mother tells me, but Egorr doesn’t seem to mind at all. He spends a lot of time listening, like when I go on about my friends and family, simply stroking the back of my hand.

“What about you?” I finally ask, realizing I’ve been dominating the conversation. “Where’s your family?”

He strokes his chin. “Well, my parents aren’t together anymore. I don’t speak to my mom often, though, because she married a weird guy who doesn’t like me very much.”

I gape at him. “But you’re her son!”

Egorr just smiles. “It’s okay. My dad and I are really close. He lives about forty-five minutes away. Never got remarried, but I think he’s happier like that.”

“That’s not far. We should visit him!”

That smile widens even more, and I love the way Egorr’s grin reveals all of his teeth, top and bottom rows alike.

“Sure. He’s a quiet guy, but I think you two would get along.”

He sounds as if he might be a lot like his son.

I don’t even realize I’ve started falling asleep on Egorr’s shoulder until my head lands on something soft, and I jerk awake.

“Ready for bed?” Egorr hums in my ear. It sounds so sexy when he says it like that, but I know he means my own bed in the room he set up for me. We’re not there yet, but I hope we are soon.

“Yeah, I guess,” I say with a yawn. But before I can get up, Egorr slides an arm under my back and another under my legs, hefting me up into his arms like I’m little more than a doll. I giggle as he carries me down the hall to my room, and pushes the door open with his shoulder.

There, he lays me down on my bed ever so gently. I feel airy and weightless from being carried, and I’m warm and fuzzy after devouring amazing pizza—not to mention how at home I already feel here in this big ogre’s den.

“Egorr,” I say quietly when he starts to pull away. He stops, remaining crouched over me as I lift a hand up to his tusk and wrap my fingers around it. I tug his face toward mine, and with a smile, Egorr leans down closer, until our lips are almost touching.

“Maddie,” he says in return, making me giggle. I lift my head between his tusks and push my lips up against his.

Egorr returns it, sliding one arm under my back to bring us closer together. Boy, is he a good kisser. I sink into it, giving him everything. Our tongues both dart out to dance, and I sure do love how big his is, dwarfing mine as they play together. His wide hands are eager but not forceful, gentle but not delicate.

Eventually, we both pull away, breathing hard.

Egorr kisses me on the forehead. “Get some sleep,” he says, rising back up to his full height. “We have another day of fun tomorrow, and I want to get a head start.”

“Okay.” I fall back to the bed. “Goodnight.”

“Goodnight, Maddie.”

Egorr closes the door behind him, and though I’m sad to see him go, I’m excited to sleep in this sweet little room he prepared for me. I love the antique bed frame, the worn wooden side table, and the cute, kitschy lamp that looks like it belongs in a grandmother’s house.

Besides, I think it might be wise of me to maintain my own space while I try to integrate into Egorr’s life—to have a separation between what’s his and what’s mine in case we decide to part ways later on.

Just the thought of it makes my heart hurt, though. I’ve already grown so attached to him.

It might be a tad presumptuous of me to think I’ll fit into Egorr’s world, or that I’ll be sticking around long enough for it to matter. Maybe things look rosy now, but you never know when a monster like Shisek might decide you’re too much trouble and send you packing.

I have to hope that won’t be Egorr.

* * *

The next morning, I wake up late. The smell of cooking bacon draws me out of my room, and I’m glad it’s Sunday so Egorr doesn’t have to go to work. I want to get to know him better, what makes him tick, and see if he could really be the one for me.

“Maddie!” Egorr’s eyes light up when he sees me, and mine probably do, too, when I walk in on him bustling about the kitchen. The fire is going in the fireplace, which means it’s probably quite cold outside, and the open living room has a cozy feel about it. I spend more time than I should just staring at him and his enormous body, taking in his bulging pectorals and the swell of his belly. He’s wearing yet another pair of casual sweatpants, and I like that he’s not putting on any airs for me. This is probably how he spent his time before I came here, just busying about in nothing but sweats, and I like knowing what my life could look like in the future with Egorr.

“Good morning,” I say, strolling into the kitchen. He leans down to kiss my forehead, and in return, I rise up onto my tiptoes to kiss him on the cheek. I’m rewarded with a chuckle.

“I hope you wanted bacon and eggs, because that’s about as far as my breakfast repertoire goes.” He pulls a pan off the stove and uses a pair of tongs to pull out steaming-hot strips of bacon, dropping them onto a pair of plates waiting on the island. Then follow the eggs, scrambled with herbs and served alongside ketchup.

I sit on one of the stools at the island while Egorr pours out grapefruit juice for both of us, then joins me. We eat in companionable silence until we’ve both cleared off our plates.

“What would you like to do today?” Egorr asks as he takes them away and tucks them into the dishwasher.

I haven’t even thought about it. For some reason, I pictured him with plans already that I would simply have to fit into.

“How much time do we have?” I ask, wondering which activities we can fit in when he’s free. I have a laundry list of things I’d like to do in the world, but Egorr has a life already, and I don’t want to intrude too much.

But he just blinks at me. “Well, we have all day, if you want. You’re my priority.”

He’s giving me his whole Sunday? Damn it, I could just hug him.

So I do. I can’t help but throw myself at him, wrapping my arms as far as I can around his bulk. Egorr pats my head.

“I have too many ideas,” I say, finally pulling away.

“Well, tell me the first few.”

I put up one finger. “I really want to try rock climbing.” I put up a second finger. “And zip lining.” Then a third finger. “I’ve always thought about learning to fence.” A fourth finger. “Forging? I used to watch this TV show about forging and it looked like so much fun.” Before I can add a fifth finger, Egorr is laughing, and he covers my hand with his.

“Okay, we can probably fit in one of those today,” he says. “I think you have to make reservations for a zip line.” He tilts his head. “Forging? Like what?”

“Knives, of course!”

My enthusiasm is met with an arched eyebrow. “What would you use said knife for?”

That seems like a silly question. “Well, to cut stuff.” I rub my chin. “It would probably also look good on my wall.”

“Do you want to decorate?” he asks. “I didn’t put up any pictures in your room in case you wanted to choose them for yourself.”

“Yes! As long as it’s with a knife I made. I think that would be cool.”

Egorr pulls out his phone and starts Google searching. “There is a local forge where you can sign up for classes,” he says. “Why don’t we do that? It would be a weekly thing, though, and we couldn’t get into a class until next week.”

I like the idea of making plans that far in advance. I hope I’m still here in a week, enjoying Egorr and his cozy home.

“Then we’d better find something to do in the meantime,” I say brightly.

Egorr grins in return. “There’s a rock climbing gym nearby. It’s a walk-in type of place. I’ve never done it, but we could go check it out if you want.”

“Sounds good. I’d love to.”

* * *

When we pull up to the rock climbing gym, there are all sorts of monsters heading inside dressed in their workout clothes. As we get out of the car, Egorr takes my hand, and I like how familiar it feels already to have my fingers swallowed up by his palm.

We each rent a pair of climbing shoes. Unfortunately, I’m much smaller than most monsters, so my shoes are a little too big. Egorr assures me we’re starting with the easiest climbs, so it shouldn’t be a problem.

At the beginner wall, the routes are marked with tape and numbered.

“You should do the zero routes first,” the attendant tells us. I stare up at the high wall, suddenly wondering if I’ve made a mistake in my choice of activity. It looks scary up there. But plenty of other monsters are doing the climbs without a problem, so I square my shoulders and decide I’ll give it a try.

When the bigfoot doing the zero-level route comes back down again, Egorr nods at me to give it a shot. I wrap my hand around the first hold, then grab the second one with my other hand, hefting myself up onto the footholds. Egorr stands below me, arms held out.

“If you find yourself falling,” the attendant calls up to me, “be sure to twist your body so you don’t land on your back.”

That sounds like a mighty big ask, given I’ll be in the middle of falling, but I nod anyway as I continue to the next pair of holds.

Wow. This uses a lot more upper-body strength than I expected. I navigate my feet up, holding on tight as I try to find the next set of holds with my toes. Still, it’s not too hard. I get two-thirds of the way up the wall when I make the mistake of looking down.

“Oh shit,” I mutter, realizing Egorr is much smaller down there than he should be. I take a few deep breaths, trying to still my heart. I’m really high up. If I fell right now…

“It’s okay if you want to come back down,” Egorr says, as if he can read my mind. Nodding quickly, I make my way to the previous set of holds, and I’m surprised at how much harder it is going back down than it was going up. I’m not sure where to put my feet.

“Egorr!” I can hear the fear in my own voice. “I can’t get down.”

“I’m here,” he calls back. “If you jump down, I’ll catch you.”

Glancing down at him, with his big arms held out for me, I know he will. I exhale deeply and then hop off the wall.

Sure enough, he catches me. Gently, he lowers me to the ground, and I feel warm all over. I take a few deep breaths to calm my heart.

“Pretty high up there?” he asks, a comforting smile on his face.

“Yeah. I thought I was okay with heights, but…”

“You get used to it,” the attendant says, a wolf-woman with rather long fangs. “It comes with practice.”

That’s comforting to hear.

It’s Egorr’s turn next, and he has a significantly harder time climbing the wall thanks to his bulk, but he’s also incredibly strong and manages to make it a little farther up than I did. He’s almost at the top when he freezes.

“Shit,” I hear him mutter. “It is really high up here.” Quickly he climbs down the wall again, and when he gets his feet back on the ground, he looks a tad shaken. I can’t help but laugh.

“Maybe rock climbing isn’t for us?” I say, rubbing his arm.

“Maybe not.” He lets out a long breath. “I don’t think ogres are meant for heights.”

We try a few more short climbs, then decide we’re not cut out for the rock climber life and turn in our shoes at the front desk. Egorr takes my hand again as we leave.

“That was fun, though,” he says. “And now we know.”