Page 8 of One Forbidden Night with Her Orc Boss (Toothsome Monster Romance #4)

Tasha

T he afternoon is a complete blur. I’m disappointed by the wetness in my panties that I can’t get rid of. I’m distracted by the freedom that being on the back of Captain Suthorn’s bike gives me. My head spins around the rest of the checklist I have to complete for work, wondering how I’m going to get any of it done with this blasted captain kissing me like I’m the air he needs in order to survive.

The island is beautiful. Our ride confirms to me that I made the right choice in moving us here. But part of my brain screams that I need to run away, or at least look for what other jobs I can do if this goes sour for me. Because being jobless and homeless and off this island might just rip me apart.

It’s taken five years to stitch my life back together after I told my ex-boyfriend he was going to be a father and he walked away. I cannot let myself fall into that miasma of sadness and self-loathing again. I have to keep it together for Lucy; have to keep her safe.

So that is what I do. Every time I sense his eyes on me, I think about Lucy. Every time I hear his voice, I think about Lucy yelling in delight for me.

And I make it through the rest of my shift. And the next. All without incident. I scoop up the fire tower kiss and put it in the bin with the one-night stand and re-bury it in my mind. It means nothing. Doesn’t feel like nothing, but it can’t mean anything.

A fter work, Lucy and I head to the library so we can get library cards. The librarian and her assistant, practically leap across the circulation desk to wrap us in hugs and quiet squeals. Laughing (quietly) at the confusion on my face, the librarian, Betty, introduces themselves and explains. “It’s been a while since we had new people in town. And a new young book lover! We just revamped our story time!” Before I ask Lucy what she thinks about the idea of story time, she’s down the aisle of books with August, the assistant. Together, they pull picture book after picture book off the shelves. My heart swells.

“No matter where I go in town, everyone is welcoming and at puts me at ease, like this is my home. It’s a little overwhelming,” I say as I sign for my new library card. Betty nods sympathetically.

“It’s a great place to live. But it is a small town. Word travels fast. August, my assistant, is mated to Bjorn Cragbeard—”

“Ooh,” I say, seeing the puzzle pieces connect with how they seemed to know who Lucy and I were when we walked through the door.

“Yes,” Betty grins at me. “And my mate is Grev Cragbeard, Bjorn’s brother. So yeah, we’re pretty tight and up in everyone’s business. Now, tell me what the last three books you read were.” Betty pushes her glasses up on her nose, and it looks like she means business.

“Don’t forget about me!” A smiling face appears from around the bookshelf, waving her hand wildly at us. She steps out from the bookcase and hustles over, a thick stack of books tucked under one arm. “I’m Poppy. Also mated to a Cragbeard brother.”

Betty laughs at her. “I didn’t forget you. Didn’t realize you were eavesdropping.”

“Nice to meet you,” I say, holding out my hand. We shake, and I feel an instant camaraderie with these women. “How many Cragbeard brothers are there?”

“Four,” they say in unison.

“Urk is a hermit. He lives on the edge of the mountains with his mate, Anne. She’s sometimes successful in getting him to come socialize. But mostly it’s our three boys hanging out. Koru, my mate, owns and operates the brewery in town.” Says Poppy as her eyes sparkle at the mention of Koru.

Is it silly to want that? The sparkle when I speak about someone who loves me, other than Lucy. The friendship between these women who might normally not associate with each other. I dive into the bookshelves, unwilling to follow those longings any farther.

Thirty minutes later, we have a new Moonfang Haven Library reuseable tote bag stuffed full with picture books on unicorns and kindness, and several medieval romance novels for me. I don’t have brain capacity right now for serious history reading, but a love story sounds perfect. We have a standing weekly date to return to the library for August’s story time, and Lucy is excited about helping pick out the next week’s book.

On our walk home, I ponder Betty, August, and Poppy who seem so happy to be here, and so happy with their mates . Even if things go sour with my job at search and rescue, I hope I can find work so we can stay here. This island is the balm my soul needs.

T hree nights after “the incident” which is what I call the fire tower kiss—because if I call it by what happened, I spiral out of control—a voice hollers my name on our evening walk. I freeze just as Lucy looks up at me with pure delight on her face, as if I’ve just given her a giant ice cream sundae with a cherry on top.

“Brann!” she squeals, pumping her tiny, plump fist into the air, then taking off running toward him. The feeling that I’m watching a slow-motion trainwreck is very, very real, and not at all what I want for my daughter and me.

Captain freezes, eyes wide, as he watches my pride and joy barrel down the sidewalk at him. Then, the strangest thing happens. His lips tug upward into a smile along his tusks. It’s the scariest smile I’ve ever seen, because I know it’s fake, but Lucy doesn’t seem to care. She smacks into his legs again, and for a millisecond I wonder if she’s just knocked down the monolithic orc captain. But he finds his footing, picks her up and spins her in the air. Her own personal rollercoaster. She squeals and giggles in delight. “Again!”

I think I might be sick.

When I reach them, he’s set her down, but they’re both laughing and smiling. “Did you hear his joke? Branny, tell Mommy the joke!” She yanks on his arm, using it as a pendulum to leap and swing into the air as he gives me a sheepish look as I cross my arms at him.

“Branny? Want to tell me the funny joke?” My voice sing-songs, mocking him.

His smile drops, and in all seriousness he asks, “Why can’t you play hide and seek with a mountain?” They both stare at me, expecting me to participate.

Sighing, I say, “I don’t know. Why?”

“Because they always peak!” Lucy shouts the answer, along with Brann. He holds his hand out flat, and she slaps it, celebrating the dorky joke.

I bite my lip to keep from laughing. Damn him.

“Lucy, have you brushed your teeth yet tonight?” His question is weird. But he doesn’t see the look I give him. His attention is one hundred percent on Lucy’s bright eyes.

She giggles, “No silly, this is our walk. Then I have my bath. Then I put on my jammies. That’s when I brush my teeth. Then Mommy reads me a story.”

“Ah!” He says, knocking himself in the head, as if ‘of course.’ “Well, then, if it’s okay with your mom, I brought you two dessert.” He side-eyes me as he speaks to Lucy, then looks at her with a look that is mischievous, but also serious.

Lucy turns the serious look to me. “Mommy, my friend has dessert for us. It would be rude not to eat it.” Wow. I’m going to be in trouble in a couple of years with her.

“That’s very nice of your friend . Of course, we can have some.” As she claps her hands in happiness, Captain Suthorn produces a small brown paper bag I hadn’t noticed before. He hands it to Lucy, who reaches in and pulls out two chocolate cookies with big nuts and marshmallows in them.

“Ravena calls them rocky road cookies.”

“Wow!” is all she says. She looks reverently at her cookie in one hand as her other hand waves in the air toward me, hoping I snag my cookie. Then she takes a huge bite out of hers, the sound of “chomp” literally coming out of her mouth as she tries to inhale it.

“Thanks for the cookies.” I say, trying my hardest not to laugh at Lucy’s moans of delight and dance at how good the marshmallow is.

“It seems tasty.” He shrugs those hunky, muscular shoulders, the creases in the corner of his eyes showing, and falls in step beside Lucy and me.

I guess we’re walking together now.

We’re quiet as Lucy munches her cookie. My stomach can’t handle the idea of eating with him here, so I tuck the cookie back into the paper bag.

I hate to admit it, but it’s nice—the three of us. Suthorn’s towering, quiet presence is peaceful, protective. Once Lucy finishes, chocolate crumbs all over her mouth, she chatters to Branny as if he were her best friend. I let her words wash over me as I take in the beauty of the golden afternoon sun. Captain asks questions and engages Lucy in a thoughtful, present way that clenches my heart painfully.

Turning the corner to our street, Lucy grabs his hand—well, his thick finger because that’s all she can hold onto—and drags him at a run to our front porch. He obliges, and my stomach and heart flip-flop in unison. Tears prick my eyes as I follow, trying to keep my throat from closing up with the panic that rises from my depths. By the time I get to our porch, they are both sitting on the porch swing, him lazily swinging them back and forth as she kicks her feet and serenades him with “Row, Row, Row Your Boat.” Who would have thought that my little girl would befriend my sexy, grumpy boss? What am I supposed to do with this?

Captain looks at me, his eyes narrowing slightly as his nostrils flare. He slows his rocking as he turns to my daughter. “Lucy, this was really fun. Do you think we could walk together again sometime?” She vehemently nods her little head yes at him, clapping her chocolatey hands together. “Great. Well, I need to talk to your mom for a moment. Why don’t you go wash your hands?”

“Okay, Branny. See you tomorrow!” She stands on the swing, and it takes all my willpower not to rush to her side and pick her up from the wobbly swing. But he beats me to it, steadying her little body with his firm hands. Smiling, unaware of any danger, she wraps her arms around his neck in a hug. A kiss of chocolate on the cheek, and then climbs down and runs inside, leaving a sticky handprint on the door.

My jaw is on the floor. I can’t help it. She’s completely smitten with him, just like I am, but unlike me, she has no hesitation in showing her affection. And him! He just let her. Mr. Macho Captain let my four-year-old slather him in little girl love and messy germs and chocolate.

And now? Now he’s standing before me, smiling that lopsided grin that makes his tusks look even more intimidating. “What’s wrong?” He asks with a forcefulness that pulls me back.

“Nothing,” I lie.

“I can smell your panic.”

“Well, that isn’t fair.” I cross my arms, his eyes flickering down to my chest and then back to my eyes so quick I almost didn’t see.

“It’s biology. Why isn’t that fair?” His eyebrow quirks and I want to slap them down, but that would require touching him.

“That you can smell my emotions, but I have no idea what yours are.”

“It adds a little mystery.”

“It adds frustration. Because I’m frustrated. And yes, panicked. You can’t come here and let my little girl fall in love with you and then break her heart. I will hunt you down and you will die a thousand deaths.” The words are out so fast, I blink in surprise at my own protectiveness. But every word is true.

The captain—he has to be the captain, because thinking of him by name adds another layer of intimacy to our shaky ground already—stands there, taking my threat like I’ve just told him what is for dinner.

He swipes away a tear from my cheek that I hadn’t noticed. His touch a balm to my lonely, tired soul. Then he rests his hand on the beam behind me, creating a cozy alcove where I’m under him, protected and shielded by him. I want to be furious, but my insides are too melted with desire to put up a fight.

“Listen, there’s something deeper at work than physical attraction. I hope you feel that in your heart, like I do in mine.” With his free hand, he takes my hand and places it over his heart, which is pounding as hard as mine. “If I commit, I commit one thousand percent.” The if makes my panic rise. How does he decide if? What does that entail? How broken will Lucy and I be by the time he’s made his choice?

Stinging words on my lips itch to attack him. But he stills me with one look. Stern, knowing, understanding. “Let me finish, firecracker. I’m committed. To you, to us.”

He leans in and kisses me, softly but thoroughly, slicing through all my resistance.

A crash from inside the house shakes me out of whatever moment this is. Push Captain aside, only to have him beat me through the door and to Lucy, who knocked over the chair she was pushing across the kitchen. She startles as we burst into the room, but then gives us her dazzling chubby-cheeked smile. “Hi Mommy. I’m making soup!”

My soup pot is on the floor, filled with liquid and a variety of spices, judging by the scent of the room. The flour tin is open beside the pot, empty.

“Honey, it’s bath time. Say goodnight and let’s get your water started.” Her little shoulders slump as she mumbles goodnight.

“See you tomorrow,” I say to Brann, feeling on the inside the same as Lucy on the outside—disappointed and fragile. Keep my head down; I can’t look at him, because I don’t know what I’ll say or do. I turn to follow Lucy down the hall to our bathroom, but he catches my hand and pulls me toward him. A sliver of space between us.

“I’m not going anywhere. I’ll sit right there and read a book. We’ll talk once she’s in bed.”

Nodding, my heart flutters in anticipation.