Page 14 of One Night with Her Untamed Orc (Toothsome Monster Romance #6)

Emma

S unlight streaming in through the window wakes me. Finally. Enough clouds and gloomy rain, time to work! Though without the rain yesterday, I probably wouldn’t have spent the night snuggled safe and warm in Tarik’s arms.

Speaking of—where is he?

My clothes are still damp, but I put them on anyway, grabbing the other outfit.

I can string it up outside to finish drying.

Downstairs, there’s coffee and a giant muffin filled with cinnamon apples and oats.

It tastes like fall. But still no Tarik.

I do a double-take after a sip of my coffee.

This isn’t normal everyday coffee with milk!

This is some sort of magical homemade pumpkin latte.

It’s happiness in my mouth. There’s a note taped to the door that says, “Working in the garden.”

Boots on, backpack filled with supplies and my still soggy notebook, I head outside.

That’s when I realize I don’t even know where his garden is.

I walk around the cabin until I find a trail opposite the one that goes down to the beach.

There’s a clearing between the trees, and it looks like a flowering wonderland.

He’s got staked tomatoes, vining beans and flowers, peppers, tall green things I don’t know what they are, and toward the back, I see a hint of orange.

That’s where he and Poros are, squatting amongst what must be his pumpkin vines.

Poros lifts the leaves off a pumpkin, and it’s almost as big as he is. I had no idea pumpkins could really get to this size. I always assumed they were photo-shopped.

“Good morning!” I call, waving as I step through the garden gate and make my way to them. The ground is still soggy from yesterday, but it’s more stable. I don’t slip or sink.

Tarik looks like he is ready to have his way with me right now, in the garden, and I blush at the thought.

I wonder if a giant pumpkin would hold the weight of both of us?

Would anyone want a pumpkin that had an orc’s ass on it?

Hmm. But when Poros squeaks out a hi, like the teenager he is, Tarik looks at him with a deadly look.

“You two are working early. How are these pumpkin gods doing?”

Tarik doesn’t say anything, but he does come to stand beside me, giving me a gentle peck on the cheek. It’s innocent, but I feel the fire stirring deep in my belly at it, a reminder of last night.

“I think he’ll win a prize at the fall festival,” Poros says with pride .

“Prize-winning? Wow. I didn’t know that was a thing.” I smile up at Tarik, squinting into the brightness of the day. He stares off into the distance and grunts an answer. I don’t understand why he’s acting grumpy and aloof again.

“Well, I need to check my traps and finish my research. I’m really excited about the data I’ve collected so far.

Thank you for letting me stay.” Tarik nods in response.

After a beat of silence, I try again to get him to engage with me.

I don’t mind his broody quietness, but I love when he talks to me.

“My goal is to get funding for a trip to the Sargasso Sea to study their migration routes.”

Tarik wipes his brow and gazes at me with surprise, and if I’m not mistaken, pride or awe.

That look will live rent-free in my mind for a good long time.

I smile at him again, and this time his eyes soften and his lip curls around his tusks, just enough to make my heart flutter at his smile.

“Your dedication to the lowly eel is admirable.”

“Thank you. As is yours to the mighty giant pumpkin.” At that, he snorts a little.

Poros calls for his attention, and I take the moment to wave bye to them both. Before he turns to give Poros his attention, his eyes cloud with concern, possibly anger that I’m going alone. But that was the plan all along. Besides, he clearly has lots of work to do here, where he belongs .

The trail leading down the hill to my camp is mostly washed out, meaning I slide all of the way down to the shore. So much for being clean.

The boat is still there, waiting calmly and patiently.

Swimming out, I bring it close to shore, jump back out to run along the rocks, grab my pack, throw it into the boat, and wade back out to hop in.

Driving away from shore, the day erases any thought of the awful storm.

I turn to say so to Tarik, only to remember he’s not here; I’m alone.

Funny how quickly I’ve come to miss him.

It’s been a successful research day. Actually getting to see and touch the endangered Lunar Crest Eel is a success in itself.

It means there’s hope for the future, for revitalization of the species in this area.

Excitement fuels me as I write up the last of my notes on the boat in a little cove before I get back to the cabin.

I can’t wait to tell Tarik about the observations I’ve made today.

I need to hold on to that excitement as long as possible. Focusing on my job, my love, my research. Because tomorrow I have to leave; back to writing papers, away from Tarik. If I let myself be honest, I’ll be devastated to leave him.

This morning, I wanted to tell him my dream about us living together here.

Helping each other with our various jobs—him with his garden, me with my research and writing papers for funding.

It would be quaint and simple, but deeply fulfilling, especially at night.

I could see a life with him here. I’ve never felt more seen and accepted for who I am, without having to bend over backward to earn praise and love.

Though I would bend over for other activities.

When I pull into Tarik’s Cove, as I call it in my head, my heart wants to explode. Tarik has brought down all my gear and arranged it, even setting up my tent. It’s sweet. Boat anchored, I swim to shore with a giant smile on my face.

“Tarik!” I call out as I stumble over the rocks on the beach.

But no one answers. It’s just me, the eels, and my gear.

I guess one night was all he could handle.

He told me he didn’t like people. Though Poros seems to have attached himself to Tarik; he leaves, giving Tarik the privacy and quiet he says he loves.

Good thing I didn’t tell him about my dream after all. He probably would have chased me off right then and there.

It’s late in the afternoon when I check the traps along the shore one last time, then pull them in, break them down, and store them in the boat.

I have two traps to pick up on my way back to town to return the boat in the morning.

I go through all my checklists. Make a list of things to note in my final research report and think about what comes next for the eels and me.

When my stomach growls at me, I sigh. Secretly hoping Tarik was going to show up to eat dinner with me, I dig out my pre-made chicken and rice meal packet and set up my camp stove to heat it up. Mmm, smells like over-processed curry. Again.

There’s lingering light, but the stars are coming out one by one. I smile up at them, thinking of Tarik calling me the star he sees. Gods, it was so cheesy, but so perfect. Part of me wants to stomp up the hill and demand him to talk to me, touch me, anything!

But I promised him when I got here that I wouldn’t bother him. Wouldn’t invade his space, wouldn’t leave a trace of me behind. So, with a heavy heart, I curl up in my tiny tent and try to sleep on the uneven ground that still smells of mud through the tent.

I’m still awake, like a depressed soggy rag feeling sorry for myself, when I hear a twig crack.

Again. It’s probably just a fox or a raccoon.

But then I hear thumping and grunting outside my tent.

Are there bears on this island? I didn’t remember running across any information like that when I was preparing.

Wolves. I read something about wolves. Shit.

But they live in the mountains, right? They wouldn’t be here.

Except with all that rain; maybe they came down?

I try not to move. Try not to breathe. My ears listen for any sound.

I try to come up with a plan if they attack the tent.

I’ll never make it up the hill to Tarik.

My only chance will be to swim to the boat.

Do wolves swim?

Another grunt. The zipper on my tent unzips. Are wolves that smart? Without thinking, I leap at the wolf, screaming my warrior cry at the top of my lungs, fists flying, trying to pound any part of the animal to scare it off.

Instead of falling onto a large, furry wolf and feeling teeth and claws, I leap straight at a boulder. A very hot, not furry boulder. “Oof,” the rock says.

I’d say something (probably what the actual fuck,) but I’ve knocked the breath out of me. Or, the boulder blocking me inside my tent knocked the air out of me.

“Are you having a bad dream?” Tarik asks in his gruff way while I’m sitting in a heap, trying to gulp in air .

Shaking my head no, even though it’s now pitch black, I huff, “Thought…wolf…run.” Hand on my heart, I fall back onto the ground. This is too much. Why is he here? Now? My adrenaline flips a switch from flight or fight to angry fight, and I’m up, and I’m mad.

“Move,” I say, trying out my growliest voice as I shove against him, hoping to topple him over.

He doesn’t budge. Of course he doesn’t budge; he’s a giant ass orc.

“I need to go outside. Please move.” I use ‘please,’ but there is nothing pleading about my tone.

I’m a yellow jacket ready to sting his ass.

He moves out of my way, standing tall, still half naked, the moon glinting off his hard muscles, making his green skin look soft and magical in the night. I refuse to think of how handsome he is, how good his hard muscles feel under my hands, even as I’m trying to push him out of the way.

Huffing like an angry boar, I push out of the tent, not caring that I’ve yanked the tent pole out of the ground and collapsed the tent. “What are you doing?” The words burst out of me, higher pitched than I would have liked. Hands on my hips, I wait for an answer.

Tarik has the audacity to look confused.

I keep waiting. He keeps looking at me. Silent and still, like a god come to life remade into stone.

“I didn’t mean to scare you. You really thought I was a wolf? I imagine I’m more bear-sized, at least.”

“I thought bear initially, but then remembered reading about wolves on the island. Not bears. Wait! That’s not what we’re talking about. Your size comparison—body or cock. We’re talking about why you show up at night! After ghosting me today.”

“You’re comparing my cock size to other animals?” I can just hear a smile in his tone.

“I’m not discussing your cock right now.”

“Maybe later?”

“You’re all the same. Men want to be worshipped for their cocks and ignore the pressing topics.

Which right now is, why didn’t you come down this afternoon?

Or evening? When I was still awake?” My voice rises to yell at him again.

I try to take a calming breath to bring my heart-rate down, but it’s near impossible.

How on Earth did I fall for a reclusive, stoic orc who doesn’t understand the basics of not freaking out women who are alone in the wilderness at night?

“You weren’t asleep.”

“What?”

“I could hear your breathing; you weren’t asleep yet. In your tent, yes. But very much awake and agitated. ”

“I was agitated because of you! You went back to your cabin and forgot about me. Then you showed up and scared me.”

“I didn’t mean to scare you. And I could never forget you.

Poros and I moved your gear down. It took me ages to get rid of him.

I—I made you dinner and waited. But you didn’t show up.

Figured you wanted to be alone and enjoy the last night of your trip.

After sunset, I got worried and needed to make sure you were okay. ”

“You got worried?” The words come out angry still, but they give me pause.

The little spark of hope in my chest that says, yes, he does care for you erupts into a tiny flame again.

“I didn’t go up the hill because you weren’t here when I came back after getting my samples, I didn’t know what to think.

I mean, I know you’re busy, but I got twisted in my head and assumed you needed space.

It doesn’t help that I have to leave tomorrow.

Go back to finish my research and my program. ”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you. I want you in my space. And I was not here because I was making dinner for us.”

My stupid stomach growls again. How many times has that happened in the past forty-eight hours? Geez. Talk about not sexy. “Sorry you wasted your time. I had a delicious chicken and rice curry.”

“You lie,” he says in his rumbling way, but I can hear the faintest chuckle under his breath .

“Possibly,” I say, allowing a smile to emerge.

Tarik steps closer to me and holds out a hand. “I know you have to leave tomorrow. But we have tonight to be together.” I take it, and he leads me back up to his cozy cabin.