Page 15 of One Night with Her Untamed Orc (Toothsome Monster Romance #6)

Tarik

“H ey, Tarik!” The shout pulls me out of my thoughts. Sweaty, heaving to catch a breath, I set down the axe and turn to growl at whoever interrupted me. This oak tree was struck by lightning in the storm. Today seemed like the perfect day to take out my emotions.

I’m not angry. I’m not sad. But I am feeling a lot of feelings, and I hate that. My life is deliberately simple. Devoid of unnecessary interactions with people. And therefore, devoid of drama, such as helping my fated mate pack up her camp into her little boat and then drive away.

With each swing of the axe, I think about the sweetness of hearing her say my name as she came.

The pleasure of hearing her laugh. The softness of her breath against my body.

I want to love and cherish her, protect her and keep her safe.

But she’s got big plans—researching eels in the Sargasso Sea, wherever that is—and I don’t know how to fit into those plans.

“What?” I say, stopping mid-growl when I realize it’s Poros. He is unfazed by me.

“Do you want help with that before we work on my fall planting list?” I forgot he was coming back today.

It seemed like a good idea; a good distraction from Emma leaving.

But now that I’m in the middle of feeling all these…

things, I don’t want to stop. When I go back to chopping the now downed trunk in half, Poros approaches closer.

I pause long enough to note his hands on his hips, a contemplative look on his face.

“Lucky for you, I found out she’s going to give a presentation on her eel findings in two weeks. She sounded excited and also flustered to get all her data together in time. Apparently there’s some sort of budget crisis and she’s trying not to get her funding cut.”

I freeze, then step up and over the log, axe in hand, and down into his space. “When did you speak with her?”

“I saw her in town on my way here. Your lunch from Moonlit Grounds is inside, by the way. Ravena said she made it special with you in mind, whatever that means. But yeah, I figure you can see her in two weeks. That’s not too far away.”

I should give pause to his words. Thank him for thinking of me, for looking out for me. Instead, I say, “Probably not. Too much to do.” And with that idiotic, prideful, shoot-myself-in-the-foot statement, I walk away, into the forest, to look for something to destroy in peace.

It’s several days later when I’m organizing my next farm delivery that I see the piece of paper with purple ink. I don’t own a purple pen. When I see Emma’s name signed at the bottom, my heart comes alive in a panic of thumping rabbits, trying to pound its way out of my chest. How did I miss this?

Tarik,

Words aren’t enough to express how grateful I am that you allowed me to stay on your land. I’m excited to make strides in understanding the Lunar Crest Eel.

Emma

The note smells like her. I catch my reflection in the window, inhaling the note as if her mere scent could bring her back to me.

Crumpling the note, I toss it into the wastebasket.

I let her go. Back to her damned eels; I don’t have time for sentimentality.

The Harvest Festival is coming up; I need to get transport for my giant pumpkins arranged.

Remembering her, our time together, the way she felt in my arms, the way her breath sounded in my ear—does me no good.

We’re different people. She needs someone who can appreciate her mind and her love of the damned sea.

Not someone afraid of baby crabs and grossed out by what might be under the water.