Page 13 of The Orc’s Sweetheart (Creatures & Cottages)

Chapter 13

Bodin

M y old cottage feels completely different with Tilly’s feminine touch present in all the new details that I’m learning are quintessentially her. I don’t know how she managed to accomplish it in a week, but there are colorful blankets draped over the couches, pillows everywhere, and a general warmth in the cottage that was noticeably absent when I lived here.

Taking a mental step back to understand Tilly’s motivations for the changes to the cottage has really altered the way I view her. Whereas before I might have jumped to conclusions or felt offended that she didn’t appreciate me leaving dishes behind, now I know what the ones she brought here mean to her. Not only do they suit her “aesthetic” better—as Tilly likes to call it—but they hold an emotional significance.

Tilly is a lot more complex than I initially thought, and I am looking forward to really learning who she is at her core, as well as showing her who I am when I’m not needlessly rude to her.

“The cottage looks really nice with all the changes you’ve made,” I remark to Tilly as I unscrew the hinges from a cupboard door.

Tilly glances around the kitchen and into the living room and smiles with real appreciation. “Thanks. It was always beautiful, but it’s really starting to feel like home.”

I mentally fist pump the air that she’s considering it home, but keep my facial expressions neutral. I try to, anyway, but my lips curve upward regardless.

Attempting to stop hope from creeping into my tone, I ask, “Do you see yourself living here long term?”

Tilly stares out the kitchen window, toward the undulating hills, and sighs. “I hope so.” I can’t detect the exact emotion in the sigh, but I almost want to call it “dreamy.”

Creatures tend to fall in love with the island once they’re here, so it’s basically only a matter of time for Tilly to totally lose her heart to Starry Hill—and me. Fingers crossed.

Now I only have to figure out how to make it happen for Tilly sooner rather than later.

I lay down the unscrewed door on the floor and start removing the one right next to Tilly where she’s sitting on the counter, and I suddenly feel grateful for the small yet cozy kitchen. Being so close to her is giving me an opportunity to read all her minor cues and maybe even find excuses to touch her. So far she’s responded very well to my flirting and I’ve gotten close to kissing her more than once.

Kissing Tilly is all I’ve been thinking about since I held her in my arms for the first time. I destroyed my bed sheets last night with the thousand different images of our mouths finally meeting and devouring each other. Of my hands molding her body, of my lips tracing each curve, of my cock wrapped in her silky heat. My fist was a damn poor replacement for how exquisite I imagined her to be.

When I do finally kiss Tilly for real, I want to do it right. I want it to be memorable. I want it to be special. I want her to think about it for days to come because I know I will be. I’m only going to have one first kiss with Tilly. It has to be good.

I ignore my hardening cock and aim for more small talk, since it might be inappropriate this early in our relationship to ask her if she’d settle down with someone not human. “Do you miss fast internet and food delivery yet?”

Tilly’s shoulders roll forward and she crosses her arms over her chest.

No, no, no, Bodin. You’ve gone and fucked up again. Why did that sound like an accusation? You’re trying to woo her, not sound like you’re judging her.

Tilly studies her bandaged ankle. “Since you’ve been complimenting my home and being particularly nice today, I’m going to assume you don’t mean that question in a ‘get off my island and go somewhere with fast internet and food delivery’ way. ”

I quickly tighten the hinge on the door again, needing to fix things with Tilly more than anything else. “That wasn’t my intention,” I say hastily. “I’m only trying to get to know you. I don’t know why it is, but my brain turns to fucking fuzz when I’m around you and I keep saying stupid stuff. I’m sorry.”

Tilly shrugs like it’s no big deal. “It’s okay.”

I put down my tools and move to stand between Tilly’s legs. Cradling her hands in mine, I bend down until she meets my eyes. “It’s not okay. I am so incredibly sorry. Hurting you is the last thing I want to do.”

“Yeah?” Tilly asks in a small voice. My heart nearly cracks in two at the vulnerability in her eyes.

Fix it, fix it, fix it , I scream at myself.

Needing to explain some of the bad wiring in my brain, I say, “Yeah. I can admit that I have some prejudice against city creatures and I may have been irrationally short with you in the beginning—I just always assume the worst, especially with creatures from Cape Easton. That is not a you problem, that is a me problem. I’m actively working on showing you the real me because I was so wrong about you. You’re…”

Tilly raises her eyebrows expectantly. “I’m?”

“Smart. Funny. Caring. Kind. And also so fucking beautiful that I just want to stare at you all day.” Adding under my breath, “And all night.”

Tilly’s face transforms into a pleased expression. Letting go of my hands, she runs her palms up my shirt and rests them on my chest. “You’re not so bad yourself. When you’re not being mean to me, of course.”

“I never want to be mean to you again,” I confess, squeezing her thighs in emphasis. “Please call me out if I ever say anything that makes you feel less than the treasure you are.”

Tilly’s hands cup my jaw and she weaves her fingers into my trimmed beard. “You know what the funny thing is? I’m not particularly fond of Cape Easton either. I chose to live in the city because I thought that’s where I could be the most effective with my degree. The hospital was wild and it absolutely drained me, but I wanted to be somewhere where I could make a difference. When the position opened up in Starry Hill, I didn’t hesitate to take it, hoping to be equally as effective here but without that suffocating pressure.”

Rubbing my hands up and down Tilly’s thighs, I say, “I’ve never been so happy to be so wrong about anyone before. I truly am sorry.”

Tilly’s voice drops to a breathy whisper and she pulls me closer. “You’re very good at apologizing.”

Staring at her lips, I can’t help but lean forward and match her whisper. “If you keep looking at me like that then I’m going to have to kiss you.”

Tilly’s eyes briefly flick up from my lips to my eyes, and one of her hands moves to the nape of my neck. “Looking at you like how?”

One hand still on her thigh, I cup Tilly’s face with the other, placing my thumb under her chin to tilt her mouth up to me. “Like you wonder what my lips taste like.”

“I’m wondering what all of you tastes like,” Tilly confesses unabashedly .

“Good,” I say, moving closer until I’m a mere breath away, my heart thumping like it’s trying to crawl out of my chest and into Tilly’s. “Because I’m wondering the same thing about you.”

My lips meet Tilly’s with a soft touch—once, twice. On the third pass, Tilly parts her lips, and I take the kiss deeper. The moment her tongue brushes against mine, I’m done for.

I pull Tilly into me, my hand digging into her waist the way it’s always wanted to, and the other weaving into her hair. The feeling of her hands roaming over me has my cock so hard it’s almost painful.

Tilly’s whimpers have me dangling on the edge of a razor as our tongues twine, demanding more, more, more. My body vibrates with the urge to rip her pants off and take her right here, but I need to remember that I’m playing a long game.

I’m playing for keeps.

Tilly tries to take control of the kiss, but I hold her still, tilting her head just where I want her, careful that she doesn’t injure herself on my tusks.

Our kiss stretches on and on—saying more than we’ve been able to say with words—getting hungrier and hungrier with each second that goes by. Precum leaks from my tip and the scent of Tilly’s arousal infiltrates my senses.

Just when I’m about to carry her off to the bedroom, Tilly hooks a leg around my lower back. The move acts as a reset button for my brain, because my priority today is taking care of Tilly and us really getting to know each other.

I start slowing the kiss down, letting our tongues turn to languid strokes before I tilt her head to the side to press open-mouthed kisses from her neck to her shoulder. I scrape one tusk against the delicate skin on my way up, and enjoy the way she looks marked up by me.

Speaking in a horse whisper against her lips, I say, “One day, I want to paint your body with streaks like this. Your whole body, everywhere, carrying my marks.”

“Why wait?” Tilly asks with the most sultry voice, and chases the words with another kiss.

I almost forget why we stopped kissing in the first place, but as Tilly draws me closer with her legs again, I pull away and rest my forehead against hers. “Your ankle. You’re not getting hurt on my watch again.”

“My ankle’s okay. Trust me, I’m a nurse. There’s another part of me that’s aching, though.” Tilly emphasizes her words with a tilt of her hips so her cunt is rubbing against me. I deserve the biggest award for not thrusting back in reply, despite my cock’s best efforts to break free of my pants.

“Oh, I know,” I say with a pained chuckle. “My cock is pleading with me to slide into this sweet cunt of yours just as much as your cunt is begging for me to do it. But, you’re injured, and your kitchen is only half done.”

Tilly presses her lips into the most adorable pout. “It’s not like I need my ankle with what I want to do with you.”

I move my mouth next to her ear and whisper, “When I get you naked, every part of your body is mine.” I make sure to enunciate carefully when I repeat, “Every part.”

Tilly’s breath hitches and she swallows hard. “I want that. I want you.”

My lips tip into a wry grin as she looks at me with a hooded gaze. “Not nearly as much as I want you, sweetheart. But tell me, Nurse Tilly,” I say, tilting her head back so I can drag a tusk up the other side of her neck. “What did that fancy medical degree of yours teach you about orc cocks?”

“They have a short refractory period,” Tilly whimpers.

“You can do better than that, Matilda,” I scold lightly. “What do orc cocks look like?”

She sucks in a sharp breath as my lips dip down and nibble along her collarbone, and her hands shoot into my hair.

“They’re ribbed,” Tilly says with staccato breaths.

My voice drops into a lower register and I make sure to look her directly in the eyes when I ask, “Did they teach you about orc cum?”

Tilly’s pupils dilate until there’s only a thin ring of brown visible. “Yes.”

“And?” I prompt.

Licking her lips, she studies my face for a second before she answers, “There’s a lot of it.”

“Good. I can’t wait to see you covered in my cum, after I’ve wrung every drop of pleasure from your body.” I punctuate the words with light kisses on the exposed skin of her neck and shoulders, and Tilly trembles underneath my touch.

“So do it,” Tilly challenges, and lifts my face so I can see the determined set of her jaw.

“Not today, sweetheart,” I say, and press my lips to hers, hoping she takes it as the apology it is. “Today I’m not a cottage caretaker, I’m a Matilda caretaker. I’m fixing your shelves, cooking you lunch, and making sure you rest that ankle. And if you let me, steal as many kisses as I can in between. ”

Tilly nods in acquiescence and traces my lips with the tip of her index finger. “There won’t be anything stolen about it. You’ll find that I’m very generous when it comes to you. But if you change your mind about…”

Pressing one final kiss to the side of her head, I scent her flowery smell, then reluctantly step away from the embrace of her thighs to continue work.

I have so much to make up for, so much I want to do for her, and today is just the start.