Page 55 of When the Merchant Met the Orc
“Fully.”
His hands close around my upper arms. He’s frightening in all the best ways. “You want me to claim you. You want to be my mate.”
I can’t believe I ever thought shoving this orc out of my life was the best choice. It seems insane now.
“Yes, Halvard. I want you to chase me, bed me, and claim me as yours.”
A wicked but somehow still sweet grin passes over his lips, and his eyes sparkle.
“Then run, my lovely lady, and know I will claim you firmly on this forest floor before the night is over.”
My knees wobble, and I fight to breathe normally. I am completely melting for this orc.
With a deep breath, I push away from the oak and sprint into the dark woods. There’s a growl behind me. The snap and crack of something big chasing me has my blood racing.
It’s thrilling.
I jump over a large tree root and barely dodge a low-hanging limb. A dip in the earth catches the toe of my boot, and I slap a hand on a small maple to keep from falling before heading off again. A snarl sounds behind me. He’s close. He must be running at half the speed he’s capable of because he could overtake me easily. I guess it’s all part of the ritual. I wish now that I’d listened to Aila about orc mating habits. A thousand questions buzz in my head, but I attempt to stop worrying and enjoy the thrill of the chase. Halvard will take care of me in every way. I know that.
Running as quickly as I can in a forest lit only by starlight, I veer around a mossy boulder. I dash through a cluster of chest-high ferns. There’s a puddle ahead, possibly from a spring. I bend my legs, ready to jump. The second I leap, arms wrap around my middle and pull me back.
I gasp, and Halvard growls low in his chest. The vibration echoes from his chest through my back, and my body simmers, my heart pounding.
He spins me around, and we are on the mossy ground in one quick but graceful maneuver. I set my hands on his shoulders, and he growls again, surveying my face, my chest, and then all the way to the toes of my muddy boots. I’ve lost my crystal crown somewhere along the way, but I still feel royal with the way he looks at me. His gaze is sharp, irises glowing and slitted. He is very much a creature of the forest now, every line and angle of him made for overpowering an opponent and claiming a mate. I’m light-headed and my heart hammers even harder against my ribs. Halvard cups my jaw, and he kisses me roughly, taking what little breath I had. Pleasure surges upward through mybody like he is casting a love spell. I’ve never once felt like this, completely swept away, lost to my desire.
He sets his tusks against my throat and presses them into my skin. It’s such a feral act that I should be frightened, but the almost-bite only fans the fire in me.
Leaning away, he studies the corset ties on the front of my dress.
“Do whatever you want,” I whisper, shocked at myself, but meaning it wholeheartedly just the same.
Halvard tears his tunic at the front and tosses the ruined garb to the side. He grabs my laces and rips the corset off in one wild motion. His lip curls as he snarls, and then he tugs the shoulder of my dress down so far that I’m exposed to his hungry gaze. My breasts peak in the autumn air. His body is scarred from past battles, his flesh hard from years of training. He covers one nipple with his mouth, and I let out a moan. His tongue swirls and sucks as he rubs his cock over my skirts. With a frustrated grunt, he pulls my skirts up. Rising onto his knees, he releases himself, and I marvel at how large and well-built he is. At the ridges along his cock and the deep leaf green of his skin. He has to be the most handsome monster ever born. Potent, male, and at ease with brazenly showing off his form.
Hand slipping between my legs, he nibbles and kisses his way over my chest and over my earlobe. His fingers find my heat and stroke insistently. He’s less gentle with his kneading and stroking in this form, but I had guessed he would be this way, and I love every moment of it. My body throbs, and I feel self-conscious about how wet I am for him.
With a purring sort of growl, Halvard sets the head of his erection against me and pushes slowly. I bite my lip and curl my fingers into his shoulders. I want more. More. He enters me with one rough push, and I call out. Freezing, he locks his gaze on me.
“Yes, Halvard. Keep going, please.” I want to say something more meaningful, but I can’t find the words.
He takes my wrists and pins my hands above my head. The silken pressure of him against me makes it impossible to take a full breath. His eyes focus on my face, and his hips drive forward, once, twice, and then faster and harder. His tusks and his pierced lip reflect the starlight streaming through the trees, and his male scent is strong enough that even I, a human, can scent it. Every flex and pulse of his cock has me almost coming undone already. The unending rocking and the fact that his ridged length is sheathed to the hilt has my insides clenching and fluttering. Pleasure courses through me like the stars have fallen and lit me up with sensation. The most exhilarating heat pours over me, from head to toe. Halvard’s cock jerks deep within me, and he growls loud enough to wake the world. My release rushes wildly from me, and I can’t help but mumble incoherently until I’m limp in his arms. I begin to ease my legs down, but he snags my thigh.
“Mate, you will take more of me. I know you want it.”
A thrill of joy shoots through my blood at the wordMate. I swallow and start to protest, but he’s right. I do.
Chapter 30
Halvard
Idraw my mate into my arms and sit on a flat-topped boulder. Settling her on my lap, I adjust the position so my cock is outside of her, but still pressing against her center. The monster in me is quieted somewhat, so my head is clearer now. Cupping her full and glorious arse, I growl quietly in the low tone of claiming, and I lift her and ease her onto my length. Inch by inch, I lower her. The friction of my ridges against the silken heat of her has my balls clenching and beads of perspiration pearling along my skin. I lick her nipple in one languorous sweep of my tongue and watch her gasp. Her head is thrown back, and I delight in the smooth column of her throat. I want to drive into her hard, but I force my monster to keep calm.
The sensation of her wet, tight heat as I move deeper and deeper inside, slow inch by slow inch, blocks out all other thoughts and feelings. My body coils around her protectively. She presses down, and my cock throbs with the need to release. I grunt and shut my eyes against her beauty so I can hang on for another moment. Going still, she nibbles at my jawline with small bites and flicks of her tongue. My hands are shaking, and I’m not sure I can last, not with her sweet arse in my grip and her hot little tongue on the curve of my ear. I rise, and she digs herfingers into my shoulders, gasping again. I push again and again, lifting us even as she bares down. Her body shivers around my cock, and then she is riding me quick and hard.
“Halvard…”
I thrust upward, going even deeper, and then she is shuddering over me, her climax bringing mine along with it. I spill into her, driving myself into her body as she arches her back. Her arse slaps against my thighs, and her breasts bounce as we finish as one. I am dizzy, and I hold her tightly against my chest, my head on hers.
“My mate. My Rychell. You are a goddess.”