Trick or Orc Page 4

  His dark eyebrows shoot up, and his smile pulls back into a cunning smirk like he knows something that he isn’t going to tell me. For being the oldest between us, his juvenile behavior rubs me raw, but I chose to ignore it. I’m an adult who has long earned repute as a powerful warrior for my clan and now am successfully following my dreams. I’m not a youngling to cave to his silent goading.

  “Very well, brother,” he agrees easily with an all too satisfied hum.

  Naturally, now I crave to know what he’s holding back, but I bite my tongue and refuse to indulge his foolishness any further.

  As the first customers trickle in, I give one last reluctant look at Kassie before ducking back through the doors into the kitchen. There is much still to do before the breakfast rush begins, so I busy myself with making more of the treats our customers enjoy. Eventually, Kassie steps into the kitchen, her pace hurried as she begins to set up her space for cooking. We exchange a few pleasantries as we work, but I can tell that her mind really isn’t engaged with talking as Lynn steps into the back when orders start coming in.

  The morning rush is upon us, and as always it gets my blood humming with excitement like any warrior on the eve of battle. I slash my dough knife through dough, cutting it properly, whisk batter as if I’m beating back an invisible foe to get it just the right consistency. I throw myself into my work with the sort of single-minded focus that most of my kind take to the battlefield, pleasure running through me with every task and every successful treat and bread I pull out from the oven.

  Sometimes I feel the touch of eyes upon me, but when I glance over in the direction of the females, they are always occupied over their work, rushing back and forth from the front end and the kitchen side. Only one time did I catch her glancing over at me, and immediately her face turned pink and she looked away again. My own gut clenches, interest settling into my loins, and I find myself longing for another glance and another throughout the morning and early hours of the afternoon. That one interaction aside, we work in an easy, companionable fashion that I hadn’t believed that I would experience outside of working with my brother’s mate.

  Lynn is safe, and she is knowledgeable about many aspects of this business. More importantly, she doesn’t tempt my desires as Kassie does, so it is natural that I feel comfortable working with her. I am surprised then to discover that I am slipping into the same comfortable zone as we work on our own sides of the kitchen. I even find that I miss her whenever she goes out front, making coffees for the customers piling in. It is a strange position I find myself in, and it makes me want her even more.

  In the end, the day passes all too soon. Once the last stragglers from the midday rush leave, we quickly clean the kitchen, counters, and displays before piling outside so Lynn can latch the lock enchanted to open only to either myself or her. She takes a moment to press Kassie’s thumb against the smooth metal, and a loud double click fills the air as the spell identifies her. The human watches the entire process with wide, curious eyes, and I have to remind myself just how new much of this magic is to her and the humans who come from Ov’Ge. It is also a reminder of just how different, and potentially dangerous, our world is for humans.

  I loom over the humans, my protective instincts roused. I know that Bodi will be coming up the street any minute to collect his mate, but my muscles tighten with a need to scoop Kassie up into my arms and haul her back to my cottage where I can keep her safely denned with me. Instinct doesn’t know any better, and if it did, it wouldn’t care. Everything within me demands that I keep her at my side.

  The female of my affections looks up at me, drawing her coat around her snugly, her expression quizzical. Even Lynn gives me an exasperated look and chuckles.

  “I never known you to hang around while I lock up. You have to be exhausted. We’ve got this,” she assures me.

  What she says is true, but I don’t feel exhausted. I feel a needy rush of energy sparking through me, making my muscles tense as if they are readying for something. I somehow manage to force the words out of my mouth, to my relief.

  “I’m remaining to walk Kassie home,” I rumble, but Lynn waves it off.

  “Not necessary. Elga is watching Kassie’s youngest child. Bodi and I already planned on walking her back since he has a delivery he’s making for her.”

  My mouth tightens at the refusal, and something dangerous rises from the back of my mind. Something that seethes that there is an obstacle between me and my desired mate. It is that part of myself that suggests it is all too easy to kill any human male mated to Kassie and take her for myself. It is not a pleasant part of me. It is one born out of that same unfeeling instinct and one that I have considerable practice at ignoring, even if it seems more insistent presently.

  “I will come as well and give our mother my greetings,” I find myself saying instead, and horror fills me on the parting of those words.

  I’m never going to be able to hide anything from her.

  Sure enough, when we arrive my mother’s sharp gaze immediately narrows suspiciously as she allows us entry.

  “Both of my sons visiting me today of all days. How interesting,” she observes.

  Bodi’s grin is wide and unapologetic as usual as he strides inside, the bags weighing down one side of his body going practically unnoticed. It seems that there was a new shipment of fabrics and other supplies from Ov’Ge that mother decided she needed. Though perhaps some of it is for Erra, or Orgul. Or maybe one of their brood. Mother took over the ordering for the household many years ago when she and our father moved in when his health began to fail, leaving the orchard to Bodi’s care.

  “I cannot let Bodi be here alone. Who knows what lies he will tell? We both know he enjoys speaking nonsense without anyone to represent my defense,” I jest as I let the females proceed me.

  I then follow them in, my head dipping low to press my forehead affectionately against hers. I see a glimmer of affection and amusement in her eyes as she swats me off, a smile pulling at her lips.

  “Go on with you! It’s not like I’m not speaking to Ferli myself and know very well when he lies. Just like I know when he is spinning tales about you,” she says with a snort of amusement. “Regardless, this works out well. I wanted to speak with you anyway.”

  My eyes follow my female to the corner of the room, my heart stuttering as I watch her bend over and pluck a tiny youngling up in her arms. No wonder she is far less round than she appeared last I saw her. Her youngling couldn’t be more than a year old, judging by his size. Less if he were an orc, but I am guessing that to be approximate for a human. His round cheeks are flushed with sleep, and he holds a familiar stuffed orc clasped to his chest that I took everywhere with me when I was very young. Brown curls flop in his eyes, and blue eyes peer over at me curiously. My heart melts, and I’m filled with the desire to cradle his tiny body against my chest.

  “About what?” I ask, distracted.

  My mother’s meaty finger pokes into my side, startling me enough that my gaze whips over to her.

  She smirks unrepentantly. “About you going to the Goblin Ball. Bodi has put a lot of care into arranging it. On Hallows Night, the goblins have a ball to meet their mates destined by fate. The humans will enjoy the magic and mystery of it… and I want to make sure my youngest and only unmated offspring attends.”

  I swallow a groan at her words.

  “I do not know,” I mutter as I mentally search for a way out of it.

  I have little trouble attracting females, not among humans or orcs. The female orcs admire my strength and prestige of my past battles, even if they are a bit confused by my current pursuits. When it comes to the humans, I notice that the admiration comes accompanied by many speculative glances at my crotch.

  I wonder if Kassie would share that interest. It is sad how much I want to see her eyes stray there and fill with lust.

  From a mated female. I must be a deviant compared to the other males in my clan.

  “Kassie, why don
’t you go?” Lynn breaks in. “Bodi and I plan on enjoying ourselves at the ball. You can come with. You really should get out and meet more of the locals.” My brother’s mate eyes me, her lips curling fiendishly. “In fact, we can make it a double date just to make it more fun. You can go with Garval.”

  Kassie blinks in surprise, and I hasten to stop whatever mad plan the female has brewing. If Kassie’s mate has not yet arrived, it makes sense that Lynn would desire a chaperone for her friend, but I am the last male in all of Ov’Gorg who should be trusted with that responsibility, not with the thoughts and feelings I have for her.

  “It is not necessary…” I begin.

  “Perfect,” my mother declares with a keen nod. “I will keep Matty, and you can bring your older younglings here while you enjoy the Goblin Ball. You are new here, and my new daughter is right. It will be good for you, and it will make sure that Garval doesn’t just lock himself away in his cottage,” she adds, giving me a knowing look.

  I glance at Kassie apologetically, because there is no controlling my mother, but to my surprise her lips twitch.

  “Sounds fun,” she replies.

  Chapter 6

  Kassie

  I’ve invited him in. I can feel him standing behind me, waiting for something. His footsteps echo as he walks around to the chair and sinks into it, his gaze piercing. My stomach clenches because I know what he wants. I want it too. We’ve both been waiting patiently for this moment since he accompanied me home.

  I lick my lips and start to undress, teasing us both by slowly stripping my clothes off before letting them fall silently to the floor at my feet. Everyone is asleep, so there’s nothing but us in this moment. The gold flecks in his eyes seem to glow brighter as his eyes roam over me, heating with desire. My ass may have rounded out from having children, my breasts no longer perky as they were in my youth, but he looks at me like he wants to devour every inch of me and I’m completely on board with that idea.

  The fire is crackling in the hearth, washing the room with a gold radiance and warmth. There is only a whisper of cool air that brushes my skin, enough to make me shiver without truly being cold. How can I be cold when he’s looking at me that way? My tongue is glued to the roof of my mouth, and I wish he would say something. But he just sits there, his enormous deep green body on display, his cock jutting up from his lap. Staring at it, I forget to breathe.

  Oh, it’s glorious. Long and nearly as thick as my wrist, the bulbous crown seeps with precum. I drop to my knees, my fingers unsuccessfully trying to circle around its base as I drag it toward my mouth. The scent is heavenly, sweet and spicy. I run my tongue along one side, tasting his essence as I moan, the flavor sending heat rippling down to my belly.

  How is it even possible for it to be this good?

  He growls, his hips shooting forward as his large hand tangles in my hair so I can’t escape, his opposite hand catching hold of my nipple to lightly twist and tug on it. I feel a momentary flash of panic, but it disappears. I don’t want to escape. I want so much more to just enjoy the pleasure he’s inflicting on me.

  I shiver and suck his cock into my mouth, bobbing my head with every pull. His fingers clench tighter in my hair, holding me close to him, his entire body vibrating as he growls. In this moment, nothing else matters, and the world falls away outside of the close, intimate connection between our bodies.

  He drags my mouth with a sucking pop, and I stare up at him, panting with longing. His dark hair lays loose over his shoulders, the golden flecks in his eyes sucking up the brown until they gleam like molten metal. His thumb caresses my lower lip, rubbing in a drop of his precum that clings there. He tugs, the sting on my scalp light from his gentle but firm hand. I brace my hands against his knees and push up to my feet. The moment I’m standing, his arm circles around me, dragging me onto his lap so I’m straddling him, his cock brushing against my sex.

  Another wave of arousal licks liquid heat through me, and I moan, rocking against him. His chuckle is dark and sensual as his large hand shift to my thighs, spreading me wider as he lifts me up. His cock flexes and twitches beneath me as he lowers me on it, the head slowly piercing me.

  His tongue strokes over my neck, his teeth nipping and the pressure of his tusks grazing my skin. He distracts me with this play as he pulls me down slowly and firmly, his prick burrowing deep as it stretches me. I gasp at the sensations playing havoc through me, my thighs quivering in the hard grip of his hands. My pussy flutters and clenches around the invading flesh, and his deep groan vibrates through me.

  With one swift movement of his hips, he drives the remaining distance, spearing deep. I cry out, my body sagging against him as an orgasm snaps through me like an electric current. I lay against his chest, gasping. He holds me there against him, my chest pressed to his until his fingers flex on my legs and he begins to rock me, dragging my bottom up with every rocking motion so that my channel slips over his cock, pulling and tugging in its glide. I’m stuffed so full with his prick that I can feel him sliding back and forth inside me, the head stroking the sensitive places within my channel, each thrust wrecking me as it sends hot fire spiraling through me.

  I cling to his shoulders, my teeth sinking into the meaty flesh there, smothering my cries against him. His fingers dig harder into my ass as he drives me up and down, riding him even as he holds me tight so that I’m not unseated as his hips thrust up below me to meet me every time that he slams my ass down.

  Tiny whimpers of pleasure escape me, and I feel him engorge within me, a jerk of the head. I can feel the orgasm spinning tighter, and I tighten around him, digging my fingers into him as I ride him more frantically, my thighs working in tandem with his brutal guidance. I throw my head back, my pussy rippling as my belly clenches…

  “Mommy?”

  Nora’s soft voice calls to me, interrupting my dream. My pussy is wet, soaking right through my sleep shorts, and my skin coated with a fine sheen of sweat, but I brush my mass of auburn hair out of my face and give her a worried look.

  “What’s wrong, baby? Nightmare?”

  She holds Ms. Bun tighter and nods solemnly. Her eyes flit around the room uncertainly, looking anywhere but me. Her cheeks are pink, but I’m not sure if it is just from sleep or some embarrassment mixed in. I blame the latter entirely on Jason because he was the one who had little patience for the kids wanting to sleep with us and made his disapproval clear.

  Scooting over, I pull the blanket back and pat the bed. Nora’s relieved smile lights up her face, and she scurries up into the bed beside me. I crane my neck briefly to make sure that Matty is still sound asleep in his crib before settling down beside her, curling my body around hers. Brushing her brown curls back, I plant a kiss on her cheek, drawing a giggle from her.

  “Sweet dreams, string bean,” I murmur as I settle deeper into the bedding, a yawn cracking my jaw.

  “Sweet dreams, Mommy,” she sighs, snuggling in against me, her breath fanning my arm on which she pillows her head.

  She falls asleep soon, but I spend a few minutes stroking her hair until a dreamless sleep claims me.

  Chapter 7

  Kassie

  I agreed to a date with an orc.

  That thought runs laps through my mind all day at work. My concentration is shot. Aside from dropping a pan on my foot and a burning myself a time or two, even running on half my cylinders I somehow manage to get food and coffee out without a hitch. Every little accident, however, attracts Garval’s hot gaze, and there’s a prickle of awareness fizzling beneath my skin. It started the moment I saw him with that adorable Halloween cupcake and has grown in intensity since.

  It doesn’t help that I woke sweaty from an incredibly hot dream in the middle of the night, my pussy slick and swollen and my body humming with need a second time just before dawn. That dream has followed me into my waking hours, and I’m revisited over and over again by the image of big hands worshipping me with the same focus that his eyes hold whenever he looks at me.
>
  Oh, gods.

  I press my thighs together and hope that the smells of the kitchen overpower whatever his nose may otherwise be able to pick up. The last thing I need him to know is that I’m lusting after him. It’s not like he’s made any other indication of feeling anything romantic or even sexual interest towards me. I don’t need the added embarrassment of being another human woman chasing orc dick. Since the veils between our worlds fell away, it’s normal for women to lust over the more humanoid occupants of Ov’Gorg. And given what happened last year with a bunch of horny women overrunning the harvest festival, it’s no secret here either. Elves, trolls and orcs tend to be the go-to for erotic fantasies, at least according to a combination of gossip and the internet.

  I always assumed that I was immune to that attraction—until last night.

  It’s easy to tell myself that it makes sense to see Garval as a compatible partner. He is sweet, and attractive. There’s also the fact that for over a year the idea could have been subconsciously nurtured by seeing how ecstatically happy my best friend is with her mate. But now things have changed, and I don’t know how to face Garval when it’s his face I’m seeing starring in my dreams, doing things to me that my ex couldn’t have done even on his best day.

  It’s that lingering awareness, the dream, and our upcoming date that are making me a mess… worse, a complete disaster. It’s that bad, and the ball is still two weeks away.

  I can’t deny that part of it is a desire to have the sort of companionship that Lynn has found with her mate, but the rest is pure physical attraction. Despite his very inhuman appearance, I have to admit that I’m very attracted to him.

  I side-eye him as I clean up my work area, noting his rugged profile as he bends over a table at his station, carefully wrapping and pricing the few goods that will be binned at the front of the store to sell at half cost. At this angle, I can admire his strong musculature, and don’t miss the way his nostrils flare, scenting the air. The tiny hairs along my arms raise when he gives a very low, and very inhuman, masculine growl that feels like something that came straight from my dreams.