Page 129 of That’s My Orc, Tusk Off

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

WILLA

He set me on the bed and stepped back, his chest rising and falling rapidly.

“I need to see you,” he said.

My hands went to the hem of my shirt. I pulled it over my head and dropped it on the floor.

His gaze tracked the movement, then returned to my face before dropping to my chest.

“Keep going,” he said.

I reached behind me and unhooked my bra. The straps slid down my arms. I let it fall away.

His breath caught. His hands stayed at his sides, but I sensed he was aching to touch.

I’d never felt more powerful than I did right then, half-naked while he looked at me like I’d given him something he’d been starving for.

“Your turn,” I said.

He pulled his shirt over his head and dropped it beside mine.

My mouth went dry.

I’d seen him shirtless before, but this was different. This was him offering himself to me the way I’d offered myself to him. His broad shoulders tapered to a defined chest and abdomen. Green skin that darkened at his collarbone and lightened along his ribs.

“Are you nervous?” I asked.

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“Because I want this to be right for you. I want you to feel what I do.”

“What do you feel?”

“Like I’ve been waiting for this my entire life.”

He climbed over me, bracing himself with his arms and legs, and kissed me slowly. Tasting. Savoring. When he pulled back, his eyes had darkened.

He settled beside me, one hand braced by my shoulder while the other slid along my collarbone.

“You’re beautiful,” he said.

“So are you.”

He huffed. “Orcs aren’t beautiful.”

“All of you is gorgeous. Your hands. The way you hold your tablet. How careful you are with the creatures. How you look at me when I’m not supposed to notice. You’re beautiful in all the ways that matter.”

A muscle ticked in his jaw. “You notice too much.”

“I learned from the best.”

He kissed me again, deeper this time, his hand sliding to my breast. His palm cupped the weight of it, his thumb brushing across my nipple.

I gasped against his mouth.