Page 46 of That’s My Orc, Tusk Off

“Yeah. It’s not a big deal, I just⁠—”

“These are better than the bakery ones. You made these for me?”

“Yes.”

He finished the first cookie and took a careful bite of a second one, his gaze never leaving mine. “You went home after you kissed me, and you baked. For me.”

My face went hot. “I, well, yes.”

My throat felt too tight. “I couldn’t sleep.”

“So you thought about me.” His jaw shifted. “All night.”

“I—yes.”

He picked up the cookie again, taking another bite without breaking eye contact. I watched his throat work as he swallowed.

A yellow-and-pink blur shot through the gap where I’d left the door cracked.

“No. Nix,” Traig said, his shoulders falling.

Nix chittered, already building speed as he raced around the perimeter of the room.

We both scrambled out of our chairs and lunged for him.

The fizzling discharged between us, the crack sharp enough to make every hair on my body stand on end.

I stumbled backward, Traig catching my arm to keep me from falling.

We froze, staring at each other.

Nix chirped from near the filing cabinet.

We didn’t move.

“Earlier this morning, I reinforced the enclosure again,” Traig said, his voice one big rasp.

“I’m sure he appreciated the challenge.”

His mouth twitched. “He’s persistent.”

“So are you.”

His fingers slid across my wrist as he released me and turned toward Nix. Sighing, he went to retrieve the creature.

I sat down before my legs could give out and pretended to review my notes while my entire arm tingled from where he’d touched me.

By the time he’d returned Nix to the enclosure and came back to the conference room, I’d almost managed to create a professional expression.

He settled across from me, picked up his half-eaten cookie, stuffed the entire thing in his mouth, and pulled his tablet closer.

“We should finalize the creature selection,” he said.

“Right. Yes. Creatures.”

We worked, and for whatever reason, it didn’t feel awkward. He’d suggest something based on behavioral patterns, I’d push back on kid-friendliness, and we’d land somewhere better than either starting point.

He ate another cookie while explaining why the clatterwings needed to be second, not third in the rotation.