Chapter 4

Blade

So she was stubborn. That was an outstanding trait for an orc’s mate; I liked it. Even if it meant my cock ached from desire, a special kind of torture when pressed against her soft rear. The portal stones I knew of weren’t far, only a day’s journey on my bike, and I was going to enjoy every minute of it. First, though, I wanted to take sexy Hannah somewhere fun, and I knew just the place.

She was hiding things from me, and it was now my mission to pull the truth from her sexy lips. I needed to convince her that I was her orc, her man, because I knew that returning from where she came was impossible, and mating was the only thing that would keep her from prison. I’d be damned if I let another male steal a prize like her.

Her dark brown hair was slowly straightening as it dried and I was curious to see what it would look like after I’d brushed it. Would she let me? I wondered what kind of privileges I could seduce out of her once she was warm and fed. So the stream, for fun and for catching our meal, and then I would take her to a hideout along our route so I could take care of the warm part. Even in her thick coat, she did not seem suited for the cool temperatures of the woods.

“We’re almost there,” I said against the curious, round curve of her pink ear shell. She shivered, her back leaning into me, and I tucked her closer, hunching my shoulders around her to shield her from the whipping winds.

“At the portal? Or stones? Whatever they are...” she asked hopefully, and I shook my head and winced when that made her expression fall. I hadn’t meant to mislead her, but she gave me a very suspicious and distrustful look that pierced my heart. Ah, damn, I didn’t want her to look at me like that. I wanted that other expression back, the one right after I’d kissed her and she’d looked all dazed and tousled.

“The stream, for food and water. Just a quick rest stop along the way,” I explained as I steered the hoverbike around the trunk of a big tree. The stream came into view then, a beautiful purple-hued streak of water with a fine opalescent mist rising above it. Hannah gasped at the sight, clutching a hand over her mouth to contain her delight. I wished she wouldn’t, that she’d let herself unwind, that she’d feel free to express herself.

I pushed because that’s what I did. “It’ll be perfect for bathing. The stream is fed from an underground spring. It’ll be a pleasant temperature.” My voice lowered as I turned on the seduction, “Wanna get naked with me, my beautiful wee lass?” Either that would make her laugh, bring out the fire, or she’d say yes; all those options were a win for me.

She did not disappoint, hissing with indignation and rapidly shaking her head while a blush stole over her silky skin. “You are incorrigible, Blade,” she said sharply, but then I saw the way the corner of her mouth curved up, even though she tried to hide it. I felt like I was king of the world at seeing that hint of a smile.

“So that’s a yes?” I teased and roared with laughter when she elbowed me sharply in the ribs in response. It was a simple maneuver to bring my hover bike in for a landing near the soft, sandy bank of the purple stream. I swung out of the saddle and grasped my pretty human around the waist before she could dismount on her own. She weighed far too little when I picked her up and let her slide down my body to the ground.

Her breathing stuttered, her palms landed on my pecs, and the look in her eyes turned heated. Yeah, my pretty lass didn’t know it yet, but she was going to be all mine. I’d wear down that stubborn streak with my own, and I’d unravel the secret she was keeping, the one that made her think she had to go home. My fingers flexed along her rib cage, seeking the softness of her skin, her warmth. The thick leather coat blocked most, but not all.

She was too tempting, so I gave into my primal urges and covered her mouth with mine. Sweeping her gasp away I tangled my tongue with hers. She moaned, and I felt her fingers curl against my skin, tiny bites of her blunt nails against my tough flesh. I pulled her closer, eagerly taking that kiss and conquering her with my tongue, groaning when she let me. My cock ached in my pants and I ground myself against her soft belly; I wanted her to know how much she turned me on.

“No, stop,” she mumbled, dazed and with all kinds of husky uncertainty. She didn’t want me to stop, not really, her body was inflamed for me. My mother had taught me better than to push at such moments, and no was no. With great reluctance, I raised my head and appraised her sexy, tousled look and the flushed pink of her mouth.

“Food first, huh?” I suggested when her expression went from pleasure to dismay in the next instant. I could not allow that kind of self-recrimination, so I set out to distract her as thoroughly as I could and to make her laugh as often as possible while I was at it.