I believe him.
I sift through the contents of his trunk, finding the items I need to clean and bandage his wound. Orc bandages are thin strips of rawhide that are stiffer than cotton bandages. In New Earth, we use synthetic bandages made from cloth we brought from Earth that we can clean, sterilize, and reuse. Much of our cultures are similar, but different, with no one way being right.
“There,” I say as I tie the ends of the bandage. “I hope it’s not too tight.”
“It is perfect, female,” he says as he backs away from me. As ifhefearsme.
He shuts the door and peels back the top layer of furs and waits.
“I’m not sleeping with you.”
“I will not touch you.”
Yeah, well, I’m not that trusting. Though the piles of furs on his bed—a real bed too, not a pallet three inches off the ground—call to me. Despite hating that the orcs kidnapped me and the others, I must admit their furs are the best blankets on the planet. Silky, soft, and warm.
My eyes drift to Verig again, along his strong jaw line, down the thickly corded neck, over his sculpted chest, to those massive thighs and the rather…um…large…loincloth between them. I wonder how silky and warm he is.
Not soft though. He’s definitely not soft. Not given how that leather cloth stretches tightly across his…man parts.
“I would go slowly with you. Since you are so tiny.”
I realize I’m staring at his crotch. My head whips up. He’s not grinning or laughing at me in the least, even though he caught me staring. He’s deadly serious about what he said, as if he needs me to believe him.
The thing is, I do.
He would go slowly, I’m rather sure of it, if nothing more because he said as much. I don’t want slow. Not with him. Fuck, he’s a temptation I’d like to give in to but can’t.
All males have needs. His words from earlier return.
Females have needs, too. “I’ll take the floor.”
CHAPTER NINE
TANSEY
“Isn’t the floor cold?” Verig innocently asks from atop his bed, covered in furs. He damn well knows it’s cold down here.
“I like the cold.” I roll onto my side, placing my back to him so he doesn’t see my lips turning blue. I’ll say one thing, for the middle of Kovos’ hot season, it sure is cool beneath the mountain. I’m afraid to find out how cold it will get in the winter. I don’t plan to still be here.
“There is room enough up here. You are a small female, after all.”
“That’s twice you’ve called me small. I’m not small. It’s just that you’re huge. And I’m fine on the floor. Lots of space to stretch out.”
“I will not touch you, if that is your concern.”
“My concern is that I’ll never fall asleep because someone keeps talking. Now, stop talking and go to sleep.”
“Are all human females this bossy?”
“No. Just me.”
“I am fortunate then.”
Is that orc sarcasm? Fuck, I wish I knew. This orc confuses the hell out of me. Every time he opens his mouth, it’s either to tempt me or challenge me. I should ignore him, walk away emotionally, but the guy continues drawing me in. Maybe because he’s the opposite of everything I’ve been exposed to. Nash, the prison guards…Baloq.
Verig isn’t trying to get anything from me. Strike that. He is, he’s just going about it differently. But I don’t fear him. That makes me smile. And relax. My eyes close and I start drifting off to sleep, despite having no blanket or even a pallet beneath me, like in the women’s quarters.
“What is that noise?” Verig asks a minute or so later.
