Page 34 of My Orc Has Big Tusks
I blinked. “Decision?”
“About us.”
It was all I could do to remember why we’d sat on the ground. Why we were inside Gerald’s enclosure. My mind kept focusing on Brovish braced above me. If he leaned closer, we could…
Gerald’s purr vibrated through all three of us like we were a single unit.
“Oh,” Brovish said, maybe finally realizing he was leaning over me, almost close enough to kiss or…
“Oh, is right.”
“You probably want me to get off you.”
Actually no.
I mean, yes.
I truly wasn’t sure what I wanted. I’d been attracted to him from the start, but he’d kept things professional, so I’d assumed he wasn’t interested.
“Do you have a mate?” I blurted out.
“Mate?”
“A wife? I thought orcs called wives mates.”
“Yes, mates. But…no. Not yet.”
“Ah, I see.”
If I wasn’t so aware of how much I was enjoying him lying half on top of me, I might laugh.
When Gerald head-butted Brovish’s ass, I did laugh.
He joined in, easing off me, nudging Gerald away.
I sat up and swiped the hair out of my eyes, pointing to Gerald who’d dropped down on the ground on Brovish’s otherside and laid his chin on Brovish’s thigh. “He likes you too much, don’t you think?”
Brovish stroked the creature. “There’s no too much when it comes to liking.”
We’d made it halfway back to the main building when Brovish stopped walking and turned to face me.
“You’ve really pulled your socks up this past week,” he said.
I blinked. “I’m sorry?”
“Your work. You’ve done well. Pulled your socks up.” He said it with such confidence that I couldn’t tell if he knew the phrase was wrong or if he thought that was how humans actually talked.
My mouth twitched. “Do you mean…bucked up? Or maybe stepped up?”
His brow furrowed. “Is that not the correct saying?”
“It’s close.”
“Close.” His face cratered, and he ran his fingers through his hair, messing it up. “Krem told me that one. He said humans use it when they wanted to tell someone how proud they were of their accomplishment.”
“Krem might’ve mixed up a few things.”
“He does that.” Brovish pulled out his notebook and flipped to a page near the back. I caught a glimpse of a list entitledSurface Phraseswith dozens of entries, half of them crossed out. “I’m trying to learn. I don’t want to sound like…”
