Fake Dating an Orc Cowboy (Sweet Monster Treats)

3. Rosey

Chapter 3

Rosey

“ C ould Ostor Bronish please come up to the desk? Ostor Bronish. Please come up to the desk.”

We sat in the airport lounge, waiting to board our flight to Cancun, and my heart kept ping-ponging around in my chest. I was nervous. How could I not be? I’d avoided Jacob as much as I could after he quickly ended things with me, gushing about all my sister’s amazing attributes. I’d seen him twice in the six months since, and only at a distance. With my heart still feeling crushed, I’d done all I could to stay away. I was sure my sister knew what I was doing, but she’d kindly avoided mentioning it to my face. Mom giving me endless hugs and patting my back while clicking her tongue in sympathy had been bad enough.

I kept rubbing the cute little circular floral tattoo on the underside of my right wrist I’d somehow obtained since meeting Ostor. It wasn’t there before, and when I spied it the next morning, I couldn’t imagine where it had come from. Had I somehow pressed my arm against metal with an embossed symbol? It wasn’t etched in black or dark blue or any other normal tattoo color but in what looked like pure gold. I’d heard of permanent jewelry before, but I doubted it looked like this.

I’d had only one glass of wine at the bar that night so this wasn’t the result of me blacking out and going wild.

It wouldn’t wash off, no matter how hard I scrubbed. It hadn’t faded, and I wasn’t sure what to do or think about it, but I’d made an appointment to see my doctor when I got home in case it was still there. Did skin cancer look anything like this?

“Ostor Bronish?” the voice said, louder. “ Please come to the desk.”

That brought my brain to attention. I dropped my arm, deciding to ignore the mark for now, and turned to Ostor, nudging his elbow.

“Is someone speaking to me?” Ostor asked, crooking his head back to stare at the ceiling. “Where is the melodic voice coming from?”

“Her,” I pointed to the airline counter. “She needs to speak with you.” Hopefully there wasn’t an issue with his passport or something like that.

We grabbed our carry-ons and walked up to the desk.

“Ostor Bronish?” the woman in the airline uniform with a tag identifying her as Beverly asked with a smile that engulfed him in joy and flatlined when it turned my way.

“That’s me.” He shot me a concerned look. “I’m Ostor Bronish.”

“Congratulations,” Beverly gushed, her gaze sliding down his chest encased in a snug t-shirt emblazoned with Lonesome Creek Cowboys in swirly letters on the front, made to look like a rope lassoing a fence post. “You’ve been upgraded to first class. We saw you were an orc, and we know how tight the economy seats can be and thought this might make your flight more enjoyable.”

“Oh, um, thanks?” Ostor whispered in my ear. “What does this mean?”

“You’ve been given a primo seat on the plane,” I said. Great for him. Not so great for me because we’d be separated. We’d planned to get to know each other better during the flight, though we’d texted a few times over the past few days and had some of the background stuff settled.

It was okay. We could run through the rest before we boarded and en route to the resort in the transport van.

“You’re living the high life now, buddy,” I said.

“You’ll board with Group 1.” Beverly leaned over the counter to pat his chest.

Getting touchy feely, wasn’t she? My face blazed, and my chest tightened as if someone had just slammed a heavy suitcase on top of it. I mean, he didn’t belong to me. Not really.

But sorta.

“I’m sure a big, brawny orc like you will enjoy the amenities offered in this class of service.” Beverly batted her long eyelashes at him. “Your new seat is 2A.”

“2A,” he said, his thick brow still scrunched together.

“If you’ll . . . give me your cell number, I’ll send the information to you,” she purred.

As well as her own number, no doubt. Jeez. Who tried to pick up a guy at the airport? It was clear he wasn’t standing here with his sister. I mean, I could be his wife. His fiancée. His not-pretend girlfriend.

“He won’t need anything like that.” I nudged his hand holding out his phone back down to his side. “He’s downloaded the app, and his new boarding pass will show there.”

“Oh, yes.” So much for Beverly’s smile. “Of course,” she minced out, her lips thinning. “Do you control all his actions or do you only police his phone?”

Fuck her.

My belly churned, and my pulse thundered in my ears. I bellied up to the counter with fury climbing up my throat.

Ostor took my hand, holding me back before I climbed over the counter and started ripping out her hair. “I assume Rosey has been gifted with primo as well?”

“Rosey?” Her sharp gaze fell on me. “Is she your girlfriend? I thought she was your mom.”

I was going to rearrange her nose. Sputtering, I opened my mouth to slam her but—

“I’d appreciate it if you could ensure my wife is seated beside me,” he said.

Wife?

He turned me to face him and cupped my cheeks sweetly in his big hands. “Rosey and I are going to Cancun for our moon of the honey, and I can’t wait to taste all this lovely woman has to offer.”

Moon of the honey?

Wife?!

My eyes widened as he curled toward me, and when he gently claimed my mouth with his own, I stood in place, stunned at first.

Then the warmth radiating from his body engulfed me, drawing me into his spell. My hands, as if possessed, found their way to his shoulders, and I tugged him nearer. A bolt of lightning shot through me, and I instinctively leaped to wrap my legs around his waist, my feet dangling above the ground. Sturdy, he didn’t even shift from the gesture.

His mouth still locked on mine, he turned and settled me on the edge of the airline counter. The cool surface beneath me contrasted nicely with the heat of his body pressing into mine. As he deepened our kiss, his tongue grazed my lips, coaxing them apart. I opened to him, welcoming the thrill that came with this male alone. Each caress ignited something deep within me, a part of me that had just come alive and was kicking, hungry for more.

His kiss grew more insistent. My senses exploded with the taste of him—his breath warm and sweet, mixed with traces of the tea he'd had earlier. I was utterly lost in this moment, drowning in the way he held me, the world around us fading to nothing. It was just us, and the tension of the last six months evaporated like morning mist in bright sunshine.

His every touch sent ripples through my body. His fingers ran along the sides of my thighs, curling in toward the center where I craved him in a way I’d never wanted anyone else before.

Everything was perfect until a sharp hoot rang out, and I realized someone was insistently tapping my shoulder and grunting.

Ostor lifted his head. His gaze sunk into mine, his swirling with heat.

“Well, hello there,” I croaked. “Nice to meet you, Ostor.”

“You will be mine,” he growled.

I could get into his possessive tone of voice, the way his hands still held my ass, and the way my lips throbbed.

“Excuse me,” Beverly cried. “Excuse me! You can’t do that here. Go . . . I don’t know where, but please . There are children present.”

Oh, yeah, we were at the airport and everyone in the vicinity must be watching.

“You go, girl,” a woman called out from nearby.

“Hot,” someone else shouted.

“Please, Sir,” Beverly snarled. “You’ve proven your point.”

That I belonged to him? I wasn’t sure what I felt about his comment, but if the full package came with his kisses, I wasn’t opposed to seeing where this went next.

With a smile holding a hint of alpha satisfaction that made me want to cuddle against him, he spanned my waist with his big hands and lifted me off the counter. Turning me, he wrapped his arm around my shoulders and tugged me against his rock-hard body.

“Rosey is not my mother,” he told Beverly gravely.

“Yes, I can see that.”

“Apologize to my wife,” he added.

My breath caught. “Oh, I—”

“I mean it.” His steely voice was sharp enough to slice through metal. “You insulted her. Scorned her and I’m tempted to lob off your head and mount it on a post.”

Beverly gaped at him, saying nothing.

“Ensure Rosey Trent is sitting beside me,” he said. “Or I’ll post a complaint online.”

Air jerked in and out of Beverly’s chest, making her boobs wiggle. “I’m terribly sorry, sir. Ma’am.” That, I doubted. “I’ll see what I can do.” All business now, she ducked behind her computer screen, and frankly, I would’ve too. Although, I wouldn’t have played mean girl with another woman when it was clear she was with the guy I’d set my sights on.

Women needed to stick up for each other.

A few clicks and she looked up, avoiding both of our gazes. “The seat next to yours was open, sir, and I’ve moved your wife to that spot.”

“Thank you.” Taking my hand, Ostor led me back to our chairs, where we sat.

“Well.” I placed my carry-on bag on the floor beside me and spent a long time fussing with it. I couldn’t bear to look at him and not because he’d declared to the world that I was his wife, that I was his .

That kiss . . . It was going to haunt me throughout the weekend.

“Yes, well.” His voice rang with the same heated satisfaction I’d found in his eyes.

“Honeymoon,” I whispered. At least everyone had returned to whatever they were doing and the guys sitting at a nearby bar had stopped hooting. “The word is honeymoon. Not moon of the honey.” Thought that sounded cute.

“Ah, honeymoon . I’ll remember.”

“We’re not married.”

“Not in the human way. That is correct.”

“Not in any way.” I looked up at him, dragging my eyes from his when I found raw hunger there. This guy craved me. Why?

“We shall see.” His gaze scanned the room before returning to me. “What are your questions, mate?”

Mate?

I should be telling him in no uncertain terms that his sudden alpha tendencies needed to be suppressed, but I couldn’t find the breath to shout the words out.

“Um, um . . . What’s your favorite color?” I asked.

“Green.”

No surprise there.

“Mine’s blue. Your favorite food?”

“Smoked sorhox.”

I crooked my neck to frown up at him. “What’s a sorhox?”

“An orc version of your cow. They’re much bigger however.”

“What do they look like?”

“They’re a darker green than me.” He poked his muscular forearm, making it blanche before smoothing back to medium green again. “They have long claws instead of hooves.” He stretched his arms out about twelve inches. “A spiked tail that you’d be wise to avoid.”

“Why?” I couldn’t imagine such a creature.

“One gouge could hurt or even kill.”

“I’ll stay away from its tail.” Not that I’d ever see, let alone get near a sorhox.

“I’ll be with you when the time comes.” Taking my hand, he kissed the back. Normally, a gesture like that might make me cringe, but with him, it made me want to climb into his lap and beg for another kiss. “They’re quite gentle. You’ll adore them.”

Why was he acting as if I’d meet even one sorhox? I doubted I’d find them at the resort in Cancun, and when we got back home, we’d part ways. I’d never see him again—something I was beginning to suspect would make me sad.

“You said something about a new business you’re starting with your brothers?” I asked to get away from all this possessive talk.

“Yes.” His tusky smile flashed. Funny how I hadn’t felt his tusks when he kissed me. “My brothers and I are opening a new tourist business. You’ve heard of ranch destinations? We’re combining orc heritage with a version of your Wild West. We’ve created a town complete with a saloon, a jail, plus an authentic sorhox ranch where our guests can stay. They’ll participate in trail rides, bull riding in a tamer rodeo experience, plus everything a fake western town might offer.” He listed them off. “Stagecoach hold-ups, pretend shoot-outs, and story time around a blazing fire each night.”

“This sounds like a lot of fun.” My heart crunched because there was almost no chance I’d ever see such a thing. It must be pricey. I got by with the income from my radiology assistant job, but there wasn’t much left after paying my bills and putting a little away in my savings. I could swing take-out pizza or a day at Quirky Kingdom—a kiddie amusement park a woman and her orc husband ran a few towns away from mine—but nothing like a ranch tourist destination.

“When do you hope to open your business?” I asked.

“Within a few months if things go well. I was in your city to negotiate contracts for supplies. Our initial phase includes getting the town open to tourists and making sure that part runs smoothly. The next phases include putting in vast gardens where we’ll grow all our produce, plus expanding the small town we’ve constructed. I . . .” He looked down at his hands resting on his thighs. “My original intent was to help with the contract negotiations then return to the orc kingdom.”

He meant leave the surface. “Forever?”

“That’s changed.”

Why did those few words make sunlight burst inside me? “What’s changed in particular?”

His gaze locked on mine, and he started to speak, but he was cut off when they announced it was time for Group 1 to board. His head swiveled to the airline counter. “This is us, correct?”

“Yup. We can continue the conversation on the plane.”

“I’ve never ridden in an aero-plane before,” he gulped out. “I admit, I’m nervous. Will you heat me up so I don’t leap?”