7. Mia #2
“My father never recovered. He started drinking heavily, couldn’t hold down jobs. The other orcs in our commune tried to help, but he was destroyed. He committed suicide when I was eight.”
“Oh, Kavin.” Tears prick my eyes. “I’m so sorry.”
“So you see why I can’t do this casually.” He meets my gaze, and the pain there hurts my chest. “Orcs don’t date, Mia. We don’t do relationships or trial runs. When we mate, it’s forever. And I can’t…won’t risk putting a child through what I went through.”
“Is that why you’ve been pushing me away?”
“Yes. I’d vowed to never take a mate, until I met you and started to think differently.
” He leans forward, his expression intense.
“But there’s more you need to understand.
If we do this, you’ll be pregnant immediately.
Human birth control doesn’t work on orcs.
One time with me and you’ll be carrying my orc son. ”
The certainty in his voice should terrify me. Instead, it sends a thrill through my body. I’m so ready to start a family with Kavin Irontree I have to cross my legs to bring relief to the heat growing exponentially between my thighs.
“And there’s no such thing as divorce in orc biology,” he continues. “We mate for life. If you choose me, you’re choosing forever. No take-backs, no changing your mind when things get difficult.”
“You think I’d change my mind?”
“Maybe you don’t fully understand what you’d be getting into.
” He stands and starts pacing again. “I’m not an easy male to live with, Mia.
I’m possessive and territorial. And because I’m an orc I might drive away some of your family and friends just by existing.
Our offspring will only be sons—orc sons who look like me.
You’ll never have daughters. Can you handle that? ”
I watch him pace, this powerful male laying out all the reasons why I should run from him. But instead of fear, I feel something else building in my chest. “Are you done?” I ask quietly.
He stops and looks at me. “What?”
“Are you done listing all the reasons why I should be terrified of you?” I stand up, closing the distance between us. “Because now it’s my turn.”
“Your turn for what?”
“To tell you what you’d be getting into with me.” I cross my arms and meet his gaze directly. “You want to know the real reason why I didn’t get that firefighter job? It wasn’t because you were more qualified, though you were. It was because Chief Jackson is scared of me.”
His brow furrows. “What do you mean?”
“Most people in this town think I’m difficult to work with.
Aggressive. Too intense. I have what people politely call ‘anger management issues.’” I laugh, but there’s no humor in it.
“You caught a glimpse of how I behaved at that coffee shop. That wasn’t unusual behavior for me. And that was me on a good day.”
“Mia—”
“I’m not done.” I step closer, not letting him interrupt.
“You think you’re possessive and territorial?
I once punched a guy for looking at my sister the wrong way.
I got kicked out of a restaurant for getting into a screaming match with a server who was rude to my friend.
I’ve been written up at work multiple times for ‘inappropriate responses to conflict.’”
Surprise flickers in his eyes, but I push on.
“And here’s the thing…I’m not going to change. I’m not going to become some sweet, accommodating wife who smiles and nods and lets people walk all over her. If you’re with me, you’re getting all of this.” I gesture to myself. “The good, the bad, and the occasionally terrifying.”
“You think that scares me?”
“I think you should know what you’re signing up for.
Because I’ll defend you like I did at that coffee shop, but I’ll also probably start fights you don’t want to be in.
I’ll embarrass you at work functions. I’ll make enemies of people you need to get along with.
” I lift my chin. “So there you have it. Are you sure you want forever with me ? You’re getting a woman most people are afraid of, who will probably make your life more complicated in ways you can’t even imagine yet. ”
He stares at me for a long moment, and I hold my breath, wondering if I’ve just convinced him to leave.
Then, to my surprise, he smiles. Not a polite social smile, but a real one that transforms his entire face. “You punched someone for looking at your sister wrong?”
“A guy I’d briefly dated. And yes.”
“What did he do?”
“He told me I was overreacting and that he hadn’t done or said what we’d all seen and heard and I needed to calm down.” I shrug. “So I laid him out.”
Kavin laughs, a real laugh that causes me to smile in return. “You’re absolutely terrifying to other humans, aren’t you?”
“Is that a problem?”
“No, not at all. I find it sexy as hell.” He steps closer, close enough that I have to tilt my head back to look at him. “I’m an orc, so none of what you said scares me in the least. The male who can’t handle your fire isn’t worthy of you.”
“And you think you can handle it?”
“I think,” he says, reaching up to cup my face in his large hands, “that you’re exactly what I’ve been waiting for my entire life.”
The words steal my breath. “Kavin…”
“I watched you defend me against that server. You were magnificent. Fierce and protective and completely fearless.” His thumbs stroke across my cheekbones.
“You think your intensity scares me? Mia, you’re the strongest, most loyal female I’ve ever met.
If I take you on then I know that protective instinct of yours will be directed to always defending me and our future sons.
Why would I want you to be anything other than exactly who you are? ”
“Even if I make your life complicated?”
“Especially then.” His eyes grow serious. “But I need to know you understand what this means. If we do this, there’s no going back. You’ll be my mate, my bride, the mother of my children. Forever.”
I reach up and cover his hands with mine. “Can you handle being with someone who will love you so fiercely that she’ll terrify anyone who tries to hurt you?”
“That sounds perfect.”
“Even when I drive you crazy?”
“Especially then.”
I study his face, seeing the truth there. He’s not trying to change me or fix me. He wants me exactly as I am, sharp edges and all. And I want him exactly the way he is in return. “One more question,” I say.
“Anything.”
“Can you trust me not to leave? Because I need you to know that when I commit to something, I commit completely. I don’t give up when things get hard. I don’t run when things get complicated. If I choose you, I’m choosing you forever too.”
“You’re asking if I can trust you not to abandon me like she did?”
“Yes.”
He’s quiet for a moment, and I can see him wrestling with demons that have haunted him his entire life. Then he nods slowly, his voice rough with emotion. “You’ve already shown me who you are, Mia. You’re not the kind of woman who runs.”
“No,” I agree. “I’m not. I’m basically a tenacious barnacle of love and loyalty.”
He throws back his head and laughs. “Then yes. I trust you.”
The words hang between us, heavy with promise and possibility.
“So what happens now?”
His eyes darken. “Now I claim you as mine.”
The possessive edge to his voice sends heat shooting through my entire body. “When? Right now?”
“Soon.” He leans down and brushes his lips against mine, a promise rather than a kiss. “But not here or right now, in this temporary apartment. When I mark you and then fill you with my son, it will be somewhere that matters.”
“Mark me?”
“My tribe marks their mates. A permanent sign that you belong to me. Are you ready for that?”
“Yes,” I smile. “I’m ready.”
He takes my hand and guides me toward the front door of his apartment. “Tomorrow is my day off. We are both off work tomorrow.”
“Okay...”
“Meet me at Heat & Ink at four am.”
I blink. “Four in the morning? Well, all right.”
He kisses me again, deeper this time, and I think I have a mini orgasm from the feel of that enormous erection again pressing against my stomach. When he pulls back, his eyes are blazing with heat and possession. “Mine,” he says quietly as he opens the door for me.
“Yours,” I agree as I step outside.
Then the door shuts softly behind me and the waiting begins.