CHAPTER TEN
Brokk
My mate’s sweet thighs clench my neck more tightly for a split second, then release. “Oh, god! Sorry.”
Lust roughens my voice as I growl, “You have nothing to be sorry for.”
I long to pull her around to my front, bury my face in her pussy, and eat my fill. My cock swells, the stud at the top stirring to life as its magic activates. What kind of toy will it turn into for my lovely Lara? What does she want most?
If I’ve learned one thing in my time on Earth, it’s that while humans might pretend to be prudish about sex, they actually think about it as much as orcs. And since humans don’t have magical studs, they also make a wide variety of sex toys to compensate.
Such pleasures must wait until I get her to safety, and this river will be excellent for hiding our tracks.
I wade into the water, its warmth swallowing me to my waist in only a few steps. Determined to cross the deepest part while my strength is at its freshest, I continue straight ahead, testing at each step for drop offs. I could swim this easily, yet that won’t keep Lara dry, let alone the journal that means so much to her, and I would do anything to please her.
She sways on my shoulders, her fingers digging into my hair until the roots burn. The pain is nothing.
When the water reaches mid-chest, her feet get wet, and she makes a little kick.
“It’s fine,” I soothe. “I can make you new leaf shoes.”
“Thanks.” Her stomach jiggles against the back of my head as she gives a nervous chuckle. “I guess leaves are one thing we don’t have to worry about running out of.”
“Or vines,” I say.
Another step, and my foot touches nothing. I turn and head upriver for several yards, then try again. No luck. “There’s a deeper trench in the middle of the river. I don’t know how deep. I can try lifting you over my head and hope it’s enough to keep you dry, or I can swim.”
“Lift me how?”
“I would fill my hands with your buttocks and lift you straight overhead.”
“I’m sure you could do it, but I’m also certain I can’t balance well enough.” She lets out a huff of breath, and I imagine her blowing a stray lock of hair off her face. “I can think of a million things that could go wrong.”
A low growl vibrates my chest. Lara is the most brilliant person I’ve ever met. Her imagination fills her books with wonder and excitement. Yet it seems that same intelligence also makes her worry too much. I want to find a way to counteract it, to let her feel more of the joy of life.
If anyone deserves it, it’s my wonderful mate.
“I will swim.” I tip forward slowly, letting go of her thighs. She adjusts her position until she’s sitting on my upper back instead of my shoulders. Then I kick off, launching forward using the power of my legs.
“Ahh!” Lara’s knees clamp the side of my head, covering my ears until I can hear nothing but the steady drum of my heart and the whoosh of my breaths. With her on my back like this, I have to keep my face out of the water, so I do short, powerful strokes with my arms as I kick furiously.
The swifter current of the middle of the river batters against my side, and my attempt to swim straight across turns into a diagonal pushed toward downriver. With Lara on my back, unable to submerge, I can’t use my full strength. Thank the goddess I’m an orc, so even my partial strength is formidable.
I kick and push, plowing through the water.
Lara’s hands tighten on my hair until my scalp burns with the pull. She’s nervous and afraid, and I hate it.
I swim harder, determined to get this over with as quickly as possible. Yet I also can’t stop and check to see if the water is shallow enough to stand without risking dunking her, so I have to go well past the point where I’d normally stop. By the time I’m only a few yards from the far bank, we’ve been pushed a good way downstream.
My feet touch ground, and I stand slowly, reaching back to palm her ass and pull her back up onto my shoulders. Once I’m standing, my hands glide forward to grip her lush thighs.
Lara gives a little squeak and wiggles, her heels digging into my stomach as she finds her seat.
My mate’s scent surrounds me, intoxicating and lush. It calls to me, and the base of my cock tingles, longing to knot.
Yet I’d be practically helpless if our enemies found us while we’re bound together, and an orc knot lasts for over ten hours the first time with their mate. Such pleasures will have to wait.
But perhaps not all pleasures.
I grin, imagining Lara’s sweet thighs gripping my head as I plunge my tongue into her.
Turning upriver, I walk along the bank. The water is calm and warm here and wading is little hardship.
“Where are we going?” Lara asks. “Why aren’t we getting out of the water?”
“Once they see where we’ve gone into the river, they’ll assume we came out of it downstream, which we’d do if we got out now. So I’m going to take us a good mile or so in the other direction before getting out.”
“Oh, I should use that in one of my books.” Her heels give a little kick against my stomach. “I’m adding it to the list.”
“Your list of things to do today?”
“Not that one. My list of ideas for books.”
“Exactly how many of these lists do you have?” I swivel my head to look up at her.
“Lots. Why?” Her lips purse. “Doesn’t everybody have lists?”
“No. Not everyone.” Though I start my own then and there:
1) Get Lara out of her head and into her body.
2) Eat that pretty pussy until she screams my name.
3) Knot her and claim her fully as mine.
A smirk bares my tusks as I think of how to make the first items happen. Maybe this list idea isn’t so bad after all.