In the morning, the hut is so cold, frost covers the inside of the door, the fur screen on the window, and most of the wooden floor.
“Fuck,” Korr curses as he disentangles himself from me. “I meant to wake in the night and put more wood on the fire, but I slept like a log. Forgive me, little witch.”
He drags on his jacket and crouches by the woodstove, barefoot and adorably disheveled. The fire takes a long while to get going, and he curses some more, berating himself for not taking good enough care of me.
“Korr,” I call, finally fed up with his self-recrimination. “Will you look at me?”
He turns toward me, his frown severe. He doesn’t lift his gaze to me immediately, but I wait patiently until he does.
Then I say, “I’m warm and very comfortable. You fed me last night, and I’m healing well. You did good.”
His shoulders straighten slightly, though his frown remains in place. “You really feel that way?”
I extend my hand to him, and he reluctantly joins me in bed. I squeak when his cold feet touch mine, but he’s so much warmer than me that our nest of blankets soon turns cozy again. I study his face in the morning light, the frown—and the surprisingly fragile hope shining in his eyes.
Then I remember that he’s never done this before. He’s never been with a woman, and certainly not a human who’s so much less hardy than him.
“I have everything I need,” I say quietly. “You took such good care of me.” Then I add a confession I didn’t think I’d be comfortable sharing. “And last night was really good for me, too.”
His expression lights up, his lopsided grin wide. “That is good to hear. I was afraid you would think I’m a bad mate.” He gestures to the small cabin. “This is where I spend a lot of my time. I…like being alone. And not underground. But I would live wherever you wanted.”
My heart pangs at his words. He really would change his life for me. I cherish the idea, even though I don’t want him to pin so much on me either. What if he realizes later on that I’m not what he wants? I have no idea whether this mate thing will last.
“I wish I could return to my village,” I offer. “But they wouldn’t let me. I-I had a nice house, and it was home. I hate that they stole it from me.”
Korr rolls to his back and runs a hand through his long hair. “Our clan isn’t known for violence, but at times like this, I wish we could raid your village and pay back everyone who hurt you.”
I lift myself on one elbow and grin at him. “I can imagine you in armor. Brandishing your…sword?”
“My ax,” he says proudly. “That’s what I trained with.”
He tugs at his hair again, then scowls at a tangled strand and sits up in bed. I do, too, shivering when the cool air invades under the covers. But there’s something I’ve been wanting to do, so I scoot closer to Korr and put my hand on top of his.
“Do you have a comb?” I ask.
Korr’s eyebrows climb up, but he gets up and brings me a sturdy bone comb from the wooden chest. I pat the bed beside me, and he sits, expression guarded.
“Will you let me…?”
I don’t say the words, because somehow, this seems too intimate, especially in the light of day. Instead, I sift my fingers through his silky hair, marveling at its length. Unbound, it nearly reaches his hips, and I realize it must have been braided expertly.
Korr turns his back to me, silent. It hits me then that this moment might hold special significance to him, considering how well maintained his hair is, but I can’t stop now. I’m committed.
I gently brush out his long locks, careful of the snarls at the back of his head. Korr hums quietly when I bring the comb right up to his head, so eventually, I drop the instrument and put my fingers to use. I know I did the right thing when the orc melts under my touch, leaning his head back. I scrub my fingers over his scalp, massaging from his hairline down to his nape, then back again.
Then I brush my hand over his pierced ear, and he starts, a full-body shudder accompanied by a low groan.
“Oh,” I say, “did that not feel good?”
He grasps my wrist gently, brings my hand to his mouth, and presses a scratchy kiss to the inside of my palm. “It did. My ears are very sensitive.”
That is…good to know.
I smile, a naughty thought entering my mind. I return to my task of combing Korr’s hair, but every once in a while, I lightly brush the pointed tip of his ear, or the lobe. Then I touch the soft skin just underneath, trailing down to where his neck meets his shoulder.
His skin pebbles with goosebumps. It’s such a human response, I stare at it for a long while, then lean in to press my lips to the spot, unable to hold back.
Korr moves so fast, I can barely squeak before he has me on my back and is looming over me, his black hair creating a curtain around us. Suddenly, the room doesn’t feel so cold anymore, and it’s not only the fact that the fire is glowing merrily in the woodstove. I’m restless, my body taut under Korr’s, anticipation rising in me.
“Wicked human,” he rasps. He brings his lips to my ear and licks the shell. “You found my weak spot, Ivy, so now I have to find yours.” His heavy palm lands on my hip, burning through the linen tunic. “It’s only fair, don’t you think?”
“Y-yes,” I agree, voice breathy with want. “That’s true.”
Korr kisses the side of my neck, and while it feels good, it doesn’t elicit the same reaction as my kiss did in him. So he tugs down the neckline of his tunic and licks the hollow of my throat, exploring.
I tip my head back to give him access, grinning madly. “Not there,” I taunt.
He growls, then his hands are on my ankles, and he pushes my legs wide. I bend my knees, allowing him access. He stares at me like I’m a gift from the gods, his gaze darting from my face to my legs, then to my now-uncovered pussy. Blushing, I bring my hand between my legs to cover myself, but he shakes his head slowly.
“Don’t,” he says. “Don’t hide yourself from me.”
It’s a demand I wouldn’t have obeyed for anyone else. But in this small hut, hidden away from the world, I am no longer the same person I was before. So I lift my hand and place it on my belly, fingers clenched in the tunic.
Korr’s gaze warms with approval. He lowers himself between my legs and runs his hands from my ankles to my knees, making more room for himself. Then he presses a kiss to the inside of my thigh, right above the knee, and I shudder.
“Ah,” he murmurs. “Here we go.”
He follows the line of my thigh with his lips, his tusks scratching lightly over my skin. His hands are so warm, I don’t mind the chill in the room anymore, and besides, the fire is warming us up. Or maybe that’s the heat building inside me, starting deep in my belly then radiating through all my limbs.
Korr nudges up the hem of my tunic, exposing my soft belly. “And if I kiss you here?” he asks as he presses his lips to the left of my navel.
I squirm and giggle under him. “That tickles!”
“Aha,” he crows triumphantly. “Now I hold infinite power over you.”
He peppers quick kisses all over my belly.
I laugh, pushing his head away, my fingers tangling in his hair. “Stop, stop!”
Korr grins at me, and he covers my pussy with his big palm. “Would you rather I move down here?”
“Yes.” I relax back on the bed.
I never laughed with my husband. We’d got on well enough, but we didn’t have this easy relationship that seems to be growing between Korr and me.
Though nothing about Korr is easy right now. He’s back to being focused, his sharp gaze trained on my exposed core.
“You are so beautiful,” he murmurs. “I have to taste you.”
“What?” I yelp, trying to close my legs. “Wait—”
But Korr’s broad shoulders are wedged between my thighs, and he doesn’t move an inch. Instead, he traces his blunt fingertips over my pussy, giving me a hint of what’s to come but not nearly enough pressure.
I bite my lip, staring down at him, and he smiles, his gaze glowing with satisfaction.
“Do you want me to wait?” He presses the pad of his thumb lightly over my pearl. “Or would you prefer I lick your pussy until you come?”
My hips buck up on instinct, my body giving a clear answer to that question. But Korr only slips the tip of his finger past my lower lips, teasing my opening.
“Yes,” I say, strung so high I barely know what I’m saying.
Korr lifts his dark eyebrows. “What do you want, Ivy?”
I push myself onto my elbows. “I want you to lick me,” I whisper. “I-I’ve never… Please.”
He hums with approval, then lowers his head between my thighs. “I’ve never either. So you will have to tell me what you like.” He kisses the top of my mound, right above my dark curls. “Will you do that?”
I release a shaky breath. “Yes.”
Korr parts me with two fingers, exposing me completely. “I only know I need to be right here because you smell so good,” he murmurs. “Every time you get wet for me, little witch, I scent it.”
That should alarm me, but I’m way beyond that. Instead, I let my thighs fall open on either side of Korr, giving him room. There is no one here but us, and with him, I don’t have to pretend.
His tongue darts out, and he drags it from the bottom to the top, licking up my slickness. The sensation has me crying out, all my muscles contracting.
“Mm,” Korr murmurs. “Sweeter than I thought possible.”
He dives back in, licking at my entrance, thrusting his rough tongue as deep as it will go. I squirm and gasp under him, overwhelmed by the new sensations.
“That feels so good,” I tell him. “When you—ah!”
Korr lifts his head from where he circled the tip of his tongue around my pearl. “Yes? Did you like this?”
“Gods,” I whimper, “it’s so intense!”
Korr’s eyebrows pinch together. “But you like it when I fuck you with my tongue, too.” He frowns at me for a moment, then a grin lights up his face. “I have an idea.”
Before I can ask what it is, he returns his lips to my pearl and flicks his tongue over it. At the same time, he pushes one strong finger into me, like he did last night, when I rode his hand to completion.
He pumps the finger in and out, and when his fingertip grazes over the most sensitive spot inside me, I cry out, muscles locking around him.
“Here,” I guide him. “Right here.” I fist my fingers in his hair to keep him in place. “Please, Korr!”
He doesn’t make me beg further than that. He lets out a low growl and latches on to my pearl, his rough tongue working the tight little button. When I grow even slicker, he adds a second finger, stretching out my pussy.
I remember how he liked me telling him how I feel, so I stutter, “Y-you’re amazing. I’m going to… Korr! Please, don’t stop, don’t stop. I love your fingers inside me.”
I’m babbling, confessing things that I never could if it wasn’t him—he’s the reason I’m this brave, the reason why I’m at the cusp of a mind-blowing climax from which I might never recover.
Korr’s hot breath fans over my pussy as he raises his head just enough to growl, “Now, Ivy. Come now.”
With those words, he sucks my pearl between his lips and grazes his teeth lightly over it, and I shatter, screaming his name. My pussy clenches around his fingers, but he doesn’t stop fucking me, doesn’t relent until I’m crying out and trembling, rolling over another peak that leaves me breathless.
Korr grips my thigh, opening it wider. I’m so exposed to him, so vulnerable, yet I can’t muster even a shred of worry, not even when he raises himself to his knees in front of me.
“Stay like this,” he demands. “I want to see you. Just like this.”
He slides his fingers from my pussy, drawing a gasp from me, and brings them to his mouth. With his other hand, he fumbles for the ties of his leather pants and frees his cock with several quick tugs.
I touched his cock last night but didn’t get a chance to see it. It’s magnificent, dark green and jutting up and away from his body, so hard he’s leaking at the tip.
Korr grasps his length in one hand, still sucking off the taste of me from his fingers. Before I can offer to return his favor, he strokes himself, his hips slamming forward in a fast, brutal rhythm. He releases his fingers from his lips and palms my pussy again, cupping me possessively.
“You are so fucking beautiful,” he growls.
I tremble under him, still slick, my pussy pulsing from his care. “I want to lick you, too,” I admit.
Korr gasps, losing his rhythm. “Would you swallow my cum, Ivy?” His gaze burns into me, peeling back all the layers of pretense. “Would you let me fill your pink mouth?”
“Yes,” I admit.
He drags his palm roughly down to his knot, squeezes hard—and it’s over. Korr’s large body bows in pleasure. He throws his head back and roars his release, the tendons in his neck standing out.
But my attention remains riveted to his cock. He holds it tight in his fist, slamming his fingers down over and over as thick jets of creamy white cum stream from it, painting my legs, my belly, my pussy in heat.
I gasp at the sensation but hold still for him, a witness to his pleasure. A flutter in my chest has me rubbing my sternum lightly, and I can’t pinpoint the sensation until a thought crystallizes in my mind.
I don’t want to just wait for him to take care of himself. I want to participate fully and be the reason for his undoing.
