“Oh my gosh, they’ve never drank a bottle from my hand, they always refused. It’s nice knowing I can take a break sometimes or that others can feed them too, not just me.” She looks at me with watery eyes. “You have no idea what an upgrade this is.”
I glance down, trying to hide my smile. I can’t help but be pleased at the thought of her life being easier. Even if she is most likely still planning her exit. “We will soon need to revert to reusable diapers,” I let her know. “Orcs don’t use human disposable diapers. They create too much waste.”
“Are you kidding me?”
“No.”
“How do you know all of this?”
“I tended to my brother often when he was a baby. And I’ve tended to many other babies. There was a baby I fostered for a few months before its father was found at the commune in Siberia. I’m good with babies.”
She grins. “They give the babies to the wildest orc on the commune?”
“I might appear fierce, but I have a soft heart for infants. All orcs feel this way.”
“And I hope orcs like Halloween as much as they like babies. Do they trick or treat around here?”
“No, that is a strange human tradition that we do not yet participate in.”
“That’s too bad. It’s fun.”
We’re both quiet for a moment.
“Do you have to go to work today?” Drew questions.
“No. I am here, bonding with my sons. Rogan and the others are giving us alone time.”
“You’re bonding with only your sons?” she smirks. “What about me too?”
And that’s when I realize she’s so close to me while she feeds our son that our hips and legs are pressed together. A grumble erupts in my chest.
She glances out the window. “I’m surprised no one has entered the cabin. There were a lot of orcs hovering around me when I first arrived, and it’s been so quiet.”
“They see that you remain unharmed and chose to sleep next to me. And you haven’t left yet. I also took my sons outside this morning to meet with their family again.”
“Oh, you went out with the boys to talk to Rogan, Urdan and Kelt this morning while I slept? You should’ve invited them inside. I could’ve made breakfast for them too.”
“You know my father and the others?”
“Of course, I do. I met them when I first arrived yesterday. I’m happy I was able to meet the babies’ grandfather and your best friend and Urdan. They weren’t going to let me in at first because they thought you’d be dangerous for me, but I told them I understood and accepted the risk and still wanted inside. Also, I wasn’t leaving my babies behind. That was nonnegotiable.”
“That wasn’t a good idea. They were right. I could have hurt you. You were lucky I picked up the scent of our sons first and calmed slightly. What if I’d first stormed to the bedroom?”
She meets my gaze. “I was certain you wouldn’t hurt me.”
I shake my head at this foolish statement. “Human, I’m a wild orc. I’m the tallest, largest male on the commune with the sharpest horns. I live in this private wooded corner of the commune because my appearance often scares the other females. My primitive urges are right there, under the surface.”
“I still knew it would be okay.” She snuggles deeper into my side. “You know, one of the first questions they asked me when I arrived was if I was basically disgusted or happy to have given birth to orc babies, which I thought was a weird question.”
I nod. “We always ask this because it is common for humans to be horrified to have given birth to infants they consider monsters. It lets us know if this is a quick handover and how to proceed.”
She lets out a squeak of dismay. “It happens all the time?”
“Yes, it does. But I sense your love for our sons,” I tell her. “Your bond with them is strong and I also sense they deeply love you in return.”
“They do? Oh my babies,” she croons. “I love them both so much.” Then she rests her cheek on my shoulder, adjusts the baby in her arms, tilts the bottle higher, and keeps talking. “I told Rogan and the others that I wanted to stay at the commune. I can’t leave Bran and Owen behind. I know you don’t truly believe me, but these are my sons. Yes, I had an epic one-night stand with a scary orc and found out later my birth control didn’t work. But I decided, after careful thought, that I was financially and emotionally ready and could do this alone. Sorry, but I wasn’t ready for an orc who might kidnap me as my husband.”
I sit in silence, frowning, amazed at her ability to keep up her fake story of how I threatened to kidnap her. I’d never do such a thing. And every time she reminds me of this falsehood, I’m thrown back into remembering this gorgeous female who emanates thick arousal for me and obviously loves my sons—isn’t trustworthy. Which hurts. How is it possible for this human to claim I threatened to kidnap her, which caused her to run from me and keep my infants from me at first. How can she want me as a husband at the same time? Humans make no sense.
She yawns. “Sorry, I’m babbling I’m just tired. I’ve barely slept for the last three months. That flight across the country with screaming babies is still giving me PTSD. And then there was the drive up here to the commune. And I’m still dealing with the time change.”
Her chin hits her chest and the bottle starts to fall from her fingers, which is fine because Bran is done.
I stand up carefully and rearrange both babies into her arms. All three of them are sleepy, recovering from their exhausting trial—living amongst humans.
Then I take the bottles into the kitchen and soak them, then return and scoop my little family into my arms. I carry all three of them at once down the hallway to the primary bedroom. I frown because the bed isn’t made. I’ll have to remember to take care of this later.
My female yawns and stretches as I place her onto the bed and cover her with a blanket. I can’t help but stare at her sleek legs and the curve of her generous breasts under shirt. She buries her cheek into my pillow, inhales and falls quickly asleep.
I carry Bran and Owen both back to the nursery and wrap them up and place them gently into their individual cribs for a nap.
Then I walk back into the doorway of the bedroom and watch my luscious female sleep. I could easily slip into the bed and take her now—she’d be eager and ready. The scent of her arousal is wreaking havoc on my body and all I want it to shove my fingers between her thighs to check how wet she is for me.
But I turn, cross my arms and stomp out to the front room.
Because I will not touch a female I cannot trust.
Ever again.
Chapter 8
Drew
That night I make a quick dinner for the two of us.
Whelan starts a crackling fire in the stone fireplace, pulling from a stack of logs on the front porch that I suspect he cuts himself.
I drill Whelan with more questions about his life because I can’t seem to shut up. A good night’s sleep and a terrific nap earlier have turned me both bright and cheerful. I haven’t felt this good in a long time. And I want to know everything about this orc who is the father of my babies because understanding him makes me understand my boys better.
And I really do enjoy the idea of cooking again for the both of us, especially since I’m able to start fresh with a sparkling clean kitchen. I’m the type who likes to cook meals for myself rather than grab take out. I’ve tried to invite dates over to my home for dinner, but they usually want to go to the latest LA restaurant instead. There’s nothing wrong with a fancy restaurant, of course, but I love quieter nights at home plating food for others and watching their reaction to the yummy food I made specifically for them.