Chương 88: 088

My head snapped toward the sound, Dura catching the shift immediately. Her hand moved toward the axe at her hip, muscles tensing. Then a familiar voice drifted through the trees.

"Are you both decent?" Time. He remained out of sight somewhere beyond the brush, though his voice carried clearly enough. Dura groaned under her breath." I wouldn't have been if you'd arrived a few minutes later." The disappointment in her voice was palpable. I caught her arm and squeezed gently.

"Ah, the joys of traveling with other people." Standing, I offered her a hand.

"Come on. We'll find time later, somewhere safer without a kid who can wander in at any point." Focusing on the lingering shards of unease still floating through me, I tacked on.

"Besides, I'm not in the best mental spot for this, after the mess today was." She took my hand and rose easily, but when I tried to pull away, she tightened her grip, lacing our fingers together. Her eyes darkened, something more serious replacing the teasing spark.

"That wasn't a no… right?" she asked quietly.

"Just a later?" Her thumb brushed mine unconsciously.

"Because if it is a no, I'd rather you say it." She held my gaze.

"You seem interested, but I can't quite tell, and anytime I make a move, you don't… exactly reciprocate, but you don't shut it down either. I don't mind waiting, to be clear, but if you're not interested, I don't want to keep chasing you, for both our sakes." Uncertainty flickered across her face, and the doubt there sent a sharp jab of guilt through my chest. I had wanted time to settle into this new life before getting serious about… whatever this was between us.

But it was getting stronger, and it wasn't fair to hold Dura in limbo while I figured out my shit. I could ask her to wait, but there was no telling how long it would take me to feel truly settled here, and honestly? We'd be sharing a bedroll soon. I'd jumped right over taking it slow and the idea of pulling back now, establishing distance until I felt comfortable, tasted like ash in my mouth. She'd been upfront about her interest since the start.

Direct in a way I appreciated in a partner, especially considering how often hints flew right over my head. If I wasn't interested in return, I would've shut her down at the start. Maybe, it was about time I stopped dragging my heels.

"It's definitely a later," I said, choosing each word carefully.

"Sorry. I know I'm probably not as direct or driven as you'd prefer. But I am interested. Trust me on that." I squeezed her hand gently.

"I only recently took my position as Karma's cleric and I thought I should get used to it before starting anything with you. I wanted to be able to focus entirely on whatever this is, give it my full attention as it deserves, but…" I shrugged.

"If you don't mind me being a little scattered sometimes, pulled in a few thousand different directions, then I'm alright with…" If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. I trailed off, trying to find the right word. Progressing? Exploring? When I couldn't find anything after a beat, I let my hand fall and sighed.

"I'm fumbling words, does any of this make sense?" Dura relaxed almost immediately, the tension leaving her shoulders as her smile returned.

"Yeah," she said easily.

"And while I could wait, if you wanted, I don't care if you're a bit everywhere. I'm usually pretty everywhere too. So," She stretched the word, "do you want to wait?" She shrugged, unbothered.

"Because despite what an orc's reputation might suggest, we can be patient when it's for something we really want." Flashing back to the last few days, the bedroll she insisted on making, the protectiveness that all but blazed off her… I didn't have to think hard about my answer.

"No, I'd prefer not to wait." Her eyes lit up, a smile curling across her face.

"Perfect." She flicked a look behind me to the water, desire flashing to life before she shook it aside.

"So, about that 'later' thing… How much later are we talking?" I smiled, amused by the impatience.

"Let's touch base on that tomorrow. If nothing else, my head shouldn't be spinning quite as fast." She nodded, accepting that easily.

"Alright, though I gotta ask…" She leaned forward, stopping just inches away from me. Close enough that I could feel the warmth of her breath, but not quite closing the distance.

"What are the odds I can get a kiss? Just to tide me over." Well. I certainly didn't have a reason to refuse that. I stepped closer, my pulse picking up as the space between us shrank.

"I'd say the odds are good-."

"Nikolas." Time's voice cut through the moment as efficiently as a bucket of ice water. He stepped through the trees a second later, pausing when he took us in.

"Oh. It appears I am interrupting." Heat flooded up the back of my neck.

"Yeah," I said quickly, forcing a steady breath.

"We're fine. We'll head back in a minute." I gestured vaguely toward the camp.

"So… could you?" Time chuckled softly, already turning away.

"Of course," he said.

"I will see you both shortly." He paused for half a second.

"Probably." Then he disappeared back through the trees. I shot a glare at the back of his head that he thankfully didn't see. Beside me, Dura sighed dramatically as she straightened.

"Well," she muttered.

"So much for my kiss-." I didn't let her finish. Closing the distance, I grabbed a fistful of her armor and pulled her down toward me. Her eyes widened just a fraction before our lips met. It wasn't graceful. The sudden movement made our teeth click together with a sharp little tap, but neither of us cared. She wanted a kiss? I'd damn well give her one. The tusks were new territory, something I had to adjust around, but after a second we found the right angle.

Her heartbeat thundered in my ears, quickly matching the pace of my own. The surprise faded from her expression and she melted into it, one hand sliding into my hair. Her fingers tightened there as she pulled me closer, deepening the kiss with confident ease, tongue diving forward to twine with mine as if on a mission. I followed her lead, thriving off the heat and taste until my lungs burned in protest. Reluctantly, I pulled back just enough to breathe.

"Alright," I said between breaths.

"Now we can go back." Dura inhaled slowly, a haze of lingering heat still burning in her eyes.

"Later," she grumbled, "is a damn sight too far away." Her hand started drifting lower before she caught herself, freezing it firmly against my side with a frustrated grimace." Way too far." I huffed out a laugh, surprised by the roughness in my voice.

"Agreed. But come on. We can come back to this when we actually have some privacy." She sighed, though she didn't argue as we started toward camp. Her hand slid down to lace with mine again.

"Fine," she muttered.

"But if it takes too long, I'm throwing you over my shoulder and making camp somewhere else. We'll make our own privacy." A shiver ran down my spine.

"I won't complain." I'd never slept with someone strong enough to haul me over their shoulder. …And I'd definitely never been with someone who seemed genuinely excited about spoiling me. Something warm shifted in my chest, soft and unfamiliar. I didn't push it away. This new life was already full of firsts. Something told me this one would be worth repeating.