Total pages in book: 88
Estimated words: 83281 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 416(@200wpm)___ 333(@250wpm)___ 278(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 83281 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 416(@200wpm)___ 333(@250wpm)___ 278(@300wpm)
Upstairs, I wanted to kick myself. Why had I shied away from him when I was so incredibly attracted to him? Why was I so awkward and bumbling all of a sudden? Was it because I was still a virgin and I knew this relationship couldn’t really go anywhere—at least, not sexually?
I tried to push the negative thoughts away but they just didn’t want to go. This kind of thing always happened to me. I couldn’t help thinking of my last disastrous attempt at dating and losing my virginity. It had been a comedy of errors to say the least. Thank goodness the big Orc didn’t know about that or he would probably never want to see me again!
I took a deep breath and tried to think more positively. Rath wasn’t like the other two men I’d tried to date—he wasn’t even a man! He was an Orc and so far he seemed nice and kind and patient, which was also unlike the other two guys I’d been with.
Rath had also said that humans and Creatures could be compatible—that must mean there was a way for a much smaller woman to accommodate a much larger man. Maybe with some kind of magic? I wished I had that kind of magic—not to mention magic that would make me less shy, I thought ruefully.
I need something to help me loosen up, I thought, as I changed rapidly out of my baking clothes and into a pretty red dress with a low-cut front that I found in my closet. Something to make me less socially awkward.
Then I remembered the Valerian root tincture I had brewed earlier. The recipe had said it would “Loosen the Tongue and Gladden the Heart.” Would that do the trick?
I decided it couldn’t hurt to try. Maybe a cup of the tincture would loosen me up a little and make me more able to relax with Rath. It was worth a try, anyway.
I had no idea what a mistake I was making.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
“Would you like some coffee or tea with your pie?” I asked Rath, when I went to cut it. He’d given me his Wi-Fi password and we had been chatting as I did some work. The tension from earlier was still there but it had been dialed back some. It was as though the big Orc knew he had made me nervous and was now trying to put me at ease.
I appreciated that—I was definitely breathing easier. But I was still determined to try my tincture and see if it helped me be less awkward—just in case he tried to kiss me again. (Which I really hoped he would.)
“Uh sure—tea is fine,” he rumbled from the other room. “Do you want some help?”
“No, no—I’ve got it,” I assured him.
I cut both of us a big wedge of pie—though Rath’s wedge was considerably thicker than mine—and boiled some water in the kettle. I also heated up my tincture again, since I didn’t want to drink it cold.
I noticed, as I fished out the little cheesecloth sachet filled with herbs, that the liquid had turned a dark purple. I frowned—was it supposed to be that color? The instructions had said to steep the herbs in the water for one hour and it had been a lot longer than that now—would the extra steeping time make any difference?
Probably not, I decided and poured the warm tincture into a teacup for myself. I found a much larger mug for Rath and added two tea bags and some boiling water.
“Honey or sugar in your tea?” I called to him.
“Honey’s fine if you have some,” he returned. “I like it sweet.”
I found the honey jar in my Grandma’s cabinet and ladled a generous amount into both our cups—I liked mine sweet as well. Then I put the pie and cups on a tray, added some forks, and brought it all into the dining room.
Rath had been studying at my web design but he looked up when I came in.
“Here—let me help you,” he rumbled, taking the tray from me. He frowned at my teacup. “What’s that purple stuff you’re drinking?”
“Oh, just another recipe of my Grandma’s,” I told him. “I found it in the same book where I found the pie recipe.”
“Well, then it’s bound to be good,” he remarked.
We got settled at the table again and Rath took a bite of pie. Immediately his eyes rolled back in his head and he made a deep, rumbling sound of pure ecstasy.
“That’s it!” he exclaimed after he swallowed. “You got it perfectly! This is exactly how your Grandma’s pie tasted!”
I took a bite myself and had to admit it was good.
“She had the best recipes,” I said, smiling. “I’m sure she’d be glad to see us enjoying them.”
I took a sip of the purple tincture and was surprised to find that it was really good. It had a strong herbal flavor and a faintly bitter aftertaste, but I liked it anyway. I took a bigger sip and then had some more pie.