The Orc and the Innkeeper (Elderberry Falls, #1)

by Cora Crane

He lavishes attention on my breasts, nipping and sucking until I’m writhing beneath him.

“Do you like that, Mariah?” Thorak says around my breast. He licks my nipple again and I moan. “I want to know everything you like, and then show you again and again how well I can learn…”

“Mariah,” he groans, his voice reverent. “You’re exquisite. You are the best thing I’ve ever tasted. I’ve been dying to pick back up where I left off on my apology.” His words send heat rushing through my veins, pooling between my thighs.

I cry out at the first firm stroke, my hands fisting in the comforter as pleasure crashes through me. He licks a long, slow path up my slit before swirling around my aching clit.

He flicks the swollen bud of my clit with the tip of his tongue. I thrash my head on the pillow, overwhelmed by the onslaught of sensation. Thorak’s tusks press into my inner thighs, the dull points a delicious contrast to the silky swipes of his tongue.

Thorak plunges his huge tongue inside me, thrusting in and out, mimicking what I’m dying to feel. Then he focuses on my clit again, lashing the swollen pearl relentlessly while slipping one thick finger into my tight channel.

Even just the one finger is so large that it stretches me. I moan thinking about what two will be like…or what Thorak’s cock might do to me.

He groans against my flesh, the sound one of male satisfaction. His tongue swirls faster around my clit as his fingers thrust deeper, hitting that perfect spot again and again.

I push on his shoulders until he rolls onto his back, allowing me to straddle his hips. The large bulge straining against his pants presses deliciously against my sensitive core and we both moan at the contact.

His massive green body is a work of art—all sculpted muscle and raw power. My eyes drift lower, widening at the sight of his enormous, thick cock jutting proudly from a nest of black curls.

His cock juts proudly away from his body, long and thick, swollen with need. The dark green, pointed head glistens with precum.

I reach out my hand and stroke a finger down one of the thick ridges spanning Thorak’s massive shaft. He sucks in a sharp breath as my finger traces the unique texture.

“Please,” he begs. “Please forgive me.” He slides his huge cock against my folds and I can’t help the moan that escapes. I want to keep hearing him grovel, but I want him inside of me even more.

The first press of his massive cockhead against my opening makes me gasp. Even slick with lube, he stretches me more than I’ve ever been stretched before.

Thorak slowly sinks into me, his eyes never leaving my face, pleading never stopping.

The ridges along his shaft drag exquisitely against my sensitive flesh, igniting sparks of pleasure with each push forward. When he’s finally buried to the hilt, we both groan at the feeling of completeness.

I experimentally roll my hips, gasping at the way it makes Thorak’s cock hit a sensitive spot deep inside me.

Thorak captures my mouth in a searing kiss as he slowly starts to move, withdrawing until just the tip remains inside me before surging forward again.

His words inflame me even more, knowing he’s fantasized about this moment for years, wanting me even as I hated him. Thorak buries his face in my neck, his tusks scraping deliciously against it as he fills me.

Thorak growls, the sound primal and possessive, as my climax triggers his own. He thrusts one last time then stills, his massive cock throbbing and pulsing inside me as he finds his release.

I close my eyes, savoring the vivid flashes of memory—the silky caress of her skin against my hands, the heated look in her eyes as she stroked the ridges of my cock, the blissful union of our bodies as I claimed her, again and again, until we collapsed in a tangle of sweat-slicked limbs.

But after last night, my world has been turned on its head. I would do anything to get Mariah to accept me as her mate.

Robert strides towards me purposefully, a broad smile lighting up his distinguished features. “I was going to come find you this morning. I’ve made a decision, Thorak. I’m going to invest in Orc’s Anvil and help you distribute your ales far and wide.

“Your brews are something special, Thorak. Let’s share them with those who need a little enchantment in their lives.” I nod vigorously, a grin splitting my face.

I oversee the latest batch of our signature ale, approve new label designs, and even manage to sneak in a quick grooming session for Snuffles, who’s been trotting around the brewery carrying a little barrel on his back, much to the delight of the staff.

Ygra steps into the brewery as if she owns it, her large figure imposing. Time has only enhanced her beauty, her angular features sharper and more striking than ever.

Boo! Hiss!!!!

And at that exact moment, with my arms wrapped around my ex-girlfriend in an undoubtedly intimate-looking pose, Mariah walks in the door.

Ygra points to the ring on my finger, the one Thorak gave me as the ring for our fake engagement. “Oh, and look what you’re wearing! Isn’t that precious? That was my old promise ring from Thorak. It’s so cute that he gave it to you for your little fake-engagement charade!”

Thorak and Ygra are clearly together. Engaged for real. I was just a pawn in their game, a means to an end. Thorak played me. Again.

Anger surges through me, white-hot and all-consuming. I turn on my heel and start walking, my steps quick and purposeful. I have no idea where I’m going, but I know I can’t stay here. I need to put as much distance between myself and Thorak as possible.

“Snuffles?” I call out. Silence. No patter of hooves, no eager snorting.

He’s nowhere to be found. I groan, a sinking sensation in my gut. Ygra. It has to be her.

perched on a fallen log, Snuffles curled up beside her. Relief crashes through me at the sight of him safe and sound. But seeing him with her...my relief mixes with anger at her audacity.

“Ygra,” I say gently, choosing my words with care. “The past is the past. What we had was meaningful, and I’ll always be glad for the time we shared together, but things have changed, and I’ve moved on. Truly moved on. And I think it’s time you do the same.”

As I’m about to reach for her hand, a glint of metal catches my eye. I freeze, zeroing in on Ygra’s hand. No. It can’t be. There on her finger sits my family’s heirloom engagement ring, the very one passed down for generations. The one my father gave my mother when he proposed.

“Mariah!” I call out, my voice nearly drowned by the chatter and noise. She turns, her green eyes widening as they meet mine. But instead of the warmth and affection I’ve grown accustomed to, they blaze with hurt and fury.

“Thorak.” Her tone is sharp as a blade. She stands rigid, arms crossed tight over her chest. “Come to make a fool of me in front of the whole town, have you?”

Everybody but me knew what was going on. And like an idiot, I fell for your act. Fell for you.” Each word cuts to the quick. “It wasn’t an act,”

She laughs, but there’s no humor in it. Only pain. “You really had me going, didn’t you? The changed man. The kind, sweet orc who saw past my humanity.” Her voice breaks. “But it was all a lie. A ploy to win your investor’s approval.”

As we stare at each other, another figure steps forward—Robert. Oh no. It’s clear he has overheard everything. His eyes narrow as he looks first at Mariah and then me, and he shakes his head, disbelieving.

“Robert, wait—” I start, but he cuts me off. “No. I’m done. The deal is off, obviously. I will not be investing in your brewery. This has all been an enormous waste of my time.”

Desolation crashes over me in waves. What have I done? How could I let things spiral so far out of control? Snuffles nudges my leg with a concerned snort, but I barely sense it. All I feel is the void opening up inside me, a black hole where my heart used to be.

In the blink of an eye, the entire future I’ve imagined for myself is…gone.

“I know you have no reason to believe me, but I meant what I said yesterday. What we had, it was real. I wasn’t faking or using you. I really do care about you. More than...more than I’ve ever cared about anyone.”

I want so badly to believe him, but the walls around my heart are thick and high. He hurt me too many times in the past for me to let him scale them again.

“I get it if you can’t forgive me. If you can’t trust me. I’m not asking for another chance. I just...” His voice cracks with emotion. “I just need you to know that it was real for me. Every moment, every kiss, every time I held you in my arms. It was the realest thing I’ve ever known.”

I can’t let him see how much his words affect me. How much I long to throw myself into his embrace and never let go. But I can’t. I won’t. I have to protect myself.

“We shouldn’t have misled you. And I’m sorry for that, truly. But Robert, the only reason we even considered such a scheme was because of your own prejudices.”

“And now? After spending time here, getting to know Thorak and his vision...what do you think of him as a business owner?” Kingsley is silent for a moment, considering. “I must admit, I’ve been quite impressed with what he’s managed to build,” he acknowledges grudgingly. “His brewery shows immense promise. The only thing giving me doubts is this whole fake engagement scheme.”

“I’m the one who proposed the idea to Thorak. I needed money to handle an unexpected crisis here at the inn, and I...I took advantage of his need. Of his dream. If it wasn’t for my selfishness, Thorak would’ve come clean to you from the start.”