The Orc's Rose: Chapter Four (deluxe preview)

Chapter Four:

Summer gave way to fall, and with it there was a chill in the air. The mornings and evenings were crisp, while the afternoons still held a balmy warmth. The reaping was in the distance, but Ozren was still right in front of me. We had grown closer, and I had become much more comfortable in the home we shared.

Despite this I found myself waking at strange hours of the night and found it impossible to fall back to sleep. All I could do was lie there in that big bed and listen to Ozren breathing right beside me. He was so peaceful, it was nice being able to watch him slumber. He laid on his back when he slept and his contours are like a mountain range. His long, curly hair splayed out across his pillow where I could reach and touch it. One of the new chores I discovered I enjoyed was brushing his hair. I found comfort in the mere act of touching it. Ozren was quite hairy, but the curls on his head were by far my favorite. The dark black, peppered with silver and gray strands was like the night sky to me. With my care it had become silky to the touch.

Those quiet moments where Ozren slept and I was awake, I could almost say I loved him. But there would grow a voice in my mind reminding me that love wasn’t for me. I wasn’t worth it, I didn’t deserve it. The voice sounded like my father, and no matter how often Ozren reassured me, the voice remained.

I placed my hand on Ozren’s arm and began the process of trying to coax myself to sleep. Ozren stirred, his arm moving and his hand took hold of mine.

“Can you not sleep, my Rose?” His groggy voice rattled.

I jolted then settled, almost relieved to hear his voice rather than the one in my head. “I thought you were asleep. I’m sorry.”

Ozren rolled over and put his arm around me to bring me in close.“I felt ya stir, and it cracked me just a bit. What troubles ya so? What can I do to make it go away?”

Being against his warm body was a start. “Go back to sleep. I’ll be okay. You have so much work tomorrow, you need your rest.”

“Nah, that ain’t gonna work. I’ll never sleep knowin’ something is botherin’ ya.” His hand rubbed up and down my back. “We can just talk if you want.”

My head rested upon his arm while my hands lingered upon his body. I wanted to tell him how I felt, but I grew too scared at the last moment.

“I’m really happy here with you, Ozren.” I knew I was a coward saying that.

Ozren yawned loudly and kissed the top of my head. “That’s good, very good. I try my hardest to make sure ya are. It does me good to know you feel that way.”

“I wish there was more I could do.”

Ozren’s palm rested against my lower back. “You do more than ya know, my Rose. You make this house a home, and you make my bed a much more enjoyable place to me,” he said with a chuckle. “I like having ya around. It makes me feel like a younger man again. Like I could do anything.”

My brow pinched and I placed my hand firmly against his chest. “That’s the silliest thing I’ve heard. You’re still a young man, Ozren.”

Ozren snorted. “I could still be younger. Could have less silver in my hair. I’m not one of these young swains walking around swinging barrels and getting piss-drunk every night.”

“Thank goodness you're not! This house would be a lot harder to keep tidy if you were pissing in all the corners.”

Ozren's laugh was a welcome sound to my ears. He hugged me tighter and pressed a long, hard kiss to my lips that I didn’t want to end.

“Believe it or not, my Rose, I used to, back in my younger days. I would come out of the bar at dawn and not feel sober until the next time I went inside.” He smoothed his hand along my cheek and gazed lovingly at me in the dim light.

I felt a strange urge to poke him come bubbling up. “I’m surprised you don’t have less fingers.”

Ozren inched in closer to me. “What a sad fate for you if I didn’t,” he whispered.

I smiled and stroked my foot along his leg. “Being a drunk with an axe doesn’t sound very safe.”

He chuckled. “It wasn't. I had to calm myself at some point.”

I wanted to see more of him, so I sat up beside him in bed. He rolled onto his back, looking up at me and I gazed upon him.

“I’m glad you did, or else neither of us might be here now.”

Ozren reached up and cupped my face in his large hand. His one wooden finger felt cool against my skin. “I suppose all that youth was good for something. It was the road that led me to you.”

My smile was faint. “Seems like a very silly road.”

Ozren rose from the bed to look me dead in the eye. “Not to me. To me, it was the most important road of my life.” He smoothed his hand along my wild hair brushing it aside. The look on his face was made clear by the moonlight coming through the window.

He tilted his head to the side. “Why are you looking so shy now, my Rose?”

I pressed my lips together and glanced away. “You look really handsome right now. I got flustered all of a sudden.”

The chuckle that left his lips was almost seductive. “And you look even more beautiful.” His finger caressed down the side of my neck. “Right here, especially, looks tempting.”

My whole body was growing warm again. “How so?”

“How else?” Ozren laughed. He dipped his head down, kissing the curve of my neck and tugging down the sleeve of my nightgown. His lips and tusks brushed against my skin, eliciting a moan to escape my lips.

A growl came from Ozren as his tongue touched my shoulder. “Am I causing morning dew for my Rose?” His hand tugged down my nightgown and exposed my breasts which his warm fingers began to play with.

“It’s so late. You need your sleep.” My argument was a weak one as his touch was unraveling me faster than I cared to admit.

He pressed his lips against my ear. “A good cum will help you sleep.”

I pet up along his thigh with my palm. “Do you mind?” I asked before biting my lip.

Ozren laughed against my neck. “Such a silly question, my Rose. I enjoy nothing more than helping my girl.” He kissed me and grabbed me by my waist. I was placed upon his lap where our bodies were so close together. Ozren took off my nightgown then pressed our bodies tightly together.

“Your skin is so soft.” Ozren lifted  his head, pressing kisses into my neck and shoulder. His hand trailed down my back, cupping my rear then descended lower.

I bit my lip when his fingers touched me, gently pressing against my mound until a finger sunk inside. I gasped from the intrusion, clinging around him as he pressed inside. Why did he feel so good to me?

“Nothing makes me feel more wild than this,” Ozren whispered into my ear. “Feeling how warm and wet you are, my Rose. I want to do so much to your plump little body.”

A shiver trailed down my spine. “Like what?”

“I’m so glad you asked.” His finger slicked back and forth against me, making a mess so his other fingers could join in. “I want to place myself between those thighs and bury my tongue deep inside that sweet, juicy peach you have.”

My face was warm, but for some reason that made the rest of me even hotter. “That’s…that’s dirty isn’t it?”

Ozren chuckled. “It's a pleasure, my Rose.”

I swallowed. “Does it even feel good?”

His tongue glided up the side of his tusk. “If it doesn’t, then I’m not doing it right. Do you want me to try?”

I looked down at my thighs spread out across his lap. “I’ll suffocate you.”

Ozren’s smile turned into a wicked grin. “Good. I want you too, my Rose.” He took his hands and grabbed hold of my thighs. “I told you heaven is right here for me. To die in it wouldn’t hurt my feelings one bit.”

I pouted. “It would me!”

Ozren kissed me, grasping the back of my head as he did. “Don’t worry, my Rose. I know what I’m doing.” He laid me back upon the bed and lifted my legs, tossing them over his shoulders as he kneeled down before me.

It felt like an act of worship the way he was behaving. The kneeling, and soft whispers, even the way he bowed his head. His lips dragged down my belly, pressing small, soft kisses along his journey. His fingers rubbed and spread me so his tongue lapped me up from tip to bottom.

I squirmed at the touch, unsure of how I liked it. Ozren kissed and moaned against me, pressing his tongue inside me. He pulled back and kissed again, his lips touching that sensitive bud while a finger slipped inside.

“Hold on to something if you must.” His tone sounded like a warning.

I wasn’t sure what he meant until his lips suctioned and my legs spasmed hard. I’d never felt anything like it, such a strong, powerful wave rippled through my body and ripped the breath from my lungs. My thighs clamped around his head, trapping Ozren there where all he could do was toy with me.

He licked and teased that bud, kissing it softly before going back to sucking at it and taking my breath away. I flinched and trembled, sounding like a cat in heat the way he was going at it.

A laugh rose from between my legs and he pried a thigh from his ear. “Is this what it took to bring that voice out?” He rose up to look at me with a smug smile on his face. He licked his lips and tusk while I laid there shivering on the bed.

“You haven’t even come yet and you’re like this.” He stroked his hand down my body. “You tempt me so badly, my Rose.”

“I wasn’t expecting—” I didn’t know how to finish that.

Ozren chuckled, lowering himself back down. “Do you want me to continue? I’m between watching you cum or fucking you until morning.”

Both sounded like good options. “Ozren—” was all I could say.

His growl was dangerous, but I knew exactly what he was going to do. He rolled me over onto my belly and hiked up my hips so I was now the one bent before him. I felt his cock pressing against me, slipping and going between my cheeks.

“Sorry, my Rose, I can’t stand myself much longer. I need to be inside you.” He took hold of himself, pushing his cock inside me.

I was glad for the pillow to whine into it. His cock was thick, and each time we did this it took my breath away. I’m not sure I’d ever get used to the behemoth between his thighs.

Ozren moaned above me, rutting his hips as his fingers sunk into mine. “You take me so beautifully. My Rose’s petals look so lovely around my cock.”

I whimpered loudly into the pillow.

He laughed. “I know! I know.” He pulled me back against him. “I don’t need to sound poetic when I fuck you. I just need to moan and grunt, and tell you how good you feel.” He pressed deep inside before pulling back.

His hand stroked my bottom and groped it before pressing in deeper. Ozren leaned over top of me and reached underneath to hold my breasts. His breath was right beside my ear and I shivered at the growl that tickled down my skin.

“I know you like it when we are close. You get so wet when I touch you.” Ozren’s voice was a deep rumble that wasn’t so much a sound as it was a movement in my body.

“Yes,” I whimpered.

“She speaks,” Ozren laughed. He moved my hair aside so he could spy my face looking back. “Then tell me, do I pleasure you?”

I nodded. “Yes.”

Ozren moaned and his pace began to grow faster. “Do you like me inside you?”

I was losing my breath, but I had to answer him. “Yes!”

“My Rose, so good,” his voice choked. “Do you like when I come inside you?”

I was whining with the thrusts of his body, holding onto the bed sheets to keep from falling into some abyss. “Yes!”

Ozren growled and grunted, his hand coming up to my throat and lifting my head up. “Then I’ll come deep inside you, Rose. I’ll give you everything. Everything!” His body was already beginning to tense, and mine was dangerously close to the edge.

I couldn’t exactly describe the feeling of orgasming. It’s wonderful and gentle, while being violent and earth shattering. I’m a different person until I sink back down into the bed and see Ozren beside me, lingering in a similar state. I can feel the wet spot upon the bed cool, and it helped to return me to my body.

“I went a bit hard this time,” Ozren sounded apologetic. “I got excited.”

I smiled to myself. “It’s okay. I didn’t mind it.”

“You may feel it tomorrow. In that case just stay in bed and I’ll try to finish work as quickly as I can.” He rubbed my thighs with a soft touch.

I smiled dreamily at him. “Are you tired?”

“Shockingly no. I’ve never felt so energized,” he laughed and rolled over to me. “How about you?”

I nodded in agreement. “I feel relaxed but wide awake.”

“Maybe we could go again once I get some rest,” he teased.

I giggled and touched his face, gazing into his eyes. I wanted to know so much more about him. What made him so caring and eager? Where did he come from?

“Have you always lived in Obresh?” I asked.

“Not what I expected you to say,” he laughed. “Well, alright, let me tell you, Rose.” he propped up and looked over me, his hair falling over his shoulders and close to me. “I came from a little island off the opposite side of the Cobra Strait. Much farther into the ocean. It was a very small, very poor island. My family and I left it, hoping to find a future here in Obresh so we could send money home.”

“Why Obresh?” I asked.

“Well, right around the time we came, Obresh was growing and needed all the help it could get. It was a worker’s dream, they could name their price. So my dad and I took up cutting down trees for lumber, and my mother’s skills in medicine were an even bigger need here. But it wasn’t all sunshine, my Rose. I had a lot of dark days in my youth.” He sighed heavily and laid back down beside me.

“I always felt out of place here, even surrounded by other orcs. But my mother kept telling me there were reasons I was here. I didn’t trust her, but she was right.” he turned his head towards me with a massive smile upon his face. “I mean it when I say it was fate that brought us together.”

Despite my tranquility I began to choke up. I hid my face against his chest, hoping he wouldn’t see I was about to let the floodgates loose. His hand upon my back pressed close and a low rumble grew in his chest.

“Tell me. What’s wrong, my Rose? Why do you cry when I say these things?”

I shook my head. “It’s not you.”

Ozren brushed back my hair then placed his fingers upon my chin. He lifted my head so he could see my face. “Then what is it?”

The voice in my head told me I should feel ashamed. “No one has ever wanted me before. I don’t know-” A hiccup cut off my voice. “I don’t know how to accept it. I barely know how to be around you sometimes.”

An angry look crossed Ozren’s face. Aside from his face being contorted by effort when he chops firewood, or he’s carrying stones to add to the house, I’ve never seen him angry. It’s not a look that I would say suited him, but I would hate to be on the receiving end of his bad side.

Ozren wiped away the tears from my face. “How could someone not want you? I only took one glance and knew I needed you. I know I can be a strange sort of fellow, but surely I am not hard to get along with. Am I?”

I held his hand to my face. It was a comfort despite all the times I had been slapped before. “It’s not you. It’s just me. You’re not what I grew up with, and I’m not used to it.”

“Can you tell me?” His voice was low and gentle. “I want to know everything about you, my Rose.”

More tears spilled as I even tried to think about it. All my life the only kind soul in the world was a painting hanging upon the wall. Everyone else around me was less warm than oil on canvas. Until now.

I sat up from the bed and wiped at my face. “I want to tell you, I just don’t want to be crying the whole time.”

Ozren rose up beside me and his big, warm hand covered my back. “You can cry all you want.”

His voice and touch brought a smile to my face, but also more tears. “I’d at least like you to understand what I am saying.”

He chuckled. “Take your time then, my Rose. We have nothing but.”

I took deep breaths as I attempted to gather myself. I wasn’t used to sharing this story, mainly because I never had. Meggie had only gotten part of the story as I was unwilling to share the whole truth then. Ozren would be the first who ever knew.

I balled my fists up in the blanket. “I don't really know how to begin. But—” I hesitated, holding my breath and looking down.

“Go on, wherever you want.” Ozren murmured.

I took a deep breath to keep from choking up again. “I was born, but my mother died because of me. And everyday of my life I was reminded of it. Nothing I could do could make my family look at me. The only time I mattered was when I was needed like a vase of flowers or a centerpiece on the table. I had more in common with the topiaries in the garden.” The tears began to rise again and I struggled to keep my voice from cracking.

“My father and my brothers only seemed to tolerate me when others were invited into our home. Thankfully that was often. Back in Sothen my father was a very powerful man, and my brothers were expected to hold that mantle as well. But I was a decoration. I was expected to look my best and stay quiet. As soon as I came of age I was treated like a bargaining chip.” My hands shook as I clutched the edge of the blanket.

Ozren’s expression had shifted. There was a shade of confusion amongst his concerns. “Rose-” His voice choked off strangely. “Are you of noble blood?”

I shook my head. “From my mother’s side, but that is all I claim. I left everything else behind me.”

Ozren’s scowl deepened. “What did you do?”

“Bit by bit, I saved enough money so I could leave. I thought if I could cross the Cobra Strait I would be far enough away that my family couldn’t find me again. But I had to rush my plans. I had just enough money to get here to Obresh, but I was desperate. My father planned to marry me off, I knew that it would happen one day. But the man he chose-” My insides squirmed at the mere thought of him.

Ozren sat back and looked away. “You were betrothed?”

The tears were coming back, especially since Ozren averted his gaze. “He said he wanted a fat wife because it meant he would have lots of heirs, at least an heir and a few spares. But that was also all I was good for. I couldn’t stand being in another home hearing my father’s voice through someone else’s mouth-” That’s when I cracked again, breaking down and doubling over, sobbing into my palms.

“I just… I just keep hearing them in my head, telling me I don’t deserve what I have. I keep feeling afraid you’ll see that I don’t...”

Ozren grabbed me up into his arms. He held me against that wall of a chest, his hand pressed to the back of my hand while the other held my waist. I was secure against him and his warmth, and I clung to him.

“My Rose, may the gods strike me with lightning and toss me into the seas should I ever utter such words. Even the lowest of the low deserves grace and love. You are not the lowest, nowhere near that. You are a wonderful, sweet, beautiful creation. And I swear to the same gods that would kill me, I will never tell you anything different.”

Ozren pulled back and cupped his hands around my face. His gaze upon me was so fierce that it took my breath away. “You ran away for a reason. You left because you knew better. If you truly believed their words, you would have stayed. But you are here with me, and you know what you deserve. Tell me you do.”

The way he looked at me, I couldn’t even begin to describe it. I had never seen anything like it, nor had anything made me feel the way he did. I felt safe and secure, I felt seen and heard and maybe even understood. More than that, I knew he cared for me, just by that look in his eyes. The ferocity and conviction were real, he wasn’t saying beautiful things to try and get what he wanted from me. Ozren was genuine in his care for me.

“I think so.” I was nowhere near as certain as Ozren, but I wanted to be—so badly.

He gave me a gentle shake. “Know it.”

I wrapped my arms around his neck, knowing that I only wanted to be held by his great arms. Ozren buried his face into my hair, breathing deeply as his arm returned around me. I wanted his affection like water.

“Can we lie back down?”

“Of course.” He laid on his side and extended his arm out so I could use it as a pillow. I snuggled up close to him and I became aware we were both still nude.

“Comfortable?” He asked.

“Yes.”

Ozren tugged up the blanket over us then laid kisses upon my cheek and shoulder. “Try to find some sleep, my Rose. I know it hasn’t been easy lately, but do try.”

“You work hard, and you need more sleep than I do.”

Ozren chuckled. “Housework is hard work too. Don’t argue with me.”

I placed soft kisses upon his chest and chin and his body melted closer to mine. It felt nice to have his big body so close. I relaxed, feeling myself begin to sink into a sleepy puddle.

“I’m glad we could open up tonight. Now that I know, I’ll make sure to tell you how much I appreciate you everyday.”

I sighed dreamily. “You do.”

Ozren kissed my cheek one last time before I faded to sleep. I did want to tell him that I was falling for him, but once again, I told myself to wait.