AllFreeNovel
Share Us
The kitchen had been one of the largest projects, but it was finally complete and organized to Maggie’s liking. An industrial oven, a large metal sink, and shining metal countertops dominated the far side of the room. A fridge was at one end, a set of huge shelves and a storage closet at the other. In the centre, straight ahead of me, was a large metal slab that functioned as a central workspace. An island, Maggie had called it, the word an odd choice that somehow sort of worked.
And at that island?
The hall-mother herself.
A soft smile played about Maggie’s lips as she hummed and worked. I hadn’t actually seen her at her craft yet. This was the first time. I’d already watched her hard at work doing other tasks in the shop, but now I got to see her actuallycreate. I crossed my arms, leaning against the doorframe as I watched her with fond eyes. Her hair was in its usual bun atop her head, and now that she was working in the kitchen around the food, her hair was covered by a strip of crimson fabric that she’d tied at the back. A smear of butter and sugar or something else delectable glowed white against the skin of her cheek, and I had to physically restrain myself from taking her face in my hands and dragging my tongue along that cheek, just to taste it.
To taste her.
I’m in deep, I thought with an adoring sigh. By the valleys, she was a gorgeous creature, and so competent it made my head spin in the most delightful way. It was good to see her happy like this. She looked relaxed and at peace.
I leaned forward into the light, trying to get a better look at what was on the tray before her. She held a piping bag in her hands, but I couldn’t actually tell what she was doing with it.
The movement must have caught her attention, because her head whipped up, her eyes wide.
She smiled, her small, tuskless teeth all straight and shiny and pretty in her beautiful mouth.
“It’s you! I was about to hurl this piping bag at you, you know!”
I pushed off from the door frame and joined her in the kitchen, standing on the other side of the island.
“If you’re so worried about an intruder disturbing you in here, you should activate the security forcefield.” I planted my hands on the smooth, cool counter, leaning forward slightly. “Or perhaps you left it down as an invitation?”
“Oh really? An invitation for whom?” she said, smirking at me.
“Well, as I’m the only one who’s shown up, I can only presume such an invitation was for me.” My eyes slid down to her tray. “What are you working on?”
“Oh!” It was as if she’d completely forgotten she’d been working at all. I forced down a growl of satisfaction at that. I liked that my presence had made her forget almost everything else.
“Don’t look!” she cried, tossing down her piping bag and crossing her arms awkwardly over the tray. “You’re not supposed to see it yet!”
“You certainly cannot leave me in suspense about it now,” I said, poking at her hands, trying to get her to move them. When that didn’t work, I circled around the island in three large steps, grasping at her arms from behind. She shrieked with laughter and joking complaints.
“No! No way! You can’t see yet!” She wiggled her arms out of my grasp with surprising strength and agility. I grunted, rising to the challenge, grasping her arms again and pinning them tightly to the front of her body. She shook with laughter in my arms, but my mirth immediately died when I realized the position we were in, the feeling replaced by brutal, relentless arousal. I had her wrists pinioned against her breasts, her slender back spreading warmth across my abdomen.Blasphemous mountains, I should have skipped the shirt today...
What would it feel like, to have her pressed against my bare skin?
My cock jerked, and I released her, clearing my throat loudly.
“If you truly don’t want me to look, I won’t,” I said, running a hand over strands of hair that had come loose from my braid.
“You know what, it’s fine. It’s for you anyway.”
My chest lurched. She’d made something for me?
Her voice grew slightly breathy. Uncertain. “I hope you like it. I asked Penny what sorts of desserts you enjoyed.”
What had a poor, pitiful orc such as myself possibly done to deserve such a sister? Instead of telling Maggie what Iactuallyliked, she’d clearly used the opportunity for her own gain. Based on the row upon row of sugar cookies before me, Penny had obviously told Maggie that’s what I liked, when in reality that was whatPennyliked.
Oh well. They’re still mine. Made by Maggie’s own hands.
“They’re perfect,” I said. “Though, the inscription is... Interesting.”
I squinted down at the cookies. They were all shaped like various Christmas objects – trees, bows, Terratribe reindeer and the like. And almost all of them were piped painstakingly with Orc-Orokish writing.
“Interesting?” Maggie’s face fell, and she frowned at the cookies. “I’m not used to writing in Orc-Orokish, let alone piping it. I must have made a mistake. I had Penny write out ‘Thank you, Archie!’ on a note for me. I thought I’d gotten it right...”
I snatched the note she’d been copying from beside the tray on the counter.
