Barbarian's Bride: Ice Planet Barbarians Book 22

by Dixon, Ruby

  Oh boy. How did I miss the ridges before? Maybe it was the angle of our bodies. Because my mouth is absolutely watering at the sight of that now, along with the prominent head, so flushed with blood that he's practically a bluish purple. He strokes his hand up and down his length, regarding me, and I bite my lip. "Are you just going to stand there all day or do I get to touch you again?"

  "Soon," he promises. I'm disappointed when he lowers his hand. I liked watching him touch himself. I wasn't trying to get him to stop. If he wants to stand there and jerk off, I will absolutely enjoy watching every moment of it. Instead of stroking that beast between his thighs, though, he moves to the fire and stokes it with a nearby stick.

  I want to scream in frustration. Weren't we just kissing passionately? Weren't we just having an amazing time? And now he's going to go and stare at…the fire? Oy vey. Is he being shy? Just a short while ago he was so deep inside me it felt like he was rearranging my organs. Why is he awkward now? Because he thinks he hurt me?

  I reach out to touch his tail. "Hey, Dagesh, is everything okay?"

  The moment my fingers brush over his tail, he jerks to his feet.

  8

  DAGESH

  This is more difficult than I thought. I stare at the fire, wanting to bury my face in my hands…or my cock into my mate's soft body.

  Control, I remind myself. I must have control. I cannot attack her like I did before. I must be gentle.

  "Hey, Dagesh?" No-rah asks. "Is everything okay?"

  And she touches my tail.

  The breath hisses from my lungs and I grab my cock and squeeze the head tight. It's either that or I will erupt everywhere, spilling my seed into the fire instead of into her. I suck in deep breaths, trying to regain control. "A moment," I manage. "Need…moment."

  "I'm here if you need me." She touches my tail again, her fingers stroking down it in a feather-light way that is impossible to ignore.

  With a strangled sound, I come. Hot seed spatters into the fire, and there is so much of it as I shamefully pump my cock that I threaten to douse the flames. My face heats with embarrassment and dismay. I have not been able to control myself, and now my mate will think of me as a foolish kit.

  But No-rah just giggles and pets my tail again. "Feel better?"

  I dare a glance over at her, surprised.

  She just smiles at me, her expression enticing. "What? You looked like you were hurting. I'm not going to judge." She tilts her head, regarding me. "Though I'd prefer if you paid more attention to me instead of the fire…"

  "I…must control myself," I tell her, panting.

  "Must you?" No-rah trails her fingers through the furs. "Or you could come lose control on me."

  She is a tease, this female. I like her smile, though. I like that she does not seem to be bothered by my lack of control. I give my cock one final jerk, shooting the last of my seed into the fire, and then wipe my hands clean. Now I can look at my beautiful mate without fear of losing my mind when I see her. Perhaps it is good that I already came. Now I can take her properly.

  No-rah is on her side, reclining on the furs, her teats utterly soft and touchable looking. Her eyes shine with excitement as she looks at me, and I can smell her arousal, hear her khui. She is eager for another mating, my pretty female. I want to please her. More than anything, I want to please her. I want to give her such pleasure, just as she has given me. "I will not hurt you," I remind her. "Never again."

  "Never say never," she tells me, and pats the blankets again.

  In this, she is wrong. I will not hurt her, and I mean it. I will be the gentlest of mates this time, now that the unbearable urgency has been sated twice in such a short time. Now I will be able to control myself a bit more.

  "May I touch you?" I ask her. "Or do you need more time?"

  "Dagesh," No-rah says, and her tone is full of frustration. "Did we or did we not just mouth-fuck for the last ten minutes? Of course I want you to touch me." She reaches out for me. "Please. I promise you I'm not scared or upset. I'm really, really turned on and want to have sex with you again."

  "It is the khui," I remind her. "It is enticing you to like me."

  "I don't need much enticing! I like you. I find you attractive. I like your smile. I like your voice." She licks her lips and studies me again. "I really like the way you kiss."

  I bite back a groan, because it is not taking much for my cock to stiffen once more. It should be tired, yet the khui is fueling this endless hunger through both of us. I cannot deny her any longer. I move over to her, entranced by her smile and her soft, supple body. She is so strangely shaded, her color not anywhere near blue. Her teats are tipped with brownish-pink tips that look far too enticing, and her hips are curved and padded. She is nothing like a sa-khui female, and yet I cannot take my eyes off of her. I cannot stop thinking about the hot clench of her cunt around my cock as I thrust into her.

  I must get this right, because I have never wanted anything as much as I want my pretty No-rah.

  I move over her, fascinated by her body. "I can taste you anywhere?"

  "Absolutely." She reaches up and caresses my cheek, her thumb skimming over my lips. "Let me reassure you again I am not a fragile flower. Do whatever you like with me. I promise I'll enjoy it."

  "Do not worry," I reassure her. I lean down and kiss her mouth, loving the feel of her lips on mine. Why have my people never kissed before? It seems such an obvious thing now. "I will be the gentlest of mates from now on."

  "Oh. Okay. Great." No-rah gives me a bright smile.

  I press a kiss to her shoulder and then look up to see if she likes it. She runs her fingers through my messy mane, brushing it back from my face in a tender gesture, and so I continue kissing her, pressing my mouth down her body and tasting her. When Vektal told us of Shorshie and the other females, he swore that the saying is true—that nothing tastes better than a resonance mate on your tongue—and I am eager to experience this for myself. I kiss down her arm and then across her soft abdomen.

  I head lower, between her thighs, to where she has a charming tuft of dark hair concealing her cunt. I love the sight of it, and brush my lips over it before heading lower, to the source of her rich scent.

  She moans encouragement, and I press my mouth to her folds. I dip my tongue into their depths, wanting to taste her, and moan as the flavor of my mate dances over my tongue. She is musky and sweet, tasting just like her arousal smells, and nothing has ever been better. With a wild growl, I clutch at her thighs, pushing them farther apart so I can feast upon her. I move my tongue over her folds, pleasuring the little bump there—the third nipple, as Vektal called it once. No-rah likes this, and she calls out softly to me as I lap at her, drinking her in.

  "Dagesh," she whimpers. "I need more. Need you inside me."

  "Soon," I promise her. I want to make her come with just my tongue. I want to watch her clench up with her release.

  No-rah has other ideas, though. She grabs a fistful of my mane and tugs, frantic. "Now," she pants. "Come inside me. Resonance."

  I am weak. So weak. Because I cannot resist the temptation of sinking into her.

  I cover my mate, and her thighs eagerly grip mine. She reaches for me as I move over her, and when I sink deep, she hisses with pleasure. And then…I am lost again. Nothing feels as good as the clasp of her hot cunt on my cock, the way she grips my length as if she was made for me. I pump into her slowly, deliberately, wanting to make this good for her. To be careful with my fragile, precious mate. I must remember that she needs a tender hand, not a rough one.

  So I am gentle with her. I move slowly. I watch her face for pleasure as I take her, each stroke careful and restrained. "More," she pleads, giving me a sultry look of encouragement. "More."

  I keep moving at a leisurely pace, my teeth gritted. I cannot give her more. If I do, I will lose control. I reach up and caress her bouncing teats instead, brushing my thumb over the nipple of one. She gives a little quiver and cries out, her cunt clenchin
g once around my cock.

  It is enough. With relief, I stop holding back, pumping into her with a few more strokes before I release. It is not as wild as before, but I do not mind. I lean over my mate and kiss her soft, sweet mouth as I shudder over her.

  Gentle matings are much better.

  9

  NORA

  Gentle sex is a nightmare.

  I stroke Dagesh's shoulder, trying to hide my frustration. The sex was fine. Not mind-blowing. Not amazing. Just…fine. I had a tiny orgasm. Just a tiny one. It's fine.

  It's all fine.

  No matter how much I ask him to be a little rougher, a little fiercer, he won't. He doesn't like the idea. He sees the bruises on my skin and feels like a monster, not realizing that they don't bother me. That to me, they're just signs of a good time. I'm starting to worry that the explosive wall sex was a fluke. That I'm not going to get taken hard like I want.

  I'm going to be stuck with gentle vanilla sex for the rest of my days.

  It's fine. Really. It's fine.

  It's just…different. I really like Dagesh. I like his body. I like his voice. I like his smile, his earnestness, his determination to be a good mate to me. I'm realizing quickly though that no one on this planet is into kink. That my new handsome mate is going to be revolted at the thought of being rough with me, even if it's what I want, what I need to get off.

  And this thing between us—this resonance—is so new. Everything is lining up to be great except for the sex. A relationship can still be built on decent sex, right? On tooth-achingly sweet, gentle sex?

  I'm sure it can. So I play with his hair, and when he presses a kiss to my lips again and asks me how I feel, I smile and tell him I'm great. That I'm happy. There are bigger problems, I figure, than if my mate spanks me or not.

  He's a virgin, too. Or he was. Maybe in time he'll want to explore things a bit more.

  I can be patient.

  * * *

  DAGESH

  No-rah and I stay out in the hunter cave overnight, and we mate several more times before we fall asleep, twined together. When I wake up, we no longer resonate to one another. The tone of our khuis has changed, the song becoming softer and more relaxed. I spend the morning kissing my pretty mate, beyond happy, and then we return to join the others.

  We stay for a time at the ancestors' cave, and then head on to the home cave. Others have resonated—Zolaya has a female, now, and Zennek. Pashov is all smiles, hovering over his new mate, Stay-see. There is so much joy in our small group of hunters. To think we were to spend our lives alone, with no families of our own, and now we will have everything.

  I go to sleep every night with my pretty mate in my arms, and I cover her with kisses and tell her how happy she makes me. Whenever I reach for her, No-rah is eager.

  And yet…I feel as if something is missing.

  But what?

  10

  Many Days Later

  DAGESH

  Underneath me, No-rah pants, her teats jiggling as I pump into her.

  "Harder," she tells me, lost in the moment. "Pull…pull my hair, baby."

  I stroke her mane, instead. "I am here, No-rah. I have you."

  She just buries her face against my shoulder and meets my thrusts with additional force. It makes me slow down, because I do not want to hurt her. I do not want to bruise my No-rah, and my pretty mate bruises easily. So I grab the hand she twists into my mane and ease it back down to the furs, linking my fingers with hers.

  This time, like many times recently, I watch her face. I want to see her come, and lately I have not been able to feel it when she has her release. I stroke into her until she lets out a small whimper and her legs tighten. There it is. I thrust harder, desperate to reach my own climax, and she sucks in a breath, almost as if she is about to come again.

  "Oh," she breathes. "Oh, Dagesh."

  I come, flooding her with my seed, and then it is over. She holds me as my breathing returns to normal, stroking my mane with her small hand.

  "You hunting today?" she asks in a drowsy voice.

  I bury my face against her neck, breathing in her scent. She smells so good. I press a kiss to her throat, careful not to hold her too tight. "Yes. I wish I could stay in with you, but there is too much to be done outside the cave."

  "Try not to miss me too much," she teases.

  I kiss her neck again. "Impossible."

  I detangle from her warm body and she sighs, the sound almost…disappointed. I study her face as I wash up, then dress, worried. "Was I too rough with you?"

  Her mouth twists. "No. Don't worry about it. It's fine."

  "And you…you came? It was good for you?" She always seems happy…except in the furs. Every time we mate, it is wonderful, but in the aftermath, I always feel as if I have done something wrong. That she is…unsettled.

  No-rah just grabs my hand and presses a kiss to the palm. "I did. It was lovely, baby. Go hunt. I promise you I'm absolutely fine."

  Still I hesitate.

  She gets to her feet and helps me with my loincloth, sliding her hand over my cock. "I love you with all my heart. Please don't worry, okay? It's not you, it's me."

  "But that means it is something."

  No-rah shakes her head again. "I promise, it is nothing worth being unhappy over. It's just minor stuff. I love you and I love our life." She touches her belly, where there is yet no sign of our kit-to-be. "And I'm going to love being a mom. So please don't worry."

  I pull her to me and kiss her again. It is an argument we have had many times in the last few weeks. There is something that makes my No-rah sad, but when I ask her about it, she will not share. All she has said is that I would not understand.

  I want to understand. I want to understand desperately. No-rah is everything to me. She has changed my life in the short time she has been here, and I cannot imagine a day without her bright smile in it, or the touch of her soft hand in mine.

  "I hate that I must hunt," I confess. "Vektal wishes for us to make sure all the caches are full before the brutal season arrives, since we have so many new tribe members."

  "You do what you have to do, baby." She gives my tail a little stroke and then pats my behind affectionately. No-rah loves to touch me all over, her caresses playful and full of love all at once. "I'll sit by the pool and maybe do some sewing. Gossip with the others. I'm making you a tunic, you know."

  "I have seen it." I smile at her, caressing her head. It is the ugliest tunic I have ever seen, and I will wear it with so much pride. "I will return quickly once I have checked all my traps. This I promise."

  "I'll be fine," she tells me again, a hint of exasperation in her voice. "You worry too much."

  Of course I worry. I have so much to lose now, and I never did before.

  * * *

  I think about my No-rah all morning as I hike through the snow, checking the traps I have left along the trails. It is a path I have walked handful after handful of times before, and my feet know the trail well enough that I can lose myself in thought. I think about my mate and the fact that she is not telling me something. But what? She says she is happy, and most of the time she is. It is just that sometimes, I feel as if she pulls away, or she is frustrated, and it confuses me.

  I am so very careful with her. I do everything I can to please her, and yet…I worry it is not enough. Other females have discarded their mate once resonance was fulfilled and sought pleasure from others. It is not common, but it has happened before. Has she…does she care for another? Do I make her unhappy? My heart clenches at the thought. She says she loves me and she touches me constantly. She smiles.

  I do not think she wants another mate.

  I just…do not know what she wants.

  As I ponder this, I see another heading down one of the trails. I stare at the distant figure for a moment. It is Pashov, evident from the way he walks and holds himself. I raise a hand in greeting, moving to meet him. My traps can wait a time. Perhaps I need to speak to someone else a
bout what is troubling me.

  "Ho," I call out to him. "How is your luck this day?"

  "Rotten." He jogs toward me, a smile on his face. "I would much rather be at my mate's side instead of pulling trap after empty trap. You?"

  I shrug. "Some luck. Some not." I take one of the hoppers hanging from my belt and offer it to him. "For your new mate. I have enough for mine this evening."

  "My thanks, brother." Pashov takes it and ties it to his belt, shaking his head. "It seems like there is never enough meat in the brutal season to go around, and to think of all these extra mouths to feed is a bit worrying…and yet I would change nothing."

  I nod in silence. If I had to give up every meal so my No-rah can eat, I would gladly do so. Her health—and the health of the kit she now carries—is the most important thing. "How is your Stay-see?"

  I did not think it was possible for him to smile any wider, but the grin that splits his face is enormous. "She is perfect. Just perfect. I never thought I could be so happy with a mate. She is smart, too. You should see the things she cooks for me. It is like she sees the food we have and makes it better. And in the furs…" he sighs, utterly content. "No male is as lucky as me." He pauses and then laughs. "Other than you, of course. And Zolaya. And Zennek. And Vektal. But I feel…I feel like Stay-see truly was meant to be mine. The moment I saw her, I knew. And I have been floating in the clouds ever since."

  It is hard not to smile at his earnest enthusiasm. All of us who have resonated feel changed. And yet…I think about my No-rah and how she sometimes seems very far away from me. I worry I am doing something wrong. That I am somehow not pleasing her. "Are your matings good with your female?"