Barbarian's Valentine: A Slice of Life Novella (Ice Planet Barbarians Book 19)

by Ruby Dixon

  “I am confused about the syrup,” I admit, unable to take my eyes off of her spectacularly large teats. That white fur and those tiny straps…clothing should not be so fascinating, should it? But I am entranced at the sight of the creamy swells of her teats that rise and fall with every breath she takes.

  “Like I said,” she murmurs, and pulls my loincloth off. “It’s for me.” A deep sigh escapes her at the sight of my cock. “God, I’ve missed you.”

  “It has missed you, as well.” I reach out to caress one large teat, unable to resist the nearness of that fur-covered mound. “All of me has.”

  She takes the syrup from me and then puts a hand on my chest, pushing me back onto the furs. I go eagerly, because I know nothing but good things come when I am on my back and my aroused mate is looming over me. As I watch, she presses a kiss to my raised knee, and because she is not paying attention, some of the syrup dribbles out onto my cock.

  “You spilled it,” I point out. “Should I get a towel?”

  Mah-dee sits up, and there is a smile on her face. “You really don’t know how this game is played, do you? God, you’re so cute.”

  Then, she takes my syrup-covered cock and sucks the tip clean.

  I fall back against the furs, groaning. Now I understand this game. “Are you…going to lick everywhere there is syrup?” I ask, panting hard.

  “Mmmhmm.”

  I take the bottle from her hand and douse my cock with it, shaking the thick droplets free until they cover my sac and lower. I love it when Mah-dee’s tongue goes exploring.

  She giggles with delight, and then gets to work on cleaning me with her mouth. I groan, dropping the near-empty bottle as her slick little human tongue works over my cock, then my sac, and further still. She flicks it over every crevice and fold, teasing and sucking and making little noises of pleasure as she cleans me with her mouth. Her hands are sticky and her lips are, too, but her breathless little moans—and her busy tongue that goes places tongues are not meant to go—are too much for me to take and I thrust up against her when she takes my cock into her mouth. I need to come, and come hard. “Mah-dee,” I warn, but she takes me deep, giving me silent acknowledgement that she is ready.

  With a snarl, I pump into her mouth, filling it with my seed. She makes a sound of encouragement, and then pulls back, my release spilling down her chin as she struggles to keep up.

  “My mate,” I tell her, touching her face as she nuzzles and licks me clean. “Oh, how I have missed you.”

  Mah-dee just chuckles and then sits up, stretching. “Let me get you a towel and I’ll finish cleaning you off.”

  “Is there anything left?” I pant, amused.

  “Well, I plan on climbing you to get mine, and I’m not about to give myself a raging yeast infection.” She gets to her feet, tosses me a satisfied little look over her shoulder, and saunters over to the kitchen, that strange, furry loincloth barely containing the globes of her glorious bottom. She rejoins me a few moments later, taking a ladle of heated water from over the banked fire and adding it to the cold water in her bowl. With a swish, she adds a bit of soapberry and then begins to wash me as if I am helpless.

  I have to admit, it makes my cock stir. “Do I get to wash you next?” I ask, lying back and enjoying the view of her glorious teats as she runs the warm towel over my loins.

  “I’m not dirty…yet.” And she gives me a promising look.

  “Yet,” I agree. I eye her strange clothing with approval. If I am the only one that gets to see her like this, I like it far more than I originally thought. “Will you wear these furs for me whenever I ask?”

  “As often as you like.”

  “No wonder you were cold. I thought we would sneak out and mate behind someone’s hut in secret like we normally do.” I grin at the memories.

  “It’s no fun if they’re not there to hear, and everyone’s at the longhouse.”

  I chuckle. “Maybe I shall take you to the longhouse later, then.”

  “Maybe so.” She washes me higher, her hands resting on my chest for a moment before she moves on.

  That seems odd to me. “I did not get dirty on my chest, my mate.”

  She shrugs. “I was just…seeing if your cootie was waking up. Seeing if we’d resonate again when we reunited. Aehako and Kira did the moment they got back together.” She puts the washtowel in the bowl and sets it aside, the look on her face hard to read. “It’s baby number two for them.”

  “So I heard. I am glad for them.” When she does not respond, I reach out and take her hand in mine, then tug her rounded form down in the furs so her grand teats rest against my chest. “Does this make you sad?”

  “I…don’t know. Pretty soon we might be the only ones in the village that only have one kit.” I open my mouth to speak and she immediately puts a finger over my lips. “Before you say it, I know Bek and Elly and Kate and the others are just newly pregnant. I mean of…us. The old crew. The ones that have been here a while. Almost everyone has a second baby on the way. Heck, Josie’s got a third. And…I don’t know how that makes me feel. I don’t want you to think I’m less of a mate because I’m not crapping out babies at every turn.”

  I snort, because she must be joking…but her face is solemn. “Mah-dee. How can you think such things?”

  “Well, it’s easy,” she retorts and taps a finger on the side of my brow. “I use this big hunk of meat up here. You should try it sometime.”

  I just grin, because I like her ferocity. “You could never be less of a mate. In fact, you are probably more mate than any hunter can handle…except me.” I can tell this pleases her because her mouth quirks in a little smile. I continue, because I want that smile to grow. “If you and I never resonate again, it does not matter to me. If we only have Masan, then I will be thrilled because he is now old enough to spend the night with Suh-mer and Warrek, and that means I have more play time with my mate.” I move one tiny strap of her leathers to the side and a large, juicy teat slides free, her nipple revealed to me. I take it between thumb and forefinger, rolling it back and forth to tease her. I love the way her eyes darken with need and how she presses her teat into my hand, demanding more. “And if we resonate again, I will be happy to have more kits so Masan can have a sister or a brother to take over to Suh-mer and Warrek when he goes.”

  She giggles, her expression soft as she gazes down at me. “God, I love you.”

  “I love as well,” I tell her, using her human words that she likes to hear. “We will resonate again in time. Or not. It does not matter to me as long as I have you in my arms. Our son is strong and healthy. Your teats are glorious and begging for my touch. Let us not rush things and simply enjoy each day as it comes.”

  “That sounds good to me,” she says, breathless as I pinch her nipple. She pants with need, and then a sly look enters her eyes. “And…I bet Bek and Elly didn’t stay at the celebration long. I bet even now they’re back in their hut.”

  “Mmm…we have not mated behind their hut, have we?” I know my Mah-dee likes the thrill of it, the danger of being caught by another as I bury myself inside her. She loves to brace her hands on the hard stones of their wall as I drive into her, biting back her cries of pleasure.

  I admit, I like the sight of that, too. Sometimes she is not quiet enough and we get caught…which I also like, because she comes immediately when it happens, her cunt gripping my cock like a vise. Those are the best times.

  The thought makes my cock stir back to life, and I eye her strange clothing. “Will you be warm enough with a cloak over that?”

  “One way to find out,” she says, eyes gleaming.

  We gaze at each other for a moment, and then scramble for our cloaks.

  6

  JOSIE

  We’re leaving the longhouse, Joha asleep in Haeden’s arms, as a low cry carries across the quiet village.

  “Yes! Like that!”

  Haeden makes a harrumph in his throat and turns to look at me. “I see Mah-dee and H
assen are up to their old tricks.”

  I can’t help but smile at my mate’s sour expression. “They’re just having a good time. It’s fine.”

  “You say that because they are behind Bek’s hut this time and not ours.” He touches Joha’s round baby cheek with a tender finger and my heart squeezes in my chest. “If they get any louder, they will wake this little one up.”

  He’s such a wonderful father. I love seeing Joha cuddled against his chest, her thumb in her mouth as he carefully pulls one of the fur blankets higher to shield her from the chilly air. We don’t get much wind down here in the canyon, but it doesn’t mean that it’s not breath-stealingly cold.

  I pretend to stomp my boot against the cobblestones to adjust it, but in reality, I’m listening to Maddie and Hassen get it on in the distance. He must have liked her lingerie, I think wistfully. I helped her put on the final stitches early this morning. She made a simple corset and a teeny tiny bra with crisscross straps and equally tiny panties of soft white fur. Nothing crazy, but she assured me that Hassen would love it, and I could tell she was practically beside herself with glee.

  My “lingerie” is simpler. It’s more of a babydoll made out of the thinnest leather I could find, trimmed with fur and cinched at the breasts so it’ll lift and separate the girls. I’m still breastfeeding, so they’re big already, but my figure doesn’t compare to Maddie’s. I wonder if it’ll even be worth it, considering how pregnant I am and that I’m not even close to giving birth.

  Man, when did I turn into such a downer? No wonder Haeden doesn’t want to sleep with me. I give the back of my hand a slap to mentally chide myself for being so negative, and when I look up, my mate has paused to wait for me, and he’s studying me with a quizzical look on his face. “Jo-see?” His voice is low and husky so as not to wake our daughter. “Is all well?”

  I smile brightly at him, stepping forward and putting my hand at the crook of his arm like I normally do. “Why wouldn’t everything be well?”

  “You seem distracted tonight.” He studies my face. “Do you feel well? Is your stomach upset?”

  “I’m fine, really.”

  Haeden knows me better than anyone else, so I’m not entirely surprised when he gives me another skeptical glance. Maybe I have been a little quiet and distracted tonight. I’ve been thinking about my mate and how to approach seducing him without looking ridiculously pregnant. I’m not as brave and bold as Maddie with her entire Valentine-slash-seduction plan. I’d feel silly tying Haeden’s hands and having my way with him like Maddie suggested. The sex between us has always been good—okay, amazing—and we’ve never needed to resort to crazy stuff to spice things up.

  Maybe that’s part of the problem, I’m realizing. Maybe he’s bored with me because I’m not as bold as I used to be?

  “You are frowning,” my mate chides. “Come, Jo-see, confess what bothers you.”

  “I promise it’s nothing.”

  He grunts. “I do not like these secrets,” he whispers, pitching his voice low so we don’t wake Joha. “We will talk more when she is in her furs.” My mate pauses and narrows his eyes at me. “Is there a reason why you sent Joden with Suh-mer and Warrek?”

  “I told you. Masan and Rollan are having a sleepover with them and I thought it would be fun for Joden to join in. Summer said she didn’t mind.” I wanted to send Joha, too, but my little one is still nursing and that means she can get fussy if she’s hungry. She’s an independent sleeper, though, which means there’s no chance of her crawling into bed with us…which is the main reason why Joden’s with Summer tonight.

  Haeden gives me another curious look but says nothing. We get to our hut, and I can no longer hear Hassen and Maddie in their furtive rendezvous. I hope she’s having fun and loving the lingerie she worked so hard on. Haeden pulls the screen back and helps me duck inside, and once I’ve taken two steps in, he puts a hand to the small of my back and steers me toward the best seat by the fire. “Sit, my heart.”

  “The fire is almost out,” I protest. “And Joha—”

  He presses a quick kiss to the top of my head. “I will take care of all of it. You are tired. Sit.”

  I do sit down and fight back a sigh as I watch him move around the hut, preparing things with one hand, his other arm full of our daughter. He puts on a pouch of tea and grabs the fuel tongs, tossing another dung chip onto the fire and stirring the coals. With that done, he moves to the front of the hut, secures the screen, and then moves to settle Joha in her bed. It’s an oversized square basket full of the softest furs, and my girl’s a hard sleeper. She barely stirs as her father sets her down…and then checks her leathers. I know without looking that they’ll be wet—habit—and I’m not surprised when Haeden immediately pulls out the small trunk that I keep her diaper-wraps in and begins to change her. Joha sleeps on, her thumb in her mouth, her dark hair curling around her sweet baby face.

  I watch my mate, entranced, my heart aching with love for him. He’s such a good dad. He takes care of my little girl without being asked, because he knows it’s a struggle for me to juggle both kits and still do the household chores. It doesn’t matter if he spends all day hunting, he always makes sure to help me out when he’s home. And it’s easy to see that he loves the children so, so much.

  So what is it that’s off between us and how can I fix it?

  I think of Maddie and her “Valentine” private party. She never doubts that her mate will find her incredibly sexy. Granted, she’s also not on baby number three, but I need to take a page from her book. Haeden loves me and we have a wonderful family. I just need to reignite our fading spark. With that in mind, I get up and move toward the screened off area that functions as our “private” bedroom. “I think I’m going to get ready for bed,” I say, faking a yawn.

  He nods, his hands full of Joha and her dirty wraps.

  I watch him for a moment longer, my heart full of love for him and my sweet little girl, and then I decide to do this thing. I go behind the screen, pull out my new nightie and change quickly. I run a hand through my freshly washed hair and then comb the waves out so they fall over my shoulders in what I hope is a sexy manner. Maddie suggested perfume or even a pot of berry-stained lip balm, but Haeden would look at me as if I was crazy if I wore that stuff. I love my man, but he’s definitely not a fan of fuss. So instead, I arrange myself atop the blankets and try to look sexy and eager. I adjust the bow digging in under my breasts, trying to make my cleavage look more bountiful as Haeden moves around in the hut on the other side of the screen. I hear him wash his hands in a bowl of water, and then his footsteps as he approaches. I toss my hair quickly, bite my lips so they look pink, and ready my most seductive expression.

  Haeden appears, drying his hands on a fur towel, and eyes my leather babydoll outfit. The tiny straps are already straining and probably won’t last multiple wearings, and the fur on the hem tickles my knees. “Your tunic is strange.”

  That’s it? That’s all I get? “Do you like it?” I lean forward, trying to get him to eye my cleavage without pressing my weight on my belly.

  “It does not seem very warm. Are you hot? Should I bank the fire?” He tosses the towel down on the floor (which I ignore) and begins to remove his boots.

  “It’s not meant to be warm,” I tell him, playing with the tie between my breasts. “It’s meant to be sexy.”

  “Sexy?” Haeden stares at me for a long moment. “Why? What brings this about?”

  All of his questions are making me doubt myself, and I sit up, feeling self-conscious and weird. “I was trying to seduce you, but I guess I’m not very good at it. Never mind.” I just feel tired and sad, suddenly. Like I’ve done something wrong and I don’t know what it is.

  “Jo-see, my heart,” Haeden murmurs, and sits down on the furs next to me. He cups my chin in one big hand and tilts my face up so my eyes meet his. “There is something you are not telling me. Why do you wish to seduce me when you are obviously tired and not feeling well?”


  “Maybe I’m not that tired,” I say defensively. “Maybe I’m worried about us.”

  “Us?” He looks genuinely surprised. “What is wrong with us?” He caresses my cheek, his gaze so tender it’s making me feel all kinds of things.

  I almost feel silly saying it aloud. “Joden says we don’t tickle anymore. He told me that you said I’m always pregnant and we don’t tickle and you only want more babies because I do.” My lower lip quivers as I remember the hurt of those words. “And you know he repeats everything he hears.”

  Haeden just shakes his head, his free hand going to my waist and his arm loops around me, supporting me as he pulls me against him. “My beautiful mate. You worry far too much.”

  “But what he says is true. We don’t tickle—I mean, have sex—anymore. We haven’t had sex in a full turn of the moon!”

  “And do you remember what happened in the last moon?” he asks, leaning down and pressing a gentle kiss to the tip of my nose. “Your stomach was upset for the last few days. You vomited many times. And just before that, Joha ate that plant and her stomach was very angry. And before that…you had a sour stomach once more. This kit has been harder on you, my sweet mate. I can see the exhaustion on your face when I look at you. Why would I come after you and attack you with my needs when you are already struggling?”

  “Because I’m so irresistible you can’t help yourself?” I ask brightly, knowing that everything he says is true. I have been sick a lot, and then Joha made herself ill, and it’s just been a mess lately. “Sometimes I wish you would attack me with your needs. Harassment is sexy as long as it comes from you. I mean, sometimes a girl needs her ass grabbed, you know?”

  “You do? Why?”

  “Because you can’t resist my ass? Because I’m so sexy it blows your mind and you can’t go another moment without touching me?” I know I’m asking a lot. My Haeden is a wonderful dad and mate, but he’s a bit…taciturn. He’s not prone to constant kissing and squeezing like Maddie and Hassen, who, even after years of being mated, can’t keep their hands off each other. Haeden’s more private. Which is not a bad thing. “I guess I’m just being needy.”