Barbarian Alien(31)
“I am scarred. Surely you have noticed.”
I snort. “I’m not blind. It’s a little obvious.”
His expression closes off and he gets to his feet. I’ve hurt his feelings. Damn it, the man’s more prickly than even I am. I clasp his ankle to stop him, and he gazes down at me with those narrow, blade-sharp eyes that seem to hide all emotion. “You misunderstand me,” I say. I don’t know why it matters to me that I don’t hurt him, but it does. “I think it’s obvious that you’re scarred. You’re missing a horn. But I didn’t say it was unattractive.” I lick my lips. “I kind of like it.”
His eyes narrow again.
My fingers slide over the soft suede of his ankle, caressing the hard tendons under his flesh. There’s not an inch of him that is soft with fat. He’s all lean and wild and…well, even if I didn’t have a cootie, he would probably be my type. “The only thing I don’t like about this situation is the fact that I don’t have choices. It’s not you. It’s me. Does that make sense?”
He squats again, and his cock comes precariously near my hand. I try not to notice, try being the key word. “There is no choice when it comes to mating. The khui decides. It is what makes strong children.”
“Back where I am from, the woman decides.” Okay, that might be a little broad, since a lot of women don’t get to decide, but I’m running with it. “The man courts her and she lets him know if she appreciates his efforts.”
He flings his arms wide, gesturing at the cave. “Do I not court? Is this not all effort to show you how I can provide?”
“Kidnapping me from the others and then pretending like it’s courting doesn’t count, no,” I snap. “You know what? I give up on trying to be nice. You’re determined to take everything I say the wrong way. Forget it.” I lie back in bed and pull the covers up, then turn on my side so my back is to him.
He lies down next to me. Of course he does. The man wouldn’t know the word ‘no’ if it bit him in the face. I ignore him anyhow, determined to go to sleep. He wants to lie down like a couple? That’s fine – this can be his first experience with the wifely cold shoulder. Welcome to married life, Raahosh.
I roll my eyes at nothing when he reaches for my arm and strokes it. “Did you change your mind?”
“Change my mind?” I don’t turn to look at him, because if I do, he might get a fist in the face.
“About hunting? Do you not want to go in the morning?”
My jaw clenches. “You are such a blackmailing jerk.”
He pauses. His hand strokes down my arm, eliciting a response that ticks me off almost as much as his next comment. “I do not understand these words. What is a jerk?”
“Your people. Next question?”
He grunts, and I can’t tell if he’s annoyed at my snide commentary. “Black…mail? What is this?”
“That’s when you force me to do things I don’t want in exchange for something that I do want.”
This time he makes a sound of disbelief. His long fingers trail up and down over my skin, and it prickles in response. My pulse beats hard between my legs, and I can feel myself getting wet just at that small touch. “You say you do not want it. The only thing that says you do not want this is your mouth.”
“It’s allowed to have its say, too.”
“It says plenty,” he comments sourly.
“And see, shit like that is why you don’t get laid.” I pull away from him. “Quit touching me.”
He chuckles and leans in, his mouth brushing over my skin. “Ah. More of this mating ritual? I remember it from before.”
And his hand covers my breast, squeezing my nipple.
I sputter and flick his hand away even as my cootie starts a symphony with his. “What are you doing?”
His hand returns to my breast, his big arm pinning my flailing ones. He caresses and cups my breast while holding me down, and begins to nibble along my shoulder. “I am courting you as you have shown me. You tell me not to touch you…which is human mating talk for me to pleasure you.”
“It is not!” But then I remember holding his face down between my legs, grinding against him with my pussy. I don’t want you to touch this.
Well, damn. I have been sending this boy some mixed up signals, haven’t I? Time to explain. “Raahosh, I think we need to have a little talk. I–” My words cut off in a surprised yelp when his fangs score my shoulder, and my nerve endings go wild. That should not have felt as good as it did. That should not have made my entire body sing. But my cootie’s gone mad with delight, and when he nibbles on my shoulder again and drags his tongue over my neck, I don’t fight. And when his hand goes between my legs to cup my mound?