Sucking in a breath, I shook my head. “Nothing. I’m just surprised. I thought I’d have to do more to get you to help me. I was considering telling Feigrind he could stay here a few days so the two of you could rest before returning to the clan in exchange for your help.”
Simon scoffed, waving my offer away. “I was going to do that anyway. Besides, I refuse to let anyone in my clan suffer havingbad sex. Inexperience isn’t an excuse. Now, pay attention. There’s more, and I’m tired. I don’t want to have to repeat myself.”
CHAPTER NINETEEN
CEDRIC
I’d begun to worry about Orthorr when he didn’t return by supper like he’d planned. I sat with the clan, picked at my food, but I couldn’t keep my gaze off the horizon in the direction that he’d left that morning. Logically, I knew delays happened. He was meeting with the king. It wasn’t like he was going to send a runner just to inform me he’d be late. I wasn’t that important. But I still worried. There wasn’t much I could do about it, though. When it got too late and I was the last one sitting around the community fire, I figured it was best to go to bed. If he wasn’t back by tomorrow, I could… I wasn’t even sure what I could do, but I knew I wouldn’t be figuring it out on my own when I was too tired to think straight.
I hesitated between Orthorr’s tent and the tent where I’d slept when I arrived. I hadn’t slept in there since Orthorr and I started courting, but I felt a little weird going to stay in his tent without him. We weren’t married, or bonded. We were only courting, and that was his space, not ours. Finn told us about how barbarians felt about their tents. No one entered withouttheir permission. Did I have permission when he wasn’t there to invite me?
Something about being on my own without his reassurance made me turn away from Orthorr’s tent. It felt wrong to be in there without him. Instead, I crept into the tent where the other townspeople slept, doing my best not to tread on anyone on my way to the small bed I’d been sleeping in before. It was more crowded than when I’d been staying there last, thanks to the number of people who’d arrived recently, and I wasn’t entirely sure who my neighbors were in the dark of the tent. I crawled into my old bed, grimacing at the hardness of it compared to the soft bed I’d been sleeping in with Orthorr.
I eventually fell into a fitful sleep, the cold and discomfort stopping me from truly resting. Which was why when someone scooped me carefully out of bed and into their arms, I startled and flailed, nearly causing Orthorr to drop me.
“Orthorr,” I whispered, clutching his shoulders, my heart thundering in my ears from the shock. “You’re back.”
He looked grumpy for some reason, but didn’t say anything as he slipped out of the tent, somehow a lot more gracefully than I had without stepping on anyone in the darkness. He likely couldn’t even see his feet with the way he held me, and still he acted like it was nothing.
He didn’t put me down when we stepped outside. It was still dark, an ocean of stars above us, and the community fire blazing happily nearby. I had no idea what time it was, or how long I’d been asleep. It felt like only minutes, and I was still tired when Orthorr ducked into his tent and brought me to his bed. He was arranging me on the blankets when I finally caught his hand, cocking my head at him questioningly.
“What’s wrong? Did the meeting not go well?”
“It was fine,” was the grumpy reply, but it still didn’t explain the scowl on Orthorr’s face. I caught his cheeks between myhands, pulling him down for a kiss, and waited until he finally grumbled, “I had looked forward to coming home to you in our bed. I didn’t like finding it empty and you gone.”
My heart skipped a beat and I felt a smile pull at my lips as he leaned his forehead against mine. “I’m sorry. I felt weird being in here without you. I wasn’t sure if I was allowed.”
“You are always allowed,” he insisted. “You are my Cedric. You belong here with me. What can I do to make you feel more comfortable here? I want this to be your home.”
He sounded generally worried, and I was quick to reassure him, running my fingers through his beard to soothe him a little. “I am comfortable, I promise. We just hadn’t talked about me moving in here. Some of my stuff is still in the other tent, and I didn’t want to overstep without having a conversation first. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you.”
His arms wrapped around me, and he settled beside me, keeping our foreheads pressed together as he slowly relaxed against me. I peppered his face with kisses as an apology for making him worry, not stopping until he was smiling and his big hand caught the back of my head, drawing me in for a sweet kiss.
“Tomorrow,” he grumbled against my lips, “you will move the rest of your belongings here. I wish for you to stay with me always, Cedric. I do not wish for us to part.”
Goddess, how was I supposed to resist that? He was so sincere, so romantic, and I didn’t stand a chance against that combination. I nodded, smiling against his lips when he drew me into another kiss. Even after I decided to leave my town in hopes of finding something better, I never thought I’d bethishappy. Orthorr was everything I’d ever dreamed of and more. Not even my wildest dreams had that much muscle.
The kiss, which had started sweet and loving, turned steamy when Orthorr’s tongue came into play. The man had a wicked mouth, always saying or doing things that made me melt forhim. When he sucked lightly on my tongue, I felt the pull in my groin and bucked my hips in response, fingers digging into his robes as I attempted to drag him closer.
Orthorr hummed against my mouth, chuckling when I chased him as he pulled away. “It is late, kolrav. I hadn’t meant to wake you. I only wished to bring you back where you belong. You should get some sleep.”
“How can I when you keep saying such sweet things?” I asked, dragging him back down for another kiss. I liked where this was going, and I wasn’t that tired anyway. I could sleep in a little if it meant good sex tonight.
Like he could resist about as much as I could, Orthorr gave in to my demands, claiming my lips fiercely. It felt a little like he was attempting to devour me, or maybe steal the breath from my lungs, because when we broke apart, I was panting, and my body throbbed with need.
“Orthorr…”
He growled, nipping at my bottom lip. “I spoke with Simon. That was why I was late returning home. Uttin’s company returned while I was meeting with the king.” He drew me into another passionate kiss before asking, “Can I make it up to you for making you wait?”
“Yes!” I practically shouted, slapping my hands over my mouth when I remembered how late it was. I grimaced, embarrassment making my face flush. “Sorry.”
Grinning, Orthorr drew my hands away from my mouth, kissing me until the embarrassment vanished and lust took its place. I squirmed against him, eager and needy, and when he finally released my hands, I gripped his robes and pulled at them until he allowed me to pull open the ties and push it off his shoulders, tossing it away. He did the same with my borrowed tunic, and when his skin pressed against mine, I sighed happily. I didn’t think I’d ever get enough of this.
Like he could hear the sappy thoughts flitting through my head, Othorr gave me a soft smile, stopping for a moment to brush his fingers through my hair and rest his forehead against mine. I loved when he did that. He wasn’t in any rush with me. He was going to savor every moment, and because he was so much bigger than me, he was going to make me do the same. I was always grateful when we were through, despite how eager I was in the moment. He forced me not to rush and experience every ounce of pleasure he could offer me. How could I complain about that?
The rest of our clothes were removed between heated kisses and wandering hands. I never could resist touching him, and he never stopped me, chuckling when his naked body pressed against mine and my touches grew more frantic. I groaned against his mouth when he rocked against me, grinding our cocks together, but he didn’t linger or bring me off. He lifted off me, and I watched him walk away, my mouth dry as I took in the lines of muscles. He’d lit a lantern before coming to get me, and I was grateful that I didn’t have to miss anything. Even at his age, he was all compact muscles and graceful movements. The tattoos decorating his skin were gorgeous, and I couldn’t help tracing my fingers over them whenever he was within reach. And his cock… Goddess… He was proportional to his size, which was both alluring and a little intimidating. I wanted him to take me, but I did question whether I’d be able to handle it. Would it even fit?
“Ravsol?”