The barbarians set up camp inside the forest when they found a spot big enough. They moved like they’d done it a million times; building a fire, digging a trench, checking the area for anything dangerous that might try to attack if given the chance. A few went hunting and returned much sooner than I expected with kills large enough to feed everyone comfortably. One barbarian tended to the horses, checking hooves for rocks and dealing with any injuries or bugs they’d picked up on the journey. It was fascinating to watch. They even chopped wood that was wide enough and long enough to sit on by the fire.
Tyos was one of the first to do a perimeter check, so once he was finished, he sat beside me on the log, tipping his head toward the forest. “There is river nearby, good for bathing.”
Melanie’s head whipped up and she groaned. “Gods, I want to. I don’t even care if it’s cold. I want to get clean.”
I nodded my head rapidly in agreement. I hadn’t had much of a chance to fully clean off. The barbarians found sources of water and brought back pots for food prep or drinking, but it wasn’toften wasted on cleaning our bodies. My clothes were still mud stained and needed a good wash to be even semi presentable. Hopefully, I asked, “Do we have time to wash our clothes as well?”
He tipped his head thoughtfully, pursing his lips. “We make line to dry. Should be fine. Let me talk Uttin.”
The laundry idea was actually really popular and more people than I expected went to the river together to wash up and clean their clothes. It was a little awkward to get undressed around so many people, and I could see a few of the women moving further down the river for some privacy, but anyone who was part of the barbarian life didn’t hesitate, and I figured it was just something I would need to get used to. Like the first day I met him, Tyos didn’t hesitate to strip before getting in the water, making my whole body flush as I took in the expanse of muscles and tanned skin. I was grateful for the bite of the cold water to keep me from getting aroused with so many people around.
I was trying to scrub the material of my tunic together to get rid of some of the stains when Tyos appeared at my side, taking it from me with a shake of his head. “No. Like this. Is better.”
He moved closer to a rock, slapping the tunic against it with a loud thwack that made me jump. “Wha– What are you doing?”
“I-It g-g-gets th-the st-stains out,” Matthew said quietly from where he bathed a few feet away. His husband stood nearby, eyes scanning our surroundings, acting as a lookout as the rest of us got clean. Matthew lifted his own wet tunic, then beat it against a nearby rock just like Tyos did.
The move was shocking, I’d only ever cleaned clothes with a washing board or by scrubbing the material together with soap, but apparently, it was effective. Once Tyos was done with it, my tunic wasn’t pristine white like it had been when I first made it, more off-white with some uneven coloring where the mud had stained the material, but it was vastly better than it had beenbefore. I wouldn’t feel like a vagrant wearing it in public looking like that at least. It looked worn in, not dirty.
Beaming brightly at Tyos, I accepted the material from him when he offered it to me. “Thank you!”
His soft smile made my heart flutter and my face flush, and I was grateful that he didn’t draw attention to it. He instead pointed at my unwashed trousers, silently asking for me to hand those to him next. I did, and Matthew took my tunic to dry so I could have my turn with the bar of soap to scrub up and get clean. I handed it to Tyos after he’d finished and my trousers were taken away by Melanie when she passed, her hair damp from getting clean and a pink tinge to her cheeks from the cold. She looked as happy as I felt to finally be clean and relatively safe to just be ourselves. It made me feel a little giddy, and when I dunked my hair to rinse the soap away, I barely even noticed the cold.
I didn’t expect Tyos to be so close when I came up for air. I nearly bumped into him when I stood, startling a little at his proximity. He cupped my face with his hand, his thumb brushing my bottom lip. That simple move made lust dump heavily into my system, and I found myself unable to look away from the deep brown of his eyes.
“You cold,” he murmured.
“I, uh… hadn’t noticed,” I whispered back, leaning into his touch without thinking about it. His gaze dropped to my lips, and I felt my breath catch as he leaned closer. I was completely enraptured by him until another loud thwack made me jump and scurry away from him by habit. I’d forgotten entirely that we weren’t alone.
Annoyance flashed across Tyos’s face, but I didn’t think the expression was aimed at me. He shot a dirty look toward the other barbarians cleaning their clothes nearby and grabbed my hand, dragging me farther down the river and around a smallbend so we were out of sight. The moment we were alone, he pulled me back into his arms, slanting his mouth over mine in a passionate kiss.
TYOS
Having only gotten to touch Arlen one time, I was ravenous for him. Seeing him uncovered, water dripping down his creamy skin, was too much for me to resist. I’d done the perimeter check myself. We were safe to take a moment for ourselves if he was open to it. And from the way his fingers clutched me tightly, I felt like he was.
Pulling my mouth away from his, I had to ask to be certain. He had gone through a great deal, and I didn't wish to push him too far. “Is Arlen okay?”
He nodded rapidly, little gasps escaping him as he tipped his head to allow my mouth to skim more easily along his neck. His cock swelled against me, and when I fisted it to give him a rough stroke, he cried out, thrusting his hips in a bid for more friction. “Tyos!”
“Shh. Others might hear you, velren,” I murmured, nipping at his earlobe. Most of my clan brothers didn’t care to muffle themselves if they were enjoying a tryst. Why hide that we are enjoying ourselves? But I felt possessive of Arlen’s sounds. I wanted him only to make them for me. Until I could discuss claiming him properly, I didn't want anyone else overhearing him.
Arlen bit his lip to muffle himself, but I didn't wish for him to cause injury doing that. Instead, I claimed his mouth, tanglingmy tongue with his, keeping him quiet while my hands explored his slender frame.
When my fingers dug into the cheeks of his ass, he went still, holding his breath like he was waiting for something. I wasn’t sure what, but when my fingers brushed over his hole, his hips bucked, and he let out a muffled moan that made my cock twitch. I wished I could have him that way, to bring us both the pleasure he so clearly craved, but the river wasn’t the place for it. If he was untouched like I thought he might be, we’d need to take our time with prep to not cause him injury, and oil would be needed, which I hadn’t brought on the journey.
It was possible I could ask Simon if he had some, he was not shy about his trysts with his bondmate during the journey, but then I’d have to leave Arlen long enough to ask, and I couldn’t do that. Not when he was making those needy whimpers, pushing his ass into my hands in a silent bid for more. I abandoned the idea as quickly as it came, giving my focus to Arlen instead. There were many ways to experience pleasure together. I would show Arlen all of them, should he ask it of me.
“Tyos…” Arlen whimpered when I didn’t continue my exploration of his ass. It was too tempting. If I wanted to maintain control, I needed to not–
He surprised me when he sucked on my bottom lip, lightly nipping it in punishment for my delay. I groaned, claiming his lips fiercely again as I scrambled for some self control. The beautiful man was a temptation, and only my need to protect him kept me from losing control completely. Instead, I sank to my knees in the water, gripping Arlen’s hips to stop him from following me.
He looked beautiful staring down at me in confusion, his lips swollen from our kisses, and his cheeks a shade of pink I didn’t think came from the chill. I jerked my chin at him, telling him,“Cover your mouth, velren,” before fisting his cock and sealing my lips around the swollen tip.
“Ngh!” Arlen’s hips bucked, which I’d expected, his hands slapping over his mouth as a moan ripped from his throat. It was still louder than I would have liked, but I cared less and less the more he fell apart.
I took him in with slow bobs of my head, savoring the feel of his length on my tongue, the way his thighs shook, his breathing rapid and uneven, whimpers and moans escaping him almost constantly. He released one hand from his mouth, gripping my shoulder tightly, and I could feel his knees weaken as he got closer to his release.
To support him better, and because I couldn’t resist touching him, I cupped his behind tightly, hollowing my cheeks to bring him more pleasure. From the spurt of salty liquid that escaped his cock, he wouldn’t last much longer.