Barbarian’s Bride by Ruby Dixon

18

NORA

We never make it to the other cave after all. We spend the next three days inside the tiny cave, curled up around one another and having lots of glorious, incredible sex. It's like we've resonated all over again, except that I'm already pregnant and we know each other a little better now.

And we have so much sex. Oodles of sex.

Dagesh has better stamina than any man I've ever met. I don't know if it's a sa-khui thing or if it's because of the khui itself, but he's ready to go again sometimes before I can even catch my breath. Not that I mind. I love when he holds me down and uses me for his own pleasure, dragging my hips up so he can fuck me and then fisting my hair tightly. I come so hard that my body quakes each time.

We're figuring out each other, too. It's sad that it's almost a month after resonance and we're just now starting to really grasp what each other needs in bed, but better late than never. I've learned that Dagesh doesn't like striking me at all, or pushing or shoving at me. The moment we get close to that, he safe-words out, rattled. He likes the chasing games, though, and we can push the limits a bit more as long as things are posed as a game. It's like when he knows it's not reality, he's able to go a little further.

My pain limits are a lot higher than what he's giving me, but at the same time, now that I know that I'm going to get what I need from Dagesh, sometimes all it takes is a rough hand on my ass or a hand grazing my throat and I come hard and fast. Sometimes, just the reminder that we have kinky sex is enough to get me off.

I feel like we're both finally getting what we need, though, and I couldn't be happier. I'm so damn happy that when Dagesh suggests going back to the home cave, I'm sad. I don't want to leave our honeymoon cave that reeks of sex. So what if I've hit my head on the low-hanging ceiling several times? So what if Dagesh has to stoop to move around? So what if we woke up with a trickle of water dampening the furs under us? We're happy out here.

Maybe what we have doesn't work for everyone, but it doesn't need to work for everyone. It just needs to work for us.

And it is absolutely working for us.

We pack up our things after breakfast on the fourth day, and once we put out the fire, I step outside the cave to get one final look at our surroundings. I'm not held back, of course—I can go hunting or out into the mountains any time I want. I…just don't want. I'm not a big adventurer or a traveler. I'm a homebody who likes sitting around the fire with a cup of tea and chatting with friends. I can appreciate today, though, and I take deep breaths of cold, sweet air as I look at the mountains around us. It's all whites and grays—everything's covered in layer after layer of thick snow. It was so overwhelming when I first got here. All the ice and snow, and the realization that this was as good as the weather got was utterly terrifying.

Somewhere along the way, though, it stopped being scary. I stopped wishing for Earth and started to appreciate my new surroundings. The air here is cleaner and fresher than anything on Earth. The water tastes utterly pure. The food tastes better, though I'm still not a fan of chowing down on raw meat like the sa-khui. I have a new appreciation for hard work, too. Nothing here comes easy. All meat has to be caught, all herbs and roots have to be foraged. Clothing has to be made from the animals that are caught, the hide treated into wearable leather or fur, and then cut and sewn into whatever is needed.

Nothing is handed to the sa-khui. Nothing will be handed to us, the humans dumped here on this cold, forbidding planet.

But it doesn't mean that this life isn't worthwhile.

As I stand, breathing in the crisp air, my mate comes up to me. He's wearing a pack on his back, a spear at his side and another cloak in his hand. He stabs his spear into the snow and immediately puts the fur cloak around my shoulders, bundling me up. There's a look of intense concentration on his face as he tends to me, and I can't resist the smile that curves my mouth.

This planet is harsh, but maybe because it is so damn harsh, it gives you some amazing things in return. Things like a resonance mate who loves and adores you even when you want your ass spanked in bed. Things like a caring, giving community of people who look out for one another. Things like love, and devotion, and unity. Tenderness and caring.

And I'm rather good with that trade-off.

Dagesh tsks at the sight of my neck. "You have small bruises here from my mouth. I do not like that."

I beam up at him. "I love it. It shows the entire world that you were so hot to trot for me that you lost control."

My mate snorts at that and just pulls the fur tighter around me. "Are you warm enough? Did you eat enough? Do you want to drink something before we go?"

Such a fusser, my mate. "I'm good."

His hand slides to my ass and he rubs it through the many layers of leathers I'm wearing. "And this does not hurt too much?"

Heat flushes my face. Last night he spanked me within an inch of my life, and I came twice before he ever put his cock inside me. It was amazing. When we were done, he fussed over my backside, because I had palm-sized red marks on my skin, but I've noticed he's less upset about the marks on my ass by the day, which pleases me.

"My ass is perfectly fine, but if you want to take a look for yourself, I'm down with that."

I expect my sensible, dependable Dagesh to refuse. He pinches my butt, hard enough to make me squeal, and considers it. "Perhaps I should have a look, just in case."

Oh, he wants to play, does he? Heat courses through my system, and when he sets down his pack, I practically wriggle with anticipation.

"You can look," I promise. "If you catch me."

And I take off running. He's going to catch me. That's the whole point. He's going to catch me and fling me down into the snow and we'll have rough, dirty sex and it'll be amazing.

We can always go back to the cave tomorrow.