Barbarian’s Bride by Ruby Dixon

19

Current Day

NORA

"And after we had our yoo-ish wedding, your mother kissed me and said she was the happiest female in the land." Dagesh tucks the blankets high under Anna and Elsa's chins, and finishes the completely made up and absolutely squeaky clean story of how we settled in to one another. "As your mother says, we live happily ever after now."

Elsa's mouth hangs open, already asleep, but Anna smiles shyly at my mate. "I'm gonna live happy ever after with Analay when I get older. Does that mean we get a yoo-ish wedding too?"

"If you like." He tweaks her braid. "Go to sleep. It is a long time until you grow up. For now, you are still my little girl, and my little girl needs a good sleep if she is to go hunting with her father in the morning."

I'm torn between smiling at how good Dagesh always is with the girls, and my utter frustration that Anna's brought up mating Analay again. I know Analay's just a kid, but Anna is too, and I don't want her feeling like her life's been decided for her. Maybe it's because I'm so very pregnant that I'm getting all Mama Bear. I know it doesn't bother Dagesh like it does me.

My mate moves around our hut, banking the fire and tidying up. "You can leave that," I tell him softly, so as not to wake the girls. "I'll get it in the morning."

"You cannot see your feet, my pretty mate," Dagesh tells me, amused. "Why would I expect you to pick things up off the floor?"

He's got a point. I rub my huge belly as he picks up the girls' carved toys and leather dolls and puts them away. I hate feeling helpless. I know he had a long day of hunting, and he's tired too, but he always takes care of me when he gets home, as if he's nothing but boundless energy. He's so damn dependable.

I never thought that would turn me on so much, but here we are.

"Come to bed," I tell him as he puts the last of the dishes on the stone counter. I pat the furs encouragingly.

My mate grins at me from over his shoulder, his long braid dancing against his lower back. He is a delicious snack, my man. Even after eight turns of the seasons of being mated, I still get deep-seated quivers in my vagina when he looks at me. If anything, he's grown sexier to me over time, because now I know that in addition to being a strong, dependable, tender and caring mate, he's also an amazing dad who helps me out with the housework and always makes time for the girls.

He does the dishes, even though I'm perfectly capable of doing them, and then pulls his boots off and crawls into the furs with me. Dagesh tugs me against him, tucking a pillow under my belly and spooning me from behind. His hand goes to my belly, rubbing the distended roundness of it. "How is our kit this day?"

"Big." I close my eyes, snuggling back against him. "Your hand feels good. Keep rubbing."

He does, sliding his fingers under my tunic and caressing my bare skin. "The hunt was good," he says, kissing my neck. "My traps were full today. I even caught a snowcat. I found it eating a hopper stuck in one of my snares and killed it before it could get away."

"That's wonderful. Is that why you were out so long today? Good hunting?"

Dagesh nods. "I put it all in a cache, but if you want the snowcat pelt, I will go and retrieve it."

"No rush. I've got plenty of pelts and the girls are working with scraps right now." I might ask Asha if she needs it at some point, but at the moment, the thought of yet another pelt to clean and take care of makes me want to run away screaming. His big hand scratches idly at the underside of my belly and my toes curl with bliss. "Oh man, that feels amazing. Why are you so awesome?"

"I have a mate that makes me better," he says, nipping at my ear. "But sometimes she is very, very naughty."

Hot lust floods through me. "Is she?"

Our sex life has morphed a little since the girls arrived. It's hard to get a nice, rowdy spanking in when little ears are sleeping on the other side of the hut. Most of our sex tends to be quieter, and if I need a bit of an edge to things, Dagesh holds me down. When we need more of a release, sometimes the girls have a “sleepover at Auntie Asha's hut” and then we get a more playful night in. Lately though, I've been so pregnant and miserable I haven't been in much of a playing mood.

It seems like Dagesh is, though, and that arouses me despite the discomfort of my ungainly body.

My mate lifts my hair off my neck and kisses my skin. "Yes. She has been very naughty for days now. I think she should be punished."

I quiver deep inside. "Lies," I whisper. "I'm a good girl and you know it."

Dagesh's teeth scrape against my skin, hard enough to make me gasp. He shifts his weight, getting up on one elbow, and when I crane my head around to look at him, he grabs a handful of my hair, pinning my head to the pillow. It always amazes me that even after all this time, he manages to find the perfect way to pull my hair that doesn't hurt, but is still firm enough to get me all turned on.

"What's your word?" he asks.

It's been a long time since either of us needed a word, but I suspect he's reminding me that it's okay to bail if I'm too tired. "Earth," I say breathless. "But I won't need it."

"Perhaps not." Dagesh leans in, his teeth scoring against my ear. His other hand pushes into my leggings, seeking out the heat between my thighs. He finds my clit and begins to rub. Not teasing, tender strokes but rougher, demanding ones that are just what I need. Air catches in my throat, and I have to bite back a moan as he works my body. He's determined to wring an orgasm from me, demanding that I come for him. It's so damned erotic—and it's been so many days since I've had (or wanted) a release like this that I come within moments, whimpering out his name as he wrings the orgasm out of me.

It's not my prettiest climax. I'm fifteen months pregnant, bloated and tired, but Dagesh kisses my neck and murmurs sweet words to me as if I'm the sexiest thing he's ever seen. He pets my pussy as I come down, and when I'm satisfied, he licks my taste off his fingers. I reach for him, even though I can't roll onto my back without flailing like a turtle. "Let me do you now."

"You sleep," he tells me, pressing a kiss on the tip of my nose. "I will wake you up with my demands soon enough."

I give him a drowsy smile, snuggle under the arm he drapes over me, and sleep better than I have in days.

* * *

I wakeup in the middle of the night to a hard, horrendous cramp in my lower back.

So much for sexiness. I nudge Dagesh awake. "I think the baby's coming," I whisper. "Can you help me stand?"

"Now?" My mate jumps to his feet instantly, his eyes wide. He grabs his clothing, shoving on his boots while trying to simultaneously put on his tunic. I've only ever seen my mate rattled one other time—when Anna and Elsa were born. His antics make me forget myself for a moment, and I giggle at the sight of him.

Then, my water breaks and it's no longer a laughing matter. I wince as liquid trickles down my legs, soaking my leggings. I put my hands on my belly. "Babe?"

Dagesh is at my side in an instant, a cloak on his shoulders and boots…and no pants. He holds a cloak out to me. "Here. Here. Do you need your boots? Do you need a drink? Are you hungry? Should I wake the girls?"

The sight of him strikes me as incredibly funny—or maybe I'm just tired and relieved this baby is finally on the way. I can't stop giggling, even when he gives me a curious look. I just point.

My mate chuckles. "What, you think no one in this village has seen my cock before? They will not care. I do not care, as long as we get you to the healer."

I shake my head. It's the middle of the night, and even though I'm uncomfortable, I don't think the baby's coming right away. I haven't had another contraction yet, so there's time. "Help me change clothes?" I whisper. "And let's let the girls sleep for a while longer."

Dagesh helps me change into a loose, floor-length tunic-dress, and I pace near the fire as he puts on hot tea. I'm tired and want to sit down, but sitting is uncomfortable. Then again, so is standing. Everything kinda sucks, but I've been through this once before, and I know it's temporary. Soon, the baby will be here and most of the discomfort will melt away.

Then I'll just have a baby boy to hold.

Or a girl, I remind myself. Analay is a kid. He doesn't know for sure that I'm having a boy. Rokan's knowing isn't always right. Analay might not even have the knowing like Rokan does. He might just be a kid with an active imagination. No sense in borrowing trouble.

Dagesh holds my arm and helps me circle around the fire, his expression watchful. "Tell me when to get the healer," he says to me. "I will wake her if needed."

I shake my head. "We've still got time."

As I pace, we talk about names for the baby. Dagesh's parents were Adash and Geshta, and we debate honoring them with those names. Maybe I'm being picky, but Geshta sounds too close to my mate's name, and I like Adash, but I don't want to consider a boy's name because it feels like I'm agreeing with Analay.

"What about Miriam?" I ask. "It's my mother's name. A good, Jewish name. Or Esther. That was my grandmother's name."

"What does it mean, Meer-ee-yum? Or Es-tur?"

I immediately start leaning toward Esther, just because it's easier to pronounce for him. "Well, I don't exactly recall what Miriam means, but Esther means 'star.'"

He brightens. "I like that idea. If we have a girl, it is a star."

"It'll be a girl," I say grimly, and hiss as another contraction ripples through my belly.