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  Soon he’d become a memory. The man who’d stolen her heart would truly become nonexistent. Tears burned the back side of her eyes, blurring her vision.

  “Why are you weeping, Wisty? You’ve finally found happiness.”

  Wisteria looked upward, blinking the tears away when Jade stopped near Ivy and glanced at Birmon, asleep in her lap.

  “Hi,” she said warmly behind a subtle grin. “I’m Jade.”

  “H-hi,” Ivy stuttered, her body stiffening in defense.

  “Ivy, Jade helped me when I arrived at the camp,” Wisteria offered, hoping to reassure Ivy that Jade wasn’t a threat. She didn’t want her sister fearing the Barbarians as she had.

  “My name is Ivy. I’m Wisteria’s sister.”

  “I can tell. You are as beautiful as she is.”

  The compliment swept Wisteria’s thoughts to Vulcan and the words he’d spoken the other night. She originally thought beautiful related to bright flowers, green meadows and colorful jewelry stones.

  “Why are there no children?” Ivy asked, looking beyond Jade toward the row of huts. “Are they confined to their homes?”

  “We have many children,” Jade replied, her smile brightening. “But they are in a different camp with their families. We keep those tribal members separated from our combatants.”

  “Combatants?”

  “Our fighters,” Jade explained.

  Ivy’s eyes broadened. “You’re a fighter?”

  “No. I’m here to nurse our wounded men.”

  “And the other ladies I’ve seen?”

  “Pearl makes sure there is plenty of good food to fill our men’s bellies. And Ruby, she’s, well, she keeps them happy so fights don’t break out amongst them.”

  “Doesn’t she want to keep everyone happy?”

  Wisteria’s cheeks warmed as she stood and brushed dirt off her bottom garment. She smiled and ran her hands over her legs again. The bare skin would take a bit of an adjustment but she felt more feminine. They were soft and shimmered in the firelight just like Jade’s. “Ivy, I think Jade means Ruby makes love to them.”

  Ivy glanced at Wisteria then gawked at Jade. “All of them?”

  Jade nodded. “If they need her.”

  “Even Bronto and Vulcan?” Ivy asked, her eyes bulging in disbelief.

  Jade obviously realized she’d said too much. She looked at Wisteria then Ivy. “I’m not sure.”

  “Ivy, Jade treated my wounds with yarrow leaves,” Wisteria said to change the subject since the topic appeared to make Jade uneasy.

  Ivy ogled Wisteria’s tummy and thighs closely. “The injuries are completely gone. I didn’t notice.” Her eyes widened. “How did that happen? Yarrow isn’t that powerful.”

  “Birmon. He’s magical.” Instinctively Wisteria laid a hand across her belly. “While he licked the dried blood the wounds magically healed beneath his tongue.”

  Jade squatted beside Ivy. “May I pet him?”

  “Yes,” Wisteria replied.

  Jade reached forward cautiously as if garnering the nerve to touch him. Birmon yawned. She retracted her arm quickly and stumbled to her feet.

  “Don’t be afraid,” Wisteria said. “He doesn’t bite. He’s harmless, and he hasn’t given anyone reason to believe differently.”

  “Maybe some other time,” Jade stated. “I’m going to leave and give you ladies privacy. I just wanted to bring you this, beauty queen,” she concluded, removing the white garment from her arm and extending it to Wisteria.

  Wisteria took it and studied it closely. It was the softest, most beautiful frock she’d ever seen. The stitching was very delicate and evenly spaced. Having sewn many garments herself, she knew how much work someone put into it. It was designed to tie around the neck, and the neckline tapered into a point between the breast area, similar to her upper garment. A strip of long, white fur was attached around the entire seam. She lightly brushed her fingertips over the fibers. “Thank you. I love it.”

  “My pleasure.”

  As she walked away, Ivy’s eyes raised, full of excitement. “If Sledge does escape and he hurts Momma, maybe Birmon”

  “I don’t think you have any reason to worry,” a familiar masculine voice said, breaking into their conversation.

  Wisteria’s insides warmed at the sound of the rugged tone. She turned sideways and saw Vulcan and Bronto approaching while the other men moved toward the huts. They were still fully dressed in furs but they’d removed the headpieces and were carrying them under their arms. Her heart stopped at the amount of power Vulcan exuded.

  “We found his body,” Bronto clarified.

  Ivy laid Birmon on the ground and stood, fluttering her lashes. “His body?”

  Bronto halted and placed his hand on Ivy’s shoulder. She inched closer, which forced him to bend his elbow to maintain the physical contact. “Yes,” he continued, his gaze focused solely on her. “We assume he suffered the consequences of harming the creature’s baby. He was lying beside a tree.”

  Sledge, dead? Wisteria smiled internally while Ivy and Bronto eyed each other as if no one else existed.

  Again Ivy fluttered her lashes. “Are you sure he’s”

  “In pieces,” Bronto concluded.

  Pieces? Wisteria shuddered.

  “Come on, sweetheart,” Vulcan said.

  Wisteria was so engrossed watching Ivy mingle with Bronto, she actually jumped when Vulcan took hold of her fingers. He pulled her close and kissed the top of her head.

  “It’s been a long day,” he whispered. “Let’s rest awhile.”

  She nodded because she briefly could not speak. Entranced by his strength and warmth, and his hard erection pressing into her tummy, she swallowed to find her voice.

  “Do you have any objections, leaving your sister alone with Bronto?” Vulcan asked, stroking Wisteria’s cheek with the back side of his fingers.

  She pulled her eyebrows together. “No. She’s a grown woman.” It also gave Wisteria time alone with Vulcan and she wanted him so desperately her insides trembled and hands perspired.

  With a grin that stopped her heart, he lowered his lips to her ear. “But Bronto is a Barbarian.”

  She giggled to herself at the humor in Vulcan’s tone. “Yes, and I fear my sister may have him bowing at her knees in no time.”

  “Are you implying our reputation has been destroyed?”

  “I’ll not tell a soul.” She stepped from his arms and glanced at her sister, who now had a grip on Bronto’s forearm, gazing in his eyes, seemingly intrigued by their conversation. “Ivy?”

  Nothing.

  “Ivy?” Wisteria shouted a little louder.

  Not so much as a flinch.

  “Ivy,” she hollered.

  “Yes?” Ivy said, finally acknowledging her sister.

  “We’re going to rest awhile. Will you watch Birmon?”

  The creature jumped up at the sound of his name and waddled toward Wisteria.

  “I would have,” Ivy replied, her gaze following him to Wisteria’s feet.

  Wisteria smiled and bent down to pat him on the head. “I guess you’re coming along.” She stood. “Ivy, we’ll be back shortly. Will you be all right?”

  Bronto turned on his heels and glanced first at Wisteria then at Vulcan. “I won’t take my eyes off her,” he said.

  “I’m sure you won’t,” Vulcan chuckled under his breath. He reached for Wisteria’s hand. She took hold of his fingers, rested her head on his chest and let him guide her to the hut.

  “Ack. Ack… Ack.”

  Wisteria stopped at the entrance. “Birmon, your timing is bad,” she said on a sigh. The little monster had the persistence of a child. “What?” she asked, but when she turned she discovered he wasn’t vying for her attention after all. He’d found a worm and he was yanking and tugging it from the dirt with his teeth. It stretched and snapped in half. The section partially hidden in the ground completely disappeared, the other he slurped into his mouth. “Birmon, drop that,
” she shrieked.

  “He needs to eat, sweetheart. He’s hungry.”

  “He’s chomping on a worm.”

  “It’s better than nothing.”

  But worms? “Certainly he can find something more appetizing. Like a cricket or a beetle-bug.”

  “Let’s let him eat in peace,” Vulcan said, taking her hand and tugging her inside the hut. When the flap closed she was scooped into his arms, flush against his body, and his lips descended on hers before she’d taken her next breath.

  She dropped the frock without a second thought to wrap her arms around his back. Her knees weakened and her heartbeat skipped. Instinctively she ran her hands up and down his back but his furs caused a barrier between her fingers and his flesh. She hadn’t waited all day to caress an animal hide yet she was too enthralled by his tongue slipping against hers to ask him to remove it.

  He slid his hand beneath her hair, untied the straps of her garment and very slowly dropped it to the ground. Despite his warm furs nestled against her naked flesh, she shivered.

  He walked backward to the supply crate and removed a condom.

  “Can I do it?” Wisteria asked, pausing to chew her bottom lip. “May I apply it this time?” She enjoyed the thrill of watching him touch himself but she’d yet to actually touch his cock outside his loincloth. He’d done the caressing and kissing and running his tongue along her entire body. Why couldn’t she repay him? Licking him in the same manner seemed formidable but if he’d tasted her, why couldn’t she taste him?

  Her fingers trembled as she removed the package from his outstretched hand. “Should I apply it before I taste you?”

  His brows rose. “Taste me?”

  “Like you did to me.”

  “I don’t expect that from you.”

  “But I want to. Is it not okay?”

  His face tilted upward and he closed his eyes. The bump in his throat bobbled right before he looked into her eyes. “No, you don’t apply it until I penetrate your vagina. Come,” he said, taking hold of her hand. “Let’s relax near the fire.”

  “Will you help me, Vulcan?”

  He removed his furs then lifted her hand and placed it on his chest. “Yes, but I’m sure your instincts will take over.”

  As she lifted her other hand and placed it near the first, she patted her lips on the chest muscles in between her palms. They were hot and hard and she ran her fingers over the contours. His scent drifted to her nostrils. Deep inside her an aching need festered. The urge to touch him grew stronger, as if she couldn’t get close enough to his body.

  He sucked in a breath and rested a hand on the back of her head. Gently. But she felt the power and determination in his grip. It intensified as she kissed a trail to his nipple and sucked it into her mouth. Depending on her memory, she mimicked his actions, suckling and nibbling and circling her tongue around the tip. Then she patted her lips across his chest to the other side.

  “Sweetheart, you don’t need my help.”

  She didn’t respond. She couldn’t. She was too caught up in the thrill of touching him so freely. Running her fingers over his masculine body set her tummy on fire.

  Little by little she lowered her fingers to his hips until they snagged the loincloth. While she tried tugging it down he unfastened it and tossed it aside. His cock sprang forward, brushing against her belly, the tip leaving wet splotches on her skin. She avoided the urge to run her fingers over the damp spots because she refused to remove them from his rock-hard, powerful hips. They flexed while he shifted his weight from one foot to the other. She’d never been so physically focused or tuned in to another human being. She smelled him. Breathed him. Tasted him.

  Crouching to her knees, she twirled her tongue in circles to his lower stomach, where his patch of hair brushed against the underside of her chin, then lower still until it rested on his cock. Having her face so close to his private area sent a whirlwind of excitement up and down her spine. She leaned back and fisted his cock in her hand. Her fingers wouldn’t connect full circle and she moaned softly, remembering how it felt when buried inside her.

  It would be so easy to lie down and make love to him now but she wanted to experiment too desperately to give in to the urge.

  She stole a quick glance at his eyes and found him watching her through narrowed lids. His jawbone was clenched and sweat lined his brows. She used the moment to her advantage, tracing her tongue around the head of his cock. He hissed in a mouthful of air.

  At first she thought she’d hurt him but he slid his hands in the hair above her ears, pulling her head slightly forward.

  “Take it in your mouth, Wisteria,” he said, his voice strained as if in pain.

  But that wasn’t the case or he would have broken loose. Instead he appeared to be guiding his cock closer.

  She parted her lips and as gently as possible inserted the tip between her teeth. His hands tightened in her hair and he slightly shoved his hips forward. At a snail’s pace he began moving backward and forward.

  It was too large to wrap her tongue around, so she licked the underside with every stroke. During each maneuver he slipped deeper. She took as much as she could until it banged into the back of her throat. The section that wouldn’t fit, she stroked in her fist. Then she lowered her opposite hand from his hip and grabbed his testicles.

  His teeth gnashed together and he threw his head back. If he felt the same sensations she had when he’d tongued her she knew pressure built on his insides. The only way to break it was to increase speed. She slid her mouth forward then back, sucking the tip of his cock gently before her lips rushed forward once again. Little by little, after falling into a steady rhythm rather than delivering sloppy strokes, she quickened the pace. His hips jerked back and forth as he pumped his shaft in and out of her mouth.

  “Stop, Wisteria. Enough,” he grimaced.

  “Mmm-mm,” she replied as best as she could, considering she couldn’t speak. The power of having control over him filled her with an immense amount of pleasure. The emotional jolt caused a huge awakening.

  The tension in his features indicated he’d reached the bursting point where blood caught fire and the brain exploded in colors, and she wanted to suckle him through it. His testicles hardened in her palm. His hips raced. Then his grip tightened in her hair and he groaned as warm seed squirted her throat. She swallowed the odd-tasting liquid and suckled him gently until his organ softened in her mouth.

  He reached beneath her arms, pulled her to her feet and held her close. Words were lost in the moment as his hands roamed up and down her spine as his heartbeat thumped against her cheek.

  “Was it okay? Did I do it right?” she asked, nuzzling her nose closer to his chest, inhaling the scent she’d never tire of.

  “Better than okay.” He guided her onto her back on the hides near the fire and lay down on his hip beside her. “You’re making it impossibly hard for me to leave,” he said, removing strands of hair from her face.

  What a slap. The impact of such an upsetting subject so soon after sharing intimacy brought her to tears. She didn’t like it. At all. She tried burying her face in his chest to hide the blubbering but he lifted her chin and looked in her eyes. “Then don’t go. Stay here,” she said.

  “I have a different life there.”

  “Can we please not talk about it?” She scooted as close as possible to his body and folded her hands beneath her cheek. “Just hold me.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  Wisteria opened her eyes to darkness pouring in through the ventilation hole. She bolted upright, throwing the fur cover aside. Neither Vulcan nor Birmon were inside the hut.

  Or Ivy.

  How could she have left her sister alone in an unfamiliar place? Hopefully Bronto hadn’t stranded her also. She couldn’t bear the thought of leaving Ivy frightened and alone.

  After splattering her face with cold water she hurried outside but stopped abruptly when she heard Ivy giggling near the fire. Bronto, Birmon and Vulcan we
re sitting with her, as well as Trice and two other tribesmen. Possibly Rocko and Grunt. She couldn’t tell from their back sides or their long dark hair and shoulders.

  Vulcan spotted her immediately and stood. Firelight danced along his body, emphasizing his broad chest. When he smiled his facial features brightened. “Good evening, Wisteria. I thought you’d sleep until morning. Come get something to eat.”

  As she ambled to the circle of people and hugged her sister, who smelled peculiarly sweet, Vulcan filled a bowl of berries and he handed it to her after she sat down. Unlike Ivy, who sat with her legs crossed, Wisteria folded her legs to the side. A lesson in acting a lady was in her sister’s near future, who wouldn’t stop laughing when nothing was being said or done to laugh about.

  “Ivy, what do you find so funny?” Wisteria asked, smiling at the sound of laughter.

  “My apologies,” Bronto said. A toothy grin lightened his dark eyes. “She’d accidentally indulged in the wrong beverage.”

  As in, the same type of silly elixir the men in her clan partook of occasionally? “How does one accidentally indulge?”

  “Oh Wisty, don’t be such a dead fur.”

  A dead fur? It appeared Ivy had not only accidentally indulged but had overindulged as well.

  Vulcan grinned. “After you finish eating, sweetheart, we’ll take her for a cold swim to sober her up.”

  “You have to admit,” Bronto added, “she’s pretty adorable in this state.”

  Ivy was adorable in any state, and against Wisteria’s better judgment, she admitted it was comical to watch her laughing for no reason. Wisteria wished she had reason to laugh but her emotions were soured by the reality of her near future. The worst part looking at Vulcan, knowing he’d become a memory that’d haunt her dreams forever. Watching him smile and interact with Bronto and Ivy while wishing she had a future with him hurt beyond words.