VulcansWoman Page 21

  Vulcan didn’t miss a step as he tossed the mask aside. “Light a torch,” he grouched then disappeared through an opening in the trees.

  He walked only a few more steps before he stopped and waited for Bronto. When the time came to wake the women he preferred they expose themselves immediately. Startling them in the dark may have an ugly outcome. If he was going to struggle with a woman he’d rather participate with both eyes intact.

  As they closed in on the log pile where the women slept, Vulcan raised his hand, instructing Bronto to halt. They’d made it this far without making a sound. He didn’t want to cause a ruckus now. But as he gazed at Wisteria he doubted much would wake them. By the heavy sound of their breaths they were in a deep sleep. They lay cheek to cheek with the hide tucked beneath their chins.

  He wanted to embrace Wisteria, and beat her ass, and make love to her, and choke her all at the same time. “Let’s go,” he whispered. “Keep the light above our heads.”

  After a quick nod, Bronto followed. He stood beside Ivy as Vulcan knelt on the outside of the hide, laid the Barrett on the ground, lowered his face and placed his lips to Wisteria’s ear. “Wisteria,” he said softly so as not to jar her awake. “Open your eyes.”

  As if on command her lashes fluttered apart. At first she appeared dazed while she stared straight ahead. Then she stiffened and her expression froze in fear.

  “It’s me. Vulcan,” he reassured her. “Don’t be afraid.”

  She turned her head and blinked as if bringing him into focus. “Vulcan?” she uttered.

  He swore her demeanor softened with relief when their gazes locked. If he wasn’t so damn pissed, he’d like to believe it had. “Yeah.”

  She sat up quickly, tossing the fur aside. And damn, her bottom lip trembled and big teardrops filled her eyes.

  “You’re coming with me,” he said, laying a hand on her shoulder. She was shivering and her skin was cold to the touch. “Don’t fight me or it’ll get ugly.”

  She nodded and glanced at Ivy, who’d sat up and was reaching for Bronto’s outstretched hand.

  Wisteria’s eagerness to leave indicated he’d totally misjudged her fears.

  After assisting her to her feet he removed his furs and slipped them over her head. The weight buckled her knees but he quickly scooped an arm around her waist to steady her. Along with the sound of her chattering teeth, something rustled behind their backs. His spine stiffened. “Bronto?” When their gazes locked, Vulcan nudged his head over his shoulder. “Talk to me.”

  Ivy screamed and slapped a hand over her mouth.

  “What!” Wisteria exclaimed.

  Bronto looked over Vulcan’s shoulder, narrowing his eyes. “Don’t move,” he ordered as he reached toward his ribs and unsheathed his knife.

  Vulcan tugged Wisteria protectively against his chest while watching Bronto position the weapon in his hand. What the hell lurked behind them?

  “Steady.” Bronto flicked his wrist, releasing the knife. It twirled end-to-end through the air, spun past Vulcan’s head and plugged into the intended target with a splat. A squirting sound broke the silence, followed seconds later by a heavy thud.

  Vulcan spun halfway around. A large mutant lay flat on its back, the knife blade impaled in his left eye. A constant stream of green fluid spurted from the wound. His mouth had fallen open, exposing pointed, razor-sharp teeth. “The species must be desperate,” he conveyed. “That’s the fourth failure we’ve encountered within a week. They’re not wasting any time. That’s not good.”

  Vulcan glanced at Bronto just as Ivy swooned into his body, resting her face against his furs. Wisteria tried wiggling from Vulcan’s arms but he tightened his hold.

  “What is it?” she asked, trying to gaze past his arm.

  “Don’t look.”

  “It’s-it’s Wolf,” Ivy stuttered. “Vulcan’s right, Wisty, don’t look.”

  Bronto wrapped an arm around Ivy’s waist and locked eyes with Vulcan. “At least they die easily.”

  “I’ll make sure it’s dead. Ladies, turn around and cover your ears,” Vulcan said. After they complied, he lifted the Barrett and plugged three rounds into the mutant’s heart, blowing its chest to pieces. Wisteria jumped. Ivy buried her face in Bronto’s breastbone. “Let’s get out of here,” Vulcan ordered.

  “What about the body?” Bronto asked.

  “Leave it for the species to find. They’ll see we’re not fucking around.”

  Chapter Sixteen

  The sound of clapping hooves was the only noise disrupting the darkness. Neither Wisteria nor Vulcan spoke but it was better that way because if Vulcan opened his mouth, hell would break loose.

  Wisteria lay on his lap with her head nuzzled against his chest but he knew by the way she stiffly held herself, she wasn’t sleeping. He held tightly on to her waist. Tighter than needed but for some ungodly reason he wanted to remind her she’d fucked up.

  No more nice guy. He should’ve known better than to let his guard down. He also should’ve realized he couldn’t tame a primitive woman regardless of how compliant she’d acted. Fool. Once a fool always a fool. That’s what foster mother number four or five used to say.

  As he neared the yard he noticed the fire had died down to the size of a cooking flame. Trice and Rocko sat in the yard, munching on bowls of something. There wasn’t any evidence of the T-Rex except for a large span of chopped and flipped dirt where they’d buried its blood. That would work temporarily but eventually it would start to reek. Tomorrow during the daylight he’d douse it with whatever flammables he could find in the shelter and burn it from the ground.

  He tethered his horse and lowered Wisteria to her feet.

  “Birmon!” Wisteria exclaimed. She charged to Vulcan’s hut where Birmon lay tucked under his wings near the doorway. His head popped up. When he saw Wisteria he jumped to his feet and waddled forth. She picked him up and hugged him then dangled him from her hands, looking him in the eye.

  “Is he all right?” Ivy asked at Vulcan’s back right before she rushed by.

  Bronto set his hand on Vulcan’s shoulder. “You see where we stand, don’t you? I don’t recall them acting that excited to see us.”

  “It’s a good thing, because once I get a certain woman alone, she’s going to be sadly disappointed.”

  Bronto gave Vulcan’s shoulder a squeeze. “Don’t be too hard on her.”

  “First you tell me to act the Barbarian, now you tell me to ease up. What is it?”

  Bronto stepped aside, raising his arms. “Hey, you’re the boss, sir,” he said, backing toward Ivy. “I’ve got what I want. The rest is up to you.”

  Vulcan strode forward and grabbed Wisteria by the elbow. “Tell your sister good night.”

  Wisteria’s eyes widened and she glared at him but she politely did as she was told and hugged Ivy. “Good night, Ivy. If you hear me scream, come save me,” she whispered but not quietly enough that Vulcan couldn’t hear.

  Did she really think he’d hurt her?

  After she released Ivy, Wisteria glanced at Vulcan’s chest. Not his eyes, no, she acted too sheepish for that. “What about Birmon?” she asked softly.

  “He can sleep in his pen,” he said then shuffled her to his hut and yanked back the flap.

  No sooner had she laid the animal down than she undressed from Vulcan’s furs and dropped to her knees near the fire.

  Vulcan walked from the doorway to the waterhole then back to the door. “Would you like to explain why the hell you ran off?”

  “Not really,” she replied, looking down at her lap.

  “I’m not giving you a choice, so you’d better start talking.”

  She lifted her chin defiantly. “You can’t make me.”

  “Wanna bet?” He strolled to the fire and stood her on her feet within inches of his body, blocking the path to the door in case she tried to run.

  She pushed her hands into his chest and leaned backward. “What will you do, make me your prisoner?”
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  “If that’s what it takes.”

  The pressure eased from his breastbone as she placed her arms side by side between their bodies. “Go ahead,” she said, raising her wrists and narrowing her eyes. “Restrain me again and hold me against my will, like the Barbarian you are.”

  As her gaze darted between him and the flap, he wrapped an arm around her waist and yanked her close. Not hard enough to scare her but enough to demonstrate he meant business. “Don’t underestimate me, Wisteria. You’ve yet to witness the Barbarian in me,” he said, slightly raising his voice. “And I promise you don’t want to see it.”

  She swallowed hard. Then gulped. Then swallowed again.

  Damn it, he didn’t want to scare her, he just wanted some answers. “You owe me the truth. Why?”

  She shrugged and lowered her gaze.

  “The truth.”

  “I wanted to go home,” she snapped.

  “How’d that work out for you?”

  She glanced at him for a second then refocused on the ground but within that second he saw tears pooled in her eyes.

  “I…I guess it didn’t.”

  “You belittled yourself to those people.”

  “I had no choice.”

  He tilted her head by the chin. “You had a choice, but you made the wrong one.”

  “This is partially your fault. If you hadn’t kissed me”

  “Damn it, don’t you think I know that?” Realistically she’d gotten it all wrong. He felt totally responsible, not partially, for her alienation. He’d made a bad decision and it’d cost her. No, it was a great decision with a bad outcome. If he’d known at the time kissing her would cause such a disruption of her life he would’ve swept her into the trees first to avoid prying eyes. Temptation won. He’d lost. And Wisteria suffered the consequences.

  If he could reach his own ass with his foot he’d give it a swift kick. Perhaps her running off and scaring the shit out of him was his punishment.

  He lowered his face and devoured her lips, expelling fear and anger and expressing desire all at once in his kiss.

  She leaned into his chest, inhaling deeply through her nose. The subtle sound flowed through him, setting his blood on fire. Every aspect of her turned him into a fool, turned him on and turned his life upside down. Her reaction led him to believe the feelings were mutual, which confused the hell out of him when she placed her hands on his chest and shoved him away.

  “I’m going to sleep with Ivy. I can’t stay here with you,” she stated, wiping evidence of their kiss from her lips with the back of her hand.

  “Do I repulse you?”

  She shook her head back and forth. “Yes,” she said, facing the ground.

  She might as well have kicked him in the balls. It wouldn’t have hurt as much as that remark. “Then I guess you should go.” Fool. What a damn fool for hoping they’d patch the damage done and move their relationship forward.

  Relationship, hell. She couldn’t make her feelings any clearer if she wrote them across her forehead. She’d left because she couldn’t take any more. He obviously was the any more.

  Damn sorry-ass fool.

  He walked outside but stood near the doorway, waiting. Despite the hurt and rejection clawing at his spine, he refused to let her walk alone to Jade’s hut. If Wisteria wanted to be rid of him that badly she might even take off again. The woman had a history of running. At this point, nothing would surprise him.

  He wished he had a fucking bone or rawhide to chew on to alleviate his frustrations. As it was he’d gnashed his teeth together so hard his jaw ached. Better yet, why not throw her over his lap and spank her ass for causing him to fall in love?

  He slid a hand through his hair. He wanted to march back inside and lay his feelings on the table but what good would that do? Why humiliate himself further? He wasn’t stupid. Why waste his breath? If he wanted to be the object of someone’s insults, he’d find Bronto.

  She’d grown under his skin, crept into his blood and made herself at home. Why’d he let her in so easily? Sympathy? The urge to protect her? Damn it. Damn him. Damn this mission.

  What the fuck was wrong with him?

  Again he ran a hand through his hair, resting it on the base of his neck. If she wanted to leave so badly, she’d better be ready to go. He’d chalk the loss and get on with his life. Yeah. Sure. As if he could.

  After a final hand-slide through his hair, he walked back inside the hut.

  “I didn’t mean that,” she said, her lips trembling. She had sat down near the fire on her haunches and was rubbing her thighs. “I’m so sorry. Please forgive me.”

  He relaxed somewhat but refused to fully let his guard down. She’d already admitted he repulsed her and that was tough to swallow.

  “I don’t know what to say, other than I love you with all of my heart,” she confessed, glancing from the corner of her eye as if expecting a reaction.

  As much as her declaration enlightened him, he wasn’t ready to display any emotions.

  Not yet. He’d had heartache rammed pretty far up his ass once already tonight.

  “I didn’t want to leave,” she continued, wringing her hands in her lap. “I made a bad decision based on my feelings, like the first time I ran from you. Fear seems to drain my common sense.”

  True.

  “My clan… I don’t belong with them,” she continued. “I wanted to stay here. With you. Forever. But…” She finally raised her eyes back to his and locked gazes. “But when the commander said you’d be returning home soon, I grew desperate and I panicked. I needed to separate myself. It hurt too much being near you, knowing I had to let you go.” A lone tear slid down her cheek. She wiped it off with the back side of her hand. “I realized how much I love you,” she tried laughing but a sob caught in her throat, “the night you removed the hair from my legs.”

  His heart lurched at her attempt to remain in control of her emotions and inner strength.

  “I didn’t think you would care whether or not I left. You wore condoms to prevent me from having your babies. That was a painful insult.”

  She’d just rammed her heartache up his ass as well. “Look at me, Wisteria.” Fresh tears filled her eyes and his entire world crashed. “It wasn’t because I don’t want you bearing my children. Starting a family is something that should be agreed upon. I had intentions of returning to Earth. I could never have left you raising my child alone.”

  “That’s the reason my people mate. To have babies. We need to increase the number of our clan before we become extinct.”

  “This is where you and I are so different. My people make love to express their feelings. When we decide it’s time for children, we put the condoms away.”

  Her gaze dropped back into her lap. “So it’s not me personally, it’s your beliefs?”

  “That is exactly right.”

  She seemed to process that for a long time while picking at her fingernails. “I’m glad my father banished me. I wouldn’t be here had he allowed me to stay.”

  She was so beautiful. The answer, his future, sat a mere few feet away and all he needed to do was stop being stubborn, reach out and touch her.

  He sauntered to the fire and dropped to his knees, studying her closely. He reached into her lap, entwined his fingers through hers and brought them to his lips. “Wisteria, I’m not going anywhere.”

  She batted her lashes, releasing a new wave of tears, crushing his heart. He lowered his face and kissed each one away. “Never,” he said softly. “I fell in love with you a long time ago.” He kissed yet another droplet of water trickling from her eye. “Months ago, when I began watching you at the lake, I made you my responsibility and felt the need to protect you. I’ve loved you since then.”

  “You have?”

  “Yes. I belong here with you, sweetheart, in a world I’ve grown to love almost as much as the woman I love.”

  She rose on her knees, slipped a hand around his neck and pulled his face forward. Her tears me
shed with his skin and he paused from kissing her to remove every trace of moisture from her cheeks with his lips.

  “Show me how much, Vulcan,” she breathed, fisting handfuls of his hair. “I need to know.”

  “Know this, Wisteria.” Slowly he removed her upper garment. The satchel of stones dropped from her chest to her lap then slid to the ground. “I love you. I need you more than my next breath.” He gazed longingly into her eyes as he gently laid her down on the hide. “I had a life on Earth, but I didn’t live until I met you.”

  He slid the bottom garment over her hips, along her thighs and calves then off her feet, grazing his fingers across her flesh. He spread her legs to where he’d fit comfortably between them without accidentally pinching her skin then laid on top of her body, bearing weight on his arms. He teased her lips, nipping the top then the bottom before honoring himself with a full taste of her mouth. Her breaths increased and she held his face while slipping her tongue between his teeth.

  Her grip took on a possessiveness he’d failed to acknowledge before. Or maybe she hadn’t utilized it, not knowing how much she meant to him until now. Either way he’d gained a sense of pride. He removed her hands and held them on the ground above her head then separated their lips. “Say it, Wisteria.”

  “I love you, Vulcan.”

  He patted his lips on her brow. “Say it again.”

  “I love you,” she repeated.

  He kissed a trail to her ear and nibbled the lobe. “And again.”

  “I love you.”

  “I want to hear those words every day, and I want them to be the final words I hear when I take my last, dying breath,” he whispered right before he slid down her body and suckled a nipple into his mouth. She gasped and her back arched. She clasped his head, holding him close.

  He’d given her what she sought and sucked until her nipple swelled between his lips then he nibbled the tip with his teeth and moved on to the other, abusing it as well, bringing her close to climax. It was the first thing he’d learned when he’d made love to her for the first time. Her nipples were nearly as sensitive as her clit. Ah, he’d never forget their first time. That night she’d taught him as much as he’d taught her.