by test
His other discovery was of much more importance. He’d watched the females going in and out of one squat hut throughout the day. They always carried wooden bowls or simple clay pots into the shack with them. When they emerged again, they balanced their pots carefully to keep the contents from spilling. The little building had to be their larder. Food. Grain?
Vegetables? Dried fruit? Who knew what kind of bounty might be in there? Certainly something more than yams.
They’d both lost weight over the past ten days, but remembering the feel of Cara’s little bit of weight on top of him earlier convinced him he needed to take better care of her. If any woman in the entire world should be looked after and coddled, it was brave, feisty Cara.
And she’d dared to kiss him. Should he believe she found him irresistible despite her well-earned fear of all beings male or was the desperation of their situation settling on her?
Might she be facing the possibility they might never find their way back home? If they didn’t get up the mountain by mid-summer, they would have to find shelter for the winter and start to stockpile food. Wood would need to be gathered. Winter was harsh in the north.
Perhaps if they did slip by the village and travel further north, they could find more game and perhaps some ruins where they could find shelter. But they might also encounter more Savages and certainly the weather would be colder.
Their problems were mounting every day they spent searching. If they didn’t start to eat more and with greater variety, they would weaken and perhaps fall ill. Was it worth the risk of stealing from the Savages?
He heard Cara’s muttered curse as a rock tripped her up before he saw her. She ducked low and joined him in peering down at the village. A few young Savages played lethargically on the sand, but few adults were about. One look at Cara’s face and he knew her search had been unsuccessful. He couldn’t resist. He took her hand and squeezed it. She looked surprised but she didn’t pull away.
“Anything interesting here?”
Yes, she was worth any risk. “Perhaps. How do you feel about being bandits tonight?”
* * * *
Cara had always thought Brady a courageous man, but this little escapade surpassed bravery into lunacy. She held her position along the seaside wall of the hut nearest the beach.
Her sword was bare but held to her side so it wouldn’t easily catch the moonlight. They’d waited until well past sunset and hoped the Savages slept.
Brady glided on bare feet toward the shack he believed held the food supply of the Savages. It turned her stomach to think of eating food the beasts had touched with their filthy hands.
ONE GOOD WOMAN SUSAN KELLEY 48
The little building she waited beside so tensely belonged to the pregnant female who’d been beaten earlier in the day. She’d seen such behavior when she was a captive. The large, aggressive males often vented their vicious natures on their females. But the females were nearly as cruel to each other and certainly to a captive like her. She tried not to feel sympathy for the female but the way she’d tried to protect her unborn child tugged at Cara’s heart.
But her empathy wasn’t enough that she would have risked her life to help the female, though Brady’s eyes had filled with rage. For a short moment she thought he might charge out to confront the bastard. Realm men could be so stupidly honorable.
There were many tracks in the sand, and they hoped Brady’s more narrow prints would be obscured by the Savages before they thought to look for the trail of the thief. If they were very lucky, the beasts wouldn’t even know they’d been robbed.
Brady entered the dark entrance of the shack. The uneven, poorly made doorway put Cara in mind of the maw of an evil creature. Not that he wouldn’t have entered the mouth of a great beast if he thought it would help them. She needed to teach the man more caution.
Every little chirp of tree frogs, the fluttering of the large moon moths and even the endless throaty roar of the sea set her nerves closer to the edge of her control. What was taking him so long? He’d carried his ragged, spare shirt along to use as a sack of sorts. His plan was to take small amounts of numerous things so they wouldn’t be missed. How would he even see what garbage was stored in the foul place?
A small moan came from the hut beside her. The poor, battered female must be hurt badly to vocalize her pain. Savages could take a fierce pounding and shrug it off.
Cara edged forward so she could see the doorway of the hut. The female might rise and seek aid or one of the others might hear her and come to check on her. Cara’s assignment was to make sure no one snuck up on Brady and trapped him in the shack.
The settlement remained silent except for another groan from the hut. The moonlight lent the village a haunted, cold appearance so that even the glow of embers from the central cooking fire couldn’t warm it. She shivered and silently urged Brady to hurry. A small eternity passed before he appeared in the door across from her. His extra shirt dangled at his side in a make-shift bundle, round and full of stolen goods. Despite her earlier distaste at the thought of eating Savage forage, her stomach growled in anticipation.
He stayed in the doorway for a long moment, looking around at the other huts. She waved him over.
He jogged across to her, the moonlight catching his wide grin. They ran together to the bit of ground beneath a pine where he’d left his boots and their other packs. It took him only a moment to brush the sand off his feet and slip on his boots. They picked up the rest of their belongings and walked rapidly south along the cliff. Neither of them talked until they’d put nearly a half a mile between them and their enemy.
“We’re going to have a feast.”
“What did you find?”
“Nuts, grains, potatoes and some dried beans. I think. I couldn’t really see everything I grabbed. They had it stored in big sacks made of hides and some big clay jars. Most of the bags were nearly empty so I only took handfuls from them.”
She grinned at his exuberant mood. Why did he bring this out in her?
Somehow their dire circumstances didn’t seem so horrible with Brady to share it. Was she catching that silly optimism so prevalent in Realm warriors? First Juston Steele had given ONE GOOD WOMAN SUSAN KELLEY 49
meaning to her life by teaching her the skills to kill Savages. Now Brady Gellot was tempting her to do more than just survive.
“Let’s hurry. I can’t wait to build a fire and eat.” He stopped and turned to her. “That is, I can’t wait to eat right after I kiss you again.”
* * * *
Bab put Angel down on the hides and tucked the soft skins around her. The baby slept peacefully with a full belly. How many more days would there be enough milk for the child?
Rena was to have joined her today with more food, but Bab waited with dwindling hope, alone in the dark. Tomorrow she would have to search for food as she’d eaten the last few nuts today. All was gone and her stomach rumbled angrily.
She peered beyond her small fire. During the day she dozed while Angel slept so she could stay awake through the night and keep watch. While gathering wood before the storm, she’d come across some strange tracks. What beast made such odd marks? And worse, the thing or perhaps two of them, had watched her camp.
She’d stayed vigilant and seen no further sign of the watchers, but she would be glad when Rena arrived so they could share the burden. Each day now she gathered enough wood to keep the fire burning through the night though she didn’t need the heat. Today she’d decided to gather some rocks and build a wall around the entrance to her cave. The wind had soaked her and Angel by blowing rain in on them. That wouldn’t due for the cold season. She would gather more tomorrow but in just one day she’d built a wall up nearly to her shoulders. Stones were plentiful near the mountain. When Rena came, they would gather clay to fill the gaps and have a snug home.
If they didn’t starve. Food filled most of her thoughts. Even the fear of the strange beasts didn’t nag at her like the gnawing in her stomach. She and Re
na would have to work every daylight hour to gather enough to last them through the cold. Roots, nuts and if they were lucky, some wild game. She’d seen a few bees and hoped they could find their honey stores.
And the icky fishes and other sea things could be a last resort. She would stomach the disgusting food for Angel’s sake.
A night bug cried out and startled her. She reached out and touched the heavy stick she now kept always at her side. Even when foraging, she carried it in one hand. Tomorrow she would search for roots and nuts toward the loud, falling water. She feared the crashing power of it. It might suck her into its rushing stream and carry her out to the sea with all its rushing and splashing. No, she wouldn’t get too close.
She needed Rena. Her friend gave her courage. Could something be wrong? Maybe her pregnancy had slowed her down. Or maybe Jak and Hop were watching her too closely. Could she dupe the others as they had before? Would they believe another female silly enough to get pulled into the waves? Yes. The males credited females with no high thoughts. Except for maybe Tam. He often spoke to her and Rena as if they were still friends like they’d been as children.
Bab hefted her club and stared into the dark. No reason to think of Tam. That part of her life was over. Rena would come and they would live happy with their children. If Rena had a boy baby, they could start their own tribe. Where was her friend?
ONE GOOD WOMAN SUSAN KELLEY 50
Chapter Eight
Brady helped Cara up to the large ledge. He handed the sack of food up to her and caught a whiff of the contents as he lifted it by his face. But his hunger was for something more filling than food.
He scrambled easily up after her. The sun had risen two hours ago and shone into the haven through the tops of the trees fronting it. The stench of the hot springs welcomed them with a promise of safety.
“We can dig up more yams while we’re here,” Cara said over her shoulder. She dropped the bag of food in the cleared spot where they’d spread their blankets two nights ago. The spot where he’d held her in his arms the entire night. It seemed longer ago than it had been.
“We could wash our clothes while we’re here.” Now that the time of the promised kiss had arrived, he wasn’t sure how to proceed. He wanted to strip off his clothes and watch her do the same. They could lie on the rough, rocky soil for all he cared, but she deserved better. He must be patient and controlled.
“Good idea.” Her voice was smooth and without the nervous tension he’d expected. She walked to the bubbling pool and kicked off her boots.
He quickly dumped his packs and the blankets beside the food. His gun belt and sword baldric followed. Was she so eager for another kiss? Was his selfish wish about to come true?
Next to go was his boots. The rocky soil poked the soles of his feet and his lust-filled body slowed his steps even more. He was damned uncomfortable and fiercely determined.
The sun shone brightly on her golden hair and warmed her brown eyes that were usually coolly wary. He stopped in front of her and waited for her to decide what would happen.
She hesitated for only a moment and then took a deep breath. Her hands went to his shoulders and she rose up on her toes. He lowered his head slowly to meet her, giving her time to change her mind.
Their lips touched, and he gathered her gently to him. The slow, seductive plans he’d perfected in his thoughts over the course of their journey to this spot crumbled to ashes beneath the heat of her lips. Her body, so strong despite the delicacy of her bones, pressed tight against him. His cock threatened to burst through his pants. He lifted his head.
“Slow down, Cara. We have all day … to kiss.”
But she moved her hands from his shoulders to his hair and pulled his head down. He knew he should resist, slow this down, but he was as melted butter in her hands.
He forced his hands to stay at her waist though they itched to roam her back and test the firmness of her round behind.
She had no such restraint. Her strong fingers raked through his hair and then dropped back to his shoulders. She dug her fingers into his muscles and rubbed and then around to his back.
He groaned and let his own hands free. He explored her hips with a light touch and then dared to pull her even tighter against him. They sank together to the warm ground near the spring and faced each other on their knees.
ONE GOOD WOMAN SUSAN KELLEY 51
They parted and took some deep breaths. His chest felt as if it would burst from the force of his heart pounding, and his lungs struggled alongside it. Damn, he wasn’t an untried boy seeking his first delights in a woman. Why did Cara send him spiraling into this maelstrom of lust?
She pressed against him, urging him to sit down. He stretched his legs before him so she could sit on his lap as she had the day before. The familiarity of the position seemed to make her bolder.
She nipped at his lips and swung one of her legs over his so she straddled him. Her hands moved to his waist and tugged his shirt free. Hot and sword-roughened, her palms slid up beneath his shirt and over his chest. Delicious shivers ran across his body, down his belly and up to his nipples.
His hand shook as he lifted her blouse. It hung loose around her tiny waist. Her every rib was countable. He must feed her more. But then he touched her breasts and thoughts of food fled. Her mounds were as small as he’d expected but firm and well-suited to his hand and desire.
She pushed and tugged his shirt over his head, and the soft breeze skimmed across his skin with a welcome coolness. It also cleared his mind for an instant.
“Slow down, little one.” But his hands worked on their own to gently lift her shirt over her head.
She leaned her bare torso against his before he could admire what he’d only imagined.
He lay back onto the rough grasses and quickly forgot the scratching discomfort when her small, hard nipples brushed against his chest.
He touched every bump and ridge on her backbone and reminded himself how fragile she was. Her weight on top of him seemed little heavier than his shirt had been.
She wiggled her hips and elicited his groan. He dropped kisses along her sharp jaw-line and down her neck. Lifting her slightly, he reached her collarbone with his lips. She threw back her head to give him access.
Her heart’s pounding vibrated against his lips as he slowly approached his objective. The flesh forming her breasts was firm, her skin smooth and, finally, her nipple, the hard nubs sending jolts of hot lust through him. He ran his tongue over one and then the other. All his personal intentions to take it slow and easy faded. He sucked one luscious nipple into his mouth.
She gasped and froze, but only for a moment. Her fingers returned to his hair and held him at his glorious task.
He wanted her beneath him so much. He needed to press his painful erection against her and having her on top was not enough. Rolling over, he laid her on top of his discarded shirt.
He continued to lavish attention on her breasts.
She was so tiny, he eased his weight on top of her slowly and gently pushed her legs apart with his own. Her thighs clamped tight against him with her eagerness. The glory of his cock rubbing against her sweet entrance, even with their clothing between them, led him dangerously close to the edge.
He needed them both out of their pants, now. Pain suddenly shot through his scalp. She yanked his hair again. Lifting his head, she obviously wanted his lips on her again, he looked into her eyes.
But in her eyes was darkness, not of lust and desire, but of wild … terror. Her body was rigid and unmoving beneath him. The tight grip of her fingers eased in his hair, but then one of her fists caught him square on his ear. He tumbled sideways off of her, more from shock than force.
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Shaking his foggy head, he sat up to face her. But she already scooted away from him on her butt. She crossed her arms protectively over her bare chest.
The only sounds were their harsh breathing and the bubbling of the hot spring. She star
ed at him with wide eyes while his sluggish thoughts tried to piece together what had happened. Things had been going so well if faster than he’d expected. An apology hovered on his lips, but he held it back. Better to say nothing than say the wrong thing.
The wild look drained from her face and left behind a stark sadness. For a moment she looked like she might cry, but that fierce pride of hers held it back.
“I’m
sorry.”
She’d said it first this time. Was their relationship to be a series of apologies? He wanted to know what had happened, but his mind was still too muddled and centered between his thighs to ask an intelligent question.
He picked up his shirt and stood up, wincing as his pants squeezed his stubborn erection.
After tugging on his shirt, he strapped on his gun belt. “I’m going to the stream and take a bath.”
They needed to talk, but he couldn’t right now. Not when his damned randy body could only think of throwing himself on top of her again.