No harm in making him sweat for another couple seconds. “Well, let me think… You worked really hard and a deal is a deal, but I really should add up those points myself to be completely sure.”
He wasn’t in the mood to play around. “Say yes, Lucy.” Rhawn ordered and his shaft brushed against her core. He was holding her still, letting her get a feel of what was to come and it was driving her crazy.
Lucy gasped, needing him to ease the building ache. “Yes.” Her eyes met his. “I’m yours, caveman.”
Rhawn’s mouth curved. “I know you’re mine.” His fingers interlocked with hers, pinning her down with his strength. “When I take you, I want to look into your eyes, understand? Keep your eyes on mine.”
Lucy was breathing hard. “Okay.” She was totally at his mercy and she loved it.
Rhawn dipped his head to kiss the tip of her straining nipple. “Will you mate with me tonight?” He asked for the millionth time.
This time her answer was different. “Yes.”
She didn’t even finish getting the word out before he was inside of her.
Lucy let out a cry as he filled her body, fast and hard. Rhawn was clearly not going to take his time with this part. Fifteen years of sexual frustration went into every hard thrust. It was amazing. Her body arched into his, wanting more.
“Keep your eyes on me, Lucy.” He ground out. His free hand lifted her hips so he could go as deep as possible, his palm lingering over the ink of her tattoo like it fascinate him. “Take it all, goddess. That’s it. You can do it. Gods, you’re so tight.”
She could barely concentrate enough breathe. He was so big, stretching places that even she didn’t know about. “Rhawn!” She bit her lower lip as he finally slid home. With her eyes locked on his and his body pressed into her, she felt vulnerable. Primitive. Claimed.
She was claimed.
But, Rhawn looked just as stunned as she felt, so she’d clearly claimed him right back.
Lucy grinned, out of breath and delighted. “This isn’t going to last long, caveman. Not this time. We both want it too bad.”
Rhawn’s expression went slack. Then his free hand twisted around the beads at her neck, making sure she continued to look at him. “Tell me again you want me.” It was an order, but she heard the need in it. The desperation. “Tell me you want me back.”
“Oh God, do I want you back.”
That just dumped fuel onto the fire. He was wild for her and it was way better than any dream. It was hot and wet and it was going to happen right now, if only he’d hurry.
“Rhawn, please.” Lucy’s legs wrapped around his hips and he somehow tunneled even deeper. “Faster. Harder. I’m so close. Just a little more…”
He tugged the necklace up and her head automatically followed. His mouth slammed against hers in a scorching kiss and Lucy climaxed again. Holy shit, she was never taking off those stupid beads again. She sobbed out her release, even as Rhawn found his own. His huge body shuddered, his fingers tightening on hers, as he roared in satisfaction.
Lucy went limp, not even moving when Rhawn collapsed on top of her. His elbows were braced beside her, so he didn’t crush her with his weight. She wouldn’t have noticed if he had. All she could do was struggle for oxygen. “Wow.” She whispered. “Those dreams totally skipped all the really fun stuff.”
He chuckled at that and lifted his head to meet her gaze. “You make me happy.” He said, the words simple and profound. “There is nothing that makes me so happy as you, Lucy. Do not ever leave me. I could not survive it.”
Lucy’s heart melted. “You make me happy, too.” She whispered back. “All my best memories are of you, Rhawn. Even the ones we haven’t made yet.” She touched the side of his face, so their eyes would stay locked. “If I do find a way back to New York, will you come with me?”
“Yes.”
She arched a brow at how quickly he said the word. “Do you want to think about it before you agree? It would be a big, big change. I mean, I’m absolutely not sure I can get us back to Earth, but if I do, you’d have to deal with pollution and IRS forms and weirdoes on the subway…”
He interrupted her. “I will go anywhere you are, Lucy. Anywhere at all.” That level brown stare stayed on hers and, just for a second, she felt the inevitability of their connection. The absolute knowledge that this man belonged to her.
That he was her mate, in every possible way.
“I will stay here with you, if you’d rather.” Lucy said and she meant it. “If this is where you’d rather be, I can make it work. I even have a cushy job lined up as unquestioned dictator.”
Rhawn kissed her lavishly. “Given a choice, I would journey to your world. It is where I have always wanted to be. I am touched by your offer, though, considering this is a land without bagels.”
“It is a hardship. You’d agree if you’d ever had one.”
“Undoubtedly.”
“Alright, so we’ll try to think of a way back to New York, then. And if we can’t, then we’ll just stay here and rule The Island of the Blue Dolphin together. Agreed?”
“Agreed.”
“Good. …But, I’m not the Savior.” She needed him to know that, because he still didn’t seem to get it. “Really, I’m not.”
“You are the Savior.” Rhawn insisted with total faith. “Powers or no powers, it’s you, Lucy. No one else.”
Lucy shook her head, exhausted again but trying to get him to see the truth. “That’s crazy. You get that it’s crazy, right? What am I’m supposed to do? Stop a volcano from erupting? Somehow convince Skoll not to be a psycho? Magically keep an island afloat? Because they didn’t really cover that in grad school. There’s no way…”
Rhawn cut her off before she could start listing all the reasons why she wasn’t nearly as special as he thought she was. “You are here to change the world. I know it with everything in me.” He brushed the curls back from her face. “Sleep, now. Even a goddess needs rest.”
“Fine, be stubborn about it. But, you’ll see in the end.” She sighed, feeling drained. Wide awake, she couldn’t change Rhawn’s mind, so there didn’t seem much of a chance of her doing it now. The man was like a brick wall. “Remember I told you you were wrong about this, though.”
“Of course. In fact, I will remind you of it often, when I am proven right.”
That almost made her smile. “You really are a smartass. It’s very sexy.” She laid her head against him and yawned, her eyes dipping closed.
Rhawn’s arms curled around her, sheltering her with his massive body. No one and nothing was going to touch her while he was there. She believed that completely. “I have never been as pleased as you’ve made me.” He nuzzled her hair. “Sleep, goddess. I will keep you safe.”
She cuddled closer to him and he rested his cheek on the top of her hair. They fit together so seamlessly it was like they were made to sleep that way. Fate. She gave a drowsy smile at the thought.
“Lucy?” Rhawn whispered after a moment, absently stroking her nipple in various patterns so it beaded for him. He never got bored with her body, constantly trying new techniques to coax the best response. It turned out lazy circles got it into the tightest point. Not even Lucy had known that. Smart guys were just awesome.
“Ummm?” She was already nodding off. Despite everything, she was more relaxed than she’d ever been.
He kissed her temple in masculine contentment. “When you wake-up, we need to do all of that again.”
Chapter Fourteen
“Damn, but I wish you were real, caveman.” She whispers. “I always have.”
“I am real.” Rhawn’s breathing so hard he can barely get the words out. She is beneath him, soft and willing, and everything is just as it should be. “You are the dream. And I don’t care, just so you’re here with me.”
Dark brows tug together. “I’m not a dream. If I was, I’d be way thinner. And wearing --like-- a lot of expensive jewelry and something designed by Galliano.”
&
nbsp; Rhawn is not the smartest of men. Sometimes his weak mind creates words without definitions. He has no idea what a “galliano” could be. He wants to ask her about it, and about so much more… but then she is gone.
His roar of frustration and loss jolts him awake.
Rhawn and Lucy’s Dream- Two Years Ago.
It was a fine day for a mammoth hunt.
Granted Rhawn was in such a good mood that it would have seemed a fine day for anything. Uooloa’s smoldering, Skoll’s ominous absence and the prospect of sailing off into an unknown sea did nothing to dull his pleasure as he headed into the valley.
Lucy was his. Her small body had welcomed Rhawn’s, her wondrous eyes meeting his without revulsion as they came together. She’d slept in his arms all night, safe and content. It had been better than he could’ve imagined.
Lucy was his mate.
Even she must see that, although she had not said the words. Soon she would Choose him and Rhawn would have everything he wished.
Grinning widely, he propped the spear on his shoulder and walked through the tall grass. The valley was closer to the base of Uooloa, but it was where the last of the mammoths gathered. Rhawn was in an optimistic mood. It would take no time at all to kill one. Then the Clan could carve off the meat, prepare it in strips, and they would set off on their voyage. The ragan were ready and fresh water had been gathered. He was even devising meat racks for the trip, so they could dry the mammoth’s flesh in the sun. Everything was going as planned.
Rhawn loved it when things went as planned. It happened so rarely.
Warren came bounding over and not even he could spoil the mood. …Though he seemed ready to try. “Dude, I gotta talk to you. Like, right now.”
Rhawn spared him a quick glance. “Is this about Anniah?” The answer was obvious, so it wasn’t even a guess.
“Yeah. I think I’m --like-- in love with her, ya know?”
“I know.” He supposed it was inevitable. Helpless creatures were always drawn to Anniah and she to them.
“Should I be --like-- proposing or something before we… ya know?” Warren gave meaningful nod. “‘Cause I think she might be a proposing-before-doing-it kinda girl.”
“Proposing?”
“Yeah. To marry her. So she’d be --like-- mine.”
Rhawn squinted. “You won the challenge, Warr-en. She Chose you and you Chose her.” What other confirmation of Anniah’s feelings did the man need? “She is yours.”
Warren blinked. “You mean… I’m done? I did everything I had to do? She’s already my wife?”
Rhawn was not sure what that meant. “She is your mate.”
“So… I can sleep with her, then?” Warren asked, as if he wanted to be absolutely clear.
Gods, did Rhawn really need to explain this to the boy? It was very awkward. Why did these things always happen to Rhawn? “Yes.” He said uncomfortably.
“You sure?”
“Yes.” Was it really so hard for Warren to understand? Rhawn felt like he speaking to a particularly dull-witted tree stump. “Men often sleep with their mates and she is your mate.”
“Awesome!” Warren grinned and held out his palm in the “high-five” gesture he’d used with Lucy the night before.
Rhawn hesitantly smacked his hand and was inordinately pleased when that seemed to be the correct response. It was important that Lucy know he could adapt to Newyork customs. …Odd and pointless as they may be.
“God, I was so hoping you’d give me the ‘all clear’ on this.” Warren continued happily. “I want to take care of her and do everything right this time. But, it is really, really hard to sleep next to the chick I love and not touch all the naked parts of her naked body with my naked…”
Rhawn cut him off with a shudder. “We do not have to discuss anything you touched while naked.” He assured him, swiftly. “Truly.”
“Can we talk about what naked things you’ve been up to with Lucy, then?” Warren asked, arching a brow. “Because I’m detecting a certain bounce in your step today. We’ve been talking for two whole minutes and you haven’t even threatened to kill me yet. Something’s put you in a good mood and I don’t think it’s the weather, ya know?” He waggled his eyebrows.
“Lucy is my mate.” Rhawn said simply. He glanced over his shoulder, to watch her walking besides Anniah. They two women were often together, communicating with hand gestures and exaggerated faces. His mouth curved. When Lucy forgot she was antisocial, she made friends quickly. “Soon she will Choose me. I know it.” He looked at Warren again, wanting to speed the process along. “How do women Choose their men in Newyork?”
“Like with dating sites and hook-ups in bars, mostly. I don’t think that’s gonna work for you.” Warren thought for a beat. “Did Lucy tell you she loved you?”
Rhawn hesitated. “No.” He admitted with a concerned frown. “Is this bad?”
“Welllllll.” Warren drew out the word and scrunched up his face, like a healer delivering tragic news to a sick man. “It’s sure not good. She isn’t going to Choose you unless she loves you, ya know?”
Rhawn’s eyebrows slammed together. The Clan did not even have a word for “love,” but people from Newyork evidently required it between mates. Luckily, this problem was easily rectified. “Well, Lucy must come to love me, then.” He decided. “I love her. Now she must love me back. It is the only way.”
“Yeah… that’s easier said than done. Those are powerful words, man. Until Anniah, I only ever said them to Mr. Buster Fluff.”
“Who?”
“Mr. Buster Fluff. He was my pet hamster, when I was seven.”
“I am unfamiliar with the word ‘hamster.’”
“It’s --like-- an adorable little mouse thing.”
Rhawn squinted, unsure if he was really hearing what he thought he was hearing. He couldn’t possibly be hearing that right, right? “You loved a boga?” He clarified slowly, just to be sure.
Warren took exception at his incredulous tone. “Hey, Mr. Buster Fluff was my best friend!”
Rhawn stared at him, not knowing what to say to something so stupid. Did Warren not understand the dangers of these creatures? “I was bitten by a boga once. I barely survived it and still counted myself lucky. No one else has ever recovered. Most die screaming within a few moments. Trust me, no good comes from befriending vermin.”
“That’s what they said about my two ex-wives. But, I wasn’t afraid to try again and now I have Anniah. Don’t live in fear, man.” Warren nodded as if he’d just said something profound. “Lucy’s going to need a little bit of courting before she spits out the words. Don’t worry, though. I’ll be here to help you every step of the way. Offering support nonstop, ya know?” Warren jerked a thumb over his shoulder. “But right now I’m going to go have sex with my incredibly hot new bride.”
“Yes. You go do that.” Rhawn nodded encouragingly at that idea, relieved to be rid of the boy. The difficulties in communicating with Warren went far deeper than the language barrier. “Just go far away.”
“Good talk, man.” Warren beamed happily and went bounding through the tall grass.
Rhawn shook his head in exasperation, glad for the silence.
It didn’t last long.
“Warr-en seems most pleased.” Notan mused, coming up beside him.
In deference to the old man’s limp, Rhawn slowed his own steps. “He is very happy with his mate.” It was strange for the Clan’s leader to talk to him without anger and accusations, so Rhawn wasn’t quite sure what to say. “Warr-en says he will take good care of Anniah.”
More likely, she would take care of him, but no matter.
“My daughter had Chosen well.” Notan studied Rhawn’s profile. “You have Chosen well, too. The Savior is a good woman, once you understand that she is not purely viciousness and tyrannical evil.”
“I’m sure Lucy will appreciate your change of heart. It will be a tremendous relief for her.”
Notan missed the sarcasm. �
�I have told the rest of the Clan that we must go with her, across the Infinite Sea.” He agreed. “I do not know what awaits us there, but it is our only hope. The legends say that the Savior will see us rescued and your woman is the Savior. I know we must follow her.”
“So do I.” Rhawn still didn’t completely believe in this plan to sail the ragan without clear directions, but he did believe in Lucy. She would save the Clan and change the world. It was her fate.
“The Savior has also helped me see that I treated you unfairly.” Notan continued, meeting Rhawn’s eyes. “I feared you for your differences, instead of seeing them as gifts from the gods. It was a failing I will always regret. You were born special. I should have nurtured that and not feared it. I hope that you will forgive me.”
Rhawn looked at him in surprise. “I do forgive you.” He said without hesitation. At one time, he might have been bitter, but no more. “The past has no meaning now.” Whatever he’d endured in his life, he’d ended up right where he wanted to be. Well, not geographically. At the moment, the island was a terrible, terrible spot to be stranded. But, he’d ended up with Lucy and that was all that mattered. The future was all that mattered. He reached over to clamp a hand on Notan’s shoulder. “Soon we will begin again in a new land and all of this will become legends of our own.”
“These are great and terrible days.” Notan agreed with a smile. “Your grandchildren will never believe all we have witnessed. When you tell the tales, they will think you an old fool.”
“I hope they do. I hope they never have to believe all the things we have seen and done. I hope they have far better lives.”
Notan slowly nodded and patted Rhawn’s arm. “You have become the wisest man of this Clan.” He murmured sincerely and limped off to join the others.
Rhawn stared after him, his mouth curving into a smile. Notan thought him wise. Rhawn wasn’t sure he agreed, but he certainly no longer saw himself as stupid. Since meeting Lucy, he’d been slowly realizing that everyone had been wrong about his lack of intelligence. He’d been wrong. As usual, Lucy was right about everything.
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