Page 22 of The Barbarian's Claim
Fourteen
EINAR
He meant what he said. I could see it on his face. He did not expect more from me than my protection. And yet a part of me still felt guilty. It was possible he would have found someone in another clan willing to give him both love and protection. I worried so much for his safety, I’d denied him the opportunity to try. And ever since, he had been in danger at my side. I did not wish to make things worse by giving him false hopes. I could give him sex if he needed it, but it would not be more than that. I was too damaged to feel more.
“I am not a loving man,” I admitted. “I have sex for release, nothing more.”
He nodded slowly, like he understood but was confused on why I was telling him that. I sighed, considering how to explain myself better.
“You know of Rath and Finn, yes?” I waited for him to nod before continuing. “You have seen them together?”
Again, he nodded, still frowning.
“That will not happen with us. I cannot give you that. I can take care of your needs and keep you safe. Nothing more.”
He tipped his head, his brows furrowed thoughtfully. “Y-you held me w-w-while I s-slept,” he pointed out.
He still didn’t understand the difference. Perhaps the concept of a loving relationship was foreign to him. He’d lost his family when he was young. Had he not seen loving couples since then? Did he even remember his family? Or were his parents not outwardly loving that he would not recognize it?
It didn’t matter in the end. I would be careful not to lead him on, but my desire to touch him again outweighed my unwillingness to muddy the waters.
Pulling him tighter against my front, I murmured, “You enjoyed it.”
It was comical, how quickly his face flushed. He was thinking of the first time I touched him intimately, I could see it in the way his pupils grew large and his breathing stuttered. That had been only a tease of sex, there was more I could show him, but not here. We were out in the open and exposed. Creatures could wander up to us while we were distracted. It was better to find some place to camp first.
When I pulled away from him, he whimpered and took a step back to keep himself pressed against me. I bit back a smirk, shaking my head.
“Not here, zoragar. I will find a place for us first to rest for the night.”
The desire clearly written on his face was like kindling to a flame. It made me want to grab him and pull him underneath me, to see what other sounds I could drag from him. It was only my need to protect him that stayed my hand. I would first find a safe place for us. Then I would give Matthew what he needed.
MATTHEW
We didn’t need to go far before Einar found an empty cave that we could rest in. He checked every inch of it before allowing me inside, making sure there was nothing in there that could hurt me, then lit a fire just at the entrance. It would prevent creatures from coming in and gave the smoke a place to escape. He explained it all to me, but my mind kept shifting to the heated look he’d given me before, the way his voice dropped to a more husky growl as he pulled me against him. It took every ounce of self-control not to jump on him, especially when we cleaned up at the lake and I saw peeks of his body. I’d never felt that needy before. I didn’t want to wait even another minute to experience the kind of pleasure he’d given me before.
Einar was in no such hurry as he set up the bedroll and prepared our meal. I was antsy, my gaze trailing constantly to his lips or his hands that had brought me so much pleasure. My cock ached between my legs, and I worried I would come just from my overactive imagination alone. Just imagining what Einar could do to me made me breathless.
When he stood after the meal was done, my breath caught in my throat, and I stared up at him hopefully. A flash of a smirk crossed his face, just a glimpse of it, but it made my heart skip a beat.
“Take off your clothes.”
My stomach flipped with a mix of eager anticipation and nerves. Being touched by Einar had felt wonderful, so I hoped for more of the same, but I worried about repeating the few times I’d tried to have sex before. It had hurt last time.
Still, I trusted Einar to stop if I asked it of him, so I pushed to my feet and pulled off my clothes with shaky hands. I cupped myself to hide my embarrassing erection, ducking my head to avoid his gaze. When he stepped up to me, shirtless and so beautiful, I nearly forgot my nerves in the face of my need. I wanted so badly for him to touch me.
A firm hand cupped my jaw, forcing me to look up at him. “Do not hide from me, zoragar.”
My brow furrowed. “W-w-what does that w-word m-mean?”
His thumb trailed along my bottom lip, causing my breath to stutter. “Is that really what you wish to discuss right now? Language?”
I shook my head rapidly, my eyes locked on his mouth. I wanted him to kiss me, wanted to feel his mouth against mine. Would he kiss roughly, like his image suggested? Or would he be gentle like how he treated me when I was hurt or upset?
When he dipped his head, my eyes fluttered shut automatically, but he did not kiss me. Instead, he used his grip on my chin to tip my head to the side, nipping lightly on my earlobe before trailing his tongue down my neck. I shivered at the contact, leaning into him.
“Turn around,” he demanded in a rough purr against my ear. “Hands on the wall.”
Eager and breathless, I spun where I stood, moving to get closer to the wall of the cave. His hands on my hips stopped me, and I frowned at him over my shoulder.
