Page 31 of On a Barbarian World

“So you want me here in your bed so I’ll eventually whimper for you?” The thought left her…disappointed for some reason.

“No.” Kavon slid his arms back into the water. “I want you here so I can protect you.”

“From what?”

“From Drog. He has his spies. He will hear about you and come after you. He wants everything that I have.” Kavon stood, water streaming off his naked, glistening body.

Aurina felt the heat inside her turn molten. She looked her fill. Why not? He was standing right in front of her in all his glory. His broad chest narrowed down to lean hips, and his stomach consisted of tantalizing ridges of muscle. She drew a breath and, helpless to stop herself—hell, she didn’t want to stop—she looked at the rest of him. Thick legs with powerful thighs and a large, semi-erect cock that fit with the rest of him.

“If you are worried about creating a child, know that our nanami control our fertility. Warriors are not fertile with bedmates.”

She shook her head. She had her own Namah implant that protected her from disease and pregnancy. “I…I mentioned my mother. My father was a man who wanted her in his bed. Just for a few nights. She thought she was in love and he left her alone and pregnant.”

“That is not honorable behavior.”

“No, it isn’t. But she…she pined for him for years. She still held onto the hope he’d come back.” Aurina shook her head and wondered why she was even talking about this. “She never accepted that we didn’t matter to him at all.”

Kavon’s gaze burned into her. “I would never do anything to dishonor you, Aurina. Whatever happens, I will protect you from other warriors who will be enamored of your skin and hair and body. Warriors who will look at you much the way you are looking at me right now.”

She jerked her gaze up. “I’m going to sleep now.” She spun and forced herself to walk out of the room. Part of her wanted to stay and get in that big tub with that sexy barbarian.

The other part of her was afraid, and she wasn’t exactly sure why.

She quickly undressed and pulled on the large, loose-fitting shirt she found in the closet. It was made from a thin, linen-like fabric.

She crawled into the massive bed, piled a mound of pillows in the center as a divider, then dropped down and closed her eyes.

Tomorrow, she had to focus on getting herself off this planet. She needed to find Kavon’s sword, and in turn, find her e-beacon. If she couldn’t find it… Her chest constricted. She’d think of something. She could scrounge parts and build her own. She scoffed to herself and thumped the pillow. She was good with rocks, but electronics were not her forte. She could do a few basic repairs on her ship and systems—every scout could—but she usually needed a working comp to help her.

She tossed and turned for a while, before flipping onto her other side, and burying her face in the soft pillow.

She needed to get home, and keep away from a certain tempting warrior who scared her in ways she didn’t understand.

CHAPTER SIX

Kavon woke with his arms full of woman.

He turned his head and breathed deep, pulling in a lungful of sweet-smelling female. That in itself was strange enough—he wasn’t a snuggler, and usually sent a woman on her way when they were finished. He was a trained warrior—he didn’t like people in his space when he slept.

Then he opened his eyes and stared at the strands of hair in front of him. That fascinating shade somewhere between red and gold. Aurina.

He let his arms tighten around her. She was a delicious handful, that was for sure. His fingers flexed on her smooth skin. By the warrior, he wanted to explore her. Her face was buried against his chest, her arms around him, and her slim legs tangled with his. At some stage during their sleep, she’d burst through her barrier of pillows. Her sleep shirt had ridden up in the night, and the lower curves of her backside were bare.

He closed his eyes and waited for his unruly body to settle. He was a warlord, very much used to getting what he wanted. What he wanted was a sweet, smart-mouthed skyflyer, who’d crashed into his carefully constructed world.

Opening his eyes, he stared at the ceiling. She wasn’t in his plan. He had a family name to restore and favor to curry with his king. He had to marry a warlord’s daughter, not dally with an independent woman from another world who pushed him at every turn.

Aurina moved, making a small sound in her throat that made Kavon’s already hard cock twitch.

She went very still, then she raised her head.

Green eyes widened, and he half expected her to scramble away. Instead, she dropped her head back to his chest and groaned.

“Aurina?”

“I’m sorry…I’m prone to curling around anything I can in my sleep⁠—”

He felt a shot of something ugly inside. “I do not want to hear about you curling around another man.” His voice was harsh, the tone he saved for his warriors when they’d displeased him.