Page 82 of On a Barbarian World

“Kavon…”

“It is time for the truth, Aurina. Tell me how you feel.”

Her lips pressed together. “Goddamn you, I was planning to stay mad at you a lot longer.”

“Tell me,” he murmured.

She released a long breath. “I love you, dammit.”

Elation flooded him. He scooped her up and spun her around. “You are mine, Aurina Phoenix.” He took her mouth with his. The taste of her filled him, driving the urgent need in him to claim her in more ways than one.

She pulled back, panting a little. “Kavon, we’re filthy. We’ve spent the day in an ancient mine.”

“I have a solution.” He strode through the corridor to the adjoining annex.

She gasped. “It’s beautiful.”

It was a natural hot pool, and the main reason for the location of the hunting cabin. Some long-ago person had ringed it with rocks, and it was now a perfect natural bath.

He tugged again at her clothes. “Let’s get in.”

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

“Yes, Kavon, don’t stop.”

“Damn, Aurina.”

“More. More.”

He held her on the edge of the bath, her legs around his waist, and he was on his knees, powering deep inside her.

She slid her hands down to cup his ass, felt the hard flex of his muscles as he drove into her.

Her orgasm didn’t build, it just slammed into her, hard and fast. She screamed, and a second later, he slammed into her one last time, his face pressed to her neck. He growled into her skin as he came.

She dropped down into the water, trusting him to save her from drowning. Every muscle was limp, and pleasure was thrumming through her system.

Her big warrior stood and carried her back into the other room. He set her on the surprisingly soft furs, and a second later, knelt beside her, his big body right there, his skin gleaming from the water. He gently rubbed the towel over her. She stared up at him, her throat tight.

God, she loved him. He clearly wanted her to stay. He hadn’t said the word love…but he was a warlord. She got the feeling talking about your feelings wasn’t very warrior-like. Besides, she could see it and feel it in his actions.

There was just a tiny niggling doubt inside her. Was staying here as his woman enough? He’d been looking for a wife, but he hadn’t mentioned that sort of commitment to her.

As he walked away to a small chest, she admired the flex of muscles in his taut backside and blew out a breath. She needed to chill. She was letting her past make her twitchy. She wasn’t her mother, and Kavon wasn’t her father. Here was a magnificent man who wanted her. Who liked everything about her. She liked his people, his land, his fascinating planet.

After rummaging around in the chest and then his saddlebags, he came back and sat beside her. He placed two long-stemmed glasses beside the bed and opened a bottle of what she guessed was wine. He poured the dark, purple-red liquid into the glasses.

“This is a special wine we only use for the most special occasions.”

She smiled. She liked that her warrior could be sweet. She took the glass he handed her.

He was watching her like a hawk. She took a sip and the deep flavor of the wine burst across her tongue. “It’s excellent.”

He smiled, and his eyes glittered with an intensity she didn’t understand.

Reaching over, he picked up something else and held it out to her. “Again, in our tradition, I would just put this on you and you would be mine…but I know you are not a fan of that way of doing things.”

Aurina blinked, staring at the two beautiful armbands resting on his palms. They were made from beaten gold and inlaid with… “Are those emeralds?”