Masan looked around nervously then stared down at his feet for a moment. “It is as Nate said. Eion attacked the new male. Unprovoked.”
Her breath left her in a rush as the room erupted. Eion was protesting furiously, pleading with his grandmother. She wrinkled her nose in disgust at his behavior, although why she expected any different from Eion, Laylla didn’t know. But she did know that Rich would never act this way. His arrogance might be unusual for a male, but she realized that she liked that he was different from the other males.
Laylla stepped forward. “Permission to speak.”
Everyone quietened. The Elders turned to her. “As my male was the one wronged, I am within my rights to withdraw him into my care.” Where she could be certain he would not be attacked again. Not that he couldn’t defend himself, but whether he could defend himself or not wasn’t the issue. It was her right to protect him and she needed to be certain he would be taken care of.
“This will not happen again. Eion will be punished,” Elder Maren said.
“Grandmother!” Eion protested.
“Quiet,” she snapped at him. “You have disgraced your family by attacking another male unprovoked and then lying about it.”
Eion looked shocked. Rich smirked. Even though he couldn’t understand the words, he obviously realized that Eion had been reprimanded.
“Your male will be safe with the other males,” Elder Torin told her.
“You cannot guarantee it, though,” Laylla stated. “He does not understand our language or our ways. I wish to have him under my care.”
“And when you cannot be with him?” Elder Torin questioned. “If he does not understand our ways, he cannot be left alone.”
What Elder Torin said was true. Someone cleared their throat, and she turned. Nate stepped forward with a small smile. “Perhaps I could help. As I can speak to Rich, perhaps I can help him with the language and rules.”
Elder Torin nodded slowly. “You will drop him off to the unclaimed males holding during the days, Laylla, and Nate can help train him. Particularly since you are still working off your punishment.”
She wished to be the one training him, but she understood. Elder Torin still had to save face.
“Very well. But I wish to sit in on some of this training.” That way she could speak to Rich, find out more about what he was doing here.
Elder Torin frowned but nodded. “Very well.”
***
Rich followed Laylla as she clasped hold of his hand and pulled him from the room. The male who had attacked him glared at him as he walked past. Rich gave him a wink. The bastard was jealous, and who could blame him? Laylla was gorgeous, and she was his.
Except she wasn’t really. Because he still intended to leave as soon as he could make his escape. He didn’t know what had been said during this hearing or trial, but he guessed the truth had come out considering he wasn’t being dragged away and locked up.
Poor Eion, that idiot really didn’t have a clue how to fight. Rich wasn’t a fighter, and he’d kicked his ass. He almost felt bad for the guy. He’d lost the girl and got his ass handed to him.
Laylla led him to a small hut on the outskirts of the village. He looked over at what appeared to be a rock wall being constructed. Primitive but effective he supposed. He wondered who was building it since it was obvious none of the men did any physical work. He studied Laylla, noting her toned arms and thighs, the dust coating her skin. She looked like she’d put in a hard day’s work.
He frowned slightly. It didn’t sit right with him that she worked her ass off while he had sat around for most of the day. Except for one walk, a pathetic excuse for exercise, really. Rich might prefer a boardroom to nature, but he worked out regularly. He looked around in interest as she led him into the hut. The only thing covering the windows and door were animal hides. The floor was dirt with a few furs covering it. A raised box with more furs on it was obviously used as a bed.
Primitive and small. But it was tidy.
Laylla grabbed a couple of well-worn fur cloths then took hold of his hand again. She led him out to the stream, walking along until they reached a bigger swimming hole. She tugged at his ridiculous skirt thing. As soon as he got away from here, he was burning this garment.
“I missed you,” he told her, grateful for once that she couldn’t understand a word he said. He’d never be able to speak his mind if she did. “I was pissed at you when I first ended up in male day care, but Nate explained that you were being punished.” He couldn’t see any marks on her, so he hoped it hadn’t been a physical punishment.
She stripped then grabbed his hand, pulling him into the water.
“Shit!” It was surprisingly cool, and he took a step back. She glanced over her shoulder at him, her face intense. Then she grinned. Oh no, he didn’t like the look of that grin. She lunged at him, sending them both under the water. He came up spluttering, shivering from the cold. “Oh, you’re in for it now.”
He dived under the water, hearing her scream as he grabbed hold of her ankles and tugged. They played for a bit until they were both shivering. When they got out, she wrapped him in the largest fur before drying herself.
Rich sighed. “You know, I always thought being worshipped and treated like a king was my thing. But I’m starting to get a little annoyed by how one-sided our relationship is.”
What relationship?
He pushed that voice aside before grabbing hold of the back of her head and pulling her in for a kiss. When he drew back, satisfaction filled him at her glazed look. “We both like to be in control, sweetheart. If we were on an equal footing, this would be a real interesting ride.”
He kissed her again, nipping at her lower lip. He reached beneath her fur to cup her breast, thumbing the nipple. She made a small whimpering noise and pressed closer to him.
“You missed me too, didn’t you?” He slid his free hand down to cup her mound. Her moisture coated the palm of his hand. Damn, she was amazing.
She attempted to pull back and slide down to her knees, but he grasped hold of her hips, shaking his head. “Oh no, no sucking me off this time. Shit, listen to me, I never thought I’d turn down a blow job.” He turned her, pressing her hands to the trunk of the tree and holding them there. He nipped at her neck then blew a breath into her ear. She shuddered, pressing her ass back against him.
“This time, I’m in charge,” he told her. He slid his cock between her legs, brushing it against her warm folds. She groaned, and he closed his eyes, praying for some control.
He clasped hold of her hips, pulling her back slightly as he plunged deep inside her. Even though it had been less than a day since he’d had her, it felt like a lifetime as he thrust in and out of her tight sheath.
He smacked her ass, and she let out a low growl, glaring at him over her shoulder. He just grinned. “You liked it. I felt your pussy clench down on my cock.” He gave her another smack, felt her shudder.
He sped up, his balls tightening to the point of pain. He needed to come, badly. But he wasn’t coming before her. Reaching around, he cupped her breasts then twisted the nipples slightly before biting down gently where her neck and shoulder met. She cried out, and he felt her pulse around him as she came.
One, two, three more strokes and he came with a shout, nearly collapsing against her as his legs turned to jelly, his breath sawing in and out of his lungs.
“Jesus, baby. If that’s what we can do after one night apart, imagine what it would be like after a week.”
Or longer. But he didn’t want to think about that right now. He just wanted to go back to that tiny hut that had no running water or electricity or floors and lay curled up around his woman all night. He needed to spend as much time with her as he could.
Before he had to say goodbye.
Chapter Eight