Chapter 9
CHAPTER NINE
CEDRIC
Orthorr’s tent was much the same as the last time I’d been inside it.
It was bigger than most of the tents I’d seen the barbarians living in, though not as big as the tent I stayed in with the other townspeople.
There was a space in the middle with a table where he had his meetings with the clan, and another area separated with a cloth that likely held his bed.
Rugs covered the ground, and soft pillows were placed around the table to sit on.
There were even some decorative cloths hanging from the walls of the tents, bringing color to the space that most of the other tents I’d seen didn’t have.
We sat together at the table, much like we had the other night, with me kneeling beside him. My heart raced in my chest at the thought of touching him again, but I reminded myself I was there to help him, not take advantage of the situation.
“Do you have oil? A proper massage might help for longer than something quick.”
He hummed, leaning to reach into a box nearby. He searched it for a moment before drawing out what looked like cooking oil. “Would this work?”
“What is it?” I asked curiously, taking it when he offered it to me and popping the top to sniff the contents. It smelled good, whatever it was, but I doubted it was for massaging.
“It’s a bread oil I purchased when visiting Al Nuzem’s capital city. I keep it in here because our clan cook, Yamileth, would be offended if she found out I used it on her food.”
I couldn’t help but snicker. “Orthorr, you naughty boy. You’re going to get into trouble.”
The wicked grin he shot me over his shoulder as he shrugged out of his robes made my stomach flip and my breath catch.
There were trousers under the robes, but his upper half was completely bare, showing off miles of tattoo covered muscles and old scars.
He had a necklace like the other barbarians did, though his was special because it had extra beads and feathers tied to it.
It drew attention to the tattoo on his chest, like a wolf howling at the sky, head tipped back and proud.
Orthorr noticed my attention and shifted the necklace out of the way, tapping the wolf tattoo with one finger.
“It denotes my clan. The Northern Clan have ulvor on their chests. If you pay close enough attention, you will notice other clans have different animals here. The only clan with a large mixture is Clan Urthazrak. They are a clan of elders from different clans and already had their tattoos before they settled.”
Fascinated, I found myself reaching to touch the dark lines, hesitating when I realized what I was doing. Orthorr didn’t let me pull away, though. He took my hand and put it on his chest, covering it with his own.
“You can touch me, Cedric. I wish for you to do so.”
“You’re just saying that so I’ll help your shoulder,” I teased breathlessly, my cheeks flushing as I felt the muscles of his chest beneath my palm. He was like stone wrapped in silk, hard and soft, and I couldn’t help tracing the lines of his tattoos when he released my hand.
I was so focused on touching him, I didn’t notice his arms coming around my waist to pull me into his lap. Gasping, I jerked my head up to look at him, feeling my whole body flush when I felt the hardness of his arousal against my behind.
“Ravsol, it is not only your assistance that I hope for. I do not wish to rush you, though. We will go slowly.”
Because forty years wasn’t slow enough? I wanted to shout at him that I didn’t want to go slow, that I wanted everything all at once, and each time he touched me, it only made me more wild for it.
But that sounded desperate, and I didn't want him to think I was just using him for sex.
Orthorr was my ideal man, steady and patient, with just a hint of playfulness to make me laugh.
I wanted more than just to scratch a lifelong itch with him.
Forcing my hand away from his muscular chest, I made myself get out of his lap and moved behind him, taking in the expanse of his back and the tattoos that decorated it. “Let’s start with your shoulder then. Do you know where the injury came from?”
I dribbled the smallest amount of oil from the jar, not wanting to steal his treat from him, the scent of herbs filling the tent as I gently rubbed it into his skin. The knot was in the same place as before, which made me think he was doing something to cause it to tense up in that spot.
He leaned into my touch, only grimacing a little when I pushed harder on the tender spot to ease it. “I help with chopping the wood some mornings. I like the exercise.”
“That would definitely cause a strain if done repeatedly. Especially at your age.”
He swung around with a mock snarl that gave me goosebumps, snatching the front of my tunic and dragging me until we were nose to nose. “Call me old again, ravsol, and I will put you over my knee. I am not old.”
My cock was embarrassingly hard thanks to his little display, and my breathing was erratic.
I wanted nothing more than to throw myself at him, and my gaze kept dropping to his lips, remembering the velvety feel of them pressed against mine, the seductive drag of his tongue, and the way his hands gripped me tightly like he was as eager to let go as I was.
“Orthorr…”
He made an appreciative growling sound that sent a tremor through me, his hand fisting in my hair as he yanked me closer and plundered my mouth with his.
There was no sweet introduction like last time.
He tangled his tongue with mine, dominating the kiss until I was pliant and subdued, allowing him to move me as he wished until I was straddling his lap, completely at his mercy.
His fingers trailing along the skin of my belly alerted me to the fact that he’d pulled my tunic loose from my trousers, giving him the room to slip his hands underneath to touch me.
I trembled as callous roughened palms slid along my skin, touching me in a way no one had ever done so before.
When he tugged the material up, I lifted my arms, allowing him to pull it up and over my head.
He tossed it aside, leaning back to watch as his hands dragged over my skin.
“You are gorgeous. I am very lucky to have caught your attention before anyone else could steal you away.”
A shaky laugh escaped me, and I shook my head helplessly, gasping as his thumbs grazed my nipples. “I-I’m not that special…”
His head dipped, dragging hot kisses down my neck and chest. “I disagree, sweet ravsol. You are the stuff of fantasies.”
He didn’t give me a chance to respond before lightly licking one of my nipples.
I choked on a cry, hips rocking automatically.
My entire body thrummed with barely contained need, to the point where I felt as though I’d come out of my skin.
When he switched to the other side and nipped lightly, my hips bucked, and he had to pull me back down when I nearly writhed out of his lap.
“Orthorr, please!” I begged.
When his hand settled in the middle of my chest, I grasped it tightly, using it to ground myself in the storm of feelings and sensations I’d never experienced before.
Pleasure, excitement, need, and a steady warmth that spread through my chest every time Orthorr dragged me in for another kiss.
Without his touch to steady me, I might get lost in all the sensations.
He surprised me when he cupped my behind and stood, hauling me effortlessly like I weighed no more than a bag of potatoes. I gasped against his lips, jerking back to look at him incredulously. “You shouldn’t! Your shoulder–”
“Is fine, thanks to you,” he murmured, nipping at my lip then sucking it to ease the sting and silence my arguments. “I am fine, ravsol. But I felt it might be better if we moved to a bed.”
“Oh, gods,” I whimpered, tightening my legs around his waist. “Please.”
I barely noticed the cloth separating the space he slept in brushing against my back, my focus on Orthorr’s mouth and the steady grip he had on my ass. He said he wanted to take it slow. What were the chances that was only about the pace, and there was still a possibility that he’d take me tonight?
He settled me down on a bed much softer than the one I slept on in the tent with the other townsfolk. I broke the kiss to look at the soft furs, then up at him, a smirk pulling at my lips as I raised an eyebrow at him.
“Somehow, I didn't see you as the type to indulge yourself like this.”
He grinned, leaning in to nip at my chin. “There are perks to being clan leader.”
“Oh? Will you have to give it up then when Uttin gets back?” I teased.
He dragged his teeth along my neck next, giving me goosebumps and making me gasp. “The tent, yes. It is for the clan leader. The bed? He will have to get his own. Once I’ve taken you on this one, I won’t allow anyone else to sleep on it.”
His words were possessive and sent shivers down my spine.
He crawled between my legs, looming over me with a smirk, looking every bit the fierce barbarian from the rumors.
Except I wasn’t afraid of this one. Instead, I was reaching for him, pulling him on top of me, trying to eliminate all the space between us until he settled his weight on me, and a groan of pure pleasure escaped me.
“You took care of me before, my ravsol. Allow me now to take care of you.”
“Yes… please.”
He reached between us, toying with the buttons of my trousers, but before he did anything more, he forced my gaze away from where our cocks were pressed together, only separated by a few bits of cloth, making me look him in the eyes.
“If you ever wish to stop, you need only say it. I want to make you feel good. If I am failing, I want to know.”
Somehow, I doubted there was anything he could do that I wouldn’t like, but I gamely agreed to reassure him. “Okay.”
His proud smile warmed me to my toes, and I lifted my head to meet him when he dropped down for another kiss. I was so distracted by his lips, I didn’t feel his hand until it slipped into my trousers and wrapped around my cock.
Ripping my mouth away, I gasped, fingers digging into Orthorr’s sides. “Orthorr!”
“So gorgeous. That’s it, ravsol. Let me hear you.”
My mouth fell open at the sultry words that made my eyes want to roll back into my head. Who knew the clan leader could sound so seductive?
The next slide of his hand on my cock ripped a moan from me.
I wanted to thrust into his grip, to feel him everywhere, but my cursed trousers were still in the way, and I could barely move with his big body over mine.
I tried shoving at the offensive material in the way, and when he wouldn’t move out of my way, I went after his trousers instead.
He had ties instead of buttons, so it was easier, and when I made enough room to shove my hand inside, I didn't hesitate. I couldn’t.
I feel almost frantic with the urge to touch him like he touched me.
Orthorr grunted, grip tightening ever so slightly on my length and making me cry out. If he wasn’t careful, I’d come in his hand before we could get all of our clothes off.
It took some doing, he was distracting me with his touches, but I eventually shoved Orthorr’s trousers down enough that he understood what I wanted.
He lifted off me long enough to shed the rest of our clothes, and when he came back down, our cocks slid together in a delicious glide that had me covering my mouth to stifle the wild moan that escaped me.
“No,” Orthorr demanded, pulling my hand away and dragging it over my head. “I want to hear you.”
“But–” I gasped as he rolled his hips again. “They’ll hear…”
“Let them,” he growled, sitting up long enough to snatch the oil I hadn’t seen him bring along when he moved us to the bed.
He poured a liberal amount into his palm, wrapping it around both our cocks, and I saw stars when he stroked again with the slippery oil to ease the way. “Let them know who takes care of you.”
“Orthorr!” I practically sobbed, bucking my hips into his slick grasp.
The feel of his cock against mine was almost too much, and I couldn’t stop moving even if I wanted to.
My hips thrust up into his palm, my fingers dug into the bedding, and my neck arched as my body tightened in warning of my incoming release.
It was too fast, too soon, I didn't want it to end, but no one had ever touched me like Orthorr was touching me, and it was more than my mind could handle.
“Cedric,” he growled. “Look at me.”
My eyes flew open, locking on his just as my release crested. I couldn’t look away as I came harder than I ever had in my life, feeling almost like my soul left my body for a long moment before slamming back into me again.
“Ah! Ravsol, I–” Orthorr cut himself off, his expression twisted as he watched me fall apart.
It seemed to set him off because he grunted, and I felt the splash of his release hit my skin moments before he collapsed on top of me, the heavy weight of him making me gasp.
I didn’t let him move away, though. I wrapped my arms around his shoulders, squeezing tightly, and couldn’t make myself let go.
I worried if I did, I’d wake up from this fever dream, and it would all disappear like a desert mirage.