Chapter Twelve

 

If this was winning she’d rather be a loser.

“I’m not wearing that.” She stared at the harness Moroco fashioned from the straps of an emergency, light-weight parachute he’d found in the shuttle. She eyed the contraption in the early morning light. No way. No how. She might not have much in this life—no money, no home, no friends but she did have her dignity and she wasn’t about to let that go. “I’m walking.”

Last night, Moroco had made the decision to wait until morning to head out. Thank God, because she hadn’t been certain how she’d handle the hike, even with those amazing pain killers he kept shooting into her system.

Instead, they’d eaten a couple of the emergency rations he’d found and slept for a few hours in the shuttle. Well, tried to sleep. She’d lain there, listening to him breathe.

As far as partners to have while being kidnapped he wasn’t half bad. He hadn’t panicked. He’d kept his head and it was because of him that they managed to escape. And he’d watched out for her. Normally, she was the one taking care of everyone else, so it was a novelty to have someone take care of her needs first. He’d even prioritized her injury over his when it came to the pain inhibitors.

And he was damn good at giving massages.

Not that he’d offered to give her another. A shiver worked its way through her. As the pain inhibitor wore off, her arousal seemed to increase. She didn’t know what it was about him that drove her insane, but she couldn’t stop thinking about that orgasm. Or her reaction afterward.

She’d acted like such an idiot. She didn’t understand why she’d gotten so upset. It was just an orgasm. If he could make her do that just from coming then what would it be like if they fucked? Not that he’d made another move on her since.

Finally, she’d managed to get off to sleep. Moroco had to wake her up.

The fact that he could have just snuck off without her hadn’t escaped her. She would have been terrified to wake up and find him just gone. But he could have done it.

Instead, he’d woken her up and waited for her to get ready.

Then he’d slammed her with this…this kiddy carrier. Did he really think she was going to let him carry her all that way?

“You cannot walk with your sore back.”

“Actually, I know that walking is good for me. At least that’s what all those physiotherapists told me when I explained that my exercise mainly consisted of walking back and forth between the sofa and the kitchen.”

He sighed, looking resigned. “Must you fight me on everything?”

“I don’t think I fight you on everything.” But she had been accused of being argumentative a time or two and she seemed to take exception to most things Moroco said or did. But usually he bit back.

What was going on with him? She’d never tell him this, but she kind of enjoyed their arguments. Now he was acting all resigned and tired.

“Fine. Try to keep up then.”

“I will. Don’t worry.”

And for the first hour, she did. Then her legs started to ache. Her back was next. Those stupid physiotherapists didn’t know what they were talking about. She always knew they were just trying to torture her with all their exercise ‘suggestions.’

Well, they hadn’t worded them as suggestions but that’s how she’d taken them.

Her legs and back weren’t even the worst of her problems. It was her feet. Her shoes were not made for walking. Actually, they weren’t made for much of anything. They’d cost her $5.99 in a Black Friday sale and she was starting to understand why they were sold so cheaply. They’d held their own for the first twenty minutes, but now she could feel the damp dew seeping through the soles. Her skin was rubbing horribly and her little toe felt like it was on fire.

Damn it. Maybe she should have let him carry her.

She’d made her bed and she had to lie on it. Besides, how could he carry her when he was carrying a backpack with all their emergency rations? And there was no way she was telling him he was right. That set a bad precedent.

She kept her mouth shut and just plodded along behind him.

One foot forward. Next foot forward.

Her breath sawed in and out of her lungs. She really was horribly unfit. She just hoped he couldn’t hear her. Except how could he not? She sounded like one of those steam trains she’d seen on a vid once.

As the suns rose, it started to heat up. Sweat ran in rivulets down her skin, just adding to her discomfort. Now her thighs were rubbing together, sweat was pooling between her butt cheeks and her bra was rubbing the undersides of her boobs.

Attractive.

But she was not going to complain. She was not going to slow him down. Perhaps she’d just collapse and lie here, waiting for one of those howling animals she’d heard last night to eat her. It had to be less painful than what she was going through right now.

To top it off, she was so horny she was in pain. Her nipples rubbed against her bra with each movement. The lips of her pussy were swollen, her clit was painfully engorged. It was ridiculous. And incredibly bad timing. She had to grit her teeth as a shockwave of need swam through her, heating her even more.

Wonderful. Just wonderful. She glared at Moroco’s back as he walked in front of her, completely oblivious. He just strode along as though he were going for a lovely afternoon stroll. He didn’t even seem to be sweating any more than usual. Damn him.

The least he could do was match his steps to hers. Didn’t he realize that she had much shorter legs? She practically had to run to keep up with him. And she didn’t run. Ever. If you ever saw her run then you should run too because there would be a blood-hungry, chainsaw-wielding murderer chasing her.

She stopped for a brief minute, leaning against a tree. He kept on going. Just as she’d thought. He’d completely forgotten she was there. Sadness filled her for a moment.

With a sigh, she kept going. Just one foot in front of the other.

The last thing she wanted was to give him cause to tell her I told you so.

Or to leave her behind.

 

Stars, he should have just tied her down and left her back on the shuttle. He snuck a look behind him to ensure that she was no longer leaning against the tree and was following him. Even though the thought of tying her down held a great deal of pleasure, he’d seen the look of fear on her face when he had suggested it and that didn’t sit well with him.

If he was truthful, leaving her behind hadn’t felt right. Who knew what sort of mischief she would get up to without him to watch over her and keep her in line?

So instead, he had designed a way of carrying her that left meant he could still take the backpack with emergency supplies.

But instead of being thankful, as most females would have been, she had given him a horrified look and told him in no uncertain terms that she wouldn’t be getting into it. So, he’d let her have her way, knowing she wouldn’t last long. Not only was she wearing unsuitable footwear, but his Saffron wasn’t one for exercise.

His Saffron.

He did not like the way he was softening towards her. Even though she was his mate, he had intended to keep some distance between them. He would not allow himself to feel anything more towards her than duty and arousal. He would keep her safe, ensure her health, and take her as often as they both needed.

But he would not care for her. He would not care for any female again.

And yet, listening to her heavy breathing, watching as her movements grew slower and more pained, he started to feel the stirrings of guilt. She was his mate. It was his job to look after her. And here he was, allowing her to push herself beyond endurance in order to prove a point.

Although, in his defense he had not thought she would last this long without complaining. She did not usually hesitate to voice her opinions or thoughts about anything else. He was shocked that his ears hadn’t started ringing with her complaints after the first fifteen minutes.

He was actually kind of proud of her. And he couldn’t help but compare her to Fancia. The other woman would have just expected him to carry her as her due. And still, she would have probably complained. About the heat. The bugs. The lack of decent food.

No, he was grateful not to have to put up with a list of complaints. But he wished she would make one. Then he could stop and finish this foolish charade. Then he could care for her as his body was urging him to. What had he been thinking? He was a healer and he knew of her back injury. He should have just told her she was going in the carrier and had that be the end of it.

He was a terrible mate.

“We are stopping here.” He came to a stop in a small clearing.

“What? Why?” she asked, wiping her sleeve across her face, leaving a smear of dirt in its wake. “Not because of me. I can keep going.”

Sure, she could.

“I am not certain why you continue to lie to me. You are a terrible liar.”

She scrunched up her nose. “No one else seems to think so. I’m actually pretty good at fooling people.”

“And why do you need to fool people?”

She shrugged, looking like she wished she hadn’t said anything at all.

“Sit,” he commanded, pulling the pack off. “We will have something to eat and drink before we set off again and you need more pain relief.”

Her tired nod and the slow way she lowered herself to the ground told him more than anything that she couldn’t continue on like this. He pulled out a fluid pouch and a vitamin bar and handed them over to her. She eagerly drank down the fluid, closing her eyes in delight. His cock twitched at that look on her face.

Now was not the time.

Although he couldn’t help but remember the look of pleasure and hunger on her face as he’d made her come. Then the way she had pulled away from him afterwards. That still puzzled him. He knew she had felt pleasure, he had felt her body react.

He also knew she had never felt anything like that before. Had that been it? Was her reaction a surprise to her? To realize that she could feel that? Saffron was a guarded person. As far as he could tell the only person she let close was Sophie. She was very protective of her sister. She watched out for her, made certain she had what she needed.

But who looked out for her?

He fixed another injection of pain inhibitor. She was now leaning back against the tree behind her, her eyes closed. It gave him the chance to study her. She was normally so animated, so full of life, so passionate about things that she could barely keep still.

But she was still now. Tired. In pain.

He wanted her to lean on him. But that required trust and Saffron had been hurt in the past. Was it any wonder that she could not trust him to care for her? Especially when he had not even shown her how well he could look after her.

He hardened his resolve to do what was best for her from now on. He really needed to work on gaining her trust. Not that he ever intended to give her the same. But all that was needed for him to look after her was for her to trust him.

“You are supposed to eat that bar. I do not want to give you some more pain inhibitor unless there is food in your stomach.”

She grimaced as she looked down at the bar. “I’m surprised you can call this food with a straight face. This tastes like drywall. Not that I’ve eaten drywall before but it’s got to be close to this.”

“You need to eat. It has vitamins and it will calm your stomach.”

“How did you know my stomach was upset?”

“You have rubbed it a few times.”

She stared at him suspiciously for a moment. “Do you notice everything?”

“Yes. Now eat.”

Sighing, she unwrapped the bar and slowly ate it, bite by tiny bite. He handed her another fluid pouch, which she gladly took, taking sips between bites to wash the terrible taste down. And it was awful, even he couldn’t pretend otherwise. But he didn’t like how pale she appeared. It would give her a much-needed boost.

He gave her the pain inhibitor, grateful they had plenty left. He could use one himself; his head was throbbing, although he’d walked at nearly a crawl so she could keep up. He could have covered at least twice as much ground on his own.

He frowned as he saw the way she pulled at that undergarment thing she wore. The one that covered her breasts from him.

“Is there something wrong with your breasts?”

She stilled, looking at him in shock. “No, they’re fine.”

He raised his eyebrows.

“Fine, my bra is just chafing a bit. But then what isn’t?”

“Take your top off.”

“Um, Moroco, listen, I’m sure you’re feeling horny too, but now really isn’t the time to get down and dirty. Because you know, I’m actually dirty. And I smell. And I’m chafing in places I don’t want to think about. Now I know why all women seem to want a thigh gap—it’s to stop the chafing when they walk too much. Ouch.”

He stared down at the dirt. “Why would anyone wish to get down and dirty?”

A blush filled her cheeks, surprising him. The only time she ever grew embarrassed was when they were talking about joining. “You thought I wished to join with you?”

“You needn’t look so horrified,” she muttered. She wrapped her arms around herself, giving him a defensive look. “I get that I’m not looking my best but you’re the one who is under the delusion we’re mates. Isn’t that what mates do?”

“We are mates. There is no delusion.” He gripped her chin, holding it firmly but not so tightly that he risked hurting her. “And were you not injured and exhausted then I would be only too eager to join with you. But for the moment my main priority is your health. That comes before all else.”

Including his aching shaft.

“Because you’re a healer.”

“Because you are mine,” he told her fiercely. “Top. Off.”

She lifted it up and over her head. “There’s really nothing wrong. I just wore the wrong sort of bra for hiking.”

He pulled the bottom of her bra away, trying to view the problem. She slapped at his hands, but he ignored her. He frowned as he saw the angry lines marking her delicate skin.

“Take this off.”

She placed her hands over her bra. “What? Why?”

“Because it is rubbing your skin raw. I will put some cream on the marks.”

“Give the cream to me, I’ll do it.”

“You cannot see where to place it. It will be easier for me to do it. You do not have to worry about me harming you.”

“I’m not worried about that.” She lifted her arm away and reached around behind her with a wince.

“Allow me,” he told her gruffly. He moved behind her and stared at the strap. Didn’t seem so hard to undo. He slowly undid the clasp and pulled the bra away from her breasts. There were marks on her back as well and she was tense once more.

“Had you simply allowed me to carry you, you could have avoided this.”

She stiffened as he applied the cream. He would need to give her another massage before they set out again or she was going to hurt herself further.

“I didn’t want to be a burden.”

“A burden? How could you possibly be a burden when you try to do everything yourself? Do you ever let anyone help you, Saffron?”

She glanced over her shoulder at him with a frown. “What do you mean?”

“Lie on your back.” He helped her lie back then started to apply the soothing cream to the line under her breasts. She had her arm pressed against her breasts, hiding them from him. Irritation bit at him, but there was no point in ordering her to bare herself to him when he had no intention of doing anything about the arousal riding both of them. They would have to complete the mating soon. The arousal was only going to grow more intense as time wore on. Until neither of them could ignore it.

But for the moment, he held himself back from reaching for her, from taking those hard nipples into his mouth. She was injured. She was tired. She didn’t need for him to push his needs on her.

He put the cream aside, then remembered what she’d said about thighs and her feet hurting. He grabbed the bottom of her skirt.

“Eek! What are you doing?” She grasped hold of her skirt, preventing him from pulling it up.

“I am checking your thighs. You said they were chafing.”

“Really, Moroco, I know you’re just trying to be thorough, but I can take care of myself.” She tried to sit, her arm still covering her breasts.

“Somehow, I think you have spent too much of your life taking care of yourself.”

“What does that mean?”

“Who took care of you when you lived on Earth?”

She blew out a breath. “Haven’t you been to any of the seminars Mila holds about understanding human females? No, I guess you wouldn’t have since you didn’t plan on mating a human. On Earth, human females don’t need someone to take care of them. We take care of ourselves. We have jobs, we earn money, we live on our own. We don’t need a man to protect us.”

He frowned. “I do not like your Earth much. What worth is a male if he does not protect his female?”

She blinked at him for a moment then looked away with a shrug. “I’m sure there are men who do. There are good men on Earth and bad.” She turned back. “Can you hand me my bra?”

“Why?”

“So I can put it back on? Feeling a little naked here.”

Personally, he liked the way she looked right now. He’d keep her this way all the time if he could. Hmm, that was a thought. When they returned to Zerconia he could ban all clothing when she was in his house. He would put the privacy mode on, of course, not wishing for anyone to see. He did not want to share her beauty with others. It was all for him.

“Moroco? What are you thinking about? You’ve got a weird smile on your face.”

He shook his head. “No.”

“No? No, what?”

“No, you may not have that terrible contraption back. You can put your shirt back on if it makes you feel better.”

“Well, thanks very much for letting me wear my own shirt and I’m not going without my bra. In case you haven’t noticed, I’m kind of well-endowed here. If I walk around without a bra on I could poke an eye out.”

He failed to see how but it didn’t matter since she would not be doing any more walking. And if she thought he had not noticed her breasts, then she must think him blind.

“You are not putting that back on. It will rub your skin raw. Let me see your thighs.”

“You’re not going to give up until I do, are you?”

“No.”

She grabbed her shirt. “Fine.”

“Actually, do not put that back on. I wish to check your back first.”

“All right.” She held the shirt up to her breasts, covering them then lay back. That was a shame. But he turned his concentration to her thighs as he raised her skirt. She quickly pressed her skirt down to cover her mound.

“Spread your legs.”

“Jesus wept,” she muttered, but she moved her legs apart.

As he smeared the ointment on her red skin, he made certain he brushed against her pussy. Sure enough, she stiffened and let out a small groan.

He’d told himself he wasn’t going to take her until she was feeling better. But it was taking all of his self-control to stick to that vow.

Knowing he needed to pull himself together, he moved back towards her feet. Surely there could be nothing arousing about her feet. He slipped off one shoe, frowning as she groaned. Then he noticed the way her socks stuck to her feet. With blood.

“Saffron! Why did you not tell me your feet were this bad?”

She sat and looked down at them with a grimace. “They’re pretty messed up, huh? Shoot. I didn’t think they would be that bad.”

“Not that bad? They are rubbed raw in places.” How had she walked on these for the last few hours? Guilt stabbed at him. “This is unacceptable.”

“I didn’t mean for them to get like this. You think I wanted this? Just give me the stuff and I’ll take care of them.”

She tried to snatch her feet back but he held them firmly in each hand. “Stop. Saffron, stop.”

She froze, looking at him with wide eyes and he realized he’d raised his voice without meaning to. “Just stay still and let me look after them.”

“I can still walk if that’s what you’re worried about,” she said.

“It is not what I am worried about.” He wrapped her feet up after cleaning them thoroughly. He knew it had to have hurt having him cover them in antiseptic but she hadn’t said a word. His admiration grew.

“Then why are you so grumpy? I mean, more grumpy than usual. You’re always grumpy, obviously.”

“I am not angry at you.”

“I’m the only person here, who else could you be angry with?”

“Myself.” He tidied up the supplies, putting everything away, taking one of the fluid pouches for himself.

“You? Why would you be angry at yourself?”

“Because I should never have allowed you to walk so far. In truth, I only agreed that you could walk because I thought you would give up after a few minutes. I should have known better. Your stubbornness nearly matches mine.”

“Somehow, I don’t think that’s a compliment,” she said dryly. She paused for a moment. “It’s not your fault. I could have said something.”

He raised one eyebrow. “You seem to have a little trouble with honest communication.”

She looked away for a moment then forced herself to look back. “It’s not that. It’s just…” she sighed. “I’m used to looking out for everyone else, you know? I’m used to being the strong one. The one people rely on. I’m not used to relying on anyone else.”

“Not even your family?”

She shrugged. “No. Our dad left us when we were young and our mom had to work to support us.”

“Your father left?”

“Yeah, he was a loser. It’s just that most of the men I knew on Earth…well, all of them actually, pretty much sucked. Our dad left, the men that mom…ah…worked with were all assholes. Then there was Sophie’s asshole boyfriend who was using her.”

“And Mike.”

She gave a humorless laugh. “Ah Mike, he was the least offensive out of the lot and that’s saying something, right? At least he didn’t promise anything he couldn’t come through on, other than being good in bed. He did talk that up a bit. That and the size of his dick. To call him a pencil dick is being generous.”

“You forgot Ricky. He was another man who hurt you, was he not?”

 

She stared at Moroco. How the hell did he know about Ricky? “Who told you about Ricky?”

“You did.”

She shook her head. “I would remember telling you about him.”

He looked slightly guilty. “It was after you had the pain inhibitor. The full dose.”

She frowned. “So while I was drugged up, you questioned me? That was pretty low of you.”

He shrugged. “You seemed to want to share. I merely listened.”

Uh-huh, she was real sure that’s what happened.

“I don’t talk about Ricky.”

“Why? Because he hurt you? Scared you?”

“Shouldn’t we get moving? Aren’t we trying to get to where you saw those lights by this evening?”

“We won’t make it there by this evening. We have been moving too slowly.”

That was moving slowly? Holy shit, she was in trouble. Now that she was sitting, her body really, really didn’t want to get moving again. Let alone at a faster pace.

“So we’re going to have to sleep out here?” It didn’t look so scary in the sunlight, but in the dark, unable to see what was around her…okay, now she was starting to freak out.

“I will look after you, Saffron.”

“Uh-huh.”

He reached across and surprised her by taking her hand in his. “Saffron, just because all the other men in your life have failed you, do not think that I will. I am nothing like those males. They were without honor. They did not understand their responsibility. I do.”

So she was a responsibility and a burden. Yay.

“Saffron, I know you have no reason to trust in me, but I will prove to you that you can.” She blinked at him, surprised. “You do not trust that I have your best interests in mind, but I do. Although I am not doing a great job of taking care of you currently.” He grimaced as he stared down at her feet.

“My own stubbornness has been known to get me into trouble now and then.” She slid her hand from his, suddenly this whole mating thing was getting a bit too real.

“Can I put my shirt on?”

“I wish to check your back.” He moved behind her. “You have tensed up again.”

Jeez, she wondered why.

“This would be easier if you lay on your stomach.”

With a sigh, she spread out her shirt. Wasn’t like it wasn’t filthy already anyway. What did a bit more dirt matter? Still holding an arm over her breasts, she attempted to lie face down on the shirt, nearly falling on her face. Only Moroco’s arm under her shoulders stopped her from slamming into the ground.

She groaned.

“Are you hurt?”

“Yes.” Mainly her pride.

“Where?”

“Nowhere you can fix. Just let me lie down, all right?”

He helped her lie flat then he started working on the knots in her back. Damn, that felt like heaven. All her irritation with him, all her aches and pains, seemed to disappear from her body as he massaged her back. Well, all except one ache, but that seemed to be her constant companion at the moment. She pressed her thighs together in an effort to relieve her throbbing clit. A small jolt of pleasure went through her and she shuddered.

“Are you well?”

“Yeah. Fine.”

When he finished up, she felt like a bowl of jelly. There wasn’t a hope in hell she was going to be able to continue their hike. All she wanted was to curl up on the ground and fall asleep. Moroco was silent as he helped her into her shirt.

He packed everything up, not even sparing her a glance.

When he suddenly grasped hold of her shoulders, the electrifying shock of awareness made her gasp in surprise.

“I apologize.” He snatched his hands back. “Did I frighten you?”

“No, I was just still in my post-massage haze.”

He gave her a firm look and held up the harness he’d earlier created. She wrinkled her nose. “I thought you left that behind.”

“No, I thought I would need it. Although I should have insisted on using it straight away then you wouldn’t have hurt yourself.”

She sighed. “Guess I don’t have much choice, do I?”

“No.” He made quick work of putting her into the harness as though worried she might change her mind. Smart man.

Then he crouched and lifted her against his front. “Hold onto me while I slip my arms through.”

She wrapped her arms and legs around him and wasn’t that like tasting one tiny piece of chocolate when you really wanted the whole delicious block?

Finally, he got the harness sorted.

“You can let go of me now, the ropes will hold you.”

This was going to be a long afternoon.