6.
Melissa put her hand in his and he pulled her forcefully to her feet. His eyes were bright and innocent through all of the caked mud and dirt that was covering his skin, and she had the intense urge to reach out and stroke his face.
“Go,” he said. “Now.”
Melissa looked up at him and wondered why there was so much urgency. He had killed the danger. The saber-tooth was dead. What else could be waiting for them? She noticed a look of shock on his face and turned to follow his gaze. Behind her in the darkness of the cave were small, strange-looking men with big ugly features crawling out of the shadows.
Melissa shrieked as he lifted her high up over his shoulder and began to run with her for the cave entrance. She squealed as she bobbed along, her hair trailing right down his back as he clung onto her taut thighs with his big, rough hands.
The men running after them were like something she had studied. But it couldn’t be possible. They couldn’t be what she thought they were, surely…
Neanderthals.
Her savior ran quickly out over the barren terrain, and she clung to him for fear of losing her grip and being dropped in the middle of the icy field and savaged. The sun was setting and casting an orange glow over the ice, and as they ran up an incline and he made a left around a rock, Melissa suddenly felt safe. This place felt free of danger, and it appeared they had outrun them.
He slowed his pace but still kept a rough grip on her. She could feel his muscles beneath the pelt, and she ran the tips of her fingers over them, lightly stroking each rock-hard flex. She bit her lip with excitement… Although all this seemed unbelievable, she was having the time of her life.
“Home,” the man said as he approached a cliff face.
He placed Melissa down on the ground and began to roll away a large boulder that was covering the entrance to another cave.
“In,” he said.
When Melissa hesitated, he pulled her by the arm into the cave and began to roll the boulder back over the opening.
It was dark and warm in there, with the heat and light from an embering fire casting dancing shadows along the walls. She could see paintings of the bulls and horses and wondered if he had decorated some of the caves that she discovered on her excavation with Dr. Quattro.
This man was so wild and untamed, and yet he clearly had a soft side. He barely spoke, but he was most certainly an advanced human. He wasn’t the same as the Neanderthals… He was just like her, only from the beginning of time. She was enchanted by him and he was with her. He motioned for her to sit down by the fire, and Melissa gladly accepted. She was cold and she pulled the pelt around her as she warmed her feet and legs and rubbed her hands together.
He moved closer and sat right next to her. He ran his hands through her hair and studied her face. He could tell she was from somewhere else, too… She could feel it.
“I’m Melissa,” she said as she pointed to her chest.
“Melissa,” he repeated and a smile spread across his face. He held a hand up to his heart and something inside of Melissa melted.
Finally, a real man, she thought.
He got to his feet and started to root through a pile of belongings in the corner. He had bowls which looked like they were made from clay and he had a clay jug filled with water. He offered her a bowl with water in and Melissa drank from it. Even though it was cold, she needed something. She needed to taste something, feel something… She needed to know it was all real.
“A man,” he said. “Come…”
Melissa sat up and looked at him. She knew he must have meant Quattro’s colleague, but she didn’t know if he would understand her.
“Where is he?” she asked.
“Dead,” he said and shook his head.
Melissa felt a pang of disappointment. She wondered if Quattro’s colleague had figured out a way to get back to the present. What if she was going to be stuck there forever?
“What’s your name?” she tried, not sure if he would understand.
He shook his head, “No.”
“No?” Melissa laughed.
“No name,” he said.
“Well, I’m going to give you a name,” she smiled. “I’m going to call you Saber, because you killed one and saved me.”
He shrugged and smiled.
Even though they could barely speak to one another, there was a chemistry between them that was electric. There was something running deeper than language; it was as if their souls had instantly connected and were bonding more with each passing second. Every time he looked at her and their eyes locked, Melissa’s heart beat a little faster and her nerves began to rise. He was such a man, like none she had ever met before. He was so wild and masculine, it was if he was the most original man there had ever been.
She thought about all of her studies and of how she had read about how cavemen had treat their women… This didn’t seem to be anything like it. He hadn’t clubbed her over the head and dragged her back to his cave and had his wicked way with her. He had saved her life, took her away from danger and was now looking after her in his warm, safe cave.
Their eyes met again and Melissa noticed something stirring in Saber. He had the potential to unleash his animal instinct and the tension made Melissa grow wet between the legs. He moved towards her quickly and grabbed her between both of his huge arms. As she looked into his eyes, something changed between them both. She had to have him. Right there and then.