Once Upon a Caveman (24 page)

Lucy
stared up at him, panting for breath.  “You’re a fucking genius.”

“Yes,
I think I might be.”  He agreed gravely and then went back to work.  “Again.”

Again.

And
again.

And
when she couldn’t do anything but weakly sigh, he used his fingers to stroke
her to completion one last time.  Brown eyes stayed locked on hers, even as he
used his other hand to remove her top, baring her breasts to his view.  All
that she was wearing were the shiny white beads and he left those right where
they were.  They slid against her nipples as she moved against his thrusting
hand and he couldn’t seem to look away from the sight.

“Perfect.” 
Rhawn lowered his head to lap at her breasts.  “You are so perfect, Lucy.”

Everything
he’d learned about her in the dream he put to use now, finding the exact spots
she was most sensitive.  He filed it all away in his brain, noticing each
detail and achieving maximum results.

Lucy
gave a soft mewling sound as she came against his talented palm, too exhausted
to even cry out.

Rhawn
loomed over her, fully aroused.  “Sixty-two.”  He reported.

“What?” 
She could barely form the words, her mind and body humming.  Her eyes drifted
shut.

“I
have sixty-two points.”

Her
eyes popped open again, processing that smug statement.  She suddenly
remembered she’d told him that she’d sleep with him if he reached a certain number. 
Lucy swallowed.  Math never had been her best subject.  “Wait, how many did I
say you needed?”

“Sixty-one
and a half.”  He kissed the side of her throat.  “I have kept very close count
and I now have sixty-two.”  His erection settled between her legs and she
gasped at the feel of him pressing against her.

Lucy’s
body automatically shifted, wanting to welcome him in.  Had she been tired
before?  Now she was wide awake, again.  “You’ve been stacking up the points
and not telling me?  You’re kind of an
evil
genius.  I never noticed
that before.”

“Oh,
I have come to believe I am very,
very
smart.”  Rhawn agreed, with a
smirk.  “I have never felt more intelligent than I do right now.”  He caught
hold of her hands, dragging them above her head.  “I will claim my prize now.” 
But he hesitated, waiting for her consent.  “Will you mate with me tonight?”

No
harm in making him sweat for another couple seconds.  “Well, let me think…  You
worked really hard and a deal
is
a deal, but I really should add up
those points myself to be
completely
sure.”

He
wasn’t in the mood to play around.  “Say yes, Lucy.”  Rhawn ordered and his
shaft brushed against her core.  He was holding her still, letting her get a
feel of what was to come and it was driving her crazy.

Lucy
gasped, needing him to ease the building ache.  “Yes.”  Her eyes met his.  “I’m
yours, caveman.”

Rhawn’s
mouth curved.  “I know you’re mine.”  His fingers interlocked with hers,
pinning her down with his strength.  “When I take you, I want to look into your
eyes, understand?  Keep your eyes on mine.”

Lucy
was breathing hard.  “Okay.”  She was totally at his mercy and she loved it.

Rhawn
dipped his head to kiss the tip of her straining nipple.  “Will you mate with
me tonight?”  He asked for the millionth time.

This
time her answer was different.  “Yes.”

She
didn’t even finish getting the word out before he was inside of her.

Lucy
let out a cry as he filled her body, fast and hard.  Rhawn was clearly not
going to take his time with this part.  Fifteen years of sexual frustration
went into every hard thrust.  It was
amazing
.  Her body arched into his,
wanting more.

“Keep
your eyes on me, Lucy.”  He ground out.  His free hand lifted her hips so he
could go as deep as possible, his palm lingering over the ink of her tattoo
like it fascinate him.  “Take it all, goddess.  That’s it.  You can do it. 
Gods, you’re so
tight
.”

She
could barely concentrate enough breathe.  He was so
big
, stretching
places that even she didn’t know about.  “
Rhawn!
”  She bit her lower lip
as he finally slid home.  With her eyes locked on his and his body pressed into
her, she felt vulnerable.  Primitive.  Claimed.

She
was
claimed.

But,
Rhawn looked just as stunned as she felt, so she’d clearly claimed him right
back.

Lucy
grinned, out of breath and delighted.  “This isn’t going to last long, caveman. 
Not this time.  We both want it too bad.”

Rhawn’s
expression went slack.  Then his free hand twisted around the beads at her neck,
making sure she continued to look at him.  “Tell me again you want me.”  It was
an order, but she heard the need in it.  The desperation.  “Tell me you want me
back.”

“Oh
God
, do I want you back.”

That
just dumped fuel onto the fire.  He was wild for her and it was
way
better than any dream.  It was hot and wet and it was going to happen
right
now, if only he’d hurry.

“Rhawn,
please
.” Lucy’s legs wrapped around his hips and he somehow tunneled
even deeper.  “Faster.  Harder.  I’m so close.  Just a little more…”

He
tugged the necklace up and her head automatically followed.  His mouth slammed
against hers in a scorching kiss and Lucy climaxed again.  Holy
shit
,
she was never taking off those stupid beads again.  She sobbed out her release,
even as Rhawn found his own.  His huge body shuddered, his fingers tightening
on hers, as he roared in satisfaction.

Lucy
went limp, not even moving when Rhawn collapsed on top of her.  His elbows were
braced beside her, so he didn’t crush her with his weight.  She wouldn’t have
noticed if he had.  All she could do was struggle for oxygen.  “Wow.”  She
whispered.  “Those dreams totally skipped all the
really
fun stuff.”

He
chuckled at that and lifted his head to meet her gaze.  “You make me happy.” 
He said, the words simple and profound.  “There is nothing that makes me so
happy as you, Lucy.  Do not ever leave me.  I could not survive it.”

Lucy’s
heart melted.  “You make me happy, too.”  She whispered back.  “All my best
memories are of you, Rhawn.  Even the ones we haven’t made yet.”  She touched
the side of his face, so their eyes would stay locked.  “If I do find a way
back to New York, will you come with me?”

“Yes.”

She
arched a brow at how quickly he said the word.  “Do you want to think about it
before you agree?  It would be a big,
big
change.  I mean, I’m
absolutely not sure I
can
get us back to Earth, but if I do, you’d have
to deal with pollution and IRS forms and weirdoes on the subway…”

He
interrupted her.  “I will go anywhere you are, Lucy.  Anywhere at all.”  That
level brown stare stayed on hers and, just for a second, she felt the
inevitability of their connection.  The absolute knowledge that this man
belonged to her.

That
he was her mate, in every possible way.

“I
will stay here with you, if you’d rather.”  Lucy said and she meant it.  “If
this is where you’d rather be, I can make it work.  I even have a cushy job
lined up as unquestioned dictator.”

Rhawn
kissed her lavishly.  “Given a choice, I would journey to your world.  It is
where I have always wanted to be.  I am touched by your offer, though,
considering this is a land without bagels.”

“It
is a hardship.  You’d agree if you’d ever had one.”

“Undoubtedly.”

“Alright,
so we’ll try to think of a way back to New York, then.  And if we can’t, then
we’ll just stay here and rule
The Island of the Blue Dolphin
together.  Agreed?”

“Agreed.”

“Good. 
…But, I’m
not
the Savior.”  She needed him to know that, because he
still didn’t seem to get it.  “Really, I’m not.”

“You
are
the Savior.”  Rhawn insisted with total faith.  “Powers or no
powers, it’s
you
, Lucy.  No one else.”

Lucy
shook her head, exhausted again but trying to get him to see the truth. 
“That’s crazy.  You get that it’s crazy, right?  What am I’m supposed to do? 
Stop a volcano from erupting?  Somehow convince Skoll
not
to be a
psycho?  Magically keep an island afloat?  Because they didn’t really cover
that in grad school.  There’s no way…”

Rhawn
cut her off before she could start listing all the reasons why she wasn’t
nearly as special as he thought she was.  “You are here to change the world.  I
know it with everything in me.”  He brushed the curls back from her face. 
“Sleep, now.  Even a goddess needs rest.”

“Fine,
be stubborn about it.  But, you’ll see in the end.”  She sighed, feeling
drained.  Wide awake, she couldn’t change Rhawn’s mind, so there didn’t seem
much of a chance of her doing it now.  The man was like a brick wall. 
“Remember I told you you were wrong about this, though.”

“Of
course.  In fact, I will remind you of it often, when I am proven right.”

That
almost made her smile.  “You really are a smartass.  It’s very sexy.”  She laid
her head against him and yawned, her eyes dipping closed.

Rhawn’s
arms curled around her, sheltering her with his massive body.  No one and
nothing was going to touch her while he was there.  She believed that
completely.  “I have never been as pleased as you’ve made me.”  He nuzzled her
hair.  “Sleep, goddess.  I will keep you safe.”

She
cuddled closer to him and he rested his cheek on the top of her hair.  They fit
together so seamlessly it was like they were made to sleep that way.  Fate.  She
gave a drowsy smile at the thought.

“Lucy?” 
Rhawn whispered after a moment, absently stroking her nipple in various
patterns so it beaded for him.  He never got bored with her body, constantly
trying new techniques to coax the best response.  It turned out lazy circles
got it into the tightest point.  Not even Lucy had known that.  Smart guys were
just
awesome
.

“Ummm?” 
She was already nodding off.  Despite everything, she was more relaxed than
she’d ever been.

He
kissed her temple in masculine contentment.  “When you wake-up, we need to do
all of that again.”

“Damn,
but I wish you were real, caveman.”  She whispers.  “I always have.”

“I
am real.”  Rhawn’s breathing so hard he can barely get the words out.  She is
beneath him, soft and willing, and everything is
just
as it should be.  “
You
are the dream.  And I don’t care, just so
you’re here with me.”

Dark
brows tug together.  “I’m not a dream.  If I was, I’d be way thinner.  And
wearing --like-- a lot of expensive jewelry and something designed by
Galliano.”

Rhawn
is not the smartest of men.  Sometimes his weak mind creates words without
definitions.  He has no idea what a “galliano” could be.  He wants to ask her
about it, and about so much more… but then she is gone.

His
roar of frustration and loss jolts him awake.

Rhawn
and Lucy’s Dream- Two Years Ago.

It
was a fine day for a mammoth hunt.

Granted
Rhawn was in such a good mood that it would have seemed a fine day for
anything.  Uooloa’s smoldering, Skoll’s ominous absence and the prospect of
sailing off into an unknown sea did nothing to dull his pleasure as he headed into
the valley.

Lucy
was his.  Her small body had welcomed Rhawn’s, her wondrous eyes meeting his
without revulsion as they came together.  She’d slept in his arms all night,
safe and content.  It had been better than he could’ve imagined.

Lucy
was his mate.

Even
she must see that, although she had not said the words.  Soon she would Choose
him and Rhawn would have everything he wished.

Grinning
widely, he propped the spear on his shoulder and walked through the tall
grass.  The valley was closer to the base of Uooloa, but it was where the last
of the mammoths gathered.  Rhawn was in an optimistic mood.  It would take no
time at all to kill one.  Then the Clan could carve off the meat, prepare it in
strips, and they would set off on their voyage.  The
ragan
were ready
and fresh water had been gathered.  He was even devising meat racks for the
trip, so they could dry the mammoth’s flesh in the sun.  Everything was going
as planned.

Rhawn
loved it when things went as planned.  It happened so rarely.

Warren
came bounding over and not even he could spoil the mood.  …Though he seemed
ready to try.  “Dude, I gotta talk to you.  Like, right now.”

Rhawn
spared him a quick glance.  “Is this about Anniah?”  The answer was obvious, so
it wasn’t even a guess.

“Yeah. 
I think I’m --like-- in love with her, ya know?”

“I
know.”  He supposed it was inevitable.  Helpless creatures were always drawn to
Anniah and she to them.

“Should
I be --like-- proposing or something before we…
ya know?
”  Warren gave
meaningful nod.  “‘Cause I think she might be a proposing-before-doing-it kinda
girl.”

“Proposing?”

“Yeah. 
To marry her.  So she’d be --like-- mine.”

Rhawn
squinted.  “You won the challenge, Warr-en.  She Chose you and you Chose her.” 
What other confirmation of Anniah’s feelings did the man need?  “She
is
yours.”

Warren
blinked.  “You mean… I’m done?  I did everything I had to do?  She’s
already
my wife?”

Rhawn
was not sure what that meant.  “She is your
mate
.”

“So…
I can sleep with her, then?”  Warren asked, as if he wanted to be absolutely
clear.

Gods,
did Rhawn really need to explain this to the boy?  It was very awkward.  Why
did these things always happen to Rhawn?  “Yes.”  He said uncomfortably.

“You
sure?”

“
Yes.
” 
Was it really so hard for Warren to understand?  Rhawn felt like he speaking to
a particularly dull-witted tree stump.  “Men often sleep with their mates and
she
is your mate.
”

“Awesome!” 
Warren grinned and held out his palm in the “high-five” gesture he’d used with
Lucy the night before.

Rhawn
hesitantly smacked his hand and was inordinately pleased when that seemed to be
the correct response.  It was important that Lucy know he could adapt to
Newyork customs.  …Odd and pointless as they may be.

“God,
I was
so
hoping you’d give me the ‘all clear’ on this.”  Warren
continued happily.  “I want to take care of her and do everything right this
time.  But, it is really, really hard to sleep next to the chick I love and not
touch all the naked parts of
her
naked body with
my
naked…”

Rhawn
cut him off with a shudder.  “We do
not
have to discuss anything you
touched while naked.”  He assured him, swiftly.  “Truly.”

“Can
we talk about what naked things
you’ve
been up to with Lucy, then?” 
Warren asked, arching a brow.  “Because I’m detecting a certain bounce in your
step today.  We’ve been talking for two whole minutes and you haven’t even
threatened to kill me yet.  Something’s put you in a good mood and I don’t
think it’s the weather, ya know?”  He waggled his eyebrows.

“Lucy
is
my
mate.”  Rhawn said simply.  He glanced over his shoulder, to watch
her walking besides Anniah.  They two women were often together, communicating
with hand gestures and exaggerated faces.  His mouth curved.  When Lucy forgot
she was antisocial, she made friends quickly.  “Soon she will Choose me.  I
know it.”  He looked at Warren again, wanting to speed the process along.  “How
do women Choose their men in Newyork?”

“Like
with dating sites and hook-ups in bars, mostly.  I don’t think that’s gonna
work for you.”  Warren thought for a beat.  “Did Lucy tell you she loved you?”

Rhawn
hesitated.  “No.”  He admitted with a concerned frown.  “Is this bad?”

“Welllllll.” 
Warren drew out the word and scrunched up his face, like a healer delivering
tragic news to a sick man.  “It’s sure not good.  She isn’t going to Choose you
unless she loves you, ya know?”

Rhawn’s
eyebrows slammed together.  The Clan did not even have a word for “love,” but
people from Newyork evidently required it between mates.  Luckily, this problem
was easily rectified.  “Well, Lucy must come to love me, then.”  He decided.  “I
love her.  Now she must love me back.  It is the only way.”

“Yeah…
that’s easier said than done.  Those are powerful words, man.  Until Anniah, I
only ever said them to Mr. Buster Fluff.”

“Who?”

“Mr.
Buster Fluff.  He was my pet hamster, when I was seven.”

“I
am unfamiliar with the word ‘hamster.’”

“It’s
--like-- an adorable little mouse thing.”

Rhawn
squinted, unsure if he was really hearing what he
thought
he was hearing. 
He couldn’t possibly be hearing that right, right?  “You loved a
boga?
” 
He clarified slowly, just to be sure.

Warren
took exception at his incredulous tone.  “Hey, Mr. Buster Fluff was my best friend!”

Rhawn
stared at him, not knowing what to say to something so stupid.  Did Warren not
understand the dangers of these creatures?  “I was bitten by a
boga
once.
 
I barely survived it and still counted myself lucky.  No one else has
ever
recovered.  Most die screaming within a few moments.  Trust me, no good comes
from befriending vermin.”

“That’s
what they said about my two ex-wives.  But, I wasn’t afraid to try again and
now I have Anniah.  Don’t live in fear, man.”  Warren nodded as if he’d just
said something profound.  “Lucy’s going to need a little bit of courting before
she spits out the words.  Don’t worry, though.  I’ll be here to help you every
step of the way.  Offering support nonstop, ya know?”  Warren jerked a thumb
over his shoulder.  “But right now I’m going to go have sex with my incredibly
hot new bride.”

“Yes. 
You go do that.”  Rhawn nodded encouragingly at that idea, relieved to be rid
of the boy.  The difficulties in communicating with Warren went far deeper than
the language barrier.  “Just go far away.”

“Good
talk, man.”  Warren beamed happily and went bounding through the tall grass.

Rhawn
shook his head in exasperation, glad for the silence.

It
didn’t last long.

“Warr-en
seems most pleased.”  Notan mused, coming up beside him.

In
deference to the old man’s limp, Rhawn slowed his own steps.  “He is very happy
with his mate.”  It was strange for the Clan’s leader to talk to him without
anger and accusations, so Rhawn wasn’t quite sure what to say.  “Warr-en says
he will take good care of Anniah.”

More
likely,
she
would take care of
him
, but no matter.

“My
daughter had Chosen well.”  Notan studied Rhawn’s profile.  “You have Chosen
well, too.  The Savior is a good woman, once you understand that she is not
purely viciousness and tyrannical evil.”

“I’m
sure Lucy will appreciate your change of heart.  It will be a tremendous relief
for her.”

Notan
missed the sarcasm.  “I have told the rest of the Clan that we must go with
her, across the Infinite Sea.”  He agreed.  “I do not know what awaits us
there, but it is our only hope.  The legends say that the Savior will see us
rescued and your woman is the Savior.  I know we must follow her.”

“So
do I.”  Rhawn still didn’t completely believe in this plan to sail the
ragan
without clear directions, but he
did
believe in Lucy.  She would save
the Clan and change the world.  It was her fate.

“The
Savior has also helped me see that I treated you unfairly.”  Notan continued,
meeting Rhawn’s eyes.  “I feared you for your differences, instead of seeing
them as gifts from the gods.  It was a failing I will always regret.  You were
born special.  I should have nurtured that and not feared it.  I hope that you
will forgive me.”

Rhawn
looked at him in surprise.  “I do forgive you.”  He said without hesitation.  At
one time, he might have been bitter, but no more.  “The past has no meaning
now.”  Whatever he’d endured in his life, he’d ended up right where he wanted
to be.  Well, not
geographically
.  At the moment, the island was a
terrible,
terrible
spot to be stranded.  But, he’d ended up with Lucy and
that was all that mattered.  The
future
was all that mattered.  He
reached over to clamp a hand on Notan’s shoulder.  “Soon we will begin again in
a new land and all of this will become legends of our own.”

“These
are great and terrible days.”  Notan agreed with a smile.  “Your grandchildren
will never believe all we have witnessed.  When you tell the tales, they will
think you an old fool.”

“I
hope they do.  I hope they never have to believe all the things we have seen
and done.  I hope they have far better lives.”

Notan
slowly nodded and patted Rhawn’s arm.  “You have become the wisest man of this
Clan.”  He murmured sincerely and limped off to join the others.

Rhawn
stared after him, his mouth curving into a smile.  Notan thought him wise. 
Rhawn wasn’t sure he agreed, but he certainly no longer saw himself as stupid. 
Since meeting Lucy, he’d been slowly realizing that everyone had been wrong
about his lack of intelligence. 
He’d
been wrong.  As usual, Lucy was right
about everything.

He
was
smart
, goddamn it.

It
was hard to erase so many cycles of believing himself to be dumb, but he
trusted Lucy’s judgement.  Lucy would never rely on a halfwit.  Never look to
him for guidance or ask his advice.  Never see him as a partner and mate.  Lucy
believed Rhawn was smart.  She said so.  Why should he believe all the people
who called him stupid, when the one person who mattered thought he was a genius?

And
once Rhawn started looking at the situation logically, he began to recognize
that his ideas were
good
.  His inventions worked.  His thinking was
sound.  Why had he believed otherwise?  He would never again let someone tell
him that he was stupid or slow.  He should have had more confidence in himself.

Rhawn
was
smart
.

He
knew it and it was a good feeling.

Now
if he could just get everyone on the island to safety and convince Lucy to
Choose him, he would have everything he’d always wanted.

Rhawn
reached the edge of the valley and looked down the gentle slope.  Off to the left,
the island’s river raged down a series of waterfalls and fed into a large lake. 
The water kept the grasses lush.  A dozen mammoths grazed in the green fields
in front of him.  These were the creatures the Clan had spared, up until now. 
The breeding mothers, the very young, and the most dangerous males.  Killing
any of them would be difficult.  The adults would fight and the smaller mammoths
would not have sufficient meat for the voyage, so many would need to die.

This
was why Rhawn had postponed killing Skoll.

The
Clan always hunted together.  They would isolate a mammoth and sneak up on it,
hidden in the grass.  When they surrounded it, one man would give a yell and
the Clan would charge at their prey.  Spears would pierce the animal’s thick
hide, again and again.  It had to be done quickly and with great precision.