Hannah's Hero - Ruby Dixon Page 0,102

take it from me, and scowl at him until he gives up. “If we walk all day, we can probably make it to the beach at sunset,” Taushen says.

“Then let’s get going.” And I hold a hand out for J’shel. “Will you be able to keep up?”

He nods, takes my hand, and leans in. “I can still carry you,” he murmurs.

I ignore that. Stubborn man.

By the time we make it to the cliffs of the beach, I’m dead on my feet and stumbling with exhaustion. My feet have been hurting for hours and I feel like I ran out of juice at lunchtime. I haven’t stopped, though, because it’s more important to me that we get J’shel to the healer and get his swollen arm looked at. My poor man has been stoic all through the travel, but I imagine he’s as tired as I am, and when he puts an arm around my shoulders, I don’t mind if he leans a little heavier than he realizes.

That’s what I’m here for—to help him when he’s struggling, after all.

“I can see the great salt water up ahead,” Taushen says, calling back to us. He and Brooke have been moving just a little faster than we have, and J’shel and I are a few paces behind. There’s been no sign of sky-claw or anything out of the ordinary. If I wasn’t so tired, I’d say it’s been a nice day.

I squeeze J’shel’s hand. I’m like a car that’s been coasting on fumes only to find out there’s a gas station at the next exit. “You hear that, babe? The beach is just below. Just a few more steps and then we’ll get you all snug and cozy in the furs, get the healer to take a look at that arm of yours, and spend the next week under the blankets eating meat.” I beam up at him. “Doesn’t that sound amazing?”

“You will be with me?” he asks, and I can hear the exhaustion in his voice. “You will not change your mind once we are back with the others?”

“After all this? God, no. You’re stuck with me and our nugget.” I pat my stomach, where it’s still strange to think that a baby might be growing.

“I like the idea of being ‘stuck,’” he says, a tired smile on his face. “Stuck kissing my mate every morning, stuck with her in my arms, stuck with her sitting on my face while I lick her cunt—”

“Whoa there!”

Now he frowns at me. “You do not want to do this?”

“Can we use our inside voices?” I hiss at him, glancing up ahead at Taushen and Brooke. Luckily, they don’t seem to have noticed the dirty talk. “I can’t believe you’re thinking about sex right now.”

“I am always thinking about your cunt,” he admits, dropping his voice lower. “If you did not blush when I said bold things to you, I would not say them so much.”

“You’re terrible,” I whisper, but I also can’t stop smiling. Or blushing. Damn it. “Let’s start with healing, and sleeping, and then we’ll progress to face-sitting when we’re both feeling better, all right? I don’t know if I have the energy for that.”

“It does not require much,” he points out. “You just sit and my tongue—”

“Okay, okay,” I interrupt. “Fine. You win.”

“You are still blushing.”

So I am. I don’t even mind. This is what life will be like with J’shel, I realize. Lots of teasing. Lots of attention and words that make me blush. But…I don’t mind. I always feel sexy around him, like I’m the hottest shit he’s ever seen. He can flirt with me all he wants. He smiles down at me, so handsome and so stinking happy and my heart swells with adoration.

“I love you,” I say suddenly. “Have I told you that?”

He shrugs. “There is no need to say it aloud. I know these things.”

I arch a brow at him. “You do?”

He lifts our joined hands and kisses my knuckles again, even if it means stooping down. “I have seen how you look at me. You have seen how I look at you. There is much love between us.”

“You don’t think it’s too fast?”

J’shel snorts. “Again, you and ‘fast.’ Nothing between us has moved fast, my H’nah. Did you not make me wait long, long turns of the moon for you?”

“Maybe not ‘fast’ by your standards,” I say. “But as humans go? We’re moving in together pretty quick.”

“Then humans are foolish to waste so much time. I