give you your own private proving?"
U'dron stares at me. "A private…proving?"
"Yeah." I wave a hand in the air. "Tell I'rec to be the Keeper of the Spear or something. He should like that. He likes being in charge of everything. Have a private ceremony and then you go off and do your thing. Come back when you finish your hunt. No one has to know except you guys…and me. Then you'll feel better about yourself."
His lips part and he gazes blankly at me. "I…did not consider that."
"It's called bouncing ideas off of one another," I tell him. He gives me such a proud look that it makes me uncomfortable. "I'm just throwing ideas out there. Trying to help."
"You are very wise and clever, and I will discuss this with the others when we return." He hesitates and then tightens his arms around me, squeezing me tight. "Thank you, R'ven. I am glad we talked about ideas. And confessing. Maybe…maybe my problem can be fixed without acknowledging that I am less in front of the others."
It must be a big deal, clan-wise. I guess I can see it. For a long time, the clans themselves had similar numbers. Lauren's mentioned that Strong Arm had five adult members but one died a few years ago and Z'hren's mother died recently. Tall Horn has four strong, and Shadow Cat does, too. The three clans have always been super competitive, and that hasn't changed much despite the fact that we're all living on the same beach together. Any time there's any sort of competition, the Shadow Cat stick together.
It can't help U'dron's feelings of failure.
I squeeze him back, enjoying the hug. "You talk to them when we get back. I won't say a thing about it. I swear. I'm good at keeping secrets."
"And…kissing."
I look up at him in surprise, even as his big hand rubs up and down my back. He's got a sleepy-eyed look on his face that speaks of arousal, and I can feel his hard morning wood pushing against my hip. Oh. That turned sexy quickly. Heat floods through me and I lick my lips. "You like the way I kiss?"
"More than anything." His gaze focuses on my mouth. "I like the way you tongue, too."
I chuckle. "It's all kissing. Just…different ways of doing it." I slide my hand down his chest, skimming my fingers over a nipple as I do so. "It's very early…how soon do we need to get started on our day? Or can we fool around for a bit?"
"What…are we fooling?"
That melts me like butter. "Fooling around is…touching. Kissing. Making each other feel good." I lean in and lick a stripe up the cords of his neck. "Unless you need all your strength for the raft?"
He groans, the sound full of hunger and aching need. "I have plenty of strength. Plenty."
"That's what I like to hear," I purr, scraping my teeth over his skin. I nuzzle at his throat, licking a spot and then sucking on it, feeling the need to mark him as mine before we return to camp. My hand slides down his chest until I hit his loincloth, and the hard, prodding length of his cock hits my fingertips. He's so damn big all over. God, I love that. It makes me clench deep inside, my body aching all over with sheer want.
I let him go with a little pop of the skin, and I'm pleased to see the mark I've left on his neck. It shows up brilliantly against his pale blue, and I kiss a spot next to it and attack him again. All the while, I stroke his cock with my hand. There's no finesse to any of this, no going slow, no choosing to take things easy. I just need to grab at this moment of happiness with him, to share a little hanky-panky under the blankets and remember what's good and right about the world.
U'dron is what's good and right. And I want to pleasure him and take some pleasure for myself.
"Touch me," I whisper to him. "Touch me like I touch you."
"Where?" he asks, voice raspy and aching.
"Anywhere you want. Anywhere that you like." I move my hand to the laces on his loincloth and tug them, untying it. He sucks in a breath when he realizes what I'm doing. "Can I touch you anywhere I like?"
"Always."
I love how raw he sounds, and I brush the loincloth aside and take his cock into my hand. He's scorching hot