Chapter 9

Nine

What the flip did I just say?

Miranda fidgeted and chewed her lips. She should be happy he didn't want to force her to have his baby. He was a stranger, for god's sake.

But she wasn't happy. She wasn't happy at all.

"I mean... I mean..." she faltered as Govek slowly turned to stare her down. His eyes were way too expressive, and she would rather bury herself alive than meet them. "Is there something about me that makes you think I wouldn't be a good mom?"

He blinked slowly, looking incredulous. "Your ability as a mother holds no bearing."

"My ability to be a good mother holds no bearing on my ability to be a mother? That makes absolutely no sense, Govek."

"Conquests do not raise orc babes."

"They... don't? So, they're just surrogates or something?"

He sighed, crossing his arms. "I know not what a surrogate is. Conquests agree to carry the son to term in exchange for boons. Often, they return to their homes to carry out the pregnancy and return the babe after they are born."

She'd been all geared up to ramble on about her experience with kids, but his response knocked her flat. She knew surrogacy had been very common on Earth, but she couldn't imagine handing her tiny baby over to anyone.

"I don't want to be a conquest. I want to raise my babies. I want to be a mom."

Govek's complexion drained, and his brows shot up and Miranda suddenly realized what she'd just said.

"I mean, not right now, of course. And not necessarily with you. Not that I wouldn't have kids with you if we ended up—er. I'm just not ready to have kids, Govek. With anyone." God, she'd just survived the apocalypse. "But I'm not writing it off entirely either. If things eventually, one day, end up going that direction, I would be down for babies with you."

Oh frick, that was not better. Miranda wished she could yank out her own tongue and slap it, but now Govek looked like his head was screwed on too tight and she rushed on. "I only say that because... because I want to know why you wouldn't ever want to have kids with me. You've only known me for a day, and you've made up your mind already, so there must be something about me that forced that conclusion. I just want to know what it is so I can fix it."

That was a little better, right? She'd saved herself? Miranda looked around at the sandy ground, wondering how hard it would be to bury herself in it.

"You would be ‘down' for babies?" She looked back up into Govek's green-gold eyes. His brows were pinched in confusion. "With me?"

She gulped and fidgeted. "I mean, why not?"

There was a stretch of silence that ate her alive before Govek responded coldly.

"I do not intend to take you as a true conquest because I would not make a good father."

Miranda's spine straightened. "What? Why do you think that?"

"I do not think it. I know." His voice was low, harsh. It lashed with its certainty and left her feeling stung.

His expression was too familiar. She'd seen it many, many times in the faces of the other kids she'd grown up with, but still she asked, "How do you know?"

He shot her a dark look, and it had all the information she needed. She'd been raised in a group home, for god's sake. Kids didn't end up in group homes because they had decent families and home lives.

And for every person like Miranda, who wanted to adopt a kid in need because of their own shitty childhood, there was another who didn't want to have children for the exact same reason.

She was about to say something. She'd been to enough counselors and therapists to know the right words. But just as she opened her mouth, she heard a cry, a striking wail, in the distance.

A horror she never thought she'd be subjected to again.

An air-raid siren.

She froze solid, ears straining, gut twisting. Her forehead broke out in a sweat, and her heart pounded in her chest until the rapid thrum made it difficult to breathe.

They had no bombs here. Surely, they didn't. So, there wouldn't be a need for a siren, right?

Right. She was imagining it. Her stupid anxiety was getting the best of her. She was just too keyed up after everything that had happened. It was fine. Everything was okay. It's okay. It's?—

"Miranda."

She jerked, meeting Govek's emerald green eyes.

"We're safe here, right?"

His forehead creased, but he assured her. "Yes, I smell no predators near."

She wanted to press for more information. Ask about the war. About what kind of technology they used to fight. But she was too much of a coward to get the words out.

"Take your bath, Miranda. Before the water goes cold."

A bath. Right. A bath in a spring in the middle of the woods. Any civilization too primitive to have hotels certainly wouldn't have nuclear bombs.

She shook off the fear and set on another task. Deciding what clothes to take off. The cloak and shoes were a no-brainer, but all she would have after taking those off was the gym shorts, granny panties, and the sports bra, all of which desperately needed washing.

Miranda took off her shoes, cloak, and shorts. What remained was enough to be considered a bathing suit.

Her eyes trained to where Govek stood with his back to her at the edge of the tree line. "You don't have to stand there. You can face me."

He choked. "What?"

She tried to hide her smile. "I'm not naked, and I'd rather be able to chat with you while I'm bathing."

She could see the line of his shoulders tense at her words, but he turned anyway. The pilfered underwear was nowhere near attractive or revealing. But now, with Govek's hot gaze darkening because of her silhouette, she was starting to like them. His eyes looked golden in the dappled light, glowing as they speared through her.

He hadn't seen her without the cloak since he'd been a step away from death. Why hadn't she remembered that?

Her lips parted, and she focused on his unclenched hands. They twitched toward her, as if he might be thinking about pulling her into his embrace.

Or, if she was lucky, maybe bending her over the nearest boulder.

She bit her tongue, determined to hear what he had to say first.

"Woman, was there something you wanted?"

What the frick?

"Uh, I mean..." Miranda fidgeted, thrown off completely. Hadn't he been checking her out? Now she felt stupid.

His brows twitched. "Miranda, I am willing to go to whatever lengths to please you. You only need to tell me what you desire."

Her whole body went hot.

Hoo boy! He was flirting now, right? Or was that just her own wishful thinking? She had the worst flirting skills. She'd never had time or money for much more than the occasional video date. All of which had ended in utter disappointment.

"What are you offering?" Miranda asked, a little desperate.

Govek hesitated, and his throat worked. "I could attempt to hunt for you. If I am lucky, I could find a hare."

Her excitement dwindled. "A hare? Like a rabbit?"

"Yes."

"For . . . a pet?"

Govek blinked, momentarily flustered, and Miranda forced a hand over her mouth to stop from laughing. "You want to keep it as a companion?"

"Dude, I don't know. You're the one offering me weird shit." Miranda's voice was a little too shrill. "Look, I don't need anything, all right? I'm perfectly fine with what I've got. Even though it's basically nothing." She managed some bravery and gestured at her makeshift bikini, drawing his attention down her body.

His eyes raked over her and Miranda held her breath, waiting for him to finally make a comment.

He didn't make a sound, didn't even blink.

His non-response had her body breaking out with goosebumps from the overwhelming embarrassment. Desperate to distract from it, her stupid mouth blurted, "I stole these."

"You stole your undergarments?" His eyes shot to her face with his nose wrinkled in either shock or disgust. She couldn't decide which was worse.

Hysterical laughter born from sheer panic bubbled up her throat and she bit her cheek to stop it.

But she couldn't stop her horrific penchant for speaking when she should remain silent. "I mean, I guess. Technically, the person who owned them was dead before I took them."

Govek blinked slowly, eyes bulging.

Goddamn. There was no recovering from this.

With that in mind, she hurried into the water. It was deliciously warm, but that barely did anything to quell her tense muscles and only added heat to her embarrassment.

She considered dunking her head as well. Maybe if she stayed down long enough, Govek would forget she'd ever opened her mouth.

Maybe she'd drown and just end it already.

"Should I be worried about you robbing me of my clothes?"

His voice was low with mirth. She chanced a glance over her shoulder and found him smirking. She swallowed. "Depends. Do you have a hoodie?"

He clearly didn't know what a hoodie was. "I only have what I'm currently wearing and perhaps an extra shirt. You are welcome to them if you wish."

She snorted, carefully sitting down. The sandy bottom was soft, and the warm water lapped at her chin. Her embarrassment eased. "So, what? I rob you blind and leave you naked?"

"If you want. Then we would match."

"Excuse me. I have panties and a top on," she countered.

"Panties and a top that leave nothing to the imagination," Govek said thickly. He leaned against a nearby boulder. The very one she wanted him to bend her over.

She was already in this far. Miranda reached down and slipped off her underwear, giving them a good scrub before lifting them out. "You know what? Catch!"

Her aim was wretched, but Govek handled it like a champ, lurching forward a few paces. Her panties splat into his hand, revealing what they were in an instant.

To his credit, he didn't drop them. "What the fuck?"

"What? You said it left nothing to the imagination. Might as well take them off." She took advantage of his distracted state and started scrubbing her body. The soft sand did wonders to exfoliate away the grime, but she still wished she had soap.

"You're a madwoman," Govek muttered, and she noticed he'd slung her panties into a patch of sun on one of the rocks.

"You must like it, or you would have left me already," she grinned. "Or maybe you haven't noticed until now?"

"I've been well aware." He kept his eyes averted. "I began questioning your sanity the moment you mentioned you liked to sit on babies."

"Sit on—? What?" It took a moment for her to realize what he meant. "Oh god! You mean babysitting? Is that why you thought I wouldn't be a good mom? Because you think I sit on babies?"

"No."

His quick dismissal forced a laugh out of her. "So, you'd have kids with me if I sat on babies for fun?"

He scowled. "Just tell me what babysitting is, Miranda."

Still chuckling, she managed, "It's watching kids for parents. They pay me to mind them while they're busy."

He paused for a moment, considering, before finally saying, "That has nothing to do with sitting."

The flat retort hit her hard and laughter burst out of her chest. Her eyes watered. "Govek, stop it or I am going to drown!"

"Be careful with your jests, woman, or I might just attempt to rescue you and then you truly wouldn't have anything left to the imagination." His voice was lighter now, easier. But any trace of the smile he might have had was gone before she could wipe the blur of tears from her eyes.

Disappointed, she decided to push further.

"Not quite," she said, ducking her shoulders down below the water's surface to take off the sports bra before throwing it his direction. He caught it easily. "There, now nothing is left."

For some reason, she'd expected nothing more from him than another quick retort and more eye aversion. Instead, Govek froze with the sports bra in his hand, eyes fixed on the water where her chest was submerged. She saw his throat work in a gulp.

She'd forgotten about the fishing from the night before.

He could easily see under the water despite the ripples.

Warmth flooded her stomach, and she found herself tempted to squirm. To push her breasts up. To attract him further.

Something was wrong with her, but she didn't care because it felt too damn good.

"You're shameless." His voice was strangled as he tossed her bra to sit on the rock next to the panties.

"Tell me you don't like it and I'll stop," she said, giving him, and possibly herself, one last out before they were both in too deep.

But Govek shot his smoldering gaze down her body again, licking delicious pleasure up her spine. "You better not stop."

Hoo boy! She was in trouble.

"Get to washing or we're going to have to make camp here," Govek muttered, still not looking away. Miranda hesitated, stomach fluttering with mixed emotions as she continued to wash. The intensity of his eyes was hotter than the water, but his posture was rigid. Arms crossed, back straight.

The slight bulge in his pants betrayed him.

"So, I'm not doing any of the usual conquest things," she said a little breathlessly. It was an odd sensation, to be both embarrassed and excited. "What am I doing?"

"Anything you want."

Her cheeks hurt from smiling. She carefully scrubbed her arms, moving up toward her chest. "Hmm, you sure you wanna give me that kind of power? My imagination is pretty crazy."

"I'll take the risk," he almost purred, gaze stuck to her hands as she bathed.

She shot him a mischievous grin that made his face pale. "In that case, I want my name tattooed on your ass."

His brows shot up, and he paused before saying, "Only if you do the tattooing."

"Y-you don't want me to do that," Miranda insisted, suddenly regretting her teasing. He sounded sincere. Would he really let her tattoo something on his butt? "I have horrible handwriting." He was so sculpted, a fricking wall of muscle. She tried to imagine what his naked ass might look like and heat pooled in her stomach.

"What better way to immortalize it, then?"

"It would flipping hurt," she laughed. He had to be joking, right? She could only imagine tattoo equipment in this era was pointed sticks and hammers.

"A permanent mark on my flesh would be quite a weighty boon, but I'm sure you'd find a way to make it up to me."

Her laugh died in her chest, and the heat in her belly turned into an inferno. Her thighs clenched, and she sank deeper into the spring until her mouth was covered by the water.

Was he sure he didn't want to make babies?

Did they have birth control here?

Still squirmy and raw, Miranda swam toward a rock jutting up from the surface near the center. "I'm, uh, going to wash my hair."

"Miranda."

She turned to find Govek standing near the edge of the pool, his posture tensed, his muscles bulging. His hair was disheveled and framing his face.

More heat rolled through Miranda's gut, made her squirm and ache. Worse than it had when he'd gotten all rumbly about the "Greek god" thing.

Damn. She wanted him.

Gulping hard, she managed past her own reservations and asked breathlessly, "Do you... want to help?"

His emerald eyes widened, glittering. A shudder raked over his shoulders.

And then he swung off his cloak.

Before she could even manage a full breath, Govek had turned to dig through his pack. He put on brown leather gloves, which confused her to no end, and retrieved a palm sized, corked vile, which was a mystery.

Then he wrenched off his shoes.

And his pants.

Her heart skittered to a blazing halt at the sight of his bare legs, the muscles of his calves. The shape of his thighs where they met the firm globe of his ass.

He was still wearing a stupid pair of black boxer-like underwear. She wanted to rip them off.

He turned to face her, and she got a glimpse of him head-on. Huge frame. Rippling abs. Strong jaw.

The tight-fitting shorts outlined the—now clear—bulge of his cock. Her breath left her in a rush.

She enjoyed big toys, but Govek was massive enough to put them to shame. Nervousness and excitement danced in her veins as he lifted his head slightly and scented the air. He growled low, stalking toward her, water splashing around him.

Oh, she was in big trouble and she couldn't wait.

"Turn around," Govek demanded when he was still ten or so feet away.

She resisted the urge to pout, eyes still stuck on his groin, which she now could hardly see because of the water's depth. "Why?"

He let out a low rumbling growl that forced her eyes back to his face. His expression was tense as he teetered the bottle before her eyes. "I am offering to fix your hair."

"Is that shampoo?"

"Shampoo?"

"Hair cleaner."

"In a way. It is a tincture. Magic."

She clicked her tongue in thought. "You make a magic hair tincture for humans?"

Why was she so disappointed it was only for her hair?

"It is technically for healing, but it will work just as well."

"Oh. You don't have to waste it on me."

"Turn around," Govek said.

She finally obeyed and a zing of excitement instantly replaced all the disappointment when he put his gloved hands on her waist, forcing her to move backward, settling her between his legs with her back deliciously close to his chest.

Dang, having him on the bank watching her bathe was nothing compared to having him so close. Her skin prickled as she squirmed, resisting the urge to cover her bare breasts and cross her legs.

It didn't matter. He'd already seen it all.

So instead, she rested her hands on his knees and her elbows on his thighs. He sucked in a breath.

"Is this okay?" she asked a little more breathlessly than she had intended. "Do you want me to move?"

"No," he grated, making her shudder again as delight bloomed in her stomach.

Wet leather grazed her cheeks as he trailed his fingers over them, pulling her hair back. Goosebumps broke out on her neck.

"Tell me if I do something you find unpleasant."

Her chest tightened as he began to work the knots from her hair, cupping water to soak it, and smoothing it into compliance. He was so brutal, yet inexplicably capable of such gentleness. Every careful pass of his fingers through her strands had her leaning into his touch for more. He worked sighs out of her so easily it was like he'd done this a million times.

"You're... really good at this." She was in such bliss she'd let him get away with everything. Lord, she hoped he wanted to.

"Not that good," he muttered, frustration clear. "I may need to cut some."

"Go ahead."

"I will need to use my claws to do so."

"That's fine." Her skin tingled, imagining him raking those claws along her scalp and down her back. The inside of her thighs. He'd run the sharp edges against her sensitive flesh and sooth the tingling sting with the pad of his warm fingers.

Did he really only want to touch her hair? She couldn't find the bravery to ask as he took off a glove and began slicing away her tangles. It was painless and she could tell he hadn't needed to cut much, but she still wished she had a mirror.

"I want to use this boon now," Govek said, reaching around to show her the corked bottle. He'd already put the glove back on.

She'd barely nodded before the cool liquid was poured onto her head. It smelled strongly of lavender.

He soothed his hands into her hair, soaking her scalp with the oil, sending tingling pleasure through her. It skittered down her spine and lapped at her stomach. Pooled liquid heat between her legs.

"Lean back now," he ordered. She hesitated, keenly aware of how hard her nipples were, of how slick she was between her thighs. Would he notice any of that?

She closed her eyes, too nervous to look at him as he pressed her shoulders. Slowly, she sank down until she was floating on her back in the water. Breathless and trying not to move.

A harsh growl danced bliss through her limbs and her eyes burst open to find Govek's piercing gaze dancing over her body, skewering her through with heat and deep pleasure.

Heaven help her. Any sense that he only wanted to wash her hair was completely destroyed.

"Keep your eyes closed," he demanded roughly, grazing a gloved finger over them to force them shut.

"Why?"

He didn't answer, and she supposed she didn't really need one. She could guess it was for the same reason he hid his face while he was carrying her and kept getting confused by her compliments.

She couldn't blame him. She was self-conscious, too. It took every ounce of her willpower not to cross her legs and cover her breasts with her arms.

She shut her eyes to slits, so a little light remained. She was reluctant to be in complete darkness. The slight scratch of his claws under the gloves distracted her as he gently began to rub her scalp, fan out her hair around her head so he could get between the strands, and smooth out the oil.

This felt way too good. It burned need into every cell of her being.

He raked his fingertips across her overstimulated senses until she was desperate enough to lose some of her reservations. "Govek."

He let out a harsh sound, pulling her up and pressing her back into the heat of his chest. He was even hotter than the water. His hard muscles twitched against her bare skin. His breath was jagged against her ear.

She shivered, pushing her hips back into his groin and felt the hard length of him jerk.

A moan broke from her lips.

Oh god. Was she really doing this?

"Fuck," he snarled, "Can..." He took a deep breath, hands still clutching her shoulders. "I'll catch a hare for you to keep. So, can I touch you, Miranda?"

A nervous laugh left her. "I don't actually want a hare, Govek."

"What do you want then?"

She tensed a little. "I don't want anything." She felt him go rigid against her back. "I don't want anything but you, Govek. Just you."

He gulped. "So, I can touch you?"

She let out a long breath and all her tension and nervousness went with it.

"Yes, Govek. You can."