“Even though I’m not such a woman?”
“You will be,” he said, firm conviction in his tone. “It will be my pleasure to teach you.”
And how much would she suffer in that teaching? “Look, warrior, I’m not an ass-kisser, and I’m not one to keep my opinions to myself either,” Tedra said bluntly. “Where I come from there’s no one who could do to me what you did. That breeds the kind of arrogance and confidence that you yourself possess. You’re not going to beat that out of me, no matter this service I owe you. Would I amuse you as much as I seem to be doing if you did, if I become a carbon copy of the women you’re used to? Why don’t you think about that for a while?”
He didn’t answer. He didn’t remove his chin either. In fact, he rubbed his cheek a little against hers in a nuzzling caress that sent gooseflesh over her arms and goaded the flame in her belly. Tedra groaned inwardly. She wasn’t going to let herself get teased into desiring him again, not when the damned warrior didn’t deliver what his subtle actions promised. She had almost changed her mind altogether about wanting him to be her first sex-sharer, not that she had much choice in the matter for the next month, if he ever got around to it. But she wasn’t sure she wanted it from him anymore, not with the way he’d been treating her.
Her thoughts were interrupted by the smell of water. She could actually smell it, and she turned her head and saw it, a small stream that shot out into the low-grassed meadow they were crossing, then snaked away again.
Tedra sat up straight when the hataar was turned in that direction, and she was lowering herself even as the animal came to a halt, her hands gripping the harness post until her feet touched the ground. Nor did she wait for permission to quench her thirst, but dropped to her knees at the edge of the sparkling little stream and scooped up what she could in her bound hands.
“What manner of men do you have in your country that they cannot beat you at warrior’s sport?”
So he had been thinking over what she’d said. Or maybe not. It could be just that one remark that had intrigued him.
When she glanced around to see him, she got a close-up view of the fembair instead. The monstrously huge feline had come up behind Tedra to sniff her over while she was on her knees and so much lower than it. She wasn’t used to any kind of live animals, let alone ones of this size, but as long as she was certain the barbarian would tell her if she was in danger of being eaten, she tried ignoring his enormous pet and leaned to the side to see around it.
“Is warrior’s sport what you call weaponless combat?” At his nod, she grinned at him. “Far be it from me to suggest you let your women participate, but in my world they do-and frequently win.”
She wiped her chin on the back of one arm and stood up, to find his expression just the tiniest bit annoyed, which meant he must be a great deal annoyed to let that much show. “You keep calling your country your ‘world.’ You will desist in this, woman.”
She knew damned well that wasn’t what had annoyed him. It was the idea of women beating men that burned his toes.
“Whatever you say, babe,” she agreed, still grinning, but in more of a smirk.
“You will also desist in calling me by the name for an infant.”
“It’s just a term of affection, sweetcakes.”
“You will not call me this word either, or pretend to an affection you do not as yet feel.”
Tedra’s humor went south with the stream. “You’re getting on my nerves, warrior. Must I remind you that you never supplied me with your name?”
“It is Challen Ly-San-Ter,” he replied stiffly.
“Well, hurray. And do I have your exalted permission to use it, O master?”
“Get back on the hataar, woman.”
He didn’t shout, but that didn’t mean she didn’t hear it underneath the tone. She returned to the hataar and waited for him to place her on it, having the disgusting feeling that was the proper thing for a Kan-is-Tran woman to do. He’d managed to intimidate her somehow, and she didn’t like that at all. She liked his name, however, even if it was only lacking the “G-E” to have it spell “challenge.” She wondered if that was symbolic. Whatever, she still liked the sound of it. Challen Ly-San-Ter of Sha-Ka’an, barbarian extraordinary.
They were leaving the meadow and entering another wooded area before Tedra got up the nerve to resume conversation-with another gripe. “Couldn’t you at least have brought my clothes along, even if you weren’t going to let me wear them? I know you’ve never seen that kind of material before. Weren’t you even curious about where it came from?”
“You claim a country called Kystran. From that place must it come.”
How boringly logical. “Wouldn’t you like to know where Kystran is, then?”
“No.”
“No?”
“Of what use is a country of women warriors, and men who cannot beat them? Warriors will not draw sword against women, nor raid or deal with men who cannot control them.”
“Beneath your dignity, huh?” she chided. “But I’m afraid you’ve got the wrong impression-Challen. We’ve gone far beyond one sex controlling the other on Kystran. Men and women are equal there, taught the same skills, allowed the same career opportunities. It’s true our men don’t come anywhere close to you in size, and they aren’t sword-wielders, but those in Security like myself use different kinds of weapons, ones that don’t require size and strength to handle. You had a taste of them, but there are others much more dangerous, weapons that can kill a thing so efficiently, no trace is left of it.” She heard him snort, and knew he wasn’t believing her again. “Answer me this, then. You have seen and felt what a phazor can do. Have you ever seen one before, or even heard tales about such things?”
“Such would be needful for men who otherwise cannot protect themselves.”
“A reasonable conclusion, but not the answer to my question. You haven’t heard of such things before because they don’t exist on your world.”
“There are countries far beyond here that have never been dealt with.”
“You have a farden answer for everything, don’t you?” she gritted out. “Then how did I get here from these far-off places, and better yet, why would I come here-alone?”
“As you say, for trade.”
“And as you say, women wouldn’t be trusted with such tasks. Are you now allowing that they would- at least in countries you have no dealings with?”
He wouldn’t answer, changing the subject instead. “What meaning has this farden word you use?”
“It’s used to express mild disgust, which is exactly what I’m feeling right now.” Good thing she wasn’t the feet-stomping type, or there’d be holes in the ground to show for it. She sighed. “All right, let’s stick to things you do know all about-the service I owe you, for instance. I’m beginning to suspect it’s not what I assumed it to be, so why don’t you enlighten me-in detail.”
“There will be many things you will do for me.”
“Such as?”
“This moonrise will you endeavor to work the soreness from my muscles.”
“Ah, poor baby,” she purred with saccharine sweetness. “Did mean old Tedra hurt the big barbarian?”
She was congratulating herself on that dig, which she knew without looking at him he wouldn’t appreciate, when he leaned forward, pressing against her back to reach the harness post in front of her. She watched him tie the reins off there and had the distinct feeling she was in trouble. When his hands were empty, she didn’t know what to expect. A beating came to mind, though she couldn’t imagine how he would manage it on the back of his hataar. But his slipping his hands inside her fur covering and under her arms took her by surprise.
Heat hit her, sucking the breath from her body as those long, masculine fingers moved over and around her breasts, until each sensitive mound was fully imprisoned in a strong hand. That tiny flame that had been fanned earlier now ignited, sending a brushfire of sensation over receptive nerves. Her head fell back onto a hard shoulder, and the pleasurable sound that escaped her throat couldn’t have been stopped had she known it was coming.