Forbidden letters, p.12
Forbidden Letters, page 12
part #0.50 of Men of the North Series
“What kind of condition?”
“His skin reacts to sun, so he has to cover up at all times.”
“That sucks. How old is he?”
“Fourteen.”
“All right, well, you enjoy the fighting now,” The man turned back to face forward and watch the action himself.
I kept quiet and suffered through another round of fighting as brutal as the first one. Midway through, the sun reached us and the men around us stripped out of their shirts.
Tyton was half into taking off his shirt when he asked, “You don’t mind if I take it off, do you?”
“No. I’m just envious.”
“Do you have anything on underneath?”
“Yes, a top and a t-shirt.”
“Can’t you take that off at least?”
It was a bit of a trick to get the t-shirt off while still wearing the big hoodie, but because it was so baggy, I managed without anyone but Tyton noticing.
“Better?”
“A little, but I wish I had a fan.” I threw a nod to the VIP section, where Wilma and seven other women sat with electric fans in front of them.
“Let’s hope Emmerson knocks out his opponent and gets a quick victory.”
With a sound of agreement, I leaned back and since I had zero interest in the fighting, I studied Tyton’s broad shoulders and back. It was incredible how large all these men were compared to our men at home. He was resting his elbows on his thighs and even without flexing there were still bumps of muscle on his arms.
My mind was occupied by taking mental notes and putting words to all the strangeness around me.
The large turkey legs that men chewed on and ripped pieces off with their teeth. The large cups of beers that they drank like it was water, and the group to my left who smoked something with a spicy smell.
I watched how they shared things, like when one brought back six beers and handed them to people around him or when the man who lit up the strange device that he used for smoking passed it around to others around him.
At one point when Emmerson threw a mean punch, a man nine rows down from us stood up and called Emmerson a long row of curse words. It provoked another man in the audience who had been cheering for Emmerson and he threw the bone from his turkey leg at the critic but hit a third man instead.
The three of them now stood across a sea of people and shouted obscenities at each other.
“They’re missing out on the fight,” I said after having been silent since the whole thing began.
“You’re right, but the later in the day, the more fights break out among the audience members. People get drunk and stupid.”
When others rose from their seats and shouted for the three men to sit down, Tyton leaned in and whispered, “I don’t like this. Unless security comes to calm them down, we’ll have to get out of here. I don’t want to get caught in a massive brawl.”
“I wouldn’t mind leaving now. I’m melting from the heat.” I’d been wanting to ask him if we could leave but was afraid of sounding whiny.
Tyton kept staring at the fight, where Emmerson and the other man were going at each other. I envied Wilma, who sat in a short-sleeved dress with a fan in front of her. She was in the shade and still hot. I was in the blazing sun and felt like dying.
“Just hang on for a minute.” Tyton was invested in the fight and had bet a lot of his money on it.
For another five minutes I sat in agony. With my sweat dripping down from my wet hair into my eyes, I was worried about the glue of the fake eyebrows. Joan had given me extra glue in case I needed it, but I would need a mirror to apply it.
When I felt dizzy and weak like jelly, I touched his arm. “Tyton, if you take me to a cold place, I’ll be forever grateful. I’m so hot.”
“Yeah, I will, just… I think Emmerson has him now.” Tyton wasn’t looking at me but focused on the fight.
I couldn’t wait for Emmerson any longer. If I didn’t get out of here, I would faint from overheating. Even now, I was worried that I would fall down the stairs if I tried walking.
“Tyton…”
“Uh-huh?” He kept his eyes on the fight.
My voice was weak when I spoke in desperation. “If you get me out of here, I’ll let you massage me.”
“Say what?” He swung around to see me, but by then I could hardly keep my eyes open.
“Holy shit.” His eyes grew big when he saw what state I was in. “Why didn’t you say something?”
“I can’t breathe.” It was the last thing I said before my eyes rolled back and my body went limp.
CHAPTER 20
Emergency
Tyton
I’d been so occupied by the fight that I’d failed to see the state Devina was in.
She was over heating and I needed to cool her down, right now.
My instinct was to pull off her shirt, but that would lead to a disaster. If I asked for water and poured it on her, others would get involved and pull her hoodie down.
My only choice was to put her over my shoulder and carry her out of there.
“What’s wrong with him?” people asked as I pulled Devina over my shoulder and began making my way to the stairs.
“Someone alert the paramedics,” I heard people call out, but I didn’t stop. With a firm grip around her, I ran down the stairs and kept going despite all the shouting asking if I needed help.
Rushing to the VIP area, I was led in by security.
“What happened?” one of them asked with concern.
“Oh, just a fight. He got knocked out, but it was well deserved. The boy can be cocky.” It was hard keeping my face straight and sounding nonchalant about it when I was worried out of my mind.
“Ahh…” The two security guards nodded with understanding.
As I passed a bar area, I grabbed a large bottle of water from an ice-bucket and continued to my drone.
After getting Devina inside, I cranked up the air conditioning on full power and buckled her in.
“Let’s find you a cool lake,” I muttered and took off.
As we lifted from the area I didn’t even look to see if Emmerson was still standing down in the arena. Money and fights meant nothing to me right now. If Devina died of a heat stroke, we would have a big fucking problem on our hands and I would never forgive myself. What kind of protector would miss how much she had meant it when she had told me she was hot?
I was so used to Wilma’s fussing and whining that I hadn’t taken Devina seriously. Once again, I was reminded about how different Motlanders were from us Northlanders.
As the drone took us away from the tournament, over fields and toward a large forest area, the cabin was cooling down fast.
“Devina, wake up.” I reached out my hand and shook her shoulder, but only weak moaning sounds came from her and her head still hung down to one side.
Lake Mino, a favorite spot for tournament-goers, was close but many came here to bathe and we would need somewhere private.
“We’re almost there,” I promised her and flew as fast as I could.
A minute later, I set down the drone in a meadow Frederick had shown me during the tournament where he won Starr. Pulling Devina out of the drone I carried her in my arms and kept talking to her. “Come on, wake up, pixie.”
I saw her eyes flicker and roll back in her head as I moved fast toward the small creek. It ran along the edge of the meadow in the shade of the trees and ever since I’d first visited this place four years ago, I’d loved the tranquility of it. Now it would help me save Devina.
I kicked off my shoes and set her down on the brink of the water before I jumped down into the stream. It was low water and only came to my knees, making my pants wet. “Come on, let’s get you cooled off.”
I didn’t take off any of Devina’s clothes before I brought her down in the creek with me.
As soon as the cold water washed over her and soaked her clothes, she opened her eyes and sucked in a breath.
The confusion on her face made me tighten my grip around her body. “You’re fine. You just overheated and now I’m cooling you down.”
For a while she didn’t speak. She just let the cold water run over her and then she lifted her hand and used it as a bowl to drink some of the water and spit it out again.
“It’s clean. You can drink it.”
“You sure?”
“Yes.”
“How did we get here?”
“I carried you.”
She looked up at me. “I’m sorry.”
“Why? I’m the clown who didn’t get you out of the sun in time. You told me you were hot, but I just didn’t understand how bad it was.”
Closing her eyes, Devina leaned her head back. Her long hair had been tied back in a ponytail but she removed the hairband and let it out. “This is nice.”
“I know. But it soaked your clothes so now you don’t have anything to wear when we go back.”
The sun was peeking out from the trees around us and blinded her for a moment. Shielding her eyes with a hand she kept her body submerged in the shallow water. “Can’t we let it dry in the sun?”
“Ehh… we could but…” I looked around. “The problem is that I lost both our t-shirts when I carried you to the drone.”
She didn’t respond or look worried.
“What I’m trying to say is that if you take off the hoodie I don’t have anything for you to cover yourself with.”
“It’s okay, I still have my top on underneath.”
“Good.” I pointed to her shirt. “If you take it off, I can wring out the water as much as possible.”
I tried not to ogle her when she stood in her pants and a top that covered only her breasts. Instead I used all my strength to get the water out of the blue hoodie.
“Tyton, would you mind if I take off my pants to dry them as well?”
“No, of course not.”
“I’ll keep on my panties since nudity makes you so nervous.”
I was in the process of placing her sweater and my shorts in the sun and looked down at her in the creek. “I never said that nudity made me nervous. I’m just unfamiliar with female nudity, that’s all.”
Devina stayed in the cold stream for minutes.
“Are you feeling better?”
“Yes.”
“Do you want to come up and dry?”
The creek was low, and she sat on the bottom with her chest covered by the water. “Do I have to?”
“No. But if you wanted me to wring out the water from your pants, you’ll have to give them to me.”
“It’s fine. I’ll be up in a second.” She stayed another few minutes before she stood up and stepped to the edge. “Will you pull me up?”
I took her outstretched hands and helped her out of the creek and up into the meadow full of wildflowers.
My eyes wouldn’t listen when I asked them to look away as she stepped out of the baggy boy pants right in front of me. She was naked except for her plain black top and panties, and I couldn’t stop admiring her soft curves and slim waist.
Her attempt at wringing the water out of her pants was pitiful so I stepped forward with my pulse racing. “Here, let me.”
“Thank you. I feel weak still.”
“No wonder. Only fifteen minutes ago you were passed out from a heat stroke. Did you drink a lot in the stream?”
“Yes.”
“I wish I’d brought some food, but I didn’t think of it.”
“What about towels? Any chance you have some in your drone?”
“I’m afraid not. Sorry.”
She shrugged. “It’s okay, the sun will dry us.”
Like a fragile old person, she got down on the ground with slow movements. “Tyton.”
“Mmm?”
“I’m so sorry that I took you away from the tournament. I know how much it means to you and you have a lot of money on the line with Emmerson. Did he win?”
“I don’t know. But it’s okay. Don’t worry about it. As long as we’re back for the ceremony tonight, we’ll be fine.”
“What time is that?”
“At eight.”
“Okay.” Devina lay down on her stomach, using her hands as pillows. “Does that mean we have time for a nap while our clothes dry? I haven’t slept much these past nights and I’m tired.”
Seeing her lying on a bed of wildflowers had to be the most erotic sight of my life, but I was determined not to scare her again.
“Sure, you can take a nap.”
I wanted to ask about the massage she had mentioned, but no part of me found it okay after she had just been passed out. Instead, I lay down beside her and closed my eyes listening to the calming sound of the stream and the subtle wind playing in the trees.
“This is a nice place.”
“Uh-huh.”
I was on my back when she turned on her side and moved a little closer.
“Can I tell you something, Tyton?” Her voice sounded drowsy, like she was close to falling asleep.
“Sure.”
“I miss my family a lot.” She paused but I sensed there was more that she wanted to say. “I miss their hugs and kisses. Sometimes I would cuddle up with one of my siblings and we’d sleep in the same bed. Now, there’s only Nellie.”
“Your dog?”
She nodded. “Does your family kiss and hug you a lot?”
“Not really. Not since I was a child.”
“Do you ever miss it?” She yawned. “Physical contact, I mean.”
I hesitated before telling her the truth. “Yeah, I miss it, but I’m a grown man. Who would I cuddle with?”
“My youngest sister used me as her pillow. I would play with her hair and draw on her skin. It was one of my favorite things.”
Noticing how her voice broke a little, I lifted my head and looked over at Devina, who had her eyes closed. “Are you crying?”
“I’m sorry.”
My lungs felt constricted because I couldn’t stand seeing her upset. “Do you want me to get you something or tell you a joke?”
“No.” She rolled to her back and dried her eyes with her hands. “But would you hold my hand?” One of her fake eyebrows was hanging loose and the other one was crooked.
“Of course I will.”
“I think these need to dry too.” Pulling the eyebrows off she sat up and leaned over to place them on top of her pants, which lay in the sun.
Our bodies were still cold from the water in the creek, but it felt perfect to me.
Holding out my hand to her I watched her with curiosity. It was the first time she had asked me to touch her and it excited me.
Still sitting up, she turned to me. “If you want you can use me as a pillow.”
“Ehh… How does one use you as a pillow?” I asked.
“Hannah would find the softest place to rest her head.” She patted her stomach and lay back down again.
Turning my body, I lowered the back of my head to rest on her stomach. At first, I was careful and tense, but then her fingers began weaving through my hair and I closed my eyes and relaxed.
“Every time Hannah and I did this she would say the same thing.”
“What did she say?”
“Promise not to fart.” Devina gave a small laugh but with the way her voice shook I knew nothing about this was amusing to her.
“I’m so sorry you lost them.”
“Me too. I don’t think I’ll ever be whole again.”
It was tempting to try and distract her from her sadness, but I sensed that she needed to remember them, so instead, I encouraged her by saying, “Tell me about your family.”
For a long time, Devina told me about them. Her grandmother, who had been a healer, and her biological mother, who had a fierce temperament for a Motlander and who had loved antique romance books.
The other mother in the family unit had been an amazing cook and spoiled all the children.
All the while, talking about her siblings, she was emotional. Some stories made her cry while others made her laugh a little. She had been present when her youngest sister Hannah was born and told me about her pride when the doctor asked her to cut the umbilical cord. Her fingers kept playing with my hair and for the most part I said very little.
Being this close to another person was new to me. I loved my family, but we didn’t curl up and talk about things that made us cry. For her to share such a vulnerable moment with me made me fall even deeper in love with her.
Rolling to my side, I faced her but kept my head on her stomach. “You know what fascinates me about women?”
Devina had been quiet for a while but opened her eyes to look at me.
“The fact that you can give life.” I placed my hand on her stomach next to my face. “A person can grow inside you, and it freaking blows my mind how big of a miracle that is.”
She wrinkled her forehead. “I’ll have to look into that soon. I promised my nana that I would have a child.”
“You mean in one of those clinics?”
“Yeah.” She yawned again. “But I’ll finish my book first, I think.”
“What if you didn’t go to a clinic?” I should keep my mouth shut, but it spilled out of me.
“My family tree would die out. I promised her not to let that happen.”
“But what if instead of going to a clinic and having an anonymous donor, you had a child with me?”
Devina still had her eyes closed and covered her mouth when she yawned again. “You want to donate your sperm to me?”
“Any time.”
“Hmm, we should use that in the book. Mark could get Deidra pregnant like back in the old days. That would fit well with the romance genre, but I’d have to write the book under a pen name or I would get angry letters.”
“Why?”
“Because of… you know…”
I lifted my head a little. “No, I don’t know.”
“The clinics guarantee the healthiest outcome since they make sure there aren’t any unwanted chromosomes that could result in syndromes and that sort of thing.”
“Ahh…” I lowered my head to her stomach again. “I still prefer the old-fashioned way of creating life. The thought of impregnating a woman is the biggest turn-on to any man. If you would let me be the father of your child, I would be the happiest man on earth.”
