He pulled his leggings down and hastily pried his leather boots from his feet, tossing them across the room with no care.

He was magnificent, a study in a warrior’s form. Beautiful. Scarred and beautiful.

Realization was stark and strong as it struck her that she was willing to forgive his scars and even considered them beautiful. A mark of who he was. What made him the person he was. Aye, they made him beautiful, and yet she was deeply shamed by the mark on her face. She’d never viewed it as a badge of honor, proof of her survival and the ability to overcome devastating odds. But she was willing to grant those attributes to Bowen, denying herself the same accord.

They both bore scars. They were both survivors. These were marks to be borne with heads held high. Could she ever accept that and stop hiding behind her shame and humiliation? It was a nice thought, but the deepest scars were those unseen, the ones on her heart and her soul and her mind. And those were the most difficult to overcome.

“I’m going to take your clothing piece by piece so that I may enjoy seeing each part of you bared before me,” he said in a husky, passion-laced voice. “And then I’m going to love you until dawn’s rays reach through the window and signal our departure.”

Her pulse leapt to life and she arched restlessly, impatient to feel his hands on her body, coaxing it to life.

Never had she known pleasure at a man’s hand until now. Until Bowen.

He settled on the edge of the bed and began working at the lacings on her dress. With patience he’d not displayed while undressing himself, he worked at disrobing her, removing her clothes piece by piece, his gaze soaking in her body as it was bared.

“You are a sight to behold, lass,” Bowen breathed as he divested her of the last remaining piece.

She lay naked on the bed, vulnerable and open to his look, his touch. Her nipples were achingly erect, anticipating his mouth and hands. And her most feminine flesh pulsed as she remembered his mouth and tongue stroking over sensitive points.

Never could she have imagined the act of coupling as being a give-and-take, an act of mutual pleasure on the part of the man and the woman. With Bowen it wasn’t just him taking, her giving and being left with naught.

He gave all he received and often more. He was patient and exacting, ensuring that he gave her as much pleasure as she gave him.

For that reason, she wanted this night to be special. One that he’d long remember. Relying on her instincts—she’d never done more than lie and endure Ian’s brutality—she levered herself up and smoothed her hands over Bowen’s broad chest.

She kissed him, taking the lead, exhibiting a new boldness that was completely foreign to her. He groaned and melted into her touch, tilting precariously until she placed both hands on his chest to prevent him from coming down on top of her.

She maneuvered up to her knees so she would have position over him and then fused her mouth to his, hotly and as demanding as he’d been, and she bore him down to the bed.

He landed with a slight bounce, his eyes widening and darkening in the same breath. She kissed him deeply, taking her cue from the way he’d kissed her the night before.

Then she straddled him, taking him between her knees. His erection strained upward, resting against the sensitive skin of her belly, and she tentatively touched him, circling his girth with her fingers.

He flinched and she yanked her hands away, fearful that she’d hurt him in some way.

“God no, lass, touch me. Don’t take your hands away,” he groaned. “ ’Tis heaven, your fingers around me.”

Relieved that he’d liked her boldness, she gently took him in her grasp again, exploring his length and the fascinating mix of steel and velvety softness.

He sighed and arched in her grasp. His entire body was taut, and she marveled at the idea that she could bring him such pleasure with something as simple as a few caresses.

Reveling in her newfound role as temptress, she allowed her hands free rein, gliding over the dips and curves of his rock-hard body. She explored every inch of his flesh, delighting in the power she had to make him shudder and moan.

She leaned down and pressed her mouth to the flat of his belly. She smiled when his muscles bunched and coiled and his hands curled into tight fists at his sides. He’d made no move to stop her sensual assault. He lay back, his jaw tight and his eyes half-lidded as he tracked her every movement.

Then she lifted her head and hesitated, unsure of how to voice the question that plagued her.

He put his fingers to her hair, gently pushing the tresses behind her ears as he stroked downward.

“What is it, lass? You have a look of worry in your eyes, and ’tis the last thing I want you thinking on when you pleasure me so with your lips and hands.”

She took a deep breath, summoning her courage. “Do you remember last night when you put your mouth …” She blushed to the roots of her hair even thinking of verbalizing her thoughts.

“Where, lass?” he asked gently. “Do you mean when I kissed you betwixt your legs and put my tongue to your womanly parts?”

She nodded shyly. “Aye.”

“Did you enjoy it when I kissed you there?”

She nodded again. “Aye, I did. I wondered …”

“Say what’s on your mind, love. You have nothing to fear with me. There’s no need to be shy, no matter how adorable you are when you’re so hesitant. ’Tis the truth when you gift me with that shy smile I want nothing more than to press you to the bed and sink into you over and over.”

Her face went warm with pleasure at his heated words. It was obvious he meant every one of them and they weren’t pretty words meant to woo or distract her.

“I thought if ’twas so pleasurable for me to have your mouth … there … that perhaps you would find pleasure if I were to use my mouth … here,” she whispered as her hands found his length once more.

He went absolutely still. His jaw was clenched and his eyes blazed with quiet intensity. His fingers curled and uncurled, gripping the sheets and pulling them tight.

Then he lifted his hands and cupped her breasts before gliding upward to feather over her face.

“I cannot imagine anything sweeter than your mouth around me, lass. But I do not want you to do such for me, only to please me. Just your hands upon me brings me greater pleasure than I ever dreamed.”

She leaned forward again until their mouths were but a breath apart. Their gazes connected, soulful and wanting. She kissed him, savoring each second they were in contact.

“ ’Tis the truth it would bring me as much pleasure to taste and explore you,” she whispered.

He groaned and closed his eyes, almost as if he were doing everything in his power to keep his control tightly reined.

“I am ever your servant,” he said hoarsely. “Do with me as you will. I’ll never gainsay you. I am yours to do with as you wish.”

Her confidence bolstered by the obvious approval in his eyes and his words, she kissed a path down his jaw to his neck, where she stopped to tease and nip.

She savored every moan, every quick intake of breath, every time his body tightened in obvious approval of her actions.

She worked her way down, pausing to pay special attention to the wound on his chest, kissing every inch of the puckered flesh. Then she made her way farther still, teasing a line to his navel.

He jerked when she slid her tongue around the shallow indention and then delved within. Chill bumps danced across his pelvis and his belly.

As she moved lower, his erection bumped her chin and she paused to curl her fingers around his massive length. She wasn’t entirely certain as to what she was doing. It was new territory for her. But instincts made up for a lot, and she was confident enough to follow those instincts.

She kissed the base, just above the wiry hairs that covered the heavy sac between his legs. Tentatively, she cupped his cods and massaged gently as she worked her way to the very tip with her lips and tongue.

By the time she reached the head, Bowen was gasping and his back was bowed tight in an arch, his hips up off the bed.

Growing bolder, she took the flared tip into her mouth and swirled her tongue over the ridges and toward the back. Then she lowered her mouth, taking more of him inside.

A warm spurt of liquid took her by surprise. It seeped from the tip and fell onto her tongue. At first she thought he’d already found his release, but ’twas just a small amount and he grew even more rigid between her lips.

“You make me insensible,” Bowen gasped. “Never has a woman driven me to the brink of madness thus.”

Running her tongue up the back side of his shaft, she let the tip fall from her mouth and grasped the base with one hand as she positioned herself astride him.

She wasn’t even sure such a thing was done, but she was fascinated by the idea of complete role reversal. If Bowen had used his mouth on her, then she would use her mouth on him. And if he’d been atop her, then she’d be atop him.

She watched him for any sign of disapproval or that he didn’t want her taking such a presumptive position. But, if anything, he looked eager. Excited. She, in turn, was excited that she could inspire such a reaction from him.

“That’s it, lass,” Bowen purred. “Take me inside you. Ride astride me.”

His fingers closed around her hips, easily spanning the width with his large hands. As she positioned him at her entrance, he held her in place, offering her support. When he slipped inside her the barest inch, he began to pull her down his erection, inch by exquisite inch.

She let out a breathy sigh as she threw back her head. His groan mixed with her sigh as he penetrated deeper. Her eyes widened when her bottom came to rest atop his legs as he reached maximum depth.

She was full, stretched impossibly tight around him. She didn’t know how she’d managed to accommodate all of him, but there wasn’t a part of him that wasn’t inside her.

“If I died right now, I’d die the happiest of men,” Bowen gasped. “Never have I felt such pleasure.”

She looked at him in befuddlement, because now that she’d accomplished the task of taking him within her, she had no idea what to do next. Her expression must have made this clear, because he slipped his fingers underneath her behind and gently lifted, arching his hips upward as he worked her hips up and down to meet his thrusts.

Her body was taut and her desire heightened by the different position. Every time he pushed inside her, his pelvis pressed against her sensitive mound and sparks of pleasure shot through her body.

After a time, she learned the rhythm and was able to take over, riding astride him as she braced herself with her palms on his chest. He moved his hands from her hips and cupped her breasts, toying with the nipples as she moved atop him.

It was enough to spur her own desire, sending her into a dizzying spiral as she spun out of control.

Her cries mingled with Bowen’s as her release rushed over her, spurring Bowen’s own. She tightened around him, spasming as his hot seed filled her, reaching the very depths of her.

And then he pulled her down, holding her tightly against his chest as it heaved with exertion. He stroked her hair, her back, let his hands glide over her bottom as she lay atop him, his shaft still buried deep within her, pulsing with the last of his release.

“Was I overbold?” she asked as she rested her cheek over his thudding heartbeat.

He chuckled, his chest rumbling with amusement. “I invite you to be as bold as you like and I’ll not ever complain.”

A smile played about her lips as she nuzzled up underneath his chin.

“I liked tasting you,” she said shyly.

He groaned and swelled inside her, stretching her once more. She lifted her head and looked into his eyes in shock.

“Do not look at me with such surprise, lass,” he said dryly. “How do you expect me to respond when you speak thusly?”

“But ’tis so soon!” she exclaimed. “Ian never …” She broke off, ashamed that she’d been about to make comment on Ian’s actions in bed.

He touched her in an effort to soothe her distress. “You have that effect on me, lass. You do things to me I’ve never experienced. I’ll want you always. I don’t know that I’ll ever have enough.”

He wrapped his arms around her and rolled atop her so their positions were reversed. He pushed forward, stroking to the very heart of her so she could feel he was fully erect once more.

“As you can see, I’m very much ready to have you again,” he murmured.

She lifted her head to kiss him. “Then have me, warrior. Have your fill. The night is young yet and we have until dawn.”

Chapter 37

Genevieve didn’t sleep the entire night. Even when Bowen had drifted into a contented slumber after spending many hours loving her, she’d remained awake, focused on the fact that in just a few hours she would be rid of this place once and for all.

Excitement bounded in her veins. She had no idea of Bowen’s plans, but he was taking her away and ’twas enough to fill her heart with relief and joy.