His mouth curved to a slow, satisfied smile. “Acknowledged.”
In search of safer ground, I retreated from beneath his shirt to run my hands up his arms to the crest of his broad shoulders. Heat burned on my fingertips as I scorched a leisurely line along the hollow of his neck. Moving upward, I brushed his cheeks and caressed the curve of each ear with fire.
A small quake passed through him and he arched toward me. I parried just in time to keep a few inches between us.
“Second strike, my lord.”
His hands tightened on my back. “Acknowledged.”
A gentle tug freed the black ribbon at his nape, and my pulse turned ragged from the shower of light brown hair that fell to his shoulders. Threading my fingers through the silken strands, I molded myself against him until his heat seeped into every part of me. On the verge of victory, I tilted my head up and nipped his bottom lip.
“à l’outrance,” I breathed. To the uttermost.
Desire flared in his eyes. In an instant, his mouth covered mine, the soft warmth sending a shock of pleasure straight through me. It spilled into Henry, and the sound of his groan turned my blood to fire. His arms trembled as he reclaimed my mouth with a growing hunger.
In the last throes of our duel, he drew back a fraction of an inch and released a shaky breath. “You are a skilled fighter, my love.”
Our foreheads remained touching, and I smiled against his mouth. “Do you admit defeat?”
Henry shook his head and laughed. “Not on your life.”
“Are you serious? Without doubt—”
He stole my next words with another searing kiss that left me panting for air. “Any man alive would agree that I have won tonight.” His eyes sparkled deviously. “Strike me again, Selah. I promise to be brave.”
Laughing, I planted my hands in the center of his chest to keep him at bay. “You are incorrigible! As the clear victor, I demand that you honor the terms of our agreement and forfeit any thoughts of dueling with Julian.”
Henry sighed and leaned his head against the back of the chair. “For you I shall pardon Lord Stroud’s foolishness this one time. But mark my words, if he so much as glances at you in the future, I will cleave the man from neck to navel.”
My eyes widened. “Would you really?” I asked in spite of myself.
“Upon my honor.”
His obvious sincerity nettled me to no end. Julian may have violated my trust on numerous levels, but he was still goddess born. And that made him family. “What is he supposed to do, gouge out his eyes? Certainly I’ll meet Lord Stroud in public, and then what will you do? Call him out for not being blind?” I huffed my indignation. “Cutting a man in half is hardly just rewards for looking at someone.”
Henry’s mouth quirked up on one side. “You have only yourself to blame for my violent nature. Before we met, I was a docile pup compared to the beast I’ve become of late. It must be your goddess blood that feeds the warrior in me.”
I rolled my eyes. “It’s not my fault that you can’t tame your own temper.”
Two strong hands gripped my waist. “The only thing I want to tame right now is sitting on my lap.” Leaning forward, his breath tickled my neck. “I should wed you and bed you tonight. Then there would be no question as to whom you belong.”
Heat swelled in my abdomen, threatening to undo the last strands of self-control. I wanted to belong to him in every sense of the word, and him to me. But not as the mistress. I would be his wife, or nothing at all.
Besides, we still had one more score to settle. “That depends,” I said coyly. “Do you still think I’m unnatural?”
He grazed me with his eyes. “Only in the best way. And once we are married I intend to spend the rest of our lives discovering the many benefits of your gift.” His smile turned downright wicked, and I felt myself grow flushed from head to toe. “In case you haven’t guessed, I’m not referring to your ability to heal.”
Without warning, my self-control slipped another notch. He took that moment to stand and set my feet on the floor. “It’s late. You should be abed.”