Born of Fire

Warmed by his question, she nodded.

He pulled it off and left her bare before him. A chill stole up her spine as the cool air brushed against her naked skin. She felt terribly vulnerable and shy.

And then Syn was there, pulling her into his arms. Once again he rolled over, placing her on top of him.

“You are so beautiful,” he whispered, running his hands over her.

Heat stole up her cheeks as she leaned forward to claim his lips. She skimmed her hands through his hair, delighting in the silken strands that slid through her fingers as her own hair cascaded forward to drape around them in a dark curtain.

He ran his hands over her back and down her buttocks. Fire coursed through her veins and a painful throb started that erased her memories of Gaelin’s brutality.

Even though a part of her was scared, she knew this was the one man who wouldn’t hurt her.

And she ached for him in a way unimaginable.

Syn closed his eyes as he savored the taste of her body. He’d never made love to a woman who knew anything about him. At least nothing more than the lies he’d told her.

But Shahara had stared into the abyss of his soul and seen the monster that lurked there. And she hadn’t run.

Why?

What made her able to see the man when no one else ever had? In this one moment, he would give her anything.

Even his life.

I’m lost.

Lost in a way he’d never been before. Not even with Mara. Shahara made him want to be something more than a drunken thief and a paid killer.

She made him want to be a hero . . .

Pulling back, he stared at her dilated eyes and saw the ragged pleasure on her face. And as he gazed at her, he realized the truth.

I’m not lost. I’m found.

She’d pulled him out of the darkness of his past and brought him into a light he’d never known existed. Here in this one moment, he understood intimacy in a way he’d never known it before.

Shahara knew him. She knew the horrors of his past. The degradations and humiliations he’d suffered, and still she was with him by choice. Closing his eyes, he savored the sensation of her fingers laying against his cheek. He covered her hand with his own and marveled at how such a gentle touch could bring him to his knees.

Blows he could take. But it was the gentle hand of a woman that could truly destroy him.

How was that possible?

I’m a fool.

But only for her.

Shahara hesitated as she saw the troubled look on his face. “Is something wrong?”

He shook his head. “Not at all.”

“Then why do you look so stern?”

Syn gasped as her soft hip brushed against his cock and his body exploded with pleasure. For a moment, he thought he might actually come from it, but he bit his lip hard enough to make sure the pain kept his release at bay.

When he could finally speak again, his voice was raw. “It’s not directed at you, love. I’m just trying not to embarrass myself.”

“How?”

He laughed as he realized that for a woman who knew her way around the universe and could handle the deadliest of criminals, Shahara was terribly naive. “Have you ever heard the expression, ladies first?”

“Yes.”

“Well it’s truer in bed than it is anywhere else.” “I don’t understand.”

He kissed her brow that was wrinkled by confusion. “Trust me, sweetness, you’re about to.”

Shahara was completely baffled until he brushed his hand against the part of her that was on fire. She shivered as his fingers stroked her. For a moment, she was paralyzed by how good it felt. Never had she experienced anything like it.

His gaze held hers as he rolled her over and placed himself between her legs. A wave of embarrassment hit her, but before she could even move, he scooted down in the bed until he was able to dip his head and take her into his mouth.

Throwing her head back, she cried out at the sheer ecstasy of what his tongue was doing to her. “Syn?” she breathed.

He answered her by gently scraping his whiskers against her cleft.

A fierce tremor shook her as he licked and teased until her body exploded into the most incredible pleasure she’d ever known.

Syn growled as he felt and tasted her orgasm. He looked up and took pride in the fact that he’d given her something no one else had. His breathing ragged, he slid himself up so that he could lay by her side and stroke her breast.

Shahara was dumbfounded by her body as Syn pulled her on top of him and kissed her lips.

He nibbled and teased. “Did you like that?”

She nipped his chin. “Not even a little. It was completely horrifying.”

He laughed at her sarcasm, then his eyes turned dark while he slid his hand down her back, to her hip. “Are you ready for what comes next?”

Him inside her.

Biting her lip, she was overwhelmed by his kindness.

Because he knows exactly what was taken from you. His innocence had been stolen from him too.