Born of Fire

“I’m ready.”


His gaze held hers as he lifted his hips and slowly impaled her. Shahara gasped at the strange thickness of his body filling hers. It didn’t hurt, but it wasn’t exactly comfortable.

“You okay?” he asked, his entire body tense.

She nodded.

He cupped her face in his hands. “All right, love. It’s entirely up to you now. You set our pace and I’ll abide by it.”

“I don’t understand.”

He lifted his hips up, driving himself even deeper inside her. She gasped as a wave of intense pleasure pierced her body. Slowly, he showed her the rhythm.

Syn watched as she took over and found the pace she was most comfortable with. He watched her with hooded eyes, amazed by her spirit and passion.

This was the kind of woman a man dreamed of keeping in his life. The kind of woman who would fight for him and defend him to the end.

If only he could have been someone different. Someone she deserved.

Shahara delighted in his touch as he slid his hand down to stroke her cleft while she moved against him. Leaning her head back, she savored the raw feel of his body inside hers and the sweet satisfaction that pounded with each thrust and stroke.

Suddenly, she forget all the fear that had haunted her most of her life. Syn freed the part of her that had been locked away and she wanted to laugh with the triumph of it. It bubbled up through her with wave after wave of happiness until she was sure she couldn’t keep her laughter inside.

But that would probably not be a good thing to do while he was making love to her. He just might misinterpret the source of her humor.

So instead, she leaned forward and kissed him.

He stopped moving and, before she could withdraw from her kiss, he leaned her back against the mattress.

He left her lips and hovered above her. At his hesitation, she looked up into his eyes and saw that he was waiting to make sure she was all right. She smiled, and again he entered her and took over their play.

Syn’s heart sang as she dug her nails deep into the flesh of his back. Never in his life had he felt like this. She wasn’t some acquaintance he barely knew, this was a woman he cared for, a woman he’d protected. A woman who had fought for him. And the union of their bodies gave him more pleasure than he’d ever thought possible.

For the first time in his life, he felt as if he mattered to someone. That maybe, just maybe people didn’t have to use each other.

Maybe Shahara was right. Maybe life was better than his cynical view.

Shahara saw his eyes change and, if she didn’t know better, she’d almost swear she saw love shining back at her. But that was ridiculous. He didn’t love her. He was only doing what she’d asked him to.

Teaching her that this one act wasn’t something to be feared.

Syn growled in her ear, then buried his head in her neck. Smiling, she wrapped her legs and arms around him as he sped up the pace. A thousand flickering flames danced in her body, each one burning hotter than the last as she arched her back to draw him in deeper to help ease the new ache that had started throbbing deep inside her.

She clenched her teeth, needing release and when it finally came she screamed out in relief. She tightened her hold on him and he continued to drive her ecstasy on until she was ready to beg him for mercy.

And just as she finally began drifting back to herself, she felt him shudder.

He held her close until he was completely spent. “I think I just died,” he whispered in her ear.

Brushing his damp hair back from his brow, she laughed. He raised up and kissed her tenderly.

As he started to move away, she jerked and hissed.

“What?” he asked, his brows drawn together in concern.

“My hair,” she gasped. “You’re . . . on . . . my hair.”

“Sorry.” He gently pulled strands out from under his body, then he moved off the bed and into the bathroom.

Shahara rubbed at the sore spot on her head while she waited for him to return.

After a few minutes, he came back with a warm washcloth. “Are you sore?” He climbed back in bed.

“No.” And that fact amazed her as she remembered how badly she’d been physically hurt after Gaelin’s attack. She’d barely been able to walk and her body had ached for a full week.

But there was no pain now. All she felt was an indescribable pleasure.

He smiled and pulled back the covers. Gently, he rubbed the washcloth between her legs, cleaning away all evidence of his claiming her.

While his hand stroked her, he pulled her to him for another kiss. Shahara closed her eyes, savoring the feel of his tongue while he continued to tease her. Why had she ever been afraid of this?

But then she knew. Other men weren’t this kind or understanding. Sighing in contentment, she decided it wasn’t so bad after all.

Until he moved away again.

“You’ve got to quit doing that,” she groused. The bed felt terribly cold without him.