Page 38 of A Raven Returns

“I don’t know, Gwen.”

“Well, why don’t we try? And if you want to stop at any time, you can just say the word hairpin.”

Laughter bubbled up from somewhere deep inside him.

She climbed off of his lap and held out her hand. They were really going to do this. He was really going to do this.

ChapterTwelve

After so many years, the prospect was daunting. It was somehow both terrifying and exhilarating. Gwen trusted him, and although he wasn’t sure he was deserving of that trust, he had faith in her judgment.

He took the hand she offered and allowed her to lead him across the room to the bed.

“It’s alright, Ash.” She smiled up at him and squeezed his hand before turning to face the bed. She bent over and laid the top of her body across the bed. It took a moment for him to understand, but when he did, it was like a knife being plunged into his gut. She’d never known any other way. His eyes slid shut as he breathed in deeply through his nose. His heart broke, seeing her bent over the bed, expecting he was just going to take her.

He rubbed a gentle caress over her back. “Stand up, Gwen,” he said, softly. “That’s not how we’re going to do this.” She straightened and turned to face him, her cheeks stained with pink.

“Do you want me somewhere else?” Her eyes darted around the room.

He hooked a finger under her chin to get her eyes on him. “I want you right here, Angel.” He lowered his lips to hers, kissing her tenderly. She responded with quick passion, taking the lead and plunging her tongue into his mouth. Dear God. He’d once again intended to take it slowly, but that seemed to be impossible with her. Her eagerness sparked his own passion. Soon, their tongues were dueling, a seductive dance of give and take.

“I need to feel your skin against mine,” he said breathlessly, slipping the buttons open on his shirt.

She nodded fervently and untied her sash, shrugging out of her robe allowing it to pool on the floor. She stood gloriously naked before him, and his damn buttons weren’t cooperating. He ripped the shirt the rest of the way and flung the garment onto the floor. He wrapped his arms around her, crushing her against him. A groan issued from his lips. The softness of her breasts pressed against his chest sent desire coursing through his veins. As his lips trailed along her neck, his hands explored every inch of her he could reach. Her skin was delectable, and the round globes of her backside, both firm and soft as he squeezed them. How could he instantly be so needy? His loins throbbed with desire.

Her small hands slid between them, fiddling with the fastening of his trousers. He stepped away from her. “We have to do the shoes first.” He sat on the side of the bed and quickly untied his boots and kicked them off.

He placed his hands on his trousers. “Are you still sure you want this, Gwen?”

She tilted her head exasperatedly. “Yes.”

A moment later, he was completely naked, and feeling surprisingly vulnerable as her eyes swept over his body. Tentatively, she placed her fingertips to his chest, her lips following shortly behind.

“I’ve never really… May I?” She didn’t seem to be able to complete her question, but he understood. Somehow, she’d never seen a man fully naked and wanted to explore.

“You may do whatever your heart desires.”

With an appreciative smile, she stepped back, just far enough to see properly, but still close enough to touch. Her fingertips brushed over his ribs, stopping at a scar that snaked around from the back. She leaned down and pressed a kiss to it. His stomach did a strange sort of flutter. The gesture shook loose a haze of confusing emotions.

Slowly, she made her way around his body, her fingers never leaving his skin. She didn’t gasp or step away in horror at the sight of his gruesome back. Nearly every inch was covered with ugly, raised scars, from his shoulders to his knees. Instead, she wrapped her arms around his waist and pressed herself against the length of his back, the side of her face resting between his shoulder blades. She didn’t move, or speak. Her breath fanned over his skin as she tried to take away the pain of his past.

Slowly, she pressed gentle kisses across his back, starting at his shoulder and zigzagging her way down. She didn’t stop when she reached his bottom and he sucked in a breath as her lips pressed against the exposed skin. He closed his eyes, his heart stuttering at the intimacy of what she was doing. Somehow, it wasn’t purely sexual, or even primarily so. Not that he wasn’t still desperately hard with wanting. But what she was doing was so much more. Incredibly, she really was taking away his pain and his shame. His angel. She kissed all the way down to the few scars that striped across his calves before she eventually stood, once more.

She kissed her way around his shoulder to finally gaze up at him. “You’re beautiful, Ash.”

His instinct was to think she was teasing, but it was obvious she wasn't. How was that even possible? He’d seen the scars countless times in the mirror, and even he didn’t like looking at them. “You don’t think the scars are ugly?”

She shook her head. “I’m sorry for the pain you had to endure, but they are part of you. A reflection of your strength, a testament to all you’ve overcome. It’s incredible that you’ve become such a kind, caring person, in spite of the horrible things that have been inflicted upon you.”

He encircled her with his arms, drawing her against him again. Why did her closeness bring him so much comfort? He could happily hold her like this forever. But they didn’t have forever. They only had tonight.

He claimed her lips, pouring his soul into her and taking whatever she would give in return. It really did feel as if their essences were connecting just as their mouths were. Overwhelmed, his heart galloped inside his chest as he gasped for breath. She whimpered as his fingers encased her breast. He flicked over the velvety tip with his thumb, and her body arched against him in response. He dipped his head, suckling briefly on the other nipple, and her fingers immediately gripped his hair. He smiled against her breast, flicking the nipple roughly with his tongue, and she squirmed, panting with need.

“Ash, I need more.”

“You need me here?” He rested two fingers gently between her thighs.

“Yes!” Her voice was a harsh whisper. Wet heat surrounded his fingers as she rocked against him.

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