He gave her what she'd asked for. His fingers explored every inch of her—her breasts, her stomach, the curve of her hips, and his lips followed, kissing every surface. When he reached the scars on her lower thighs, he didn't flinch or pull away. Instead, he traced them with the same reverence he'd shown the rest of her body.
Then he dropped to his knees in front of her and pressed a kiss to the worst of them. The one that ran from her hip almost to her knee. The one she hated the most.
Mattie's eyes burned.
"Dimitri—"
"Shh." He kissed another scar. And another. "Let me."
She let him.
His mouth traced the map of her damaged skin, turning something ugly into something almost beautiful. By the time he finished, she was trembling.
He rose back to his feet, and his eyes met hers. "You're beautiful."
She kissed him, hungry and desperate and full of everything she'd been holding back. He responded in kind, one hand fisting in her wet hair, the other pressing against the small of her back to pull her closer.
Skin against skin, heat against heat, she could feel every inch of him pressed against her body, and she wanted more, wanted everything, wanted to crawl inside him and never come out.
He reached behind her to turn off the water, and the sudden silence was deafening, broken only by their ragged breathing and the drip of water from their bodies.
"I'm taking you to bed," he said.
"Yes."
He reached for the towel, wrapped it around her, and then lifted her into his arms as if she weighed nothing. Then his mouth was on her with another searing kiss.
How was he so strong when only a few hours ago he'd been burning with fever?
The narrow mattress creaked under their combined weight, then the towel was gone, and he was poised above her, his eyes seeking her consent.
She reached up and pulled him down. "I need you inside of me."
He entered her slowly, carefully, watching her face for any sign of discomfort. But there was none, even though it had been a long time since she'd been with a man. The fit was perfect.
"Okay?" he breathed.
"Amazing." She wrapped her legs around his waist, urging him deeper. "Move."
He moved.
It was nothing like Mattie had expected and everything she'd hoped for. Dimitri was attentive, adjusting his rhythm to her reactions, finding the angle that made her cry out and then repeating it until she was trembling on the edge of release.
"Come for me," he murmured against her throat. "Let go."
She did.
The orgasm crashed through her in waves, pulling sounds from her throat she didn't recognize, her body arching and shuddering beneath his. He followed moments later, burying his face in her neck as he climaxed.
For a long moment, neither of them moved. They lay tangled in each other, breathing hard, hearts pounding in sync. The air in the room was thick with the scent of sex, soap, and hope.
As Dimitri lifted his head and looked at her, his eyes were soft, and a smile played at the corners of his mouth.
"Hi," he said.
"Hi."
"Blushing, but not a virgin. A sexy vixen."
