Page 78 of Hot & Heavy

She smiled at his obvious fishing expedition. "Not much," she said.

Good. I do not want you liking me… too much.

"Except for your kissing. Whew! I like your kisses, too."

He closed his eyes and counted to ten, willing his lower body to behave. It hadn't worked in the past and it definitely wasn't working now. "I only kissed you once." Way to go, cowboy! Could I say anything more uncool?

"Once was more than enough. I was fluttering so much 'twas a wonder I did not fly off."

He had to smile, dammit. He just had to. "I liked your kiss, too." Why don't I just throw in the flag and admit I am out of my league here? "I'm done," he said. Just in time! He stood and turned to the sink, rinsing off his razor and letting the water go down the drain.

"You can't be done," she complained to his back. "You haven't done my armpits yet."

No way! I am not putting my hands that close to the breasts from heaven. He turned to let her down easily, and, oh my God, she was unbuttoning her blouse and dropping it to the floor. He should have been ready to jump her bones. She was facing away from him, wearing only a lacy bra and matching hip-hugger panties. But what he saw caused his erection to go down instantaneously, like a pricked balloon. "Sonofabitch!"

Her back was crisscrossed with dozens of old welts, from her neck to her buttocks. His eyes teared up in sympathy for what she must have suffered. He should have guessed after seeing the ankle and wrist welts. He should have guessed.

"What's the matter?" She tried to turn around, but he took hold of her upper arms from behind and pressed her against the wall. With her hands raised above her head and her body pressed against the wall with his left hand, he began to trace each of the scars with his fingertips, then with his lips. He started at her shoulders and began a slow, slow journey down to her lush behind.

"Oh, that!" she said against the wall. "I forgot about my back."

"How could you ever forget such a thing?"

She shrugged. "I do not wish to speak of it. I cannot draw up the memories or they will crush me. Are the scars ugly? I have never seen them, but I can feel them."

He kissed the curve of her neck and said, "There is nothing ugly about you. Nothing."

"It is nice of you to say so, but I suspect you are trying to spare my feelings."

"Who did this to you? No, don't tell me. Steinolf. Right?"

"The very same."

"I can see now why you would want to raise an army to avenge yourself. In this case, revenge would definitely be sweet. To do that to a woman… it boggles the mind." I wonder… hmmm … I wonder if she did something horrible to provoke such treatment.

"He wanted me to agree to a wedding… with him. And I would not."

A wedding? That's all? "Most women would have given in. At the first sting of the whip."

"Mayhap I would have if it were only me who was affected. But his offer was a ruse to draw my fighting men out of the hills. He would have ambushed them one and all."

"You did it for your… uh, people?"

She nodded.

"So that is why you want to raise an army."

"Will you help me?"

"Probably not, though I do sympathize with you."

"Pfff to your sympathy! I have felt safe here with you, safer than I have felt for years, but that is dangerous to me. If I feel too safe, I will never have the bloodlust to enter the fray again."

Down on one knee with one hand pressed against her shoulders, he kissed the small of her back where there was a particularly livid scar.

She stiffened and tried to struggle out of his grasp. She failed. "What are you doing back there?"

"Caressing and kissing your scars."