Her eyes clung to his, so blue they were nearly purple, tears increasing the effect. A man could drown in her eyes. Slowly, inch by inch, Jess eased himself into a sitting position. She looked so shocked he wanted to take her into his arms, but he hadn’t won-not yet. His hold on her ankle tightened fractionally. “Come here and show me what’s on your back that sent you into such a panic.”

Saber’s eyes widened, startled. She shook her head.

She slid away from him across the mat as he tugged on her leg. Saber lost her balance and sprawled forward, facedown right at his side. He threw his weight over her, pinning her beneath him.

Jess shoved the material of her blouse up ruthlessly, exposing her slender back. Everything in him froze, stopped, his heart, his lungs, his blood, even his brain. Then white hot anger shot into him, consumed him, ate him up. Even seeing the photographs couldn’t have prepared him for the sight of her scarred back.

With gentle fingers he traced the line of each round raised scar. “They put out cigarettes on you.” His voice was calm, low even, but something murderous and ugly rose up in him, something he hadn’t known existed. The walls expanded and contracted. The floor shimmied as he breathed to try to maintain control.

Saber went still beneath his hands, her muted weeping tearing at his heart. Jess bent his head, the warmth of his mouth on her skin, his tongue gently tracing each line, punctuated by a hundred kisses.

She shuddered and he remained still, his lips over one of the scars, while the tension drained out of her and he felt her h*ps move, an involuntary small shift, but enough to let him know she didn’t want him to stop. He pushed her shirt completely out of the way and swept aside her flesh-colored bra.

His hands caressed the sides of her body, beneath her arms, the soft curves of her br**sts, rib cage, and waist. His mouth continued to move over her back, a healing, soothing, somehow erotic feather-light touch that stirred her body to life despite every command her brain was trying to give to save her. His hands went lower, to her denim-clad hips, and then slid around to the front of her jeans to the zipper.

Saber caught her breath and closed her eyes against the rush of sensation, her br**sts crushed against the mat, ni**les suddenly erect and sensitive. His hands hooked in the waistband of her jeans and peeled them from her body. She lay still, face buried in the crook of her arm, tears on her face, her body alive with a sudden growing need.

She wanted him, had always wanted him, from the first moment he’d opened the door. Then it had been purely physical attraction, her body recognizing his in some primal way, but now-now-it was love for him that was so overwhelming, so consuming it had even devoured self-preservation until only he was important. Only Jess. Being with him. Loving him. Forgiving him.

He didn’t care that she carried death in her touch. His touch was loving, healing, sexy, everything she’d always wanted and never dared let herself dream about.

Jess tossed aside his clothes. This wasn’t the bedroom, it wasn’t even the thick carpet in front of the fireplace, but this was where he was going to make thorough, passionate love to Saber Wynter. His hand smoothed over the firm muscle of her bu**ocks, teeth nipped gently. He pushed against her thigh, allowing her to feel the hot heat of his thick arousal. His mouth sought her bare skin again. He took his time, wanting to explore every inch of her, wanting to know every secret hollow, every shadow. His hands shaped her legs, stroked, and caressed.

Saber moaned softly as he slid his hand along the inside of her thigh and pushed against the rush of damp heat.

Very gently he turned her over and simply stared at her tear-streaked face for one long moment before bending his head to hers. His tongue tasted tears, his lips roamed over her face, her neck, her throat, and settled on her mouth again.

Her arms slipped around his neck, her lips parting to accept him, to draw him into her silky soft mouth. She followed his lead, letting him explore her mouth while she did the same, her touch electric to him, innocent but alluring. He could stay there forever, his soft body against hers, his hands exploring, arousing her, caressing all the while as her mouth moved against his, her tongue stroking his in a small tango of growing need.

Saber lowered her lashes as his lips reluctantly left hers and traveled over her face and neck. Her body raged with fires out of control and needs she couldn’t resist. When his mouth closed over her breast, a strong pull sent liquid fire pulsing in welcome.

“Jesse.” His name came out in a sigh-a surrender-her hands seeking the defined muscles across his back.

“I know, baby. It’s all good. We’re good.” He murmured the words against her br**sts, alternating between suckling, using his teeth with small, gentle scrapes, and swirling his tongue over the nips until she was gasping for breath.

He continued his investigation of every inch of her satin skin, sliding lower over her flat stomach. He found himself smiling at the triangle of silky raven curls at the junction of her legs. Wild. Sweetly scented.

Saber cried out, caught at his hair as he lowered his head and took a long, slow taste. “Jesse.” Her h*ps bucked and her head thrashed as sensations crashed over and into her. She couldn’t get out more than his name, and she wasn’t certain he could even understand her.

His tongue stroked and caressed, found her most sensitive spot and teased and tortured, stabbed deep, went shallow until she couldn’t think or breathe with the building tension. She needed him. Needed something. But soon. Now. In another minute she was going to be begging.

Jess couldn’t wait then. Her fire, her damp heat, the feel of her satin skin drove him to depths of craving he had never known. He was always in control, yet he was skimming the edges this time. He wanted to go slow, to be careful, to make certain this moment was earth-shattering for her. With care, he eased aside her knees, poising above her, his dark eyes meeting her blue ones.

“I’ve never done this before,” Saber admitted, her voice shaky.

“I know.” But she was trusting him with more than her first time. More than the giving of her body to him, and both of them knew it. He pressed the hot broad head of his shaft against her and began to ease into her, inch by slow inch.

Saber gasped at the feeling of being stretched, invaded. Her body recoiled from his and her hands caught at his wrists.

“Relax, baby, let me do the work, I’ll be gentle,” he promised.

Her body was a tight velvet tunnel of incredible heat, so small, so fiery. He shuddered with the effort to control himself and waited for her small nod of consent. He gathered her legs over his arms and drew her closer, lifting her as he thrust deeper. Her fingers clawed at the mat for support and her womb clenched.

He could feel the thin barrier protecting her, and he moved again, one strong surge, even as he bent forward, swallowing her soft cry with a kiss. Once again he was still, concentrating on her mouth, on letting her body get used to his. She was so tight, so hot, he desperately needed to move, but he kissed her until she began to relax again and he could see trust in her eyes.

Jess moved then, gentle long strokes designed to keep that beautiful, sultry look in her eyes. Her breathless little cries added to the surging heat. “God, you’re beautiful,” he said, meaning it.

This was her first time, and despite all the women in his past, he felt as if it were his as well. Not sex. Not lust. Pure magic. Body, soul, mind, hot silk, raging fires, he never wanted this to end. Never. Her body gripped his convulsively, liquid velvet, white hot, and he cried out, all his love, his life, his future in the husky call of her name.

“This is how it’s supposed to be, Saber.” He could feel his body tighten, heat sweeping up from his legs and pouring through his body. God. He loved her. Loved her, with everything in him, everything he was.

He didn’t want to stop, wanted to stay in her body, skin to skin, his heart pounding right along with hers. This was love, this agonizing fist of lust that gripped his body and wouldn’t let him go. And it was love, the same fist, wrapped around his heart and squeezing with such strength and emotion. This was what coming together with a woman was meant to be, the frenzy of hunger and tenderness. He had thought it impossible for a man like him to love a woman and have a family, that his need for combat would supersede all feeling for a woman. But he knew now that if Saber asked it of him, he would walk away from the service, give up everything he’d ever worked for in his life, to be with her.

He pulled her closer and bent down to find her lips with his. Long kisses, mouths mating, over and over, losing himself in her velvet heat. He wanted her to feel the way he was feeling, the heat and fire, but more, the overwhelming truth that they were meant for each other-that they belonged. She moved under him, her body tightening around his, the muscles rippling with her orgasm, taking him so that he thought he might be imploding from the inside out.

Saber felt as if she were exploding into fragments, earth-shattering quakes rippling through her body, colors and lights flashing wildly in her head. She clung to Jess, her safe anchor in a raging storm of pure feelings. She had no idea she made a sound, yet her voice mingled with his in the silence of the gym.

Jess eased off of her to lie at her side, one arm curved possessively around her waist. He could smell the combined scent of their lovemaking, a musky sweetness that seemed to enhance the feeling of joy, of completeness sweeping his body. He felt Saber shiver and realized he couldn’t simply jump up and get her a blanket with his legs back to their useless state.

Jess propped himself up on one elbow to study the delicate perfection of her body. She was very small but she had curves and incredible lines to her figure. He bent his head, needing to taste her skin again, his mouth craving the sweetness. “We were meant to be, Saber. Whitney and his pheromones can go to hell. This was us. You and me loving one another.”

Saber turned her head, long lashes lifting to study his features carefully. Jess laced his fingers through hers. “I had no idea it would be like that,” she whispered softly, slightly awed.

“I’m sorry I hurt you.” His fingers splayed across her stomach because he had to touch her, to see his hand on her skin, to feel how soft she was.

“Only for a second,” she assured. “Thank you for being so careful.” Nothing was ever going to be the same. She wasn’t ever going to be the same.

“I meant what I said, Saber.” His fingertips brushed the silky V between her legs, touched a tight curl. “I love you. I want you to stay with me.”

Just the feel of his fingers on her caused a ripple of intense pleasure, a rush of dampness. Beside her, his body was stirring to life and he allowed it, bending his head to a taut, inviting nipple. He would have all the time in the world to make love to her; he was not going to take chances on making her any more sore than she was already going to be. The excitement, the freedom to touch her was incredible.

He lifted his head, feeling her shiver again. “Come on, angel face, let’s get you into a hot bath. You’re going to catch cold lying here.” He leaned into her again to kiss the tip of her nose and then the corner of her mouth. “You’ll have to get my chair. It’s in the other room.” He hated saying that. Needing her to get it for him.

She frowned. “But you ran, Jess. I saw you. And you kicked that man in the garage. How could you do that if you need the wheelchair?”

“It’s a long story.” He was going to have admit to agreeing to the bionic operation-and that so far, it hadn’t worked all that well. This had been the first time he had had any degree of success. It gave him a measure of hope, but even now, instead of cramps and spasms and pinpricks, he felt no sensation at all.

She sighed. “One you’re going to tell me.”

“You won’t like it.”

“Probably not.” She caught his face and kissed him before getting to her feet.

Saber gathered up her clothes a little unsteadily, out of long habit putting her shirt on to cover her back. She left it open, liking the stark hunger in Jess’s eyes as his gaze dwelt on her creamy br**sts and tight, black curls. He made her feel sexy and beautiful.