Then his eyes cleared, revealing such utter desolation that her chest tightened and she almost couldn’t draw a breath.

He hurt. And she wanted to take it away. Nothing else really mattered. She didn’t even want his stupid artifacts in exchange; she only wanted to wipe that horrid, awful look from his eyes however she could.

She wet her lips and that was all the encouragement he seemed to need.

He crushed her in his arms, swept her up and, in a few powerful strides, backed her hard against one of the standing stones.

Ah, so the stones are still here, she thought dimly. Or I’m still here. Or something.

Then his mouth was hot and hungry on hers and she couldn’t have cared less where she was or wasn’t. She might have been leaning up against a great big nasty, winter-starved bear for all she cared, because Dageus was kissing her as if his life depended upon their tangle of tongues and the heat between them.

He sealed his mouth tightly over hers, his velvety tongue seeking, claiming. He thrust his hands into her wet curls, wrapping handfuls of it around his fists, holding her head cradled in his big, powerful hands, his hot tongue plunging deep into her mouth.

He kissed like no man she’d ever known. There was something about him, a rawness, an earthy sensuality that bordered on barbaric, something she’d never be able to explain to someone else. A woman had to be kissed by Dageus MacKeltar to fully understand how devastating it was. How it could bring a woman to her knees.

For a moment she couldn’t even move. Could only take his kiss, not manage the strength to return it. She felt like she was being consumed, and knew that sex with him would be a little bit dirty and a whole lot raw. No inhibitions. She’d been tied to his bed with silken scarves; she knew what kind of man he was. Dizzy, light-headed, she clung to him, arching against him, reveling in the sensation of his big hands gliding over her body, one burrowing impatiently beneath her bra to close roughly over her breasts, teasing her nipples, the other cupping her bottom and lifting her against him. Feverishly, she wrapped her legs around his powerful hips.

She was so aroused that she throbbed, aching and empty. She whimpered into his mouth when he shifted that last bit, fitting them together so the hard ridge of him was cradled in her yielding heat. Oh, finally! After denying herself, refusing to even let herself think about it, he was there, trapped snugly in the vee of her thighs, huge, hot man. He braced her back against the stone again, grinding himself against her, driving her to an erotic frenzy.