Crow met Penelope’s lips as she kissed him and smiled as she reaffirmed that she really did want to go all the way with him. He reached for the fastening of her dress, pressing light kisses along her jawline as he worked with her to take off her clothing. When she finally slid out of the dress, he pulled back to look at her for the first time. Her body was slight, yet toned from her time as a knight, but it also curved in a way he found irresistible. As his eyes moved along her bare form, he noticed that her skin was marked with scars, but he didn’t care. To him, she was perfect.

Noticing the way she covered herself, he reached to take her hands in his and gingerly pulled them away, meeting her gaze lovingly. “You’re beautiful, Penelope,” he breathed, leaning in to kiss her again. He felt her lips move to his neck and her hands slip underneath his tunic, and he shuddered, enjoying the intimacy of her touch.

Pulling back from her for a moment, he reached for the hem of his shirt and pulled it up and over his head, tossing the garment aside before he followed suit with his pants. His body was lean from his time spent in prison, but the ghost of his former strength could still be seen in the muscles that lined his torso and back. Up close, scars decorated the surface of his skin, silently portraying the danger of his life as a thief. Most were small, having been caused by arrowheads, but he also bore a few larger scars such as the one on his right side that had come from the knight’s sword so long ago.

He pressed into Penelope again, meeting her lips passionately and closing his eyes. His hands moved sensuously over her as he explored her bare body by touch. He relished the feeling of being so close to her, chest to chest, skin to skin. It was electrifying. He reached up to brush his fingers along her cheek, sighing into her ear, “Gods, I love you.”