Even if she felt the brand on his groin, she'd have no way of knowing it said "whore."
But still it was there. Mocking him with the cruelty of his past. And because of the scars from that and the priests, he had sparse pubic hair. So little that the brand was easily seen and not really covered at all.
He leaned his head down and ground his teeth. "Before we go any further..." He led her hand to the scars on his thighs and buttocks.
Bethany sucked her breath in sharply as she felt what had been done to him. When she'd touched his side, she'd assumed it had been caused by a fire. But these ... she could feel the outline of a poker. It'd left deep welts down the inside of his thighs, all the way to his scrotum. There were places where he had little to no hair from the scarring. But what wrung her heart was the sheer number of them. He'd been tortured over and over again.
"Why would someone do this to you?"
"They thought I was possessed by the god Dionysus. And the priests sought to burn the evil daemons out of me."
Heartbroken over what they'd done, she placed her hand to his cheek. "My poor baby. I'm so sorry they hurt you like this."
"Please don't ever tell anyone."
"I would never be so cruel."
He kissed her then. So slow and tender that it made her breath catch. When she reached to remove his chiton, he jerked back.
"Sorry," he whispered. "I don't like being seen."
"I can't see you, Hector."
"That's not true. You're the only one in my life who does." This time he remained perfectly still while she undressed him.
"Are you all right?" she asked.
He placed her hand to his cheek and nodded then he nibbled her fingers and palm. Bethany sighed in pure pleasure. No one had ever made love to her like this. There was no rush at all. Rather they were truly exploring and sharing not just their bodies, but a part of their souls.
"You're so beautiful," he whispered against her throat as his hand skimmed over her hip and thigh.
She parted her legs for him.
Styxx hesitated as he realized that she was a bit more experienced at this than he was ... and a lot less bashful. "Beth? You've been with other men, haven't you?"
She went rigid under him. "I have, but I'm not a whore."
He cupped her face, wishing she could see his sincerity. "I would never call you that. It's not what I was implying at all. I just ... I don't want to accidentally hurt you with my inexperience. Or disappoint you."
Bethany felt tears prick the backs of her eyes. He was always so concerned about letting her down. Though he seldom mentioned his family, that ever present worry let her know just how harsh they must be toward him.
About everything.
"You could never disappoint me, Hector." She took his hand into hers and led it to the center of her body.
Styxx couldn't breathe as he felt how wet and warm she was. But his hand in hers ...
He cringed at the memory of Estes.
"What's wrong, akribos?"
Unable to answer, Styxx had no choice except to pull away. He couldn't deal with the painful memories that slammed into him and left him impotent and shaking.
Damn you, you bastards! Why couldn't he forget what they'd done to him for even one heartbeat? Why?
I am worthless.
Bethany frowned at his actions until she put everything together. His reluctance to kiss or touch her. His fear of harming her ...