Page 69 of Knight’s Salvation

He looked down at her, tension lining his face. “You okay?”

She ran her hands over his shoulders to the side of his neck, fingers gliding over rough scar tissue. “Yes. It’s just this is the first time I’ve done this. I don’t want to disappoint you or do something wrong.”

His gaze sharpened. “You’re a virgin?”

“Yes.”

“Fuck, Mia.” He buried his face against her throat. A low groan vibrated through his chest then he lifted up again and kissed her with everything he was feeling, all the emotion he kept bottled up inside. And she felt all of it, felt it to the depths of her soul.

He cradled her face in his big hands. “You could never disappoint me, do you understand? Not ever. Shit, I don’t deserve you.”

Holding her gaze, he thrust forward. They both moaned when he went deep, so damn deep. He buried his face in her neck again and his thrusts became hard, rough, and he ground against her every time he pushed inside. She wrapped her legs around his hips, trailing her hands down his back, feeling the thick ridges of scar tissue crisscrossing his back beneath her fingers, and squeezed her eyes closed, trying not to think of how they got there or the pain and humiliation he must have suffered.

She tightened her hold on him. “Don’t stop, please, don’t stop,” she whispered into his ear, letting sensation take over again. This felt amazing, right—perfect.

He lifted up on his forearms. “Look at me.”

Seeing all that heat, all that unrestrained need aimed at her was all she needed. Arching her back, she cried out as her body contracted around him, gripping his repeatedly.

A low growl rumbled from deep in his throat, animistic. “You feel amazing.” There was wonder in his voice and her chest tightened. She watched him, the strain on his beautiful face, the way the muscles of his chest and arms tensed and bunched as he drove into her. He was wild, his tightly held control blown all to hell.

This was the part of him he’d been holding back, the part she’d wanted him to trust her enough to reveal. She never wanted him to feel like he needed to hide any part of himself from her again, never again.

“Fuck,” he hissed. Zenon didn’t slow; he moved faster, drove into her harder. He thrust deep, grunting as he ground against her. Mia felt that amazing pressure building again and tightened her limbs around his big body, afraid she’d fly apart if she didn’t hang on for all she was worth. Then she was coming again.

He shoved his face back into her neck. Mia loved the feel of his body pressing into hers, his weight, his harsh, ragged breaths against her skin. She felt him swell, grow bigger inside her, then he jerked his head back and his face twisted. There was a brief flash of almost panic, but then he cupped the side of her face and locked those fierce eyes with hers. “Only you, Mia. Only you.” His lips parted and his eyes drifted closed. His harsh breaths turned to groans and he came inside her, his big body shaking with the force of his release.

She clung tighter to him, not wanting him to leave her.

But he didn’t try and move away. He stayed where he was, still buried deep inside her. His body covered hers, hot and heavy and perfect, as he kissed and stroked her skin, making his purring sound and letting it vibrate through her.

She had no idea how long they stayed like that, tasting each other, touching, hands smoothing over slick skin—soothing each other as they came down. She wanted to stay like that forever. Running her hands over his back and hips, she held him tighter, reveling in his weight, his scent, the racing beat of his heart against hers.

“Are you all right?” he rumbled low, lips pressed against her temple.

“More than all right. You?”

“Princess.” It was all he said, all he needed to say. Her name spoken in that way, in that deep raspy tone, held more meaning and emotion than anything else he could have said in that moment.

He tried to move, but she tightened her legs around him. “Not yet, don’t leave me yet.” She felt him start to harden inside her again.

He lifted up and started to move again, gliding in and out of her body slowly, reigniting the sparks of pleasure, bring them back to life. He leaned in and kissed her, then whispered, “Thank you.”

She didn’t miss the emotion on his face, dampening his eyes. Reaching up, she smoothed her fingers over his skin and wiped the moisture away. “I can’t imagine what you’ve been through, Zenon. And I don’t know if you’ll ever be able to share any of it. I truly hope that one day you’ll feel safe enough to share some of that burden with me.” He stilled and went to dip his head, but she brushed his hair back, not letting him hide. “What I do know is just being in the same room with you gives me something that has been missing my entire life, something I never knew I needed until you walked into my apartment. Something that I’ve come to realize I don’t want to live without.”

He sucked in a harsh breath. Maybe she’d said too much, pushed too hard too soon, but right then she didn’t care. She wasn’t letting him send her away again. Rubbing her thumb across the vicious scars that ringed his throat, she said, “So you don’t need to thank me, because there’s nowhere else I would rather be, and there is no one else I will ever want to give myself to. No one else but you.”