Page 45 of Knight’s Absolution

“I like you close like this. Close to me.”

Her brow scrunched. “You do?”

She was all sleepy and warm, her face soft, lips puffy. Christ, he wanted to kiss her. “Yes.”

“But last night when I offered to—”

“Do you like it when I hold you, love?” He didn’t want her thinking about that, getting it all twisted in her head.

She stilled, and her hand resting against his back moved, gliding over his skin. His demon purred, and he couldn’t stop his own shudder from the pleasure of it.

Another slow blink. “You like it, don’t you, when I touch you like this?”

“Yes,” he said. He wasn’t going to push her for more, he meant that, but he wasn’t going to lie either. She didn’t fully understand how relationships worked. Azel had only taken from her. Vampires were known for their lack of emotions, for being cold and distant. Luna was half vampire, add in being at the mercy of that sick fucking angel, and her confusion made sense. “You’re soft and smooth, and your skin is warm after feeding from me. I like the way you feel pressed up against me.”

“That’s why you wanted to hold me as payment?” she asked, frowning. “Because you like hugs?”

He wanted to smile and cry at the same time at her confusion. “First answer my question. Do you like it when I hold you like this?”

Her eyes kind of glazed over, as if she was assessing her own body’s response. “I…I do, yes.” Surprise flittered over her features. “I feel warm as well, and your body…it’s hard and muscled. You feel…strong. I like…” Her hand slid over his side and around to his stomach, gliding up his chest, resting over the angel brand there. “Yeah, I definitely like the way you feel pressed up against me as well.”

Jesus, she was killing him. He cleared his throat, so damn rough with lust, he was surprised he still had a voice at all. “That’s why I asked to hold you. Hugs make us both feel good.”

Her eyes narrowed.

He knew what she was thinking almost instantly. The whole payment-for-feeding-her thing. She was worried the balance was off. That he was still giving too much. Christ. “And when you feed from me, we both enjoy that as well. Knowing I’m giving you what you need pleases me more than you know. So we’re more than even.”

“Why would that please you?” she asked, her hands now both getting in on that act, moving over his body, exploring, driving him crazy.

“Because I care about you, Luna. And when you care about someone, making them feel good makes you feel good as well.”

She shook her head, still looking confused as hell. “You have zero reason to care about me, Gunner. After everything I’ve done…”

“You did nothing wrong,” he said with a bit more growl behind it than he’d intended. “And emotions and feelings don’t always make sense. I feel the way I do; does there need to be an explanation behind it?”

This was probably the right time to tell her she was his mate, but he finally felt as if he might possibly be getting through to her. Telling her the mate stuff would definitely freak her out.

She shook her head, her silky black hair moving like liquid silk. “No, I guess not.” She pressed closer, surprising him, her hands still moving over his skin. “I care about you as well. I’m not sure why, but I do.”

And there it was, that innocence, that vulnerability right there on display.

“I’m glad, love. That makes me incredibly fucking happy.”

She smiled as well, flashing the tips of her little fangs, and his heart thumped harder.

“I never knew hugs felt so nice,” she said.

He slowly moved his hands over her back, massaging lightly, trying to give her pleasure while making sure she knew he wasn’t asking for anything else.

“Who do you usually hug?” she asked into his chest.

No one. He never hugged any-damn-one. “I don’t usually do a lot of hugging,” he said, sticking to the truth. “I’ve seen my brothers do it with their mates, and I liked the look of it.”

“I don’t remember being hugged before I was taken. And not at all since. But I’ve seen it on TV. It feels better than I imagined.”

“For me too.” He rubbed her back and asked what he’d been wanting to since she woke up in his bed. “Feelings, emotions, they’re new to you, aren’t they?”

“Yeah,” she said softly. “I mean, the first time I started to feel something was about a year ago, but only anger. Anger, I know well. Though, thinking back, when Grace helped me kill Greg, there was more going on inside me. I was extremely angry, I know that much, but there was something else as well, maybe fear, sadness?”