Page 76 of Knight’s Absolution

“Yeah.”

She glanced up at him again. His cheeks were dark, his eyes almost completely black, and he was clenching his teeth. “Are you sure?”

One sharp dip of his chin.

Thank god for that, because now she wanted to see him even more badly. Lifting the elastic of his boxers, she slid them down the front. The fabric hooked on the head of his penis, and when it sprang free, his heavy length slapped against his stomach.

Luna froze. “Oh.”

Gunner muttered a curse.

“It’s big. Bigger than any I’ve ever seen.”

“Is it?” he choked.

She tilted her head to the side. “Mmm-hmm.”

“What are you thinking, Luna? Tell me what you’re thinking, love?”

What was she thinking? She glanced up at him. “We’re mates, so I assume you’ll want to have sex with me?”

“You don’t want that?” he asked as he breathed hard, making the muscles all over his chest and stomach clench and release.

“I guess my main concern is, will it fit? Obviously, I’ve had sex before, but I don’t remember much. I guess I blocked it out. This is bigger, though, I know that much.”

Silence.

“Will it feel good?” She tilted her head to the other side. “As good as what you just did to me? Because sex has never been good before.”

More silence.

She studied his body. He was beautiful there. Could a penis be beautiful? Well, Gunner’s was. “I know I sound like an idiot. I mean, I’ve touched a male’s…cock before, I’m not completely innocent about what goes on between males and females, but I’ve never enjoyed being…penetrated by one.”

Even more silence.

“Gunner?” She looked up at him again…and jolted when she took in the look on his face. “What’s wrong?”

His jaw worked and his nostrils flared as he dragged in breath after breath. “I don’t…I don’t like…” He hissed, yanked up his jeans, and all but flew off the bed, pacing from one end of the room to the other.

“Gunner, you’re starting to freak me out,” she whispered.

“Sorry.” He gripped the back of his head. Every muscle and tendon on display was in stark relief. He breathed heavily and his face was contorted, the scar through his lip making it look like he was mid snarl. “I want to kill Azel, tear him into tiny pieces after I’ve tortured him for hours and made him fucking scream for what he did to you,” he said in a deadly voice she didn’t recognize.

She shot to her feet. She’d never seen Gunner this angry before, didn’t think he could be this filled with rage. “I didn’t think…I shouldn’t have said…”

“No, Luna. You haven’t said or done any fucking thing wrong.” He strode to her, his fingers curling around her upper arms, and leaned in. “I feel so fucking helpless. I want the threat to you gone, I want that piece of shit wiped off the face of the earth.”

“I won’t talk about it…him, anymore, I promise…”

He dipped lower, catching her gaze. “What you went through with him, I don’t want you to hold back. You’re so damn precious to me, Luna. I don’t think you understand how much, not yet. And yeah, knowing how badly you were treated by him, it makes me want to tear down walls, but you lived it, the least I can do is hear it.”

Again, his words rocked her to her core. “Thank you, for being so…wonderful. But I don’t like seeing you this upset. No good can come from talking about any of it.”

He tugged her into his body. “I’m sorry for the way I reacted. I don’t want you to hold back or measure your words around me. I’ll do better, love, I promise I’ll do better.”

With every word that came out of his mouth, her dead, lifeless heart grew warmer, bigger.

His phone beeped, and he cursed when he pulled it from his pocket and read what was there.