his nipple, making him yelp. “That’s not what I meant, and you know it.”
Knox did know. He also knew exactly how to answer her. “Now we date.”
“Date?” Dawn looked surprised.
Knox bopped her on the nose, smiling at her cute frown. “Yes, date. We continue to see each other for recreational activities as well as conversation. We continue to touch and kiss and cuddle. And we most definitely continue to have sex.” He paused, holding her close and moving his lips to the shell of her ear, before he whispered, “We do all that until it happens.”
Dawn smiled, laughing a little. Then she asked, “Until what happens?”
Knox kissed her mouth, tangling his tongue lazily with hers until they were panting again. “Until you fall in love with me in return,” he finally answered. Dawn tried to move off him, but Knox wouldn’t let her. Instead he held her tighter. “Quit wiggling or we’ll fall off here. It’s a miracle we didn’t break our necks as it is.”
Dawn was biting her lip, looking anxious. “I’m sorry I can’t say it back. I –”
Knox shook his head, stopping her. “Don’t apologise, I understand. Trust me, I know this is fast. I don’t really know when or how I fell in love with you. I didn’t realise until I saw you kissing your paladins – naughty, naughty, by the way. Remind me to spank you for that later. But I made a vow to myself, after Max healed me and made me a man again. I’m not sure if you overheard that part, but I vowed I would never lie to myself. Even if I could go against my own promise, I wouldn’t want to. I like loving you. It feels good. I want to keep loving you. Is that okay?” he asked, suddenly feeling unsure.
“It’s definitely okay,” Dawn breathed, pushing up to kiss him again.
Knox kissed her back, joy filling his heart. He grinned cockily at his lover, “Besides, if watching you fumble through our initial courtship was anything to go by, watching you fall in love with me is going to be hysterical.”
Dawn gasped, “You arsehole!” She mock growled, pushing herself up and straddling his waist.
Knox laughed, spanning her hips with his hands. “It’s going to be a fun ride.”
Dawn’s expression turned sultry and downright naughty causing his dick to plump a little. “If you think that is a fun ride, you’re going to love this.” Then she turned around and straddled him in reverse.
He groaned, slapping her rump. “Giddy up.”
Dawn’s laugh was music to his ears and a balm to his soul. And her hand was like magic to his dick, he mused as she stroked him back to full hardness. All in all, it was the best ending to a misunderstanding he had ever had.
Book Three
Sunshine
Chapter One
“You know, your mummy has all these swirling stars in her eyes – like an entire galaxy! She is my star and my moon. And you, you are going to be my little Sunshine,” Ryker told his daughter, whispering against Max’s stomach. His hand followed the kicks and punches as he hummed You Are My Sunshine, the vibrations making Max giggle. Ryker looked up at Max. “Stay still, mummy. Daddy is bonding here.”
Max was reclining in bed with a bunch of pillows behind her – because laying flat was out of the question now. Her stomach was just too heavy and she was only able to take shallow breaths when she was on her back. She smiled at Ryker as she ran her hands through his silky, long locks. His hair was now long enough to tie back in a band, though not as long as Beyden’s had been when Max had first met him. Still, Ryker was learning the ways of the man-bun from Sensei Bey and Max loved it. Her father, on the other hand, teased Ryker ruthlessly about it. Max thought the love/hate relationship Mordecai and Ryker had built was beyond adorable, and their daily bantering always made her laugh.
“What are you giggling about?” Ryker asked, giving her tummy a final kiss before reclining next to her.
“You and my father. You two are so cute together,” Max replied.
Ryker grunted, “I hate him.”
“You love him,” Max corrected.
“I love to hate him. How about that? See, I can compromise.” He smiled winningly at her.
Max shook her head, completely melting from that smile. Which, she knew was entirely his intention. “Come here,” Max gestured him closer with her finger. He looked a little smug,