like on her lips? Warm or cool? Were they soft or firm? That scar through the upper one intrigued her. “Like it? I love it.”
They flew around for a while longer. Zooming high and then plummeting, making her belly flip in a different way. Luna laughed and screamed and begged him to stop, then begged him to do it again. And Gunner laughed as well. His was deep and low, and she loved it all so much she couldn’t wipe the smile from her face.
Eventually, though, he lowered them to the roof of the compound. His large hand sliding to the back of her neck and squeezing gently before he released her. If she still breathed, that touch alone would have stolen the wind right out of her lungs. Now she was aware of how different things felt against her skin. She was hungry for it, for touch, for the sensation of different textures, greedy for the warmth of Gunner’s skin, the coolness of his hands, like now, after he’d been flying.
He reached back for his shirt.
“Wait,” she said, the words flying from her mouth before she knew they were coming.
He paused, brow scrunching. “What is it?”
She bit her lip.
“You can ask me anything, you know that, love,” he said, watching her carefully.
She did, he’d made sure of it, and right then she wanted this more than anything. Her fingers actually tingled from wanting it so bad. “Can I…will you let me touch your wings?”
Chapter 15
Maybe Luna shouldn’t have asked? Gunner’s expression had shifted. And she’d never seen that look on his face before.
His wide chest expanded sharply, and he nodded. Just that.
She didn’t understand his reaction or the look in his eyes, but she couldn’t resist moving closer so she could touch either. His cheeks had darkened, and each exhale sounded rougher. As much as she wanted to know how his beautiful wings felt, she didn’t want him to do something he wouldn’t like.
“Are you sure? You’re breathing faster. You don’t like them being touched?”
“It’s not that,” he said, his voice tight. “No one’s ever…touched them before.”
“Why?”
He cleared his throat. “Letting someone put their hands on my wings, it’s an act of total and complete trust.” He clenched and unclenched his fists. “And they’re…yeah, they’re highly sensitive. Touching someone’s wings is…it can be intimate.”
“Oh.” Now she wished she hadn’t asked. The last thing she wanted was to make him uncomfortable. “I’m sorry. I won’t—”
“Please,” he said suddenly. “Please, Luna, I want you to.”
The belly swirls went crazy. “You’re sure?”
“Yes.”
One word but said so low her knees did that wobbly thing again. “You’re positive?”
He dipped his chin.
Okay. She moved around him slowly until she was at his back. Anyone would feel vulnerable having someone behind them, but even more so for a warrior like Gunner.
“I’m going to touch you now,” she said.
His wings were bronze, flecked with delicate strands of gold. “They’re so incredibly beautiful, Gunner,” she whispered as she lifted her hand to one of the arches that rose high from his back.
The tips of her fingers made contact, dancing gently along the arch, and his head dropped forward.
“Am I…does it hurt?”
“No,” he said, voice strained.
His feathers were incredibly silky, and she slid her hand higher. His big body shuddered. “Gunner?”
“It feels good, love. B-better than I ever imagined.”
The idea that she could make him feel good…yeah, she liked that. So much so her skin flushed hot. And the feel of his smooth wings, delicate and exquisite, made her greedy for more. She brushed over the other arch and down the side, over and over, while Gunner shuddered and moaned softly.
When she moved her hand back to the center of his back to start all over again, he stepped away suddenly. “I think we should…um, stop now.”
When he turned to her, his eyes were dark, his cheeks were pink, and his skin was covered in goose bumps.
“But you liked it?”
“Yeah—" He cleared his throat again. “I liked it a lot.” His wings vanished, and he tugged his shirt on. “I, uh…have a surprise for you. I think we should get to that now.”
A surprise?
He motioned behind her, and she turned.
There was a table with a red cloth over it. Gunner strode over and pulled it away. Several little cakes and what looked like chocolate in different colored wrappers sat in a bowl.
“What’s this?” she asked as she moved toward him. When he was there, she was always drawn into his orbit. Not getting close to him was an impossibility.