Something primal and unstoppable surges through me. I lift her, carrying her to the bedroom in four long strides. Set her on the edge of the bed, then go to my dresser. Pull out a length of soft rope—left over from more innocent workout days.
Her eyes widen when she sees it, but there's no fear. Only heat.
"Arms up," I command. When she complies without hesitation, I bind her wrists together, then secure them to the headboard. Not tight enough to hurt—never to hurt—but enough that she's at my mercy.
"Mine," I growl, tearing the t-shirt down the middle, exposing her naked body to my gaze. "Every. Fucking. Inch."
I strip quickly, cock already painfully hard. Settle between her spread thighs, staring down at this angel who trusts me despite the blood still drying on my knuckles. The violence that lives in my soul.
"Going to erase every memory," I promise darkly. "Every second of fear. Replace it all with me."
I push into her without preamble, her body wet and ready despite the roughness of my approach. She gasps, back arching off the bed, bound arms straining against the rope.
"Feel that?" I growl, grinding deep. "This pussy belongs to me. No one else gets to touch it. No one else gets to see you like this."
"Only you," she gasps, meeting my thrusts. "Only ever you, Ryker."
I grip her thighs, spreading her wider, watching where our bodies join. The sight of my cock disappearing into her tight heat drives me wild.
"Gonna breed you so deep," I snarl, pace punishing now. "Fill you with my babies. Make sure everyone knows who you belong to."
Her eyes roll back, inner walls clenching around me. "Yes," she moans. "Please, Daddy. Make me yours."
The word snaps what little restraint I have left. I fuck her like a man possessed, one hand gripping her hip, the other wrapped around her throat—not squeezing, just asserting dominance.
"Say my name," I command. "Who's inside you right now? Who owns this body?"
"Ryker," she sobs, tears of pleasure streaming down her face. "You own me. All of me."
I release her throat, reaching between us to circle her clit. "And who am I to you, princess?"
"My Daddy," she whimpers, trembling on the edge. "My protector. My everything."
"That's right," I praise, feeling my own release building. "Come for me, little girl. Come on Daddy's cock while I breed you raw."
She shatters with a scream, her entire body convulsing beneath me. The sight of her completely surrendered, bound and trusting, pushes me over the edge. I bury myself to the hilt and roar as I empty inside her, claiming her from within.
Afterward, I untie her wrists gently, massaging circulation back into them. She curls against my chest, utterly spent, completely trusting. My bloody knuckles leave faint traces on her pale skin as I stroke her back.
"Are you okay?" I ask, suddenly worried I've been too rough, too primal.
She looks up at me, eyes soft and sated. "I've never been better."
I press a kiss to her forehead, overcome with a tenderness I never knew I was capable of feeling. "He's gone," I promise. "From your life. From your mind. There's only me now."
"Only you," she agrees, snuggling closer. "Forever."
And as I hold her close, I silently vow that nothing—and no one—will ever hurt her again. Not as long as I'm breathing.
eight
. . .
Amanda
I've never been a tease.Never had the courage. When you've spent three years living in fear, making yourself small, invisible, the last thing you do is draw attention. But tonight is different. Tonight, I stand in front of the mirror and barely recognize myself. The woman staring back wears a tight black crop top that shows a strip of midriff, a skirt that barely covers the essentials, and confidence that's entirely new. A week with Ryker has transformed me. His possessiveness, his protection, his worship of my body—it's like being reborn. Tonight, I want to see what happens when I push him. When I make him lose that famous control. When I make his primitive side come out to play.
"You ready?" Ryker's voice calls from the living room of his apartment—our apartment now, really, since I haven't been back to mine in days.
