by Harley Wylde
“Any other objections to being mine?” he asked.
“No. I wanted to be yours, I… I didn’t want to hold you back.”
He pressed his forehead to mine. “Little Bit, you’re the reason I wake up smiling every morning. No more doubts, all right?”
“Okay.”
“I need to pick up your presents from Titan’s house. Delilah was going to wrap them for me so they wouldn’t look like a badger had mangled them. When I get back, we’ll go out to eat.”
“I could make something,” I offered.
“Not a chance. We’re celebrating.”
“What?” I asked.
He kissed me hard and fast. “You being mine. I made it official while you were gone. Had Brick and the others with you text in their votes. It was unanimous. You’re mine, Little Bit.”
My heart warmed and I couldn’t stop smiling. While he went to get my presents, I cleaned up my mess and changed my sweater. My hair was tumbling out of my clip so I ran a brush through it and decided to leave it down. It was a bit chilly outside today and I didn’t think we’d go out on his bike, but if we did I’d make sure I had a ponytail holder in my pocket so I could pull my hair back.
I heard him moving around downstairs and rushed to the living room. He’d put so many presents under the tree I wondered if he’d bought out the mall. Archimedes and the kitten were nowhere to be seen, which meant they’d likely gone to the kitchen. I was surprised the paper and shiny ribbons hadn’t attracted the kitten’s attention like it had when I’d been wrapping gifts.
“Ronan, you got too much!” I protested.
“No, I didn’t get nearly enough.” He stood and pulled me into his arms. “It’s our first Christmas together as an official ‘us’ and I wanted to make it memorable. Last year I did the bare minimum because I wasn’t sure you were ready for more.”
“You’re so good to me,” I said. “I don’t know why Titan picked you that day, but I’m glad it was you who came to get me.”
“Me too, Little Bit. I’ve been thankful every day that you’ve been a part of my life.” I rubbed his thumb along my jaw. “I’d thought I was going to rescue a girl. It never occurred to me Titan had sent me after a young woman who would be perfect for me. Maybe we should get him a present.”
“I already did. Phoebe helped me pick out a signed hardback for him. But if you have an idea for something else, we could always give him two presents. I told her a book didn’t seem like much.”
“I’ll think of something. He’s talked about getting a custom leather seat for his bike at a shop not too far from here. Maybe I’ll pay the deposit on it and get them to contact him about what he wants.” He kissed my forehead. “Now where do you want to eat? We can go anywhere.”
“Well, it’s Christmas. Almost. What about the buffet on Market Avenue? I heard they were going to have turkey, ham, dressing, bread pudding, and a bunch of holiday treats all month long.”
“Then that’s where we’ll go.”
He took my hand and led me out to the Bronco and helped me onto the seat. When he started it up, he turned up the heat and made sure the vents were pointed my way. With it being an older vehicle, it didn’t blow hot or cold very hard, but I knew he loved driving it. And since it’s what he’d brought to rescue me, I rather liked it too.
Chapter Six
Patriot
I couldn’t remember a time I’d ever seen MaryAnne smile so much. Seeing the joy on her face, hearing her excited chatter as she talked about all things Christmas, and watching the look of rapture that crossed her face with every bite of her food made me wish the night would never end. All I wanted was for her to be happy, and at the moment, she was. I knew eventually another nightmare would creep up on her, but she hadn’t had one in over a week. At least, not that I’d heard.
After dinner, I took her by the coffee shop for some hot chocolate, and then we drove around looking at Christmas lights while she sang along with the carols on the radio. One house in town had animated lights that matched the music on a particular radio station. We watched for at least ten minutes before I moved on so someone else could have a turn. It made me wish I’d thought to ask every brother at the compound to put lights up, just so MaryAnne could see them and smile.
At the house, she went straight upstairs, her steps slow as exhaustion hit her. I could see the fatigue in her eyes, but she’d struggled to keep going. I locked up and shut off all the lights, let Archimedes out one last time and put the animals to bed. When I’d finished, I headed up to my room, only to hesitate outside the guest room she’d been using. Now that she was officially mine, my room was now our room. I lifted my hand to knock and tell her as much. Until reality crashed in. She might never be ready to share a room with me, and the last thing I wanted was for her to think I was pushing her. Even though she’d wanted to sleep by me the other night, it didn’t mean she wanted to do that all the time.
I went to my bedroom and shut the door before stripping off my boots and clothes. I started the shower, not bothering to turn the heat up too much. I’d gotten used to cold showers, especially the last six months, when MaryAnne had started to come alive. Stepping under the spray, I pulled the door closed and let the water beat down on my head. Goose bumps covered my skin. The cold didn’t seem to bother my cock since it stood upright. Hiding my reaction from MaryAnne had gotten easier lately. Mostly because I knew she wasn’t looking below my belt, so as long as I held myself a certain way, she didn’t pay attention to the fact my cock was trying to escape my jeans.
I reached down and gripped my shaft, squeezing it at the base, willing my erection to go down. It never worked, but I always tried anyway. I slicked my palm with soap and started stroking my dick with long, hard tugs. Bracing my other hand on the wall, I closed my eyes and imagined MaryAnne was the one touching me. It didn’t take long before I was coming. My heart pounded in my chest as cum splashed the tiled wall. Even after my release, my cock hadn’t softened.
“Ronan.”
My body locked up tight and I turned my head, opening my eyes. I’d hoped it was only my imagination, but no. MaryAnne was standing in the bathroom, staring at me with wide eyes. Fuck!
“You shouldn’t be in here, MaryAnne.”
She shifted from foot to foot, wringing her hands in front of her. “Since you said I was officially yours now, I thought… I mean… Do you want me to share the same room with you?”
“I’ve told you that I’ll never ask for more than you’re willing to give, Little Bit.”
Her cheeks turned pink. “I liked sleeping in your arms.”
Yeah, I’d liked that too. A little too much.
“I’m not sure you’d like it tonight.” I looked down at my cock. If anything, it had gotten even harder with her standing so close.
“I’ve seen naked men before,” she said. “I know what happens when a man gets turned-on. You won’t shock me.”
“Dammit, MaryAnne! You weren’t given a choice! You have one now. I won’t force you to be around me while I’m like this. You’re not obligated to share my bed and feel my cock digging into you all night, because it’s not going to get soft anytime soon. If anything, having you next to me will only make it worse.”
She moved closer, pressing a hand to the glass door. “Were you picturing me while you…”
“Yeah. I was,” I admitted, not wanting to lie to her.
“Then you should at least know what to picture. I know you saw me naked that first day, when you came to the hospital to get me, but you didn’t look. Not really.”
She reached for the hem of her shirt and I nearly choked on my tongue as she pulled it over her head and let it drop to the floor, then shimmied out of her pants. She wore plain white panties but fuck if they weren’t sexy on her. She removed those too, then opened the shower door. She shivered as the cold water hit her and I reached for the knob, turning up the temperature.
“What are you doing?” I asked.
She held her ar
ms out. “Look at me, Ronan. Really look. My body isn’t perfect. What they did to me took its toll.”
I knew I shouldn’t look, but I couldn’t seem to help myself. My gaze skimmed over her breasts. Plump with pretty pink nipples. As I looked closer, I saw what she’d meant about not being perfect. There were silvery lines that marred her skin. Scars, most likely from a knife. There were more across her stomach and all the way down to her pubic bone. When she turned, I saw the brand on her right ass cheek. I knew that symbol. I’d seen it on a finger I’d cut off in the last year.
I growled and reached for her, lightly touching the scarred, puckered flesh. “I wish I could kill him all over again.”
Her back tensed and she looked at me over her shoulder. “What?”
I took a breath and knew I needed to tell her. Confess what I’d done. “I’ve spent the last year tracking down every man identified as one of your rapists. I’ve slaughtered them. Slowly. Made them suffer, beg, cry. The man who left this mark is gone. I saw that symbol on his ring when I cut his fingers off.”
She turned to face me, her eyes wet with tears. “You’ve been tracking them down and killing them? All of them?”
“Any that were recognized with the software Wizard has. He used it on the videos the hospital had of you. They recorded a lot of what happened.” I held her gaze. “I’ve done everything I can to wipe every last one of them from the earth. There are only two I haven’t been able to kill because they live too far away. One moved to Montana and another out to California. I’ve put the word out I want their heads.”
She threw herself against me, wrapping her arms around my waist. “I knew you were my knight in shining armor.”
“Don’t make me out to be something I’m not, Little Bit. I have blood on my hands. A lot of it. I’ve done bad things. But I will fucking die before I let anyone go unpunished who dared to cause you pain.” I put my arms around her, holding her close. “I want you to feel safe, MaryAnne. To know you can leave the compound without fear any of those men will come for you.”
“I always feel safe with you,” she said in a voice so soft I nearly didn’t hear her.
I didn’t know why, especially since my dick hadn’t softened yet and was now trapped between us. After everything they’d done to her, how could she stand here, naked and in my arms? I’d have thought removing her clothes would terrify her, much less being pressed against me without anything between us.
Maybe I didn’t know as much about her as I’d thought. I’d known she was stronger than she realized, but perhaps her strength was greater than even I had discerned.
“If you want to shower, I’ll get out. I meant what I said before. I don’t expect anything of you, Little Bit. We can go at your pace, however slow that might be.”
“What if I want to try? I want to be normal, Ronan. I’m tired of being scared, of only remembering pain when it comes to men. You’ve kissed me several times now. It didn’t scare me. I liked it.”
“It’s not a good idea, MaryAnne. Not while we’re both naked. Even I don’t have that kind of control.”
She reached up and cupped my cheek. “I think you do.”
“You were wrong, you know? I still think you’re beautiful. These scars…” I reached out and traced one of the silver lines across her breast. “They don’t make you ugly. They show your strength. Your determination to survive.”
Her nipple hardened and she sucked in a breath. I kept my gaze on her face, watching for her reaction, as I let my finger slide down, then lightly caress the pretty pink tip. She bit her lip, but her eyes darkened. Not from fear but from need. I cupped her breast and rolled her nipple between my fingers.
“Feel good?” I asked.
She nodded. Christ. I was going to hell. I knew I should get the fuck out and put some space between us, but I wanted to show her pleasure, to give her a good memory to associate with being touched.
“I do anything you don’t like, or that scares you, I want to know. Understood?”
“I understand,” she said.
I leaned down and kissed her, tasted her. Before I realized it, I’d backed her to the glass wall. She didn’t protest. If anything, she leaned into me, silently asking for more. I cupped her ass with both hands and lifted her. MaryAnne wrapped her legs around my waist and her arms looped around my neck.
“We don’t have to do this, Little Bit,” I murmured before kissing her again.
“I know, but I think I need this as much as you.” She blinked at me before giving me a hesitant smile. “I need to know I can enjoy being with you, that sex isn’t painful. Take away my memories and give me new ones. Please, Ronan.”
Fuck me. When she asked so sweetly, how could I tell her no?
“If you get scared…”
She silenced me with a kiss. “I won’t.”
I reached between us, rubbing her clit. Her lips parted and I saw the pulse in her throat start to race. It only took a few strokes before she cried out, hips bucking against me, as she came. The flare of surprise in her eyes, the startled expression on her face, was enough to tell me she’d never had an orgasm before.
“That’s it, Little Bit. Come for me. Let go.” I kept rubbing, not stopping until the last tremor had raked her small frame. While she was loose and wet, I positioned my cock against her pussy and eased inside, giving her time to tell me to stop or push me away. “Fuck, MaryAnne. You feel so damn good.”
Her nails bit into my shoulders. “Don’t stop.”
I placed a hand on her hip and drove into her. She tipped her head back, her eyes narrowing to slits as she stared at me. Soft cries escaped her as I thrust into her tight pussy, over and over. I felt my balls draw up and knew I wouldn’t last much longer. I rubbed her clit again, and when she found her release, I came inside her.
It had been too fucking long since I’d been with a woman. If it had been anyone in here with me other than MaryAnne, I’d have been embarrassed. I knew she wouldn’t judge me.
My cock twitched and throbbed, but I wasn’t ready to pull out. The way she tightened her hold on me, it seemed she was okay staying as we were for at least another minute or two. I smoothed her hair back from her face.
“You all right?”
“I’m perfect.” She smiled. “Thank you, Ronan.”
I shook my head. “Trust me, Little Bit. I’m the one who should be thanking you. And I know this is a little too late, but I’m clean. If you were wondering, you are too. Bones tested you for STDs when he examined you the first time.”
The smile slipped from her face. “I hadn’t thought of that.”
“I only brought it up because we should have discussed it beforehand. If I weren’t sterile, we’d have had that conversation too. Seeing as how we got that part out of the way…”
She cupped my cheek. “I don’t care that you can’t have kids, Ronan. Like you said. If I’m fertile, we can try the sperm you had frozen. If I’m not, or the artificial insemination doesn’t work, we can adopt. Family doesn’t have to be blood.”
My cock started to soften, and I pulled out, letting MaryAnne slide down my body. I took my time washing her, letting my hands caress every inch of her soft skin. She leaned into me, like a little kitten seeking attention. How anyone could have ever hurt her wasn’t something I could comprehend. I’d never met anyone sweeter.
“Ready for bed?” I asked. She nodded but something in her eyes made it seem like she didn’t want to get out of the shower yet. “What is it, Little Bit?”
“Where am I supposed to sleep?”
I kissed her soft and slow. “Anywhere you want. You can keep your room, or you can share the bed with me. I told you… at your pace, MaryAnne.”
“I’m yours. You said so.”
“Yeah, Little Bit. You’re mine. Sleeping in a different room won’t change that.”
She pressed her cheek to my chest. “I want to stay with you. I slept better the night you held me than I have in years.”
“Me too.�
� I wrapped her in my arms again and held her until the water started to cool. I shut off the shower, dried us both off, and led her into the bedroom. I handed her a T-shirt to sleep in. “You can move your clothes in here if you want to sleep here every night.”
“Is there room?” she asked.
“I’ll make room. You tell me what you need, and I’ll make it happen.”
She crawled into bed and I turned off the lights before joining her. She cuddled close and I breathed in her scent as I shut my eyes. It was like everything inside me settled. Having her here in my bed, lying against me, made it feel like everything was right in my world. MaryAnne had been mine since the day I pulled her from hell, but this was the first time she was where she belonged.
And if she changed her mind later, I wouldn’t stand in her way. I knew she needed to feel like she had some sort of control over her life. As much as I wanted to pull a caveman act and tell her she wasn’t fucking leaving my bed, I couldn’t do that to her. It would crush her, possibly destroy her. I’d do anything to protect her, even if it was from my own needs.
Her breathing deepened and I knew she’d fallen asleep. I hoped she wouldn’t have nightmares. If what we’d shared set her back, then I’d keep my dick in my pants until she could handle more. Even if it did give me blue balls. Wouldn’t be the first time I’d had them since she came to live with me. Doubted it would be the last.
At least I no longer had to hide what I’d done. It hadn’t felt right keeping it a secret. Now that she knew I’d killed the men who’d hurt her, maybe she wouldn’t be so scared to leave the compound. Hopefully it wouldn’t take long for someone to handle the last two men. I’d pay whatever price they asked, as long as those fuckers were dead when it was all said and done.
Anything to keep a smile on her face, to chase the shadows from her eyes, and give her the life she deserved. I wasn’t ready to admit it out loud, but I knew damn well I didn’t just like MaryAnne. I loved her.