heir, a family—it was all surreal. A wave of deadly possessiveness briefly blackened his thoughts. If the boys thought he was obsessed with Beth before, he’d just became lethal.
He lay beside her as they both fought to catch their breath. It was done. He’d never denied himself before, but this was worth it. He’d taken her virginity, marked her for forever as his.
“How you feeling?” He brushed some stray hairs from her face.
She didn’t answer, and he started to worry. Beth rolled to her side and traced the tattoos on his chest with her fingertip. “I feel different and the same. It’s hard to explain.”
“Try me.”
“You’re right, I’m a bit sore.” She smiled. “Nothing as bad as I imagined. I know I’m a woman, but today I really feel like one.” She swallowed hard, looking away from his face. “I feel connected to you now. On a different level. You probably don’t feel anything like it since you’ve been with other—”
“Stop right there, Beth.” Forge lifted up onto one elbow as they faced each other on the bed. He forced her to look at him. “I don’t give a fuck about any women from my past. They were fast pussy, nothing more. You, you’re everything to me, understand? What we just shared meant more to me than you can ever imagine. Before the club, I was a scrap. I had nobody to rely on, no one to give a shit. You just gave me a precious part of yourself. I don’t take any of this lightly.”
He leaned away to grab his gift from his night side table, then returned to face her. He held his closed fist out between them.
“What?”
“Open it.”
She smirked and tried to open his fingers, failing miserably, despite her struggle. After watching her for a while, mesmerized by how fucking adorable she was, he released his fingers. Her mouth parted as she looked into his hand.
“What is this?”
“I know it’s not the greatest. I’m used to forging bigger things like knives. Little things like this are a bitch to get right.”
She picked the ring up and stared at it. He waited for her reaction, hoping she wasn’t disappointed. He could buy her anything in the world, but this meant more to him. “It’s perfect.”
Forge couldn’t help but smile. “Good. I made it just for you, baby girl. It means forever.”
“I definitely want forever with you.”
She slipped it on her ring finger, and they kissed—soft, sweet, vulnerable. He wore his armor every day of his life. Beth was the only person to see him exposed. He wasn’t sure if that should terrify him or not.
Chapter Nine
“What’s this one?” Beth asked.
“It was a gunshot.”
She frowned.
For the past half an hour, she’d been poking at all of his scars. Each one telling a different story. All of them just as scary as the last.
“Stop worrying.”
“It’s kind of hard not to.” She nibbled on her lip. “Don’t you ever get afraid?”
Forge rolled over and sat up. He grabbed her hips and she released a little squeak as he got her to straddle his lap. “There, that’s better.”
The hard ridge of his cock pressed against her pussy. She was still sore from yesterday but she wanted to feel him all over again. She thought she’d feel some loss and sadness over losing her virginity but there was nothing. No feeling.
She belonged to Forge now, and that, for her, was exactly how it should be.
He ran his hands from her ass, up to her head, and back down again. He paid close attention to her butt, massaging the cheeks. His touch fueled her arousal.
She wanted him again. There was no denying her need for him.
“Answer me,” she said.
“Let’s see, do I ever get afraid? No, I don’t. Not until you.”
“Me?”
“Yeah. When I discovered you’d been taken, I didn’t think I could breathe. I promised to protect you. You’re mine and I told you you’d be safe. You should have been able to go anywhere, be anywhere. They took you from me and I was scared you’d be lost to me forever.”
“But I’m not. I’m right here with you.” She kissed his lips.
His cock swelled even more and she moaned.
“I’m not a fucking animal. Tell me to stop and I will.”
“I don’t want you to stop.”
Forge smirked. “Did you like me inside you?”
“Yes.”
“Do you want me to be inside you again?”
“Yes.”
“Tell me, let me hear those dirty words on your lips.”
Her cheeks heated and she couldn’t resist smiling. “You want me to be all