Chapter 7 - Rose

My cheeks flush hot as Grant - Trickster's real name - gazes down at me with those intense, smoldering eyes. I can't believe I actually admitted my secret out loud. That I'm still a virgin at nineteen years old.

It's something I've kept hidden for so long out of shame and insecurity. Lying to guys, making excuses about being on my period, or not being in the mood whenever things started getting too heated.

I always feared they would think me undesirable or defective in some way because of my lack of experience.

But as I drink in the rugged lines of Grant's bare torso, the rippling muscles and trail of hair disappearing beneath his waistband, any lingering self-consciousness melts away.

This man, this tall, powerful force of a biker wants me - a scrawny, sheltered thing who knows nothing about the ways of the flesh.

His big and strong hands roam over my sides as he leans in closer, sweat beading on his toned chest. I reach out with trembling fingers to trace the deep grooves of his abdominal muscles, feeling them tense beneath my touch.

A low rumble vibrates deep in Grant's throat as he captures my wrists in one large hand, pinning them gently over my head.

My body responds eagerly, instinctively arching up to meet the rigid planes of his torso as his free hand drifts lower to hook beneath the waistband of my sweatpants.

Panic flutters in my belly as he slowly peels the fabric down over my hips, baring the tender expanse of creamy skin. Marks and bruises caused by the Outlaws litter my thighs - will he find me repulsive and damaged?

But Grant seems to sense my reservation. He pulls back just enough to meet my gaze, those intense eyes smoldering with a mixture of desire and reassurance.

"You're gorgeous, every damn inch of you," he rasps in that deep, gravelly timbre that has me melting. "A few scratches and bruises ain't ever gonna change that, you hear me? You're mine now, Rose...let me worship you properly."

My eyes flutter closed as he leans in again, mapping a blazing path of open-mouthed kisses along both my legs. Grant's words and touches are washing away all my insecurities, smoothing away years' worth of self-doubt with his rough yet caring caresses.

"Yes," I breathe out in a shuddering whimper as his mouth trails lower. "Make me yours, Grant. Please..."

There's no fear or hesitation as I give myself over fully to this intense, enigmatic biker. Only a bone-deep certainty that he will cherish and protect me as fiercely as he clearly desires me.

That, after such a harrowing night of terror and trauma, I've somehow landed in the arms of the one man who can make me feel treasured and whole again.

My life is his now, just as his strong, beating heart seems to already belong to me.

He hovers over me, his muscular frame casting a shadow across my exposed body. Part of me still can't believe this is really happening - that I'm about to give myself fully to this rough, enigmatic biker I just met hours ago.

Grant's intense gaze burns into me, seeming to pick up on my inner conflict.

"You sure about this, Rose?" he rumbles, fingertips tracing featherlight patterns along my flushed skin. "Last chance to back out before I claim every sweet inch of you..."

I don't need to ponder his words. Reaching up, I hook my fingers into the waistband of his pants and tug insistently. This is what I want - what I need after the night of terror I've endured. To feel treasured and protected in Grant's strong embrace, no matter how unconventional or hasty our union may seem.

A feral grin curves Grant's lips as he swiftly sheds the rest of his clothing. I can't help the way my eyes widen, drinking in the impressive length of him for the first time. He's so big, thick...intimidatingly masculine in every sense of the word.

But then Grant is leaning over me again, roughly peeling away my last scraps of modesty until I'm fully naked. I feel a fleeting pang of embarrassment and try to curl inward, but he simply grips my thighs and spreads my legs in one commanding motion.

"Beautiful," he growls in approval, devouring my exposed pussy with dark, hungry eyes. "So damn pretty and perfect...all mine."

His weight settles over me, cock throbbing against my slick entrance. I suck in a sharp breath, equal parts anticipation and fear lancing through me. This is really happening - I'm about to become a woman in Grant's arms, to experience unholy pleasures I've only read about in dirty novels.

Our eyes lock as he begins to push forward with one slow, torturous drag. A whimpery gasp escapes my lips at the strange, full sensation of him splitting me wide open for the first time.

Grant's jaw ticks as he pushes himself to the hilt, letting me adjust to him. Then he starts to move, rolling his hips in a filthy grind that has me writhing and keening beneath him.

This is ecstasy, rapture, euphoria - every fantasy I've ever had about intimacy pales in comparison to the blazing reality of Grant's passion.

All thoughts of fear or regret are banished from my mind. All that exists is the slick glide of his body claiming mine, merciless and thorough in stoking my desires ever higher. I am his now, undeniably and unequivocally.

And I wouldn't have it any other way.

I cry out as waves of pleasure crash through me, back arching off the mattress. My nails dig into Trickster's muscular back, but he doesn't even flinch. He just keeps moving, claiming me as his own with every powerful thrust.

When the intense sensations finally start to ebb, I lie there panting, half-lidded eyes staring unseeingly at the blank white ceiling. How did I end up here, in this strange man's bed, having my innocence taken in the most intimate way?

Just hours ago, I was terrified, running for my life from those awful men who tried to force me into marriage. But now...now I feel safe and protected in Trickster's embrace; like he's the beacon of strength I need to weather any storm.

A tiny part of me wonders if the trauma was somehow necessary to bring me to this point - to have me cross paths with a man who could change my life forever.

Because from this moment on, I'm his. And I'll tell him my full story, no more secrets between us.

With a guttural groan, I let my head loll back, body going boneless against the sheets as I reach the pinnacle of bliss again. But Trickster isn't done yet, sweat glistening on his flexing muscles as he chases his own release.

"I'm close, Rose..." he growls through gritted teeth. "You're mine now, you hear me? All mine..."

Dazed and sated, I offer him a languid smile.

"If that's what you want, I belong to you."

He stills above me, eyes widening almost comically at my breathless declaration. For a heartbeat, Trickster seems to wrestle with some inner conflict. Then, with a guttural rumble, he reaches his orgasm, body tensing as he pours himself into me.

We lay there panting, bodies still intimately joined, when he finally finds his voice again.

"Rose..." Trickster's gravelly murmur is laced with uncertainty. "You sure you want to belong to a dangerous man like me?"

Shifting my weight, I gaze up at him with what I hope is a reassuring look.

"You're not dangerous to me, Trickster. I trust you...trust that you only use your strength to protect people from the truly bad ones out there."

His eyes search mine intently as if looking for any flicker of doubt or fear. When he finds none, some of the tension seems to bleed from his hulking frame.

"Then you're stuck with me, little Rose," he rumbles, brushing a stray lock of hair from my damp forehead. "Cause I don't plan on letting you go anytime soon."