That there were bad men out to get her. That those bad men would hurt her. By the time she hit her teen years, she had accepted that her dad had another lifestyle that ruined having a normal life.
She stared at Romeo, expecting him to walk out the door. To look at her and change his mind.
"I'm sorry," he whispered raggedly.
She blinked. That was the last thing she expected him to say.
Chapter Twenty Four
Timber's back stiffened, and her eyes cleared of the desire she got from the kiss moments again. Romeo stepped forward, condom forgotten in his hand, and cupped her cheek. It killed him that she still looked at him leerily as if he would make her cry at any second.
"I'm so fucking sorry, doll. I forgot to turn my phone back on after the club meeting." He stroked her cheekbone. "I missed your message, asking for help."
"I shouldn't have texted you or the others. I thought...but I wasn't in danger," she whispered.
"I want you to text me." He squatted in front of her. "I want you to text my brothers. I want you to text every member of Killere. I want you to text the girls at the diner. I want you to text anyone you want when you need...anything. I don't give a shit if it's a text about seeing a bug on the ground. If you have something to say, you tell the whole fucking world and demand they listen. You hear me?"
She pressed her cheek into his hand. "It's not that simple. I can't."
"You did, though." He held her tighter. "You were scared, and you texted me. You texted Brody, Turner, Axel, Caleb, Sander."
A shiver went through her. His gut tightened, needing to take care of her. He wanted to be the one she wanted.
He'd lost the fucking battle to stay away from her. Now he had her. He wasn't going to let her go.
He bent and kissed her. Not letting her keep anything from him, he took her mouth, her tongue, and demanded she surrender to him. He'd damn well show her that he was here to take care of her. He would do everything within his power never to disappoint her. Ever.
She'd had enough disappointment in her short life.
Timber slowly stroked her tongue against his. His lips tugged into a satisfied grin, feeling her protective walls come down.
He guided her back until she lay prone on the bed. Then, he lightly kissed his way off her mouth to rip open the foil condom wrapper and yank his jeans down past his hips. He rolled on the protection.
Timber gawked at him with her mouth open. Seeing her make no move to take her clothes off, he saw the barrier as a challenge. A flimsy pair of shorts and a tank top weren't going to stop him from having what he wanted.
He grabbed the waistband of her shorts, slid his fingers inside, hooking her panties, and swept both articles of clothing down her legs. Her shoes gave some resistance but ultimately came off when he ripped her clothes off her.
He shoved the bottom of the tank over her breasts, growing more impatient to see her body. His gaze fell on the front of a black bra, noticing the clip, and his cock pulsed harder, stiffer, bigger. Making quick work of undoing the front of her bra, he witnessed her breasts spill out to the sides of her chest, giving him a nest for his head.
He hungrily swept his gaze down her body, nudging her legs apart by planting his knee between her thighs.
Timber's breasts heaved with each breath. Despite her age, or maybe because of it, he found her sexier than any woman he'd ever been with. There was something warm and comforting about her naked body that made him possessive.
He looked up, holding her gaze. "You're mine."
The affirmation came out, and once it was there, he promised to back it up. No man would ever touch her or hurt her. He would take care of her.
Kneeling between her legs, he cupped her breasts. She stared at him, waiting—curious and patient, everything he was not.
The sight of her giving herself to him turned him on.
He lowered his head, licking her nipple before giving attention to her other breast. Back and forth, he lavished the hardened buds, hearing Timber's quickened breath burst out of her mouth with each swipe.
She wrapped her legs around him and lifted her ass off the mattress. Her wetness landed firmly on his stomach, making him stiffen even more. His cock pulsed, tapping against her ass.
Timber's gaze flashed with knowledge of what she was doing, and kept rubbing herself against his stomach. He fisted the bedspread in his hands, determined to take control.
He wasn't done yet.
Backing away, he dived between her legs, took the sweetness she spread on him, and indulged himself. He licked, nibbled, and thrust his tongue deep inside of her.
She bucked against his mouth. He slid his hands underneath her, holding her ass prisoner.
Sliding his tongue along her slit, he looked up and found her watching him. There was nothing shameful about how she was feeling. She wanted him—plain and simple.
He missed that part of her last time, caught up in his pleasure. This time, he could see how open and needy she became with her sexual needs—she wasn't holding anything back.
It was the opposite of how she faced him during the day. He wanted her willing to sacrifice herself to him all of the time. To trust him. To need him.
She sucked her bottom lip in and captured it between her teeth. Dragging himself off her pussy, he rubbed his mouth and beard across his bicep and settled higher on her body. His cock homed in on the warm, wet, tight spot, and he plunged inside her. Holding himself completely encased within her, his heart pounded, looking down into her face.
Her eyelids threatened to close with each pulse of his dick. She fought to keep them open and look at him.
He wasn't going back on his promise. She belonged to him. He'd let everyone fucking know the second they stepped out of the room.
He wasn't giving her up.
He wasn't giving this up.
Timber's pussy spasmed, sending pleasure deep in his balls. He stroked his cock in her as her fingernails pricked the sides of his ribs, making her marks—owning him.
"Oh, my God," she whispered or maybe mouthed. He couldn't hear anything over the pounding of his blood.
Sliding into her, he lifted while fully seated, rubbing her clit with his body. He pulled back and then shoved in again, watching the moment the pupils of her eyes dilated when he came into contact with her clit. He rubbed her like that over and over as his breathing grew harsher, matching Timber's.
His cock glistened with wetness, coated and lubricated, heightening the pleasure. He was getting closer. His balls constricted, vibrating up his spine.
Timber's inner thighs squeezed down on him. He pinned her to the bed, not letting her ride him. He was going to take her to the end. He was going to make fucking sure. She said his name when her body unraveled.
Dropping to one elbow, he gripped her leg, pulling it higher, and drove into her harder. Timber's eyes closed, and her head went back. His eyes burned, determined to watch every second.
His toes curled in his boots. His movements grew erratic. It took everything in him to keep going and hold back. The sensations—a mix between pain and pleasure weighed heavily on him.
"Mine," he said on a growl. "Mine."
She nodded, her body rocking under his. He caught her when she arched against him, and her body convulsed, tightening around every inch of him. Her pussy milked his cock. Her legs knotted around his hips. Her arms tightened like a noose around his neck.