With a tenderness that belies his size and the violence I just witnessed, he lifts me into his arms. Carries me to the car like I weigh nothing. I curl against his chest, finally feeling safe again.
"Should we call the police?" I ask as he drives us home, one hand on the wheel, the other clutching mine so tightly it almost hurts.
"Already called." His voice is clipped, still edged with rage. "Anonymous tip. They'll find him with the knife. With his record and the restraining order history, he'll go away for a long time."
At home, I lead him to the bathroom. His knuckles are split open, blood drying in the creases. I clean them gently with antiseptic, feeling his eyes on me the entire time.
"I'm sorry," he says suddenly.
I look up, surprised. "For what?"
"For what you saw. What I did. The violence." His jaw clenches. "Must have scared you."
I shake my head, setting aside the first aid kit. Take his damaged hands in mine. "You don't scare me, Ryker. You never have." I press a kiss to his knuckles. "You saved my life tonight."
Something raw and vulnerable flashes across his face before he pulls me onto his lap. "When I saw him with that knife…when I thought he might hurt you..."
"Shh," I soothe, pressing my lips to his. "I'm okay. We're okay."
The kiss deepens immediately, his arms banding around me like steel, holding me against his massive chest. I can feel his heart thundering beneath my palms, the adrenaline still coursing through him.
"Need you," he groans against my mouth. "Need to feel you. Alive. Safe. Mine."
I stand, stripping off my clothes with newfound boldness. His eyes devour every inch of skin revealed, darkening with hunger. When I'm naked, I help him out of his shirt, careful of his injured hands. He kicks off his jeans, cock already hard and ready.
I straddle him on the edge of the bed, taking control in a way I never have before. Sink down onto his thickness in one slow, deliberate movement that has us both gasping.
"Fuck," he hisses, hands gripping my hips. "So tight. So perfect."
I begin to move, setting a pace that's both tender and urgent. His hands roam my body like he needs to reassure himself I'm real, I'm here, I'm unharmed.
"All yours," I whisper, rocking against him. "Only ever yours."
His grip tightens, guiding me faster. "Mine," he growls, thrusting up to meet each downward movement. "Only mine. Never his. Never anyone else's."
The jealousy in his voice, the possessiveness, makes heat pool low in my belly. I lean forward, lips brushing his ear. "No one else has ever touched me like you do. No one else ever will."
He groans, flipping our positions without breaking our connection. Suddenly I'm on my back, his powerful body covering mine, driving into me with renewed purpose.
"Gonna erase every memory," he promises darkly. "Every second of fear. Replace it all with me." His thrusts become deeper, more deliberate. "Gonna breed you so deep, little girl. Fill you with my baby so everyone knows who you belong to."
I arch beneath him, pleasure building with each powerful stroke. "Yes," I gasp, nails raking down his back. "Make me yours completely."
He slides a hand between us, thumb finding my clit with practiced ease. "Come for me," he commands. "Come on Daddy's cock while I fill you up."
The orgasm crashes through me without warning, tearing a cry from my throat. "Daddy!" I gasp, inner walls clamping down on him.
My release triggers his. He drives in to the hilt one final time, roaring as he empties inside me. Marking me. Claiming me from within.
Afterward, he gathers me close, his massive body curled protectively around mine. His lips press gentle kisses to my temple, my cheek, my shoulder—anywhere he can reach.
"I love you," he whispers against my skin, the words so quiet I almost think I've imagined them.
But when I turn to look at him, the raw emotion in his eyes confirms what I heard. This scarred, violent, tender man loves me.
"I love you too," I whisper back, watching his eyes widen slightly in surprise before softening with something like wonder.
And as I drift to sleep in the safety of his arms, I know with absolute certainty: I'll never be afraid again.