Chapter Six
Violet
My arms tightened around March’s waist, not just for safety, but from a longing that was terrifying. I buried my face against his back, drinking in the scent of leather and something woodsy that clung to him like a second skin. He was the epitome of strength. But then he always had been, even when he was just a teenager.
“Hold on tighter,” he commanded over the wind’s howl. I felt the vibration of him speaking, and it made me want to cuddle even closer.
We rode fast, the world around us a blur of green and gray as we sliced through the countryside. The thrum of the bike beneath us was like a living thing, a wild beast that March tamed with an expert hand. Each shift, each turn, I felt more attuned to him, our bodies moving in sync as if we were extensions of each other.
Later, after we’d ridden for at least an hour, we found ourselves in the dimly lit garage, alone amidst the scattered parts and gleaming motorcycles. March had said he’d teach me about bikes if I wanted to learn. It wasn’t so much the lesson I looked forward to, but just spending time with him.
The darkness settled around us. I clutched my jacket tighter, the chill of the evening air seeping into my bones.
“Are you cold?” March rubbed his hands up and down my arms.
“A bit,” I admitted.
“We should head inside. Besides, I need to check on the little furball.” He tipped his head toward the clubhouse.
“Fur… what?” My brow furrowed. “What are you talking about”?”
He grabbed the back of his neck. “Shit. Guess I didn’t tell you. I found a stray kitten in the storm. Poor thing was covered in mud and shivering. It’s in my room right now. I need to go out tomorrow and get a few things while I decide what to do with it. I had a small bag of food and a dish delivered, but if I’m going to keep it longer, it needs more things.”
A kitten? I bit my lip so I wouldn’t smile. I could easily see the big guy with a tiny poof ball of a cat. Even though he’d never had a pet, he’d always been good with animals. Stray dogs would go up to him for attention. If he went to someone’s house and they had animals, they’d cling to March. People too for that matter. I’d always admired the ease with which he approached life. Maybe things had changed after Ben died, but before that, March had been a different person. I was happy to see at least this part of him hadn’t changed.
He led me to his room and pointed to the footlocker at the end of the bed. I noticed the lid was open. “I put it in there. Didn’t want it getting stuck under the furniture or escaping the room.”
I hurried over and peered inside. Big golden eyes stared up at me. It didn’t look very old, but its fur was already floofy, and a beautiful silver color. I noticed it had two white toes and a white tip on its tail.
“Oh, my goodness! It’s beautiful!” I reached down and paused. “Can I hold it?”
“Sure.”
The moment my hand got close to it, the kitten started bouncing around the space, going straight into play mode. I couldn’t help but laugh as all four paws came up off the bottom of the footlocker. “It hops like a bunny!”
He peered down at it and grunted. “So, what? I should call it bunny or something ridiculous?”
“Rabbit wouldn’t like sharing a name with it. Can’t call it Tigger since it isn’t orange. What else bounces?”
He shrugged. “A ball?”
I couldn’t contain my laughter this time and laughed until tears slipped down my cheeks. “You can’t call it ball.”
“Then you name it,” he said. “I was never good at naming things.”
I studied the little thing. “Any idea if it’s a girl or boy?”
“I didn’t check, and I have no idea if it’s too early to tell. Are cats one of those creatures that you can’t sex easily until they’re older?”
“Google it,” I said, and reached down again, this time lifting the kitten and holding it against my chest. It started to softly chew on my hand and purr. I melted, and knew I had to talk March into keeping it.
“Flip it over and let me look,” he said. I turned the kitten onto its back and scratched its chest while March checked to see what gender it was. “Looks like a girl.”
“Then what about Luna? She’s silver like moonlight.”
He nodded. “Works for me. Luna it is. Wait. Does this mean I’m keeping that thing?”
“Yep. Congratulations. You’re now a cat daddy.”
He rubbed a hand down his face. “Fantastic.”
He could grumble all he wanted, but I knew he wasn’t really upset about it. If he had been, the kitten wouldn’t have been here in his room. He’d have fobbed it off on someone else.
I set the kitten back into the makeshift pen and turned to face March. Without warning, he closed the distance, his arms enveloping me in an embrace that stole my breath away. A hug shouldn’t have made me feel so many things, but it did.
“Thanks for today,” I whispered.
“Any time.”
Something told me he meant it. Although, once I was more noticeably pregnant, it probably wouldn’t be a good idea for me to ride on his motorcycle. It had been so much fun, so freeing. I’d never experienced anything like it before.
“You should get some rest,” he said, taking a step back.
“What if I don’t want to?” I asked, feeling brave for a moment. I’d spent my entire life just surviving. My brother had always kept me safe. I had no idea how much he’d shared with March, but once Ben left, things at home weren’t so great. I no longer had my shield. I wanted something more now, a life with March. But I had a feeling if I didn’t reach out to grab it, he’d slip right through my fingers. Eventually, he’d start feeling guilty again.
I lurched forward, intent on grabbing hold of him, but instead I tripped and fell into him. March’s arms came around me, holding me close. I dared to lift my gaze to his, finding not the usual reserve, but a flicker of something else -- something that mirrored the heat coursing through me.
“Thanks.” My body was still pressed to his, and I wasn’t ready to back up anytime soon.
“Careful, Vi.” The corner of his mouth twitched, a ghost of a smile that sent my pulse racing.
His hands lingered at my waist, and my heart pounded so furiously I was certain he could feel it. In his hold, I found both safety and danger, a paradox that defined the world I had come to inhabit -- his world.
“March,” I began, my nerves alight, “there’s something I need to tell you.”
The world narrowed to the space between us. His breath mingled with mine. His hands, still at my waist, held me as if I were something precious, not the mess of nerves and longing that I was. I couldn’t hold back any longer.
Driven by a courage I didn’t know I had, I rose on tiptoe. My lips found his in a tentative touch, a whisper of a kiss that held every silent word I’d ever wanted to say.
His body stiffened with shock, a statue under my touch. I could taste the surprise on him in the sharp intake of his breath. But I didn’t draw back. Couldn’t.
Just when I thought he’d pull away, he responded. March’s lips moved against mine with a gentleness that belied his rugged exterior. The kiss deepened, and I felt him, truly felt him -- every barrier he’d erected, every guarded secret, melted away under the heat of our connection.
“Vi,” he murmured against my mouth. His arms tightened around me, pulling me closer until there was no space left for doubt or fear. His kiss was a revelation, an unspoken promise.
I clung to him, fingers gripping the leather of his cut, as if I could anchor myself in the storm of emotions he’d unleashed within me. And in that instant, his kiss spoke louder than any words could -- it said he felt it too.
March’s kiss scorched through the chill of the night, igniting a fire that spread with reckless abandon. His lips, once hesitant, now ravaged mine with a fervor that left me breathless and desperate for more. The urgency in his touch spoke of raw need, a hunger too long denied and now unleashed.
This wasn’t just a kiss. It was so much more.
His hands roamed my back, strong and unyielding, pressing me into the solid wall of his chest. My fingers tangled in his short hair, the coarse strands a stark contrast to the tenderness of his touch. Each nip and caress was a brand, marking me as irrevocably his.
The world outside faded. The taste of him -- whiskey and wild freedom -- consumed my senses, leaving no room for thought, only feeling.
“More,” I whispered against his lips, the word breaking on a shudder. March obliged, deepening the kiss until I was drowning in sensation, every nerve alight with the storm he’d summoned.
The passion that flared between us was relentless, an unstoppable force that neither of us had the will to resist. As the kiss finally slowed, a sense of peace settled over me. We lingered there, on the precipice of something monumental, the weight of what this moment meant hanging heavy in the air.
“Stay with me tonight,” March whispered, his voice hoarse with emotion. How could I ever tell him no? He was offering the one thing I’d always wanted -- him.
“When you say stay, you mean…”
He lightly traced over my collarbone, his touch making me shiver. He leaned in closer, his lips near my ear. “I want you, Violet. You look positively delicious, and I want a taste.”
My knees nearly gave out. If he hadn’t had a good hold of me, I’d have been on the floor. March backed me to the wall and pinned my hands over my head, leaving no doubt as to who was in charge. A thrill ran through me at his dominance. This was what I had been craving for so long. Without permission or consent from me, he reached down to pop open the button on my jeans. The rasp of the zipper was loud in the otherwise quiet room.
With anyone else, I may have panicked. But this was March. The way he studied me, I knew he was watching for any sign I might freak out. I trusted him completely. Had absolute faith he’d never harm me. I hoped he could see all that shining in my eyes.
He slipped his hand inside my jeans, delving between my legs. His fingers stroked my pussy through my panties, and I thought my heart might burst from my chest.
“Oh, fuck yes!”
He groaned while pushing me against the wall. March pulled his hand free and his hips ground against mine teasingly, making sure I felt how hard he was, how much he wanted me.
“Tell me no, Vi. It’s now or never. If we go any further, I won’t be in control anymore. There won’t be any stopping me.”
I held his gaze, and tried to show him how sincere I was with my answer. “I don’t want you to stop, Marcus. You’re the only man I’ve ever wanted. If you told me to leave right now, I think I’d cry.”
“Well, we can’t have that now, can we?” He backed up and helped me strip out of my clothes. I fought the urge to cover myself, and instead let him look his fill. As his gaze hungrily devoured me, he removed his clothes.
I’d known he was big -- everywhere -- but my imagination hadn’t done him justice. He was… “Beautiful.”
He chuckled. “I think that’s my line.”
I reached out to trace a finger over the bulldog tattoo on his bicep. “Devil dog.”
He didn’t stop me, so I kept exploring. My eyes misted with tears when I saw the dog tags over his heart. They were Ben’s. All this time, he’d carried my brother with him.
A line in script across his ribs was unfamiliar to me. I glanced up, hoping he’d tell me what it meant.
“Marine Corps hymn.”
He turned and I placed my hand over the club colors for the Underland MC. But scattered around it were dog tags, each for a member of the club. Always faithful was in rough font below it on his lower back. This man lived and breathed for other people. I knew without a doubt he’d give his life for this club. They weren’t anything like the ones I’d seen on TV. Instead, they’d created something of their own.
He turned to face me again. Without a word, I reached for him. He took my hand and led me to the bed, following me down onto the mattress. I’d had quite a few regrets in my life, but I knew this would never be one of them.
His body hovered over mine. His hand found its way to my inner thigh, teasingly inching closer to my pussy. My breath hitched as he slipped a finger inside me.
“Tell me what you want,” he growled, his voice rough and demanding. His other hand gripped my hair tightly, forcing my face closer to his. The heat between us was palpable, undeniable.
“I want you to fuck me,” I whispered, each word quivering with desire. “Don’t hold back, Marcus. I want all of you. The good, bad, and ugly.”
He chuckled darkly. “You may get more than you bargained for, baby girl. You’re fucking beautiful. Not sure I’m capable of holding back.”
As if to prove his point, he lowered his head and claimed my mouth with his, igniting a fiery need within me. His tongue danced with mine, teasing and exploring every inch of my mouth. I could feel his cock pressing against me, eager for entrance.
I reached up to touch his chest, feeling the hard muscle beneath my fingertips. “I belong to you,” I whispered, my voice shaking. “I always have.”
His response was swift and shocking. He grabbed my hair and pulled my head back, exposing my neck. His hot breath fanned across my skin as he growled, and bit down on my shoulder. I cried out from surprise, but heat unfurled inside me. I’d never have guessed there was such a feral side to him, but I loved it. I arched my back instinctively, needing more.
Without warning, I felt the press of his cock as he slowly entered me. My pussy burned and throbbed as I stretched to accommodate him. He moved slowly, as if savoring the moment. I couldn’t hold back my moan, and it seemed to make March snap. With a low growl, he began thrusting into me like a man possessed. The headboard slammed against the wall, and still it wasn’t enough.
“Please, Marcus,” I begged. “Harder.”
He lifted up a little, his gaze finding mine. As I stared into his eyes, he owned every inch of me, laying claim to me in the most thorough way possible. My hips lifted to meet his, our bodies moving in a rhythmic dance of pleasure. I didn’t think I’d last much longer, and he seemed to know it.
March gripped my hip and changed the angle of his thrusts. He hit just the right spot again and again, until I saw stars. I came, screaming his name, and wishing this moment would never end. He drove into me with almost punishing strokes, and I felt his cock harden even more. He grunted as he pumped his hot cum into me, not slowing until the very end.
“Marcus, I… that was…”
He kissed me softly. “I should have been gentler.”
I shook my head. “It was perfect. And if you’re worried because of what happened to me, you shouldn’t. I knew it was you the entire time, and I wasn’t the least bit scared. This is nothing like what I went through.”
His gaze narrowed. “If I’d seen even one hint of fear in your eyes, or hesitation, you know I’d have stopped, right? But I worried asking would take you out of the moment between us and put you right back in the nightmare you’re trying so hard to get past.”
I reached up to touch his cheek. “I figured as much. The way you watched me told me everything I needed to know.”
“You’re amazing, Vi. You know this changes things, right?”
I nodded. “I’m okay with that. Are you?”
He flashed me a smile. “Yeah. I’m more than okay with it.”
Marcus collapsed onto the bed beside me, and I snuggled into his side. I didn’t know what our lives would look like from this point onward, but as long as he was beside me, I didn’t care. Right now, I had everything I’d ever dreamed of, and I never wanted to let go.