Chapter 8
8
MERI
M eri stood at the floor-to-ceiling windows of Bear’s loft, her fingers touching the cool glass. The city stretched out before her, a mixture of twinkling lights and darkened alleys, beautiful and dangerous all at once. She should have felt safe here. Bear had made sure of it. The loft was secure, warm, and undeniably his.
That was the problem.
Her stomach twisted as she turned from the view, her gaze sweeping the open-concept space. It was too open. Too calm. There were no locked doors. No bars. No dark corners where threats could lurk. No one watching from the shadows, waiting to grab her. The silence wasn’t comforting—it was suffocating.
She didn’t know how to exist in this kind of peace.
Bear had told her to shower and get into bed, and she had done both. Sort of. She had stood under the hot spray for what felt like forever, waiting for the tightness in her chest to lessen. It didn’t. So now, instead of obeying his last command, she stood here, wrapped in one of his shirts, restless and wound too tight.
Bear had given her space when they arrived, letting her settle. He was giving her the chance to adjust, to take this next step at her own pace. She hated it. The patience, the understanding—it was too much. He wasn’t supposed to be gentle. Wasn’t supposed to let her have this much control.
Control felt wrong. Control felt dangerous.
Meri needed something to push against, something to fight. She needed chaos, because chaos was predictable. It made sense. This? This slow unraveling took her by surprise.
She moved toward the kitchen, opening and closing cabinets without reason, just to hear the sound. When she didn’t find what she wasn’t looking for, she yanked open the fridge, scanning the shelves with narrowed eyes.
“You’re picking a fight, little one.”
The deep voice rolled over her like a warm command. She stiffened, but didn’t turn. “I’m getting something to drink.”
“You passed over two bottles of water,” Bear said, leaning against the counter, arms crossed over his broad chest. “Three, if you count the one I set out for you after your shower.”
Meri grabbed a bottle and twisted the cap off with more force than necessary. “Happy now?”
Bear’s gaze never wavered. “No. You aren’t where you’re supposed to be.”
She took a long sip, the cold water burning down her throat. “I wasn’t tired.”
“That’s not the point.”
She set the bottle down with a hollow thud. “Then what is?”
Bear pushed off the counter, closing the space between them in slow, measured steps. He didn’t grab her. Didn’t cage her in. But his presence did. The same way it always did.
“The point is, I told you what to do, and you disobeyed.” His voice was steady, calm, unshaken by the fight she was trying to pick.
Her stomach clenched. She wanted him to yell, to snap, to give her something to brace against. But Bear never gave her what she expected.
She lifted her chin, defiance a thin shield against the unsteadiness inside her. “What are you going to do about it?”
Bear studied her for a long moment, reading her too easily. His eyes softened—just a fraction—but it was enough to make her throat tighten. “You’re struggling.”
Meri scoffed. “I’m fine.”
“No, you aren’t.” He reached out, brushing the back of his knuckles against her jaw. The touch wasn’t controlling, wasn’t demanding. It was grounding. “You don’t know how to be still, do you, little one?”
She swallowed hard, but the lump in her throat didn’t go away. “Still means vulnerable.”
Bear’s fingers slid lower, curling around her throat—not tight, not restrictive. Just a presence. A reminder. “Still means safe, and that’s what really frightens you.”
Her breath shuddered out of her before she could stop it.
Bear leaned in, his lips a whisper away from her ear. “You want something to push against? Fine. You want structure? Rules? Boundaries?” His grip firmed ever so slightly, just enough to make her pulse race. “Then you’re going to get them.”
Meri’s fingers curled against the counter, her nails biting into the smooth surface. “I don’t want…”
“You do,” he interrupted. “You want it and you need it. Moreover, you know it. And since you won’t admit it, I’m going to give it to you, anyway.”
She clenched her jaw. But he was right, and they both knew it.
Bear released her throat and stepped back, his presence no less commanding from the small distance he gave her. “From now on, you follow the rules I set. You eat when I tell you to. You sleep when I tell you to. You listen when I tell you to. No more games, no more picking fights to feel something.”
Her heart pounded against her ribs, but it wasn’t fear. It was something far more dangerous. Something she didn’t want to admit to.
“You disobey,” Bear continued, “and there will be consequences.”
Meri’s breath caught, her fingers tightening against the counter. “What kind of consequences?”
His gaze darkened, voice dropping to something rough and final. “The kind you crave.”
Heat licked down her spine, sharp and undeniable.
Bear tilted his head slightly, watching her reaction with quiet authority. “Say ‘no’ if you don’t want this.”
She should have. The word was right there on her tongue, so easy to grab. But instead, she whispered, “I don’t know how.”
Bear’s expression didn’t change. “Then I’ll teach you.”
She hated how much she wanted that.
Bear reached for her wrist, his grip firm but careful. “Come here.”
Meri hesitated, just long enough for the war inside her to scream in protest. But then she stepped forward, into his space, into his control.
Bear’s lips brushed her temple. “Good girl.”
The words sent something sharp through her chest. Something terrifying. Something freeing. She was falling. She had been falling since the moment he’d pulled her from that auction.
And Bear? He was the only one strong enough to catch her.
The floor-to-ceiling windows cast long streaks of moonlight across the hardwood, the city glittering beyond the glass, but it felt too far away. Too distant. The warehouse had been cramped, cold, and industrial, but familiar. This was something else entirely. This felt permanent.
Bear had barely left her side since they’d arrived, watching her with those sharp, knowing eyes, waiting. For what, she wasn’t sure. Maybe for her to break. Maybe for her to run. Maybe for her to admit that she had no idea how to exist anymore in a world where she wasn’t constantly preparing for battle.
She hadn’t stopped moving since she’d walked inside. Every time Bear turned his back, she found something to do—rearranging things that didn’t need rearranging, pacing from one side of the loft to the other. She could feel the restraint in her limbs, the need to lash out just to prove to herself that she was still fighting.
She didn’t want to need his control, but she did.
"Sit down, Meri," Bear ordered from across the room, his voice calm but firm.
She ignored him, walking to the window instead, pressing her palm against the cool glass.
"I said, sit down."
She clenched her jaw. "I don’t take orders."
"Yes, you do," he countered, the slow, deliberate sound of his boots crossing the floor filling the silence. "You just don’t like that you need them."
Her pulse kicked, heat curling low in her belly. He was too close now, his body behind hers, heat radiating from him like a furnace.
"You’ve been picking fights all night," he murmured, his breath ghosting over her ear. "You don’t like the quiet. You don’t like that no one’s coming for you. So you push me, because you need something to push against."
She gritted her teeth, but she didn’t deny it.
Bear’s hands landed on her hips, firm and unyielding, fingers digging in just enough to remind her who was in control. "You don’t get to lose yourself, little one. You don’t get to pretend this isn’t happening."
Her body betrayed her, melting slightly into his grip even as she bristled at his words.
"You need structure. Discipline," he continued. "You need to be reminded of who you belong to."
Her breath hitched. "I don’t belong to anyone."
His grip tightened. "You belong to me. And you know it."
The words sent a shiver down her spine, one that had nothing to do with fear. She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to hold on to the defiance that was slipping through her fingers.
Bear pressed a kiss to the side of her neck, soft at first, then a bite—sharp, punishing, a claim. "Say it."
She swallowed hard, nails digging into her palms. "Bear…"
"Say it."
Her knees went weak. "I belong to you."
"Good girl."
A quiet whimper escaped her lips; and that was it. The last of her restraint snapped. She spun in his arms, gripping the front of his shirt, eyes blazing. "Then take me… Daddy." She added the last, remembering what he’d told her before.
Bear’s pupils blew wide, his entire body going still.
"I don’t want soft," she ground out. "I don’t want careful. I need you to remind me I’m alive."
The silence between them stretched, thick with something electric. Then, Bear’s expression shifted, darkened, settled into something ruthless and unshakable.
"You want my control?" His fingers curled around her throat, holding her in place, his grip firm but not restricting. "Then you take all of it."
A rush of heat flooded her system. "Yes, Daddy."
Bear didn’t give her time to reconsider. He lifted her, carrying her effortlessly to his bedroom and the massive bed against the far wall, dropping her onto the mattress with controlled force. His body loomed over hers, broad and powerful, a force of nature she had no chance of resisting.
She didn’t want to.
His hands made quick work of her clothes, stripping her bare before flipping her onto her belly. A hard slap landed on her ass, making her gasp, swiftly followed by four more stinging smacks. She lay absolutely still and vulnerable. He expertly caressed her exposed skin with deliberate, knowing hands, then firmly kneaded each cheek with deliberate precision. The next slap landed with authority, a jolt of sensation that was strong but not unbearable. The subsequent strikes set her skin ablaze, sent shivers down her spine, hardened her nipples, and left her aching, desperate for more.
When his fingers slipped between her intimate folds, she moaned, a sound born not from objection but from deep-seated longing. He plunged his fingers inside, extracting her silky essence to massage into her swollen clit with a deliberate, practiced touch. He repeated the motion with an unyielding rhythm, moving from her clit to her slit and back again. Her mind could not drift to what she had endured or even her life before that. Bear kept her grounded in the here and now. The raw, immediate sensations of the present consumed her. His dominance enveloped her in a sanctuary of submission.
Bear's hand struck her bottom with increased force, each impact a crescendo of heat transforming it beyond mere pleasure into something primal. He established a relentless, powerful rhythm, each smack echoing through the room, creating a symphony of sensation. Though the pain was sharp, each strike became a catalyst, sending surges of desire through her being, igniting like a match to dry tinder, escalating into an all-consuming inferno.
Every time his hand connected with her ass, the sting intertwined with arousal and anticipation, intensifying exponentially. It had been an eternity since she permitted herself this kind of release, and never had she felt so transcendent. The spanking covered her entire backside, each smack deliberate and precise. He targeted the sensitive backs of her thighs and the tender area beneath the curve of her bottom. Occasionally, his hand landed between her legs, drawing out groans and writhing not of pain, but of exquisite torment.
Abruptly, he paused, and she listened intently as he moved behind her, the sound of the buttons of his jeans opening with a whisper that resonated like a promise. He spread her legs with a commanding ease, stepping between them. The enormous head of his cock hovered at her entrance, poised to claim her.
"Mine," he growled. Another slap. "Every inch of you."
She clenched the sheets, a desperate sound escaping her throat.
Bear's powerful hands seized her hips, his fingers wrapping around her hips as he teased her sex with his cock. "You can fight all you like, even me, but not now," he growled, his voice a low rumble like distant thunder. His calloused fingers slipped between her trembling legs, making sure she was slick and ready, her body already betraying her desire. "Now, you take what I give you."
There was no gentle teasing, no gradual build-up. He drove into her with a single, relentless thrust, his body claiming hers as if he were a conquering king taking his rightful tribute. She felt every inch of him, his thick shaft plunging into her depths, filling her completely.
Meri's cry echoed through the loft, a raw, primal sound that seemed to resonate within the very timbers of the building. Her body arched beneath him, her muscles taut as she struggled to accept the sheer force of his possession. His grip was firm, but not bruising as he held her in place, rocking into her with a slow, deliberate rhythm that was as devastating as it was precise.
"That’s it," he praised, his voice a deep, husky whisper that sent shivers down her spine. "Take it. Take all of it."
She sobbed against the cool sheets, her body clenching around him, pleasure and pain intertwining into something wild and intoxicating. His scent enveloped her, a musky, masculine aroma that filled her senses, making her feel even more consumed by him.
Bear bent over her, his broad chest pressing firmly against her back, his breath hot against her ear. His voice was a low, possessive growl, like a predator claiming its mate. "You’re going to stay with me; you will not vanish into thin air—anchored in the here and now. You will feel every single heartbeat, every breath, every ounce of raw emotion."
She had no choice. His hold on her was unyielding, his body a cage from which she could not escape—not from him, not from herself. And as she shattered in his arms, her body convulsing with waves of ecstasy, she screamed his name, a sound of surrender and release. At that moment, she realized she didn't want to run. She wanted to stay right there, caught up in the storm of their passion, feeling every raw, intense sensation he awakened within her.
Meri trembled in Bear’s arms, her body still buzzing from the intensity of what had just happened. Her cheek rested against the cool sheets, her breathing uneven, her limbs boneless. Every nerve ending hummed, her skin tingling with the aftermath of his control, his dominance, his unwavering presence.
She had never felt like this before—stripped down completely. He hadn’t just taken her physically. He had demanded every part of her. Every thought. Every instinct. Every lingering fear that she’d tried to bury under the weight of her own stubbornness.
And she’d given it to him.
Her heart pounded in her chest as she felt the shift in him, the way his grip softened, the way he ran a slow, warm palm over the small of her back, tracing idle patterns against her skin. She wasn’t sure she could move yet. Wasn’t sure she wanted to.
Bear kissed the back of her neck, his lips gentle now, soothing, his breath steady. "Breathe, little one," he murmured against her skin. "Just breathe."
A shuddering sigh escaped her as she tried to follow the command, grounding herself in the feeling of his hands on her body, his voice tethering her to something solid. He rolled onto his back, bringing her with him, so she rested on top of him. He wrapped her up in his arms like she was something breakable—but she wasn’t. Not anymore.
She didn’t know how long they laid there, tangled in each other, his chest rising and falling in an even rhythm beneath her cheek. His scent surrounded her, a mix of heat and strength, of something unmistakably Bear.
Her fingers curled into the sheets. "I don’t know what’s happening to me."
He didn’t hesitate. "You’re coming back to yourself."
Her throat tightened. "I don’t even know who that is anymore."
Bear’s hand slid up to tangle in her hair, his fingers massaging gently. "You will," he promised. "And I’ll be here every step of the way."
Her eyes burned, and she squeezed them shut, pressing her face into his chest. No one had ever done this before. No one had held her after. No one had stayed.
Bear didn’t just stay. He made it impossible for her to disappear.
She felt his lips brush the top of her head, the steady thrum of his heartbeat beneath her ear. "You did good, little one."
She swallowed, her throat thick. "I don’t want you to say that just to make me feel better."
His fingers gripped her chin, tilting her face up until she had no choice but to meet his gaze. "Have I ever said anything to you I didn’t mean?"
She searched his face, the sharp edges, the steady certainty in his eyes. No, he hadn’t.
Meri exhaled slowly, letting herself sink into the warmth of him, allowing herself to just exist in the space he created for her. Her walls were still there, still standing, but for the first time, they weren’t the only thing holding her together.
Bear was.
The realization sent a different kind of shiver through her, one that had nothing to do with desire and everything to do with something far more dangerous.
Because she didn’t know what she would do if she lost this. If she lost him.
Bear’s hand continued its slow, steady movements through her hair, his voice a quiet murmur against her skin. "Sleep, baby."
She wanted to. God, she wanted to. But just as her body started to drift, just as the calm started to settle, his phone vibrated on the nightstand.
Bear went rigid beneath her. Meri felt the shift immediately, the way his breathing changed, the way his muscles tensed. He grabbed the phone, turning on the speaker and answering with a clipped, "Talk."
She lifted her head, reading his expression even before she heard Fitz’s voice on the other end.
"They found you."
Bear’s grip on the phone tightened. "How close?"
"Close enough that we need to move you. I’ve got a team headed to you. We’re not far. I didn’t want too much space between us. DeLuca isn’t just sending his henchmen this time. He’s sending professionals. They’ve got people watching Cerberus and, most likely, your place."
Meri’s stomach dropped as Bear swung his legs off the bed, pulling her up with him, his protective grip never loosening. "How long?"
"Not long. Maybe tomorrow…most likely the next," said Fitz.
“Take the old tunnel to the brewery. There’s an emergency code at the elevator that will bring you directly to the loft. I’ll have to let you in from the foyer.”
Bear cursed under his breath before ending the call, his hand already reaching for his jeans. Meri watched him, her pulse spiking as the afterglow of their moment shattered around them.
The enemy was closing in…