Chapter 9
nine
. . .
Butch
First light filters through the small office window.
The storm's breaking. Rain's still falling, but lighter now, the thunder moved on to terrorize some other town.
Julia's asleep on the narrow couch, curled against my chest, her breath warm against my neck.
I've been awake for hours, just watching her, memorizing every detail of her face.
Making plans. Because there's no fucking way I'm letting her go now. Not after last night. Not ever.
She stirs against me, those long lashes fluttering open. For a moment, there's confusion in her eyes. Then recognition, and something else—something warm that makes my chest tight.
"Morning," she whispers, voice husky with sleep.
I brush hair from her face, marveling at how soft she is. Everything about her is soft—her skin, her voice, her heart. Complete opposite of me. "Morning, sweetheart."
She stretches slightly, her body pressing against mine in ways that make my cock stir to life. Christ. Been hard off and on all night just from holding her. Like a fucking teenager who can't control himself.
"The storm's stopping," she observes, glancing toward the window.
"Yeah." I don't look away from her face. Don't need to see the weather when everything that matters is right here in my arms.
She blushes under my scrutiny. "What?"
"Just looking at you." My thumb traces her lower lip. "Trying to figure out how I got so fucking lucky."
Her smile is shy, uncertain. "I think I'm the lucky one. You protected me last night."
I shake my head. "Would've killed for you if I had to." The words are blunt, honest. Want her to know exactly who she's dealing with. "Would do anything to keep you safe."
Instead of the fear I half-expect, her eyes soften. "I believe you."
Three simple words, but they hit me like a punch to the gut.
She believes me. Trusts me. After knowing me for what—three days?
Four? Most people take one look at my scarred face, my hulking size, and cross the street to avoid me.
Not Julia. She sees past the beast to whatever's left of the man inside.
"I need to tell you something," I say, voice rougher than intended. "About the first day. When I walked into your store."
She waits, those innocent eyes watching me.
"I saw you on that ladder, reaching for books, and something happened." I struggle to find words for a feeling that bypassed thought entirely. "Something snapped into place. Like I'd been walking around with a missing piece all my life and suddenly found it."
Her lips part in surprise. "Love at first sight? Like in books."
"It’s more than love." I correct her, needing her to understand. "Obsession. Possession. Something primal. Something that said 'mine' the second I laid eyes on you."
Most women would run screaming from such a confession. Julia just listens, her eyes wide but not afraid.
"I was going to find reasons to come back. To install more security. To check the system. Anything to be near you." I brush my knuckles against her cheek. "Then the storm hit, and I got what I wanted. Time alone with you."
"And the break-in?" she asks quietly.
"Wasn't part of the plan." My jaw tightens at the memory. "But it showed me something important. Showed me what I'd do to protect you."
She swallows, her pulse visible at her throat. "What happens now? When the storm ends completely? When the roads clear?"
I've thought about nothing else all night. "First thing, I'm taking you out to pick a ring."
Her eyes widen. "A ring? But we just—"
"Don't care how long it's been." My voice leaves no room for argument. "When something's right, it's right. And this—" I gesture between us, "—is right. You feel it too. Know you do."
She doesn't deny it, just bites her lip in that way that drives me crazy. "People will think we're crazy."
"Fuck them. This is between you and me. They don’t get a vote."
"They'll say I'm too young for you."
"You are." No point lying about it. "But I don't give a fuck. I'll spend the rest of my life proving I deserve you."
Her cheeks flush pink. "I'm not…I mean, I'm just a bookstore owner. Nothing special."
The words hit something deep and raw inside me. She really doesn't see it. Doesn't understand her own worth.
"Everything about you is special," I tell her, tilting her chin up so she can't look away. "Everything. And I'm going to spend every day reminding you of that."
Tears fill her eyes. Not sad ones. The kind that come when someone's overwhelmed by emotion.
"There's going to be talk," she whispers. "In a town this small..."
"Let them talk." My hand slides to her waist, pulling her closer. "Nothing they say matters. Only thing that matters is us."
She studies my face, searching for something. "You really mean that, don't you? You really want…forever. With me."
"Forever isn't long enough." My control slips as I pull her fully against me, letting her feel exactly what she does to me. "Want to keep you. Breed you. Fill you with my babies so everyone knows you're mine."
Her breath catches, her body softening against mine. "Butch..."
"Tell me you want it too," I demand, voice dropping lower. "Tell me you’ll be mine in every way possible."
Her answer is to press her lips to mine, her kiss inexperienced but eager. I groan into her mouth, my hand sliding down to grip her ass, pulling her tighter against my hardening cock.
"That's it," I murmur against her lips. "Give in to it. To us."
She pulls back slightly, eyes serious despite her flushed cheeks. "I want everything with you. But I'm scared."
"Of me?" The thought cuts deep.
"No." She shakes her head firmly. "Of how much I want you. Of how fast this is happening. Of feeling things I've only read about in books."
I could lie. Could tell her it's normal to feel this way, that what's between us isn't the kind of once-in-a-lifetime lightning strike I know it is. But I won't lie to her. Not ever.
"It's not normal," I admit. "What happened between us. It's rare. Special. Fucking miracle, if you ask me. That someone like you could want someone like me."
Her brow furrows. "Someone like you?"
"Look at me, Julia." I gesture to my scarred face, my tattooed arms. "I'm old. Rough. Been places, done things you can't imagine. Got more red in my ledger than black."
"I don't care about any of that." Her small hand reaches up to trace the scar near my eyebrow. "I care about how you look at me. How you make me feel. How you protected me without hesitation."
Christ. What did I do in my miserable life to deserve this woman?
"Going to spend the rest of my life being worthy of you," I vow, catching her hand and pressing a kiss to her palm. "Being the man you deserve. The one who keeps you safe, keeps you satisfied, keeps you mine."
Her eyes darken at my words, her body shifting restlessly against mine. "I like when you say that. That I'm yours."
"Because you are." My control slips further, my hand sliding under her skirt to find bare thigh. So soft. So perfect. "Mine to guard. Mine to please. Mine to breed."
She gasps as my fingers inch higher, finding the edge of her panties. "Yours," she agrees breathlessly.
The word snaps the last thread of my restraint. I capture her mouth in a kiss, my fingers pressing against the damp fabric between her legs. She's wet for me. Ready for me. Perfect for me.
"First thing when we get out of here," I growl against her lips, "ring shopping. Then home with me. Going to build you a fortress where nothing bad can ever touch you."
She trembles beneath my touch, her innocence and desire a combination that drives me wild. "I don't need a fortress. Just you."
"You've got me. Every scarred, fucked-up inch of me." My fingers push her panties aside, finding her slick heat. "And I'm going to prove it. Prove I can be what you need. What you deserve."
Her hips buck against my hand, her eyes wide with shock and pleasure. "Butch!"
"That's it, angel." I circle her clit with my thumb, watching her face as she experiences sensations she's never felt before. "Let go for me. For daddy. Show me how good I make you feel."
Outside, the storm continues to recede, light breaking through the clouds. But inside this small office, a different kind of storm is building—one made of need and promise and possession. One that will bind us together long after the rain stops and the world intrudes again.
Because I meant what I said. First thing when we get out of here, I'm putting a ring on her finger. Making it official. Letting everyone know that Julia Carter belongs to me now.
But right now, I need to give this dick to my baby girl. “You need my daddy’s cock, baby? Need him to give it you raw and dirty?”
She whimpers, her pussy flexing around my fingers at my words."Yes," she breathes, her eyes fluttering closed as my fingers work their magic. "Please, I need you."
That's all I need to hear. I shift our positions, laying her back against the couch cushions, settling myself between her spread thighs.
My cock is so hard it's painful, straining against my zipper like it has a mind of its own.
When I free it, Julia's eyes widen, her tongue darting out to wet her lips.
"Still can't believe you can take all of me," I growl, positioning myself at her entrance. "Such a tiny thing, stretching so beautifully for daddy's cock."
I push in slowly, watching her face for any sign of discomfort. There's none—just wonder and pleasure as I fill her completely. Christ, she's tight. Hot silk gripping me like a vice, her body made for mine.
"That's it, baby," I encourage as she takes me to the hilt. "Such a good girl for daddy."
Her hands clutch at my shoulders, nails digging in slightly as she adjusts to my size.
I give her a moment, pressing kisses to her forehead, her cheeks,Instead of scaring her, my words make her moan—a sound so sweet and desperate it nearly ends me.
Her fingernails dig into my shoulders as her hips rise to meet mine.
"Yes," she breathes. "Please, Butch."
My beautiful little bookworm begging for my seed. Nothing in my forty-two years has felt this right. This perfect. This fucking inevitable.
I gather her closer, one hand tangling in her soft hair while the other grips her ass, positioning her to take me deeper. "You want that, baby girl? Want me to fill this sweet pussy with my cum? Make you round with my child?"
Her eyes fly open, pupils blown wide with desire. She nods frantically, her lips parted on panting breaths.
"Words," I demand, slowing my thrusts to torture us both. "Tell daddy what you want."
"I want—" she gasps as I grind against her clit, "I want you to…to fill me up." Her cheeks flame scarlet, but she doesn't look away. My brave girl. "Make me yours completely."
Something savage tears loose inside me. I capture her mouth in a bruising kiss as I slam into her, abandoning all restraint. She takes it—takes all of me—her small body somehow accommodating my size as I pound into her with primal need.
"Mine," I growl against her lips, my thrusts hard enough to make the couch creak beneath us. "Fucking mine."
Her legs wrap around my waist, urging me deeper, her innocence giving way to instinct as ancient as time. Each thrust pushes her further up the couch until I grip her hips, anchoring her in place to take my cock.
"Yes," she gasps, her head thrown back, exposing the delicate line of her throat. "Yours, daddy. All yours."
Those words—daddy, yours—they trigger something in me I can't control. My pace becomes punishing, my grip on her hips tight enough to leave marks. Good. I want her marked. Want her to look in the mirror tomorrow and see the evidence of my possession on her skin.
I feel her tightening around me, her inner muscles clenching as she approaches her peak.
I feel her pussy pop off right as my seed starts tearing out of my balls.
I roar like a beast.My vision goes white at the edges as I empty myself inside her, filling her with hot pulses that seem endless.
I'm growling her name, cursing, praising—I don't even know what's coming out of my mouth anymore.
All I know is this primal need to mark her from the inside out, to leave my seed so deep that part of me stays with her forever.
"That's it, baby," I pant against her neck, still thrusting shallowly as the last waves of pleasure wash through us both. "Taking daddy's cum so well. So perfect for me."
She clings to me, trembling, her small body still quaking with aftershocks. I've ruined her for anyone else, just like I promised. The thought fills me with savage satisfaction.
When I finally catch my breath, I lift my head to look at her face. What I see there nearly stops my heart. Tears track down her flushed cheeks, her eyes wide and dazed.
"Sweetheart? Julia?" I brush away her tears with my thumb, panic rising in my chest. "Did I hurt you?"
She shakes her head quickly, those innocent eyes still wide with emotion. "No. No, it's not that."
"Then what?" I cradle her face in my palm, terrified I've somehow broken this precious thing between us.
"It's just..." She takes a shuddering breath. "I've never felt anything like that before. Like I was…coming apart and being put back together all at once."
Relief floods through me so intensely I nearly collapse on top of her. Instead, I press my forehead to hers, breathing her in. "Christ, you scared me."
"I'm sorry." Her small hand comes up to touch my cheek, the gesture so tender it makes my chest ache. "I didn't mean to worry you."
I turn my face to kiss her palm, overwhelmed by the need to protect this woman who's somehow crashed through every wall I've built over the years. "Never apologize for how you feel. Not with me. Never with me."
She nods, those tearful eyes still watching me like I'm something precious instead of the scarred beast I know myself to be.
I stay buried inside her, unwilling to break our connection yet. The world outside is starting to intrude—daylight growing stronger, the sounds of the storm receding—but in here, it's still just us. Just this perfect bubble where nothing exists but her sweetness and my need to possess it.
I gather her into my arms, against my chest and hold her close.
I’m never going to let this precious angel go.