Chapter Eight
Savannah closed the door behind them, her pulse hammering so loud she was sure he could hear it. The lock clicked into place, the sound echoing in the silence between them.
The air felt electric, charged with everything unsaid, everything they both wanted but hadn’t yet voiced. She turned around, her hand still on the door, and met Reaper’s gaze. He gazed at her face and down her body. The way he looked at her made her feel stripped bare, like he could see every vulnerable part of her, and still he wanted more.
Her chest rose and fell with her rapid breaths, anticipation tightening low in her belly. She took a step forward, her fingers trembling slightly as she reached for his leather jacket. Her heart pounded harder when she felt the heat radiating from his body.
“ Let me take this off. ” Her voice was soft, hesitant, but full of need.
Reaper nodded, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he swallowed. He didn’t say a word, just watched her with that intense, unwavering stare.
She slid her hands under the edges of his jacket, feeling the worn leather and the strength of his arms beneath it. As she pushed the jacket off his shoulders, it fell to the floor with a muted thud. Her fingers brushed against his t-shirt, the fabric stretched taut over the hard lines of his chest. He was so solid, so real, and the knowledge that he was here with her, choosing her, sent a thrill through her veins.
Reaper reached out, his knuckles grazing her cheek, the touch so tender it made her breath catch.
“ You sure about this, Savannah? ” he asked.
She met his gaze, the vulnerability she usually kept hidden rising to the surface. There were still shadows in her past, ghosts that threatened to pull her back. But standing here, with him, she felt a flicker of light, a chance for something good. Maybe even something real.
“ I ’m sure,” she whispered. “ I want this. I want you. ”
Reaper tightened his jaw, but something in his eyes softened. “ Then I ’m yours.”
The words were like a match striking against flint, igniting a fire that had been smoldering between them for too long. He closed the distance in one swift step.
Reaper cradled her face with his hands as he brought his lips to hers. The kiss started slow, moving his mouth against hers with a gentleness that belied the hunger simmering just beneath the surface. Savannah melted into him, sliding her hand up his chest, feeling the steady thud of his heart under her palms. He pressed his lips more urgently, and she opened for him, letting him in.
He swept his tongue into her mouth, tasting, claiming, sending jolts of heat through every nerve in her body. She moaned softly against his lips, curling her fingers into the fabric of his shirt, desperate to feel more of him.
He growled low in his throat, the sound vibrating through her, and she felt her knees go weak. Reaper tightened his arms around her waist, pulling her flush against him, the hard planes of his body fitting perfectly against her softness.
When he broke the kiss, they were both breathing hard. Reaper rested his forehead against hers, dark eyes searching.
“ Tell me to stop if you want to, ” Reaper told her.
She traced the line of his jaw, rough with stubble with her fingers.
“Don’t stop,” she told him.
He nodded, a possessive smile tugging at his lips. Then he took her hand, threading his fingers through hers, and led her toward the bedroom.
The room was dimly lit and the bed was neatly made, but Savannah couldn’t remember the last time it felt like a place of comfort. Now, standing here with Reaper, it felt like it could be.
He let go of her hand, turning to face her. His gaze solely on her.
“ You ’re so fucking beautiful, Savannah,” he murmured.
Her cheeks heated, but she didn’t look away. She reached for the hem of her sweater, pulling it over her head and letting it fall to the floor. The cool air kissed her skin, and she stood there in her lacy bra and jeans, heart pounding.
Reaper’s gaze darkened as he took her in. “Goddamn.”
He stepped closer, sliding his hands up her sides, brushing his thumbs against the edge of her bra.
Reaper leaned down, finding the curve of her neck with his lips. He pressed soft, open-mouthed kisses that made her shiver. She tilted her head back, giving him more access, threading her fingers through his hair.
“ Reaper, ” she whispered, her voice breaking.
He groaned, sliding his hands down to her jeans, unbuttoning them with slow, deliberate movements. When the denim pooled at her feet, she stepped out of them, standing before him in just her lingerie. The heat in his eyes made her feel powerful and vulnerable all at once.
His own clothes followed—his t-shirt disappearing in a swift motion, revealing the hard muscles of his chest and the ink that marked his skin. She reached out, tracing the lines of his tattoos with her fingertips, feeling the heat beneath them. He caught her hand, bringing it to his lips and kissing her palm.
“ Lie down, ” he murmured.
She did, sinking onto the bed, her hair fanning out over the pillows. He followed, his body covering hers, his weight grounding her in a way that felt safe and right.
He kissed her again, deeper this time, his hands exploring her body with a reverence that brought tears to her eyes. Every touch, every whispered word, made her feel cherished. The shadows of her past receded, replaced by the warmth of his presence, the promise of something new.
Reaper paused, grabbing his jeans to take out a condom from his wallet, before returning to her. He broke the plastic, slipped the condom on. Then he hefted her legs above his shoulders.
Her heart pounded in excitement, her nipples pebbled. She wondered if Reaper knew how incredibly wet she was for him. When he slid one, two digits inside her pussy, she moaned. Savannah practically begged him to take her. Reaper positioned his dick into her opening, then thrust inside her. She gasped at the size of him.
He entered her, slow and deliberate, taking his time. She took every inch of him, panting when he finally buried himself to the hilt.
“You okay?” Reaper asked her.
“Fuck me,” she whispered, and he did.
Reaper started with a slow rhythm before picking up speed. Soon enough, he reduced them both to sweaty and needy animals. Savannah started meeting him for every push. Every time he entered her, it felt like a fragment of her soul reached out to brush against his.
“ Reaper, ” she whispered. “ I ’m close.”
With every entry, Reaper brushed against her clit. Savannah gasped at his last push.
As they came together, the world outside faded away. All that mattered was this moment—their bodies entwined, their hearts pounding in unison. He held her like she was something precious, something worth protecting, and Savannah cherished that gift.
Afterward, they lay tangled together, his arms wrapped around her, his breath warm against her hair.
Savannah closed her eyes, a tear slipping down her cheek, not from sadness, but from the overwhelming sense of hope she hadn’t felt in years.
Reaper tightened his around her, and his voice was a low whisper in the dark. “ You good? ”
“ Never better, ” she whispered.
****
Wrapped in Reaper’s arms, Savannah felt an unfamiliar sense of calm settle over her. The room was quiet, the soft rhythm of his breathing a soothing backdrop. His warmth surrounded her, the steady beat of his heart under her cheek grounding her.
She clung to that feeling, trying to memorize every second of it—the way his arms held her firmly, yet gently, like he was afraid she might slip away.
The calm also brought clarity, and with it, a surge of memories she’d worked so hard to bury. The thoughts came unbidden, clawing their way to the surface, and suddenly, the need to let them out became unbearable. She’d carried this weight alone for too long.
She took a shaky breath. Her fingers, resting lightly on Reaper’s chest, curled into his skin. He must have felt the tension in her because he shifted slightly, his hand brushing soothing circles over her back.
“Savannah?” he murmured.
Her throat tightened. The words stuck there like a lump. She squeezed her eyes shut, fighting the instinct to pull away, to put up walls, to hide. But then she remembered how he’d looked at her tonight, how he’d made her feel seen, wanted, and safe. That safety was a fragile thing, she knew, but it was real. And for the first time in what felt like forever, she wanted to trust it. Trust him.
She opened her eyes, staring at the dim shadows on the ceiling. Her voice came out barely louder than a whisper. “ There ’s something I need to tell you.”
Reaper rested his hand on her back, his body going still beneath her. He didn’t speak, didn’t rush her, just waited. That steady patience gave her the courage to continue.
“Growing up, I didn’t have much … I grew up in foster care. No real family. No real home. When I graduated, I didn’t know what the hell to do with myself,” she began.
Reaper tightened his arm around her, just a little, and she drew strength from it.
“That’s when I met Raker,” she said bitterly. “He was … different. At least, that’s what I thought back then. He made me feel like I belonged somewhere, like he was all I needed. And I believed him.”
Reaper didn’t say anything, but his chest rose and fell beneath her, slow and steady, like he was anchoring them both.
“ For a while, it was good. He was charming, confident, and he knew how to make me feel special. I thought I was in love. I thought he loved me. ” Her voice cracked on the last word, and she swallowed hard.
Reaper traced a line up her spine with his fingers, a silent reassurance.
“ But then things changed, ” she whispered. “ It started small. Little comments that made me doubt myself. He ’d get angry over nothing, but then he’d apologize, and I’d forgive him. I kept thinking it was my fault. That if I just tried harder, he’d go back to being the man I thought I loved.”
A tear slid down her cheek, landing on Reaper’s chest.
He brushed a strand of hair away from her face, his touch gentle, but still he stayed quiet, giving her the space she needed to finish.
“ Then the violence started, ” she admitted, her voice barely audible. “ At first, it was just a shove here, a bruise there. But it got worse. And every time I tried to leave, he ’d find a way to convince me to stay. Or threaten me if I didn’t.”
She felt Reaper’s body tense beneath her, his jaw tightening against the top of her head. His silence spoke volumes. He was angry, but not at her. Never at her.
“I finally got out one night after he … after he left me barely able to walk,” she said, the memory sending a shiver through her. “I packed what I could and just ran. I’ve been running ever since.”
She took a shaky breath, the weight of the words lifting slightly now that they were out in the open.
“I’ve been careful. I don’t stay in one place for long. But I lingered in Steelhaven. Drake and Slim recognized me.”
She looked up at Reaper, her eyes searching his face for any sign of judgment, of pity. But all she saw was quiet understanding and a rage simmering just beneath the surface—not directed at her, but at the man who’d hurt her.
“I stayed here longer than I should have,” she confessed. “Because … because I felt something between us. Something good. And I’m afraid I’ve just put a target on your back too.”
Reaper cupped her face, using his thumb to brush away a stray tear.
“Listen to me, Savannah. You don’t need to be afraid anymore,” he told her.
She shook her head, a fresh tear slipping free. “ But Raker— ”
“ Raker doesn ’t get to touch you again. He doesn’t get to haunt you, to own your life. You’re not alone in this anymore. I’m here, and I’m not going to let anything happen to you,” he reminded her.
She hesitated. “ Reaper, you can ’t promise that. You don’t know what he’s capable of,” she pointed out.
He leaned down, pressing his forehead against hers.
“ I know exactly what men like him are capable of. But I also know what I ’m capable of. And I swear to you, Savannah, I will protect you. No matter what it takes.”
A sob caught in her throat, a mix of relief and fear. But for the first time in years, the fear didn’t feel so paralyzing.
He kissed her softly, his lips lingering on hers like he was sealing a promise. When he pulled back, his gaze held hers.
“ You ’re stronger than you think. And I’m damn proud of you for telling me.”
The words unraveled something deep inside her, a knot she hadn’t realized she’d been holding onto. She let herself sink into his embrace, letting the warmth of his body, his words, his presence wash over her.
In Reaper’s arms, the shadows of her past seemed just a little bit smaller.