Chapter 6 - Trickster
Me? Telling some pretty young girl I just met my whole life story? What is this, one of those cheesy movie moments?
Still, as Rose gazes up at me with those big, soulful eyes, I can feel my resistance crumbling. There's just something about her - an innocence and fragility that makes me want to bare my soul. To prove I'm not the heartless thug everyone assumes.
I'm just about to open my mouth and start spinning my tale of woe when a sharp ring from the doorbell cuts me off. Rose flinches hard, tucking her legs up to her chest in a tight little ball on the couch.
The poor thing looks like a scared rabbit again.
"Just stay put," I murmur, rising to my feet with a reassuring pat on her knee. "I'll go see who that is."
Snatching up the aluminum baseball bat I keep stashed by the door, I approach cautiously and peek through the peephole. Just the delivery kid balancing our order of hotdogs and curly fries.
I crack the door enough to stick my head out, keeping the security chain engaged.
"Yeah? What do you want?"
The pimply teenager jumps half out of his skin at the sight of me. I can't really blame him - I'm built like a brick shithouse and probably look like your typical back-alley mugger.
"J-Just the d-delivery… Sara's Eats?" he stammers, thrusting the greasy bag towards me with a shaking hand.
Grunting, I pass him a crumpled twenty, keeping one eye on the hallway to make sure Rose doesn't try anything silly.
"Keep the change. Now beat it."
As the door slams, I turn back to the living room, the smell of fresh food making my mouth water. But Rose isn't huddled on the couch anymore. She's standing in the middle of the room, arms wrapped protectively around her body, fiery hair obscuring her face.
"Everything okay?" I call out in what I hope is a gentle tone. "That was just the delivery kid, no need to..."
My voice trails off as Rose glances up at me. Even with her delicate features half-hidden, I'm struck by how damn beautiful she is. Like some fairy-tale princess who got dropped into the gritty reality of my world by mistake.
I'm not sure what possesses me in that moment. Maybe it's been too long since I had a woman's soft curves pressed against me. Or maybe there's just something intoxicating about this fragile creature that calls to the protective beast inside me.
Whatever the reason, I find myself crossing the room in two long strides. Dropping the food onto the battered recliner, I reach out to gently brush Rose's fiery tresses away from her face.
"You're gorgeous, you know that?" The words rumble out in a husky murmur before I can stop them. "Downright ethereal..."
Her crystalline eyes go wide, seeming to search my face as if gauging my sincerity.
"You...you really think so?" she whispers tremulously. "Even after everything that happened to me tonight?"
I don't answer with words. A man like me… We speak more with actions than pretty words.
Cradling her face in one rugged palm, I simply lean down and capture her plump lips with my own.
Rose doesn't pull away from my sudden kiss. In fact, to my surprise, she melts into me, her soft lips moving against mine. This slight, fragile creature is kissing me back with an unexpected hunger that has my cock throbbing in my jeans.
What am I doing? This girl is barely more than a kid - innocent, traumatized, seeking safety and protection. And here I am like some lecherous old biker taking advantage of her in a moment of vulnerability.
Summoning every ounce of willpower, I tear my lips from hers with a ragged gasp.
"Rose, I...I shouldn't have done that. You've been through enough tonight without me forcing myself on you too."
Instead of looking affronted or revolted as I expected, Rose simply gazes up at me with those soulful blue eyes.
"You didn't force anything! That was...I wanted that as much as you did."
My jaw goes slack as I struggle to process her words. She wanted to kiss me? This beautiful, delicate wildflower of a girl actually desires a rough, burly bastard like me?
"You don't know what you're saying," I rasp, taking a stumbling step back to put some distance between us. To fight against the overwhelming urge to yank her curvy body flush against mine. "You're hurting and vulnerable right now. I should be focusing on making sure you're safe and comfortable, not taking advantage..."
"Then help me feel comfortable," Rose cuts me off in a breathy murmur. She takes a step closer, her warm breath puffing against the scruff of my beard. "Help me to finally feel something other than terror and panic after what I've been through."
Those big innocent eyes are suddenly hooded, shimmering with an unmistakable yearning that has me frozen in place. This isn't just some kid looking for comfort.
Rose wants me, all of me. Rough edges, merciless past, and all.
A low, rumbling groan tears free from my throat. Who am I to deny her?
I snake an arm around her waist and haul her up against me, pinning her to the wall. She gasps at the sudden movement, breath catching, but there's no fear in those half-lidded eyes as they meet mine.
Only hot, blazing desire.
Our lips crash together again with bruising force. The hard plains of my body pin Rose in place, letting her feel every rigid inch of me, including the thick length of my arousal grinding shamelessly against her thighs.
This is madness. Insanity. I'm a fool for letting things go this far with a girl I just met under such volatile circumstances.
But as Rose's tiny fingers tangle desperately in my hair, holding me to her, I can't find a shred of regret or restraint left in me. Only the burning need to lose myself in her sweetness and make her forget the world, if only for a little while.
My hands roam freely over the swell of her hips, the dip of her waist, the flare of those lush curves begging to be mapped and worshipped. Rose arches into my questing touch with a soft whimper that has me throbbing achingly against her belly.
Rational thought has abandoned me entirely. All that matters is sating this fierce, primal craving to make this girl mine in every sense of the word. To stake my claim and protect her with the same feral intensity I'd fight off any threat.
Looping my arms under the swell of her thighs, I hoist Rose up in one smooth motion until those endless legs wind around my waist. She gasps at the sudden movement, clinging to me as I carry us down the hallway toward my bedroom.
With a low growl, I place Rose onto the rumpled sheets, taking a moment to drink in the sight of her. Fiery tresses splayed out in a halo, those big innocent eyes dark with want and plump lips already looking deliciously ravaged from our kisses.
"God, you're beautiful," I rasp, letting my gaze rake over the delicate swell of her breasts straining against my sweat. "So goddamn pretty and perfect and all mine..."
Before I can pounce on her again, devouring that milky flesh with my lips and tongue, Rose's small hand presses against my heaving chest. Her eyes are suddenly unsure, her bottom lip caught between her teeth.
"Trickster...wait," she murmurs, cheeks flushing prettily. "There's...I need to be honest with you about something first."
I tense instantly, my lust-fogged brain struggling to catch up. Does she have a secret? A dark truth about herself or her situation that could change everything?
Of course, that's my damn luck. I should have known better than to rush into intimate territory with a fragile thing like Rose before learning all the facts. Before my brothers had a chance to properly check into her background and situation.
For all I know, she could be some kind of plant sent in by a rival crew to lure me into catching feelings. Or maybe she's got some other sordid history that means getting tangled up with her would be a risk to the club.
My jaw clenches hard as I brace myself for whatever confession is about to come tumbling out. If Rose is about to spin some tale of being a DEA informant or a drug trafficker herself...as crazy as it sounds, I'm not sure I'd even be able to walk away at this point. I'm already that far gone on her.
"I'm...I'm a virgin," she finally whispers, looking away shyly. "I've never...I don't have any experience with...intimacy. With any man before."
The breath I was holding rushes out in a surprised grunt. Well, that certainly wasn't the dark secret I was bracing for.
In fact, her innocence and purity just make the beast roaring inside me that much more ravenous. I want to be the first - the only - man to ever lay hands on Rose. To make her tremble and moan over and over until she forgets anyone else exists.
Rose's cheeks flush an adorable shade of pink as she ducks her head, seeming almost ashamed by her confession of virginity. Like it's some deep, dark secret she's been harboring.
"Hey, none of that now," I murmur gruffly, tilting her chin up to meet my gaze. "Being pure and untouched like that? It's a gift, sweetheart. One most men would kill to unwrap themselves."
Her crystalline eyes widen at my words, sparking with a vulnerability that has my protective instincts kicking into overdrive.
I want - no, need - to be the one to initiate Rose into the pleasures of the flesh. To coax those sweet, breathy cries of bliss from her lush lips and make her forget any man ever existed before me.
"I'll go slow. Treat you how you deserve," I rasp, brushing the pad of my calloused thumb over those plump lips. "But make no mistake, little Rose...I aim to thoroughly ruin you for any other."
A shuddering sigh escapes her at my words. Slowly, almost shyly, Rose nods.
"I want that. To be yours..."
Groaning low in my throat, I slant my mouth over hers again, devouring those honeyed lips in a searing kiss. My broad hands span her waist, bunching the fabric of that oversized shirt up over the lush curves of her hips.
Rose arches into me like a needy kitten, those dainty fingers tangling in the hair at my nape.
"Wait..." she pants when we finally break for air. "Before we...I want to know your real name. Not just this 'Trickster' thing."
I tense at her request, a fleeting moment of uncertainty giving me pause. On the streets, in the club, my road name is all that matters. My personal identity is supposed to be guarded, a secret kept close to the vest.
But as I gaze down at this angel of a girl splayed out so trustingly beneath me, that mask of indifference starts to crack. She's not just some groupie looking to score with a badass biker for bragging rights. Rose is fast becoming something...more.
"Grant," I finally grunt out, unable to meet her guileless stare. "My real name is Grant. But I ain't gone by that dorky suburban kid's name in years. Not since..."
I shake my head, pushing away the resurgence of bad memories. Rose doesn't need to be burdened with my messed up past right now. All that matters is this moment, our bodies intertwined, and me showing her the depths of ecstasy a real man can bring.
"Grant..." she breathes as if testing how the name feels on her lips. A shiver races down my spine at the sound. "I like it. It suits you. So, why Trickster? I’ve never heard that before."
"You're the first person I've told my real name to in a long time," I admit gruffly. "So, you best not go sharing it around, you hear? And why Trickster? Let’s just say sometimes I have very creative ways to solve certain problems. Some of them aren’t the best: some crazy, some dangerous, but I’m lucky enough to make them work a good number of times."
A teasing grin curves those full lips as Rose gives a lock of my shaggy hair an affectionate tug.
"Interesting… And don't worry, Mr...Grant. I have a feeling your real name is going to be a very precious thing, just between us."
With that, she tugs me down to capture my lips in another passionate kiss. And in that moment, with her lush body cradled in my embrace, I know without a doubt that Rose isn't just some random piece of ass.
She's my delicate rose, my perfect match - and I'll fight like a madman to keep her safe, loved, and cherished.