Chapter 8
RAIDEN
Ipaced my penthouse like a caged animal, my jaw tense and nerves coiled tight in my gut. Every minute that ticked by felt like an hour. I’d vacuumed the place twice and wiped down every counter. Changed shirts. Showered again. None of it helped. I still felt like I was about to jump out of my skin.
Marissa was coming. Finally. After a week of half texts, time zones, and distance, she was coming.
And I was losing my fucking mind waiting.
Whenever I thought about the last time I saw her—walking away from me without a kiss goodbye, leaving behind a note—I felt that raw panic crawl back up my throat.
And I didn’t know what I was going to do when I saw her.
I’d sworn to myself that I’d keep it together when she showed up. Be calm. Reasonable. I wouldn’t growl at her and tear her clothes off the second she walked through the door and fuck her until she forgot how to leave.
But I was dead serious about blocking that fucking door if she tried. I didn’t want to scare the hell out of her. But I wasn’t going to lose her either.
My fists clenched at my sides. I’d replayed that night with her a thousand times in my head. Every sound she made. Every curve under my hands. The way she looked at me like I’d wrecked her and she liked it. How her mouth formed my name when she came.
I wasn’t good at this. At waiting. Wondering. At not knowing what the hell she was thinking.
I was still pacing when I heard the elevator hum outside the private entry, followed by a soft chime. My body went still as I waited for the knock.
When I heard two quick taps, I opened the door…and there she was.
Fuck me, I was gone all over again.
Marissa stood in the hallway looking like sin and salvation all wrapped in one tired, wary, beautiful package.
Worn out and pale, yeah, but still stunning.
Her eyes were rimmed with exhaustion, her posture tight, but her lips lifted slightly when she saw me.
Not a smile, just a subtle curve that cracked something wide open in my chest.
"Hey," she greeted softly.
My hands twitched at my sides. I wanted to haul her in and kiss her senseless, but she looked like she might topple over if I breathed too hard.
“Come in.”
I stepped back to let her inside, closing the door behind her. She looked around the space like she wasn’t sure where to land.
“Long flight?”
She nodded. “Yeah. I didn’t sleep much.”
I led her toward the living room. “Sit.”
She eased down onto the couch, and I dropped onto the coffee table across from her. Close enough to reach her. And to see the fine tremble in her hands.
“Did you eat?”
She shrugged. “Sort of.”
My jaw ticked. I didn’t like hearing that but kept that to myself for the moment.
She shifted slightly. “How’s The Tight Line coming along?”
“Good. We’re almost ready for the soft launch at the end of April. Kitchen’s fully stocked, and the signage goes up next week. Then the grand opening will be in mid-May. We have a press event next weekend, but Micah’s handling that.”
She gave a small nod. “Sounds like everything’s on track.”
I tilted my head, about to ask what was really going on with her—but then she blurted, “I’m pregnant.”
I didn’t move. Didn’t speak. Could barely breathe.
My brain short-circuited for a second as everything else faded. The words hung there, quiet and explosive all at once.
Pregnant.
With my baby.
My lips parted, but nothing came out.
Marissa’s eyes searched my face. “Say something. Please.”
Suddenly, something inside me detonated.
A burst of light so bright it could have lit up the city.
Happiness like I’d never experienced swept through me.
A grin broke across my face so fast and wide it made her blink in surprise.
I moved off the table and slid onto the couch beside her, then tugged her onto my lap so she straddled me.
Her breath caught as I settled her there. Both hands gripped her waist, then slid up to rest on her belly. I looked up at her, still grinning like a fool.
Holy fuck.
There was a baby in there. My baby.
“There’s definitely no going back now.” My voice was low and rough. “You’re mine.”
She stared at me like she couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “You’re not mad?”
“Mad?” I huffed out a breath. “Why the fuck would I be mad?”
Her mouth twisted. “Because of what people will say. We’re not even officially dating. They’re going to think I trapped you. Or that I’m after your money—”
I cut her off. “First, people can say whatever the fuck they want. I don’t care. What matters is that you’re mine. You know that. I know that. That’s enough.”
“You’re sure?”
I narrowed my eyes. “I was never going to let you go, Marissa.”
Her eyes shimmered, and her lips curved into a small smile as hope bloomed behind her gaze.
“And second…” I shifted, stroking her hip. “I want you to know it never entered my mind that you got pregnant on purpose.” I smirked. “And for the record, you could argue I trapped you.”
She frowned. “What?”
I leaned in, brushing my lips against her ear. “I realized I wasn’t wearing a condom. And I didn’t pull out. I probably should have. But I didn’t fucking want to.”
Her eyes flew wide. “You—”
“Yeah. And you know what?” I licked the shell of her ear, my voice dropping. “Knowing I could put a baby in you made me come even harder.”
She stared at me like I had lost my mind.
“You have no idea how fucking hot it is to know I put my baby in that sexy little body.” I shifted my hips, letting her feel exactly how hard I was getting. Her ass rubbed against me, and I grunted. “Fuck, baby. I want to do it all over again.”
She arched a brow. “Is this what they call a breeding kink?”
I tossed my head back and laughed. “Nah. That’s just the caveman in me being proud I knocked you up.”
She rolled her eyes, but her cheeks flushed, and I crushed my mouth to hers. I kissed her like I’d been starving. My hands slid under her shirt and up her back, then around to cup her tits.
When I pulled back, I tugged it over her head and discarded it on the floor.
“I’m gonna show you what a real breeding kink is,” I growled.
I scooped her breasts out of her bra and stared like I was looking at buried treasure.
“Fuck, baby. These tits…” I cupped them, my thumbs brushing her nipples. She shivered, and I raised my brow. “They’re even more sensitive now, aren’t they?”
She bit her lip and nodded, her breath hitching as I flicked one nipple and leaned down to suck it into my mouth. She gasped and arched against me, her thighs tightening around my hips.
“Your breasts were already perfect, but watching them grow, swelling with milk and dripping for our baby…shit.” I gave both mounds a firm squeeze. “Yeah, I’m gonna need to fuck these later.”
I switched to the other peak, sucking harder until she whimpered. Her hips rolled against mine, and I caught the scent of her arousal.
Shifting, I laid her back on the couch and peeled her jeans off. Her panties were damp and clinging to her, and I took my time sliding them down.
But when I looked at her—really looked—I saw how tired she still was. How pale and fragile.
I hesitated, bracing my hands on either side of her. “I’ve been thinking about this for four long damn weeks, Marissa. You need to tell me to stop because I don’t think I have it in me to be gentle.”
She reached for my shirt and yanked me down. “Then don’t.”
I frowned. “I don’t want to hurt you.”
“I’m tired, not breakable. And I’ve been waiting just as long. I don’t want gentle. I want to see you lose control.”
“Then you’re gonna take it rough tonight,” I snarled, barely hanging on. “I need to fuck these weeks off me.”
Marissa’s body trembled, and she whispered, “I want to be fucked, Raiden.”
Something snapped inside me.
Clothes flew. Mine, hers—both gone in record time. Then I hauled her legs over my shoulders and slammed into her in one deep, brutal thrust.
She screamed my name, her head thrown back and eyes rolling as her back bowed off the cushions.
Tight. Wet. Silken walls clenching around me like a fucking glove. So damn hot it felt like I was being swallowed whole. Her body welcomed me, sucked me in, and gripped me like it never wanted to let go.
I thrust again, rougher this time. In the back of my mind was the nagging reminder that I should slow down. But fuck, I didn’t want her gentle. I wanted her screaming, clawing, soaked, and begging.
“If you weren’t already carrying my baby, you would be when I’m done with you tonight.” I sped up my pace, and my cock bumped her cervix every time I filled her. “Probably gonna fuck another one into you as soon as this kid is born.”
Marissa’s pussy flinched, then gushed, soaking my cock.
Son of a bitch. She was gonna kill me. “Fuck, baby, I can feel how wet you got just from thinking about me putting another baby in you. You’re dripping all over me. Making a mess. I fucking love it.”
I took her like a man possessed, rutting into her with a pace that bordered on savage.
Her cries turned frantic. It was ruthless, deep, and unrelenting.
Her breasts bounced with every slam, her nipples pebbled and flushed, and her mouth open as moans spilled out uncontrollably.
Her hands clawed at the cushions. She was wild beneath me, taking everything I gave her and pleading for more.
“You like that, baby?” I grunted, sweat sliding down my spine as I drove into her over and over. “You like this cock filling your tight little pussy?”
“Yes,” she cried. “Raiden—oh yes!”
“Take it, baby,” I growled, thrusting harder. “Scream my name. Let the whole city know who fuckin’ owns you. Whose kid is growing inside you.”
Her walls clamped down, and I felt her coming, tightening around me like a velvet fist.
“Good girl,” I praised, voice thick with heat. “Come all over me, gorgeous. Soak me. Let that sweet little pussy gush. That’s it…fuck, yeah. Oh fuck!”
She shattered beneath me, and her orgasm triggered mine like a fuse. I slammed deep and stayed there, locked tight, my balls flush to her ass as I came hard.
I roared her name as I spilled inside her, pulse after pulse of hot seed filling her up. “Fuck, yes. Take every drop, baby.”
Rocking against Marissa, I worked her through her climax until she lay there boneless and panting, her skin flushed and her body marked by my hands, my mouth, and my seed.
When I finally collapsed over her, panting like I’d just run wind sprints, I kissed the corner of her mouth and murmured, “Mine.”
Still breathless, she whispered, “Yours.”
I wrapped my arms around her, still buried deep, and knew I wasn’t done.
“Round two,” I muttered, already hardening again. “Gotta make sure it sticks.”
She laughed breathlessly. “I’m already pregnant.”
“I’m practicing,” I deadpanned.
“I think I’m starting to understand breeding kink,” she giggled, her eyes shining and her smile lighting up her face.
“Gotta practice that, too.” I claimed her mouth with mine, already moving again.
Later, after we’d moved to the bed and were utterly spent, I tucked her body against mine. “No going back now. You’re home.”