9. Marlowe
MARLOWE
My eyes flutter open to the soft, heavy warmth of an arm slung low across my waist. I’m a bit disoriented at first, but the undeniable reality of Kane’s body pressed flush against mine anchors me in place.
I turn my head slightly on the pillow. Kane is still asleep beside me, his dark hair messy, his features far softer than the sharp, dangerous man the rest of the world sees.
Watching him like this sends a sudden, fluttering heat straight to my chest. He shifts, a low murmur escaping his throat as his arm tightens around me, pulling me back until my spine rests against his bare chest. His skin is hot, grounding, and overwhelming in the best way possible.
When his breathing changes, I know he’s awake.
Kane’s lips brush against the back of my neck, sending a fresh wave of shivers down my spine before he easily rolls me onto my back to look down at me.
Without saying a word, he scoops me up into his arms, lifting me off the mattress as effortlessly as if I weigh nothing at all, carrying me straight toward the master bathroom.
As soon as he sets me down, Kane turns the water on in the massive shower. Water pours out from a rainfall showerhead, steam curling into the air almost instantly.
“What are you thinking about?” Kane asks from behind me. He trails his fingers up my back, sweeping my hair aside and kissing me between my shoulder blades.
I hum and tilt my head back, sighing contentedly as his lips move up my neck. “I’m thinking about how good it’s going to feel when you fuck me in the shower.”
Kane’s eyes turn a dark, stormy gray as he guides me inside, positioning me directly beneath the showerhead.
His fingertips follow the streams of water as they pour over my shoulders, breasts, torso, hips, and finally my throbbing pussy.
I moan as his knuckles barely graze my mound before continuing down my inner thighs.
Kane’s other hand wraps around the back of my neck, pulling me in for a punishing kiss.
I open up for him, needing to taste and touch and feel him everywhere.
He tugs my hair, pulling my head back so he can deepen the kiss.
I feel two fingers dip into my slit and start circling my little bundle of nerves in slow, steady strokes.
I grip his biceps, digging my nails in as one finger pushes into my entrance, then two. Kane thrusts his large digits in and out of me, slowly at first, and then faster, faster, faster, grinding his heel down on my clit all while devouring my lips.
Breaking the kiss, I bury my face in between his neck and shoulders as I cry out. I’m right there, so close to my much needed release. He keeps pumping his fingers, twisting and curling them up to rub against my G-spot. Again, again, one more time…
Suddenly, his hand is gone. I nearly fall over at the loss of him, but I regain my composure and glare right at his stupidly handsome face. Kane just grins, which makes my pussy clench. God, this man. Frustrating and sexy as hell.
“Not yet, angel. Patience.”
With that, he spins me around, my back to his front, and starts massaging me everywhere. His large, calloused hands squeeze my breasts, hips, and my soft, round belly that I’ve always been a little self-conscious of. Kane has made it clear that he loves every inch of me.
His hands trail lower, once again teasing my pussy lips. My clit throbs in time with my heartbeat, begging him to do something about the unbearable ache he’s created.
“Kane…” I moan, wiggling my hips in an attempt to get him to touch me where I need him most.
“Not yet,” he murmurs again, licking the shell of my ear before trailing kisses down my neck and shoulder.
I feel his hard cock dig into my ass, so I wiggle a bit more until I feel his length nestle in between my cheeks. Kane groans and rotates his hips, grinding his thick shaft against my ass.
“God, please, Kane,” I beg. My legs start shaking, and I have to lean forward and brace myself against the wall.
A low growl rises up from deep in Kane’s chest, the sound vibrating through me, nearly making me come on the spot. He grips my left leg just under my knee and lifts it so my foot is resting on a bench in the corner of the shower I didn’t notice earlier.
“That’s it, fuck, love when you’re spread out for me, Marlowe.” He continues touching every inch of me, caressing my thighs and widening my stance a bit. “Now let’s see what I can do to make your fantasies come true.”
“You already have,” I tell him truthfully.
Kane gives me a satisfied grunt, which makes me giggle. My laughter is cut off when his cock slides up and down my slit. He taps my clit, nearly sending me over the edge. I’m so damn sensitive and ready to come I think I might die if he doesn’t get inside of me this second.
“I’ve got you, Marlowe,” he murmurs, lining himself up with my entrance.
I’m expecting him to thrust inside of me and fuck me hard.
I know he’s as desperate for me as I am for him.
But Kane slowly inches inside of me, prolonging the sweet pain deep in my core.
He grips my hips, holding me in place as he stretches me open.
I hold my breath as he slides home, hitting the very end of me.
“Fucking Christ,” he whispers.
Kane pulls out, just as slowly, making me whine. I open my mouth to tell him to fuck me already, but then Kane slams his thick dick all the way inside, making me come instantly.
He wraps his arms around me, holding me up as I spasm around his cock.
He fucks me through it, hammering into me over and over, as I continue to convulse and cry out his name.
Kane grips the inner thigh of my leg that’s propped up, spreading me wider and angling my hips so he’s hitting my G-spot with every thrust.
“Y-y-yesss…” I manage to hiss out as I pound my fist against the wall and throw my head back against his shoulder. Kane wraps his hand around my throat, keeping my head tilted back as he splits me open with his dick.
“So fucking tight for me, love,” he grits out.
I whimper in response, already feeling another orgasm rushing to the surface. He must sense it, too. Kane keeps a firm grip on my neck, which is hot as fuck, and then trails his other hand down my body, circling my clit and then pinching it.
My orgasm slams into me, hard and fast, ripping a scream from my lips. Kane growls and ruts into me, rubbing furious circles over my swollen, pulsing clit. A painful, delicious pleasure takes over every part of my body as I come again for him, sobbing his name.
Kane pulls out and spins me around, crashing his lips down on mine as he lifts me up and spears me with his cock. I wrap my legs around his hips and hang on for dear life as he pins me to the wall and fucks me like a man possessed.
“Mine, mine, fucking mine. Say it, Marlowe. Tell me, sweetheart.”
“Y-yours,” I whisper, my voice scratchy from screaming his name.
“Louder,” he growls.
“I’m yours!” I cry out, writhing in his arms.
Kane roars and bites my shoulder as he comes, marking me, claiming me, fucking me raw. I gasp and open my mouth in a silent scream, my entire body pulsing, tensing, stretching… and then collapsing in on itself as my orgasm ravishes me from the inside out.
I swear I feel Kane come again, shooting his cum deep inside of me in forceful bursts.
I drag air into my lungs in short breaths, trembling in Kane’s arms as he keeps me pinned to the wall. I comb my fingers through his hair while he nuzzles into my shoulder, kissing over the spot where he bit me.
“Fuck, are you okay? I bit you,” he says in shock.
“Yeah, you did,” I grin. “And it was hot as fuck.”
Kane looks up at me, his eyes going dark as a deep growl rumbles through him. I think he might fuck me again, but then his eyes turn soft, and he kisses my forehead.
“Let’s get you washed up so you can rest. Then I’ll do it all over again.”
My pussy clenches around his half hard cock, making Kane groan. “Or we could do it again right now…”
Kane sucks in a breath and lets it out slowly, resting his forehead on mine. “Do you trust me?”
I nod automatically. Of course, I trust him.
“Then let me take care of you.”
I nod again as he gently sets me down and begins washing me.
Kane's touch is achingly tender like I'm precious to him and he wants to savor every moment of being with me like this.
I can't stop the tears stinging my eyes.
Kane doesn't say anything, he just kisses them away and continues washing my body before moving on to my hair.
Kane dries me off with a fluffy towel and then scoops me up in his arms again, making me giggle. He tosses me down on the mattress, grinning in satisfaction when I don’t move an inch. My entire body feels liquefied, humming with a warm, heavy sensation that reaches all the way down to my toes.
Leaning down, Kane plants a firm, lingering kiss right in the center of my forehead. “Stay here,” he rumbles as he pulls on a pair of dark sweatpants. He doesn't bother with a shirt, leaving those broad shoulders and chiseled abs on display. "I’m making breakfast."
"Yes, Boss," I murmur teasingly, biting my lip.
A corner of his mouth twitches, a rare, half-smile that sends a fresh wave of butterflies fluttering through my stomach. Kane pads out of the room, leaving me to relax in my blissful bubble.
Ten minutes later, the rich scent of brewing coffee and sizzled bacon wafts into the bedroom, making my stomach rumble loudly. Kane returns carrying a tray that looks laughably small in his massive hands, loaded with scrambled eggs, crispy bacon, buttered toast, and two large mugs.
He sets the tray down across my lap, then climbs back into bed beside me, propping himself up against the headboard. His arm settles casually around my shoulders, drawing me close to his warm side.
"Eat," he commands softly, though there's no sharp edge to it this time. Just steady, quiet care.
I pick up a piece of toast, taking a small bite as I lean into his chest, listening to the calm, steady rhythm of his heartbeat.
Yesterday, I was sleeping in the cramped backseat of my car, terrified of every shadow.
Now, sitting in Kane’s bed, surrounded by his scent and his strength, I feel safer than I have in years.
"Kane?" I speak softly, staring down at my coffee mug. The usual banter and cheeky jokes float up in my head, but for the first time, I don't feel the need to hide behind them.
"Yeah, sweetheart?"
"I didn't just come to Forge Creek to start over," I say quietly, my voice trembling slightly as the truth slips out.
"I was running. Back in Denver... I got into a bad situation.
Took out a loan from the wrong people just to survive, and when I paid it back, they said I owed more.
Then they sent an enforcer to my door. He...
he threatened to force me into something far worse if I couldn't keep paying. "
Kane’s entire body goes rigid beside me. The air in the room instantly cools as his breath hitches, his jaw locking tight. But he doesn't pull away. Instead, his arm tightens around me, tucking me firmly against his side. Kane’s fingers gently brush against the nearly-faded bruise on my ribs.
"They followed me here," I add softly, looking up at him. "That's why I panicked at the yard."
Kane sets his coffee mug down on the nightstand with a slow, deliberate motion. He turns his head to look at me, his eyes dark, intense, and swimming with a fierce, protective emotion that makes my heart ache.
"They won't touch you," he says, his voice dropping to a low, lethal murmur that leaves no room for doubt. "No one is ever going to hurt you again, Marlowe. You're under my roof, and you're under my protection."
He lifts his hand, his calloused thumb gently wiping away a stray tear I didn't realize had fallen down my cheek.
"I lost people once," he whispers, a rare crack appearing in his hardened armor as he touches the scar on his jaw. "I know what it feels like to fail the people you're supposed to keep safe. I won't let that happen with you. I can't."
A lump forms in my throat. Giving him my body last night was intense, but hearing him lay his soul bare like this, showing me his own scars, feels infinitely more intimate. Our hearts break and heal together as Kane nuzzles against my shoulder and I stroke the back of his neck.
"You're stuck with me now, sweetheart," Kane murmurs, lifting his head to press his lips gently to mine in a slow, sweet promise. "I'm not letting you go."