Page 24 of Rough & Ruthless

My heart stops. I spin around in his arms, staring up at his handsome, striking face to see if he's joking, but his dark eyes are entirely serious and shining with pure devotion.

"Go on," he urges, nodding toward the cabin. "Go look inside."

Overjoyed and completely in shock, I pull out of his grasp and run up the wooden porch steps. I push open the heavy front door, and the rich smells of fresh-cut pine and lemon oil wash over me. My steps echo softly on the pristine hardwood floors as I step into the main living area.

It's completely empty, but the space is magnificent. Massive, floor-to-ceiling windows line the back wall, flooding the entire room with brilliant, golden sunlight. It’s absolute perfection for my plants. And then I look up. Suspended from the thick wooden rafters are three familiar hanging pothos plants. My plants, carefully brought over from my apartment and hung up just for me.

The sheer reality of it all hits my chest with the force of a freight train. I don't even realize I’m crying until the tears are spilling hot and fast down my cheeks.

I hear heavy, frantic footsteps behind me, and suddenly Stryker is there. He instantly panics, his large hands coming up to cup my face as his thumbs frantically swipe at my tears.

"What's wrong?" he demands, his voice tight with worry, clearly terrified he overstepped. "Soraya, talk to me. If you don't like it, we can find somewhere else. I just thought⁠—"

"No!" I laugh through a hiccup, my hands coming up to grip his wrists. "Stryker, no. They're happy tears. I promise."

He exhales a harsh breath, his shoulders dropping a fraction.

"I just..." I look around the sunlit room, then back up into the eyes of the man who holds my entire world in his hands. "I never, in my wildest dreams, thought I would ever have a home like this. Let alone share it with a man who loves and protects me the way you do."

The vulnerability of my confession melts the remaining worry from his features. The fierce, protective MC President vanishes, leaving only the man who is burning with pure, unadulterated devotion for me. He groans, his hands sliding back to tangle in my hair as he crashes his lips down onto mine.

It’s a deep, desperate kiss, full of heat and promises. It escalates in seconds, the raw need between us igniting like a match to gasoline. My hands slip under his shirt, and I moan as I run my fingers over every defined muscle I can reach. Stryker kisses down my neck, and then sinks his teeth into my shoulder, making me claw at his chest.

“Jesus, Soraya. I need you naked, but I can’t take my hands off you. My lips off you…” He trails off, his words muffled from where he started nibbling and sucking on my neck.

“I need you, too,” I breathe out, hardly able to string those four words together. My legs shake, and he holds me steady, those dark eyes locked onto mine.

“You okay?” His voice is rough and deep, pouring over my skin and making me shiver in anticipation.

I nod, unable to speak at the moment. Stryker chuckles and then steps away from me, stripping off his shirt. God, I’ll never get tired of looking at him. Black ink swirls around his smooth, chiseled muscles, and I can’t stop the soft, needy whimper that falls from my lips. Everything aches now that he’s no longer touching me. My skin is too tight, the electricity humming along my nerves too powerful.

“You’re shaking, love,” he murmurs, stepping closer to me, gloriously naked. I’m still fully clothed, and for some reason, that makes it all so much hotter.

“I know.”

“You hurting for me?” he whispers, ghosting his fingers down my neck and across my shoulder.

“Yes. Everywhere.”

Stryker grunts and spins me around so my back is to his front. He grabs my hips and grinds his cock against my ass while nuzzling into my neck.

“Need you naked,” he murmurs, his lips tickling the shell of my ear.

I try stepping away from him so I can throw my clothes off, but Stryker doesn’t let me move. Instead, he sweeps my hair to one side and places a soft kiss on the back of my neck while lifting my shirt over my head. He continues trailing kisses down my spine as he undresses me completely.

As soon as Stryker has my bra off, his hands cover my breasts as he pulls me back into his hard chest. He squeezes the sensitive flesh and rubs my nipples until they harden into tight little points. Stryker trails his hands lower, taking time to explore my body.

I’m aware of every dip, curve, and roll his fingers touch. My instinct is to squirm out of his embrace or just have him fuck me already. I don’t know what to do with this kind of attention on all my imperfections.

Stryker grips my hip with one hand while wrapping his other hand around my throat in that possessive hold I love so much. “I thought I told you I love your sexy fucking body,” he rasps. “I thought I showed you how crazy you make me.”

“You’re just so…perfect,” I whisper.

“Perfect for you. Just like you’re perfect for me.”

“Show me again.”

“I’ll show you every fucking day.”