Staking His Claim

by Winter Sloane

  “So you can just rip them?”

  “Exactly.” He nuzzled her neck, claimed her mouth all over again, at the same time undoing the button of his jeans.

  Ryker left her panting as he pulled his mouth away from hers. Slightly out of breath, she unzipped him, pulling his dick out. She widened her eyes at the size of his long, thick, and beautiful cock.

  Sex had never meant anything to her, until now. She wanted Ryker to claim every inch of her, to wear his marks on her skin, to make her belong to him. He’d always owned her heart, so it was about time he possessed her body, too.

  “Tell me how much you want my dick,” he said in that firm, commanding voice, which only made her wetter.

  Sky didn’t think she was the kind of person who’d take to commands when it came to intimacy in the bedroom, but with Ryker, she didn’t mind him taking control.

  “Please.” She seemed to have uttered the magic word, because he let out a rumble of what sounded like approval. “Ryker. Please.”

  “Tell me what you want and maybe I’ll give it to you, sweetheart.”

  “You,” she whispered, pulse spiking at the dirty words she was about to say. “Your prick buried deep inside me.”

  He flashed her a cocky, knowing smile. “No condoms. I want our first time raw, because I intend to fully make you mine, to put a baby in you.”

  She sucked in a breath. Whenever she brought up the topic of children with her ex, he always brushed her off, ignored her.

  “You want to get me pregnant, without even proposing first?” Sky teased, despite knowing a man like him didn’t joke around. Once they started on this path, there was no going back, but she was ready. Sky spent so many years trying to figure out what she truly wanted.

  She bit her lip as he pushed two fingers inside her pussy and began making circles around her clit. Sky groaned as he kissed her cheek.

  “Of course I plan to make you my wife first.”

  His wife?

  “Touch yourself for me.”

  Sky felt her entire face burning as she slid her fingers between her legs and began rubbing back and forth between her swollen pussy lips and clit. A moan slipped from her lips as he began rubbing her nipples. Ryker’s intense gaze never left her face once. She felt bold and wild, beautiful even.

  Sky had touched herself plenty of times, but it never felt this erotic.

  “So fucking perfect,” Ryker said, beginning to move his hand up and down his dick.

  God, but it was hot, the two of them watching each other get themselves off.

  “Ryker,” she blurted. “At this rate, I won’t be able to hold myself back.”

  “Put your arms back around my neck.”

  She obeyed, groaning when he positioned the tip of his cockhead right into her entrance. Ryker gripped her hips and slid inside her. She gasped as he made his way slow and steady deep inside her, not rushing at all. It was like he was being extra careful not to hurt her.

  Sky was so slick, so ready for him that it didn’t hurt at all. Finally, he buried himself balls deep inside of her. A perfect fit.

  “Fuck, baby, you’re nearly virgin tight,” he said with a groan.

  She shifted on his lap, earning a playful smack on her ass. She groaned, unexpectedly thrilled by that tiny bite of pain.

  “You liked that, didn’t you? Next time, I’m going to leave all my handprints all over that heart-shaped ass of yours.”

  Unable to speak, she only nodded.

  Ryker plundered her mouth again, disabling her ability to think.

  She buried her fingers into his hair as he withdrew from the kiss and started on a steady rhythm, before picking up speed. Each time their bodies joined, it felt like her soul inched its way little by little to make a home in his heart. The image of her name inked into his chest blazed in her mind.

  Sky knew Ryker thought he wasn’t a good man. Maybe the rest of the world thought the same way, but he was her man.

  He plunged faster, deeper inside her. Her core tightened. She dug her nails into his back muscles as he found her G-spot. Sky cried out, gasping as he rammed into the spot again. He reduced her to pants, pleas, and whimpers.

  “You want to come? Say that magic word again.” With each entry, he made sure his dick brushed against her sensitive clit. She gasped, arching her back. Her nipples tightened to points.

  “Please!”

  He breached her one more time. The pressure building inside her burst open and her vision hazed over as her mind flew twenty thousand feet in the air. She collapsed against his chest, languidness filling her entire body. Sky could stay like this forever. Several thrusts later, he emptied his load inside of her, whispering one single word in her ear.

  “Mine.”

  She shuddered in his arms, not forgetting what he told her earlier. Ryker wanted to make it official. To make her his wife. It was everything she ever dreamed of, and more.

  “Did you mean what you said earlier?” she had to ask, stroking her name on his chest.

  He kissed her, slow and tender this time around. “I never joke around. I could have waited, brought you somewhere nice for our first time, but I can’t hold myself back anymore. Seeing you with Giovanni and the others, made me realized what a fucking fool I’ve been all these years.”

  “I could have come back home anytime I wanted, but I’m stubborn. I wanted to prove to you, to myself, that I could make it on my own.”

  “You don’t need to prove yourself to me or anyone else. You’re a survivor, sweetheart. There’s no doubt you’re able to make it anywhere, but if that makes you miserable, then you should follow your instincts.”

  He closed his fingers over hers, not yet done speaking. “Come with me.”

  Sky got off his lap, her heart beating wildly as he grabbed her hand and led her inside his bedroom. He released her momentarily to open the top drawer of the shelf next to his bed. She gasped, seeing the black velvet box.

  “You have a ring?” she whispered. “For me?”

  Ryker thought this far?

  “Who else? I always figured that if you ever came home, I wouldn’t stand by idly anymore.” Ryker went on one knee.

  Sky couldn’t believe this was happening. Ryker opened the box, revealing a plain gold band with a princess-cut diamond on top. Tears of happiness slipped down her cheeks as he asked her that question she’d always dreamed of.

  “Skylar, will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”

  “Yes,” she answered without hesitation.

  Ryker stood back up, grinning as he slipped the ring into her finger. A perfect fit.

  Chapter Seven

  Sky’s phone pinged. She diverted her attention from her laptop and grabbed her phone. Lately, she’d been checking her emails at the kitchen counter because the huge windows provided the best source of light during the day.

  Sky hadn’t been idle since she moved back in. She’d been sending job applications, although Giovanni had more than once hinted she work for him because he needed a good accountant.

  She’d also been making arrangements for the wedding. Some of the women from the Familia, like Ada, Marco’s wife, had been helping her. Even Giovanni texted her on a daily basis, giving her suggestions as to where they could hold the wedding.

  Ryker: I’ll be home a little late. Don’t wait up. Love you.

  Ryker had mentioned that he and Gino had plans to meet a couple of new small business owners who just moved into Severin territory, so she wasn’t that worried about him being in any real danger. She typed him a quick response.

  Sky: Be careful. Love you, too.

  If her ex had sent her a message like that, Sky would’ve spend the entire night dreading, worrying, and wondering who Rodney was cheating on her with. Ryker would always find a way to make it up to her with a breakfast, and she’d always look forward to Ryker sliding his big body next to her in their bed.

  Our bed.

  Sky curved her lips to a smile as she returned the chicken she
’d planned on baking for dinner that evening. She decided she’d make a sandwich for herself instead. It had been three days since Ryker proposed and she said yes. Hard to believe that plenty of things had happened since then. Giovanni was the first to congratulate her, then Gino and the others. Sky couldn’t remember being this happy.

  Ryker asking her to be his wife hadn’t been spur of the moment, and her giving him her answer without hesitation hadn’t been reckless. It felt right. Perfect. Predestined even. Sky finished up writing the last of her resumes she planned to send out the next morning and closed her laptop.

  Sky made herself a sandwich, took a shower after, and slid into Ryker’s and her bed. Without any distractions, it felt a little lonely, she realized. Sky lifted the comforter higher above her body, wishing it was Ryker pressing her against his big body instead. They’d only been a few hours apart, and she already missed him.

  She held out her engagement ring to the light. She told Ryker she didn’t want anything extravagant for their wedding, although he told her money wasn’t a problem. Instead, Sky preferred something simpler, with the Familia members in attendance.

  Two hours later, Sky turned the alarm clock on the table next to the bed and sighed. She never looked forward to sleeping alone, still harboring the fears of her old nightmares returning. She never told Ryker either, because her man had other things to worry about while he ran dangerous operations for the Familia.

  If she brought the topic up to Ryker, how would he react? Rodney had called her damaged because of her scars, but Ryker saw past all her imperfections. He didn’t need to know about her little insecurities. She grabbed Ryker’s pillow and hugged it close to her body, breathing in his scent. She imagined it was him.

  Most of the time, she’d wake up with Ryker’s body curled next to hers, his possessive hand carelessly thrown over her thigh, and she’d feel safe. Protected, knowing nothing in the world could harm or touch her. Ryker was her talisman against the demons in her past.

  No, Sky could handle this little problem on her own. It took a while, but Sky finally managed to drift off to sleep.

  ****

  Ryker returned home around two in the morning, impatient for a cold shower and to join his fiancée in their bed. He’d been distracted all night, annoyed the meeting had gone on for so long when he promised Sky he’d return home early. A few hours away from her felt like a different kind of torment.

  He wanted to tug her soft, tempting body against him and inhale the familiar smell of her soap and shampoo. Hell, even though they just had sex that morning, he wanted to sink his dick into her slick pussy and claim her all over again. Ryker showered quickly, frowning as he dried his body off.

  The soft sound of Sky’s cries and moans paralyzed every muscle in his body. Sounds of pain. Ryker saw red. Panicked, he dumped the towel on the sink. Ryker grabbed the spare gun he kept in the medicine cabinet and ran out of the bathroom.

  Why hadn’t the alarm gone off? Ryker made sure he invested in a topnotch security system. Had the intruder disabled it somehow?

  “Fuck.” Ryker rushed to the bedroom, praying to God the intruder hadn’t harmed Sky seriously. There would be hell to pay. When it came to Sky, Ryker wouldn’t show a single shred of mercy.

  Ryker instantly spotted Sky, curled up to one side, hugging his pillow, holding onto it so tightly. He narrowed his eyes and scanned the room for further threats, before finally letting out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding.

  He studied Sky for a moment, not seeing any kind of injury. She let out another moan and clawed at the pillow. Seeing her like this raked at his insides. Ryker wanted to comfort her.

  He sat next to the bed and reached out to stroke her hair, which woke her up.

  She squinted at him, widened her eyes. “Why do you have a gun with you? Why are you naked?”

  “I thought there was an intruder in the apartment. You were making pained noises.” Ryker put the gun away in the drawer next to the bed and slipped in the sheets beside her. “Talk to me, sweetheart.”

  She hesitated and looked at her hands, avoiding his gaze. Ryker didn’t like that, but he waited for her to collect her thoughts.

  “I’m so sorry for worrying you,” she eventually said. “But I’m not hurt or anything like that. Besides, I think only a fool would break into our apartment.”

  He shook his head. “There’s no need to apologize.”

  He brought her close so she could lean her head against his shoulder. Ryker reached out and closed his fingers over hers. Her hand felt small, comforting against his bigger one.

  “How long have you been having these kinds of nightmares?” he asked.

  Ryker didn’t need to ask what she dreamed of. He knew. Seeing her in pain like that gutted him on a deepest level. Years ago, he managed to persuade her to see a therapist, but after a few sessions, she told him not to waste any more money, that being around him and the Familia was the only cure she needed.

  He pressed a kiss to her forehead.

  “Tell me,” he said in a firm but coaxing voice.

  “For a while,” she admitted. “When you’re in bed next to me, they don’t appear at all. It’s like you’re this magical talisman.”

  She bit her lower lip, seemingly hesitating. He waited. Not for the first time he wished he could rewind time and prevent his asshole brother from leaving her scars, both inside and out. If he could kill River all over again, he would.

  Over time, some men turned rotten on the inside. Ryker knew that from personal experience. Ryker had personally put a bullet in the skulls of other Familia members who ceased caring about right from wrong. River had somehow ended up like those men without Ryker realizing it.

  He gritted his teeth, surprised she placed one hand on her name inked over his heart and stole a quick, fleeting kiss from him. So sweet and he wanted more. He could help fuck her nightmares away, but he knew they needed to have this talk.

  Ryker speared his fingers through her hair, bringing her close for a more adult kiss. He nipped on her lower lip and grazed it with his teeth, loving the soft and pliant way she responded to him as she kissed him back. He rendered them both slightly out of breath as he pulled away to continue their conversation. The prospect of sex could wait.

  “Don’t you think it’s about time you stopped blaming yourself for the actions of your brother?” she asked, running her fingers over the ink on his chest. “And it’s been so long ago.”

  “What did I do to deserve an angel like you?” Sky had always been too good for him, for this kind of life, but she was old enough to choose and she chose him. Them. Part of him worried she might end up changing her mind about staying, about becoming his wife, but she seemed set on her choices.

  She let out a rich, sexy laugh that didn’t fail to make his dick rock-hard. “I’m no angel.”

  “It’s thanks to River you’re having these nightmares,” he said bitterly.

  “In the past I put these horrible memories in a locked box and threw away the key. It’s inevitable I face them again at some point in my life.”

  “My brave and beautiful wife,” he murmured, bringing her close for a comforting hug. “You won’t face them alone. Not anymore.”

  Ryker made a mental reminder not to work overtime too much. Sky had steel in her spine, he knew that. One day, these memories would no longer hurt her. He’d make sure of that. Once they got married, he’d make her the happiest wife in the world. He’d give her anything she asked for—not that she asked for a lot.

  “We’ll find you a therapist you’re comfortable with. With my help and the therapist, these nightmares would eventually stop, because all you’ll be able to think of are the good moments we’ve created.”

  “A shrink?” she asked, making a face but seeming to consider his words carefully. She smiled at him. “You're right. Bringing in a professional might help. Promise me you'll be right next to me?"

  “Always, you're my wife, after all.”

  “I�
�m not your wife yet. We haven’t decided on the wedding location, the reception—”

  He pressed a finger to her lips.

  Ryker made a decision. If wedding arrangements stressed her out, then there was only solution. Besides, he couldn’t wait any longer either. It had only been three days since he proposed. Ryker thought he’d give her time to enjoy the engagement, but he’d never been a patient man when it came to his woman.

  He wanted her to carry his family name, for them to become man and wife officially under the law. Seeing her harmlessly talking with other Familia men only made him insanely jealous, even more possessive. Once she became his wife, everyone would know she belonged to him.

  “Ryker?” she asked. His mind must have drifted.

  “There’s no need to wait. Tomorrow. We’ll go to city hall and get married.”

  She made a face at him and said in a grumpy voice, “Giovanni’s going to complain. He keeps giving me suggestions about where we can hold the wedding. He said he’ll even use his connections.”

  Ryker chuckled. “Who cares about what that old bastard thinks?”

  She looked horrified. “I can’t believe you said that. I’d like that as well, but Giovanni’s just being nice and he took his time to—”

  He kissed her again.

  Sky pouted at him. “No fair. You know how devastating your kisses can be.”

  He grinned. “I’ll tell him myself.”

  Although he had a feeling Giovanni might just shoot him for that. Giovanni liked doing everything on a grand scale, and given Sky was special to him, to all of them, he’d certainly be hard to convince.

  “I’ll spring it on him a few hours before the wedding. That way, he won’t have time to lecture me,” he said.

  She giggled. “Ryker, that’s dirty.” She let out a breath. “We’re really doing this?”

  “Any hesitations?”

  She shook her head, smiling. “None at all.”

  Chapter Eight

  Sky’s world narrowed its scope to the man she’d always loved. She didn’t see the priest in the background or the interior of the church. She wasn’t even aware of the crowd behind her, although she appreciated every member of the Familia who took time out of their busy schedules to come.