“You have no idea how f**king beautiful you are.” He moved his finger faster. “I figure I need to take the edge off and then get down to serious business. You had a rough night. I need to f**k the stress away.”

She wanted to laugh but the way the leather of his belt dug into her wrists, the way he’d been so…elegantly rough with her, it lay on her heavy and narcotic. She was bound, yes, but in a ritualistic sense more than in reality. One hard yank or the words and he’d free her immediately. Which meant she struggled, but not too much.

The first orgasm washed over her like the tide coming in. Gradually filling her until she burst and it ebbed away.

She sighed happily, sagging against the belt.

“Well I know I feel better. What about you?”

“Definitely. I’d give you a thumbs-up, but you know, tied up.”

He grinned. “Yeah, you are. It’s really f**king hot.” He said this as he rolled a condom on and sidled up to her, pulling one of her thighs up as he dipped into her pu**y a few times until he slid all the way in.

“Oh, that’s very nice.”

He pressed a kiss against her shoulder as he wedged himself halfway beneath her. Having her arms bound above her head meant she was out there on full display for Royal. The way he touched her, kissed her, looked at her, f**ked her, talked to her, whatever made her feel so beautiful. Desirable.

She arched and he slid deeper with a grunt. He filled his hands with her br**sts. It was nearly too much, being this exposed to him. The covetous way he touched her. It was dirty and raw and she loved it.

He nuzzled her neck and she practically purred. “You still with me?”

She hummed, rousing a little. “I am and I’m pretty glad about that.” She was warm and pliant, and she made his dick hard and made him laugh at the same time.

All his protective instincts had been awakened, and they ran through his bloodstream like adrenaline. She’d known it and had appreciated it. Each beat of his heart was an echo of her name as he thrust into her.

This rhythm was right.

Each time they touched it was like that. That sudden click of knowing and of being known settled in.

He was glad his hands had felt well enough to roam all over her body. He moaned as his fingertips found her clit. Still slick and puffy, and when he stroked it, she tightened around him so hard he cursed.

She’d been threatened and he’d been there to help and he was pleased he was there to get in-between Caroline and danger. Pleased too she’d allowed it and had sought strength from it as well.

And then he’d tied her up with his belt. She’d been as surprised and aroused by it as he had been.

Not just the belt or the way he’d controlled her, but the way he’d stuck up for her. When she was in Petal, how many people could she count on like that? And yet she’d come back because she loved her family that much, and they didn’t all care for her nearly as much in return.

He shoved that from his mind at that point.

Right then it was just Royal and Caroline.

She came violently enough that the clasp of her inner muscles was nearly painful.

“Yes,” she sighed out.

“Yes, indeed.”

And then he was coming so hard his back teeth tingled.

Loath to leave her, he kept his trip to get rid of the condom quick and was sliding between the sheets to find her within moments.

This woman owned him.

She’d blown into town, into his life and had turned everything catawampus. But she’d tucked her hand into his and they’d run together. Odd and unexpected, yes. But it was also totally right.

“I don’t want to protect you because I think you’re weak. It’s the opposite. You’re more than capable of kicking ass. I’ve seen it often enough I’m not surprised by it anymore. But you’re too kind to the people who deliberately hurt you. And you give them a free pass because you’re related to them.”

“This topic is messing with my post-orgasm buzz.”

“I know. I’m sorry. I just want people to respect you. It doesn’t seem like it’s worth it that someday people will know you were right.”

“Once, my abuela said to me—we’d just lost a long-shot appeal and I was a mess—anyway, she hugged me, handed me a box of tissues and she said, ‘Survive now, cry later.’ When I prove he didn’t do it. When her real killer is in prison, I plan to take a week off and cry the hell out of it. Retreat to my bedroom with my TV and lots of junk food and alcohol and a case of tissues.”

Caroline turned to face him.

“It’s not that I feel nothing. But I have to keep a lid on it. That’s personal-ego shit. This thing with my dad? That’s so much more important than my feelings being hurt because someone likes my sister better than me or whatever.”

“Just when I think, oh yeah that’s my favorite thing about her. That’s the moment when I just totally fell for her! Whatever, you know what I mean. Those moments that are when everything makes sense and you just look at her—or in your case, me—and you’re certain. So I’ve had a few so far. I was thinking, until right now it was the night when you had it out with Anne.” He grinned and then kissed her, hard. “You claimed me.”

“Of course I did! Did you expect me to be all, oh no, she had him first and longer, I’ll just get out of the way?” She shook her head and then settled, resting on his biceps as she looked up at his face.