We barely made it back into the motel room before we were pulling our clothes off.

I’d never known such a fever that only skin on skin could relieve.

Damon hoisted me up, my legs locking around his torso so that my hot center rubbed against his belly.

His strong hands gripped my ass, squeezing possessively.

I thrilled at the way he made me feel cherished and wanted.

This giant man held me like I was precious.

We tumbled to the bed, laughing as the springs protested under our weight. Damon flipped me to my belly, pulling my hips to him as he settled behind me.

I held my breath knowing he was going to fuck me this way.

I gasped as he pushed his length inside me. I was still dripping with his seed. There’d been nothing to clean up with afterward in the truck.

But I hadn’t minded.

Was it dirty that I liked the feel of his cum slicking my thighs, sliding down to soak my panties?

Maybe it was but I didn’t care.

And he had no reservations with plunging balls deep inside me again.

His guttural moan was like an instant aphrodisiac.

Seated to the hilt, he held me in place, allowing me squirm but not escape.

In this position, I felt every bit his woman.

Captured.

Dominated.

Taken.

God, I loved it.

There was a small, residual soreness from before but the sensation faded quickly enough as Damon began to thrust against me.

He was buried inside me, rubbing against an internal spot that made me cry out as the pleasure built.

My whole body shuddered with each push, my fingers curling around the thin, cheap bedspread as Damon grunted with pleasure behind me.

The scent of sex and sweat filled the air as Damon brutally owned my body with his cock. I was helpless to fight off the climax as it came for me.

I surrendered, tumbling into the abyss that beckoned with sweet, lying fingers.

I knew this wasn’t something that would last.

I knew that Damon wasn’t going to suddenly fall in love with me because we’d fucked.

But something felt real between us.

Even if neither of us could readily define what that something was.

Dimly through my own haze, I heard Damon cry out as his motions became wild. Warmth flooded my belly as I smiled against the bedspread, knowing he was cumming.

There was power in bringing a man such as Damon to his knees.

A power that I planned to wield often.

Damon collapsed beside me, his chest heaving, sweat glistening on the myriad of tattoos traveling his body.

He was magnificent. How had I never really noticed? I leaned over to sniff his shoulder, the action surprising me as much as him.

“Like what you smell?”

“I do,” I admitted with a small smile. “You smell good.”

Damon chuckled and the sound tickled my insides. He was ordinarily so stone-faced that seeing him smile momentarily took my breath away.

I propped my head on my hand and traced the dragon tattoo dominating his arm with my fingers. “What does this mean?”

“It means it seemed bad-ass and I was young.”

“Really? I thought tattoos were supposed to have meaning,” I said with a slight frown.

Damon relented with a chagrined twist of his lips and said, “I’m lying through my teeth. The dragon does mean something.”

“Yeah? What?”

“It’s symbolic for my mother. She loved dragons. Especially the Chinese dragons. When she died, I had it put on my arm so that I would always have her near me.”

I blinked back tears. “Oh, wow. That’s incredibly sweet,” I admitted, suffering a pang of loss for the young man he’d been, alone and adrift without his anchor.

“Yeah, well, don’t tell anyone. I have a reputation to protect.”

“Your secret is safe with me.”

It was meant to be something said in jest to lighten the moment but it felt charged with electricity.

I knew I would protect his secrets as I knew he would protect mine.

“You said your mom got sick…”

“Cancer.”

“But she died of heart failure?”

“Yeah. We didn’t have the money to fight the cancer. If the heart failure hadn’t taken her, the cancer would’ve eventually. I like to think that she went quick as a blessing.”

I moved to straddle him, regarding Damon with fascination. “How did I ever think you were just some dumb lump of muscle?”

“Should I be flattered or insulted?”

I wiggled on top of him, sliding my wet core along his semi-flaccid cock. “What do you think?”

“You’re going to kill me, woman,” he growled as he reached for me, drawing me close for a kiss. I smiled against his mouth as I felt his cock harden in spite of his protests.

I’d become insatiable in the space of hours.

But we were sticky with fluids and we were both starting to smell. I reluctantly climbed off Damon and pulled him with me. “Let’s shower and go to bed. Tomorrow is a big day and we need to be sharp.”

“And you think I’m going to be able to keep my hands off you when you’re naked, wet and slippery?”

I cast him a coy look. “I don’t know. This is all new to me. Are you saying that you’re going to want to fuck me against the shower wall? Or maybe go down on me first? Maybe you’re right…we should shower separately in the interest of staying focused.”

I was playing him, of course.

But the trouble with teasing a bear?

Sometimes they took the bait.

Suddenly, Damon tossed me over his shoulder, slapping my ass as he carried me to the dingy bathroom.

“You’re a dirty girl. Time to wash up.”

I laughed as he righted me but before I had time to come up with something witty, he was on his knees, seeking out my hot button without mercy. Shoved against the grimy wall, I cried out as I came so quickly, I nearly slid to the floor when my legs gave out.

Damon rose and kissed me thoroughly, his tongue dancing with mine, reminding me where it’d been only seconds before.

I shuddered with pure arousal, my breathing short and raspy.

All it took was a single look and Damon had me splayed against the bathroom wall, cheek pressed against the disgusting wallpaper, cock buried inside me.

Each thrust pretty much had me on my toes.

I closed my eyes, crying out as Damon’s cock mastered my G-spot until I soaked myself. Rivers of fluid slid down my legs and pooled on the floor.

I was too sated to be embarrassed.

Seconds later, Damon stiffened and came, too.

He pumped a few more times then withdrew, stumbling against the back wall to support himself.

I turned slowly to regard the man who’d turned my world upside down.

Bright spots of color stained his cheeks as he fought for breath.

His spent cock dripped with our combined juices.

I should’ve been repulsed.

There were so many things that should’ve sent me running.

But I couldn’t get enough.

Slight twinges of discomfort reminded me that I’d just been utterly fucked more times than most virgins on their first night and I knew we were both processing our fear that this was going to be it.

We could both die tomorrow.

Everything rested on Chantel and Terrance playing their parts.

We were just facilitators.

And meddlers.

Which meant we could find ourselves completely screwed if either party found out they were being manipulated.

Words weren’t necessary. We both felt the mood change.

I turned the water on and climbed in, Damon followed.

We showered quickly and climbed into the bed.

This time sex wasn’t on our minds.

Surviving the next twenty-four hours was more important.

But as Damon’s arm curled around me, I went willingly — grateful for his strength.

If I died tomorrow, at least I could say I went out on my own terms.

I chose my lover.

My virginity wasn’t taken from me by some fucking narcissistic kingpin.

And you know what?

That was enough to let me sleep like a baby.