I celebrated my narrow victory as the lust leached from Dex’s eyes. The chagrin in his expression was worth the embarrassment of knowing that I liked Dex on top of me.

I liked it a lot.

As much as I got all hot and bothered with Dex doing his thing, I couldn’t exactly just drop my drawers at the first hint of attraction.

I had to have set the record for Stockholm syndrome. Barely twenty-four hours since he’d drugged and kidnapped me before I was practically throwing my legs up in the air for him.

Dex rose from the sofa and I averted my eyes while he openly adjusted his erection.

“Sorry, I lost my head for a minute,” he said, shoving his hand through his hair with agitation before muttering, “Fuck.”

A silent thrill chased the knowledge that I had made his dick hard.

Me. The shy, nerdy mouse girl who never got picked as anyone’s fantasy fodder...yeah, me.

If only Karlie Chester could see me now. Karlie had made my four years in high school absolutely miserable.

Typical mean girl — impossibly pretty, rotten personality — and dating the hottest guy in school.

And she’d looooovvved picking on me.

Not that the hottest guy had ever looked twice in my direction.

But now? My hot AF would-be-killer-turned-guardian wanted to bone me.

Maybe that wasn’t a big deal in most people’s world but...I had precious little experience in that department.

I’d call that a win in my book. (Don’t judge me, my book is different than most.)

Feeling magnanimous, I started to offer my own apology for being such a temptress but he cut me off.

“I have to go out. You stay here,” he demanded, his tone brusque. Not surprising since I just gave him a raging case of blue balls but I didn’t like being barked at, no matter the reason.

“Where you going?” I asked, scooting up, suddenly alarmed. “You can’t leave me all alone.”

But he wasn’t swayed, saying, “I’ll be back.”

He was leaving me? Whoa, whoa hold up there, Terminator. “Wait!” I called out, scrambling after him. I caught Dex at the door, grabbing his arm. “Where are you going? Remember the bounty on my head?”

It happened so quickly.

Within a heartbeat, Dex jerked me into his hard embrace and sealed his mouth to mine.

I had little time to think, only react.

My mouth opened eagerly as his tongue sought mine.

He tasted of sin and ruin.

Dangerous.

Dex twisted my arm behind me as he ravaged my mouth, I was trapped as he pulled me close.

I’d always dreamed of being kissed like this — all-consuming passion and raw, animalistic hunger — but the kisses I’d received to that point had been lukewarm, sloppy pecks, at best. Lips pursed as if performing on a dare, little to no zing happening in my belly.

Not like what was happening to me right that second.

This was more than a kiss — this was a claiming.

Everything about him was fierce and demanding. I’d never felt ultra girly — being taller than most women made men gunshy — but Dex made me melt like exquisite Belgium chocolate left near the hot stove.

Yeah, gooey, was a perfect way to describe how I felt.

I followed Dex’s lead — he was smooth and commanding. It seemed completely natural to have his tongue in my mouth.

An actual make-out sesh!

Like two sweaty teenagers on a quest of sexual discovery.

Except Dex was as far from a teen as anyone could be.

Hard muscle flexed in his forearm as he held me tight.

He walked me back until I bumped into the counter. The urgency in his touch made me shake. There was nothing awkward about Dex. Everything he did was driven by hunger, like a predator stalking its prey.

I was the prey.

My bare toes curled.

Sweat beaded my hairline as all senses went into overdrive.

The spicy scent of his skin was like heaven, weaving a sensual haze around my senses.

I wanted more.

His large hand found my crotch and gripped it tightly, as if to say, I belonged to him.

I cried out, too turned on to be embarrassed by the porn star sounds coming out of my mouth like triple X gibberish.

When he rubbed the seam of my jeans against the ache in my lady parts, I nearly buckled.

His strained chuckle at my response sent the shreds of my dignity scattering to the wind.

“What if I told you I wanted to fuck you right here?” he murmured, his voice moving over me like silk. “Bent over this counter...spreading you wide so I could bury myself balls deep?”

No one had ever talked to me like that.

“But first I want to taste your pussy,” Dex said with a devilish grin that nearly stopped my heart. “I want to bury my face and eat you alive. What would you say to that?”

“I haven’t showered” my malfunctioning brain spit out in sheer nervousness, stammering, “I mean, I’m not eating-ready.”

His amused laugh caused me to smile shyly until he countered with a low, sexy growl, “Ahhh baby, you’re cute. Give me a taste of that sweet pussy” as he stripped his shirt and began popping his fly.

Good Lord, baby Jesus. Perfectly sculpted chest, tattoos carved into his skin. A dusting of hair on his pecs, narrowing down to his belly button and beyond.

What was that called...the happy trail?

I never truly understood that phrase until this very moment.

The eager jackhammer of my heart told me all I needed to know — I wouldn’t stop him.

Even though I should.

I hadn’t shaved my legs either.

What if I took my pants down and he thought he was looking at a wookie?

The scenario was enough to dash some cold water on my overheated hormones.

I managed to slip away from him, trying to be the voice of reason. “We should take a minute...”

“Why?” he asked, stalking me around the kitchen as I danced away from the green-eyed calling in his eyes. “We’re both adults.”

There was probably some kind of rule about screwing your kidnapper like a randy rabbit but did most kidnappers look like mine?

My gaze dipped to the vee of his hips, the saliva drying instantly as the corded muscle drew my stare straight down, as if directing traffic.

Ohhh, that was some crazy voodoo...

“I barely know you,” I blurted, trying to coat my words with some kind of indignity. As if I wouldn’t dream of doing the nasty with him simply because he was hot enough to cook an egg on those wonderfully sculpted pecs.

“I saved your life,” he put it bluntly. “Doesn’t that count for something?”

“I’m not paying for your services with my vagina,” I shot back, mildly affronted.

“Of course not,” he agreed with deceptive amenability but he was quicker than a rattlesnake strike, scooping me into his arms before I could stop him.

“OHMYGOD, what are you doing?” I screeched, clinging to his neck. “Put me down, before I kaleidoscope your spine!”

“You know what the first thing was that I wanted to do when you woke up?” he asked, carrying me to the bedroom. He didn’t wait for my answer as he dropped me to the bed. “Find a way to make you shut the fuck up.”

Before I could retort, he was there, on the bed, kissing me senseless again.

When his hands grabbed my wrists, pulling them above my head, I began to shake, the wetness gathering between my legs like a sex fountain.

What was wrong with me? Had I zero self-control?

Dex didn’t give me time to question before he was kissing my neck, biting, sucking, nibbling and sending riots of FUCK ME messages straight to my brain.

“D-dex...I....” have something to tell you first.... “I haven’t shaved my legs...in like a really long time!”

“It’s just hair, baby,” he said, dismissing my panic as he yanked my jeans free, feasting his gaze on my naked limbs, stopping where my panties covered my privates. “And what about here...” he murmured, his gaze glazed as he plucked my panties free, revealing my vagina.

“Damn girl. I like it,” he said, admiring my lady bits with open appreciation. “Dark, fluffy curls, just like nature intended,” he said.

Then I realized what he was saying. I didn’t shave or wax. I didn’t do any of that stuff. I mean, maybe if I’d known I was going to be kidnapped and ravished I would’ve put a little more effort into my grooming but...yeah, none of that had been on my schedule!

This was spiraling out of control. I wanted to cry. Not because I didn’t want to be with Dex, but because I never thought I would feel so unsexy when it happened with the hottest guy I’d ever laid eyes on.

I could only imagine what I probably looked like in his eyes — a gangly, hairy, muff-monster who smelled like a hippie straight from Woodstock.

In comparison, he was Adonis and I was...Medusa.

But there was more and this part was even harder to admit.

Only I could push away the potential of the most incredible sexual experience of my life out of anxiety of not measuring up.

“Wait,” I tried saying, shaking my head, trying to clear the sex haze obscuring my judgment. “Dex...I..”

He mistook my garbled statement for one of misgiving. Dex stared into my eyes, promising, “I’ll make you cum so hard you’ll forget about any cock you’ve had before mine.”

If only that were the problem!

I smothered the near-hysterical laughter at his boast.

“I’m sure you would,” I managed to get out, only barely. The thing was...it was hard to obliterate a memory that wasn’t there.

Remember the boring life I’d been living?

Yeah, well, that included dating.

I was...um, technically, well, you know...a virgin.

I doubted Dex would be so eager to plumb my pipes if he found out just how clueless I truly was in the sack.

And since I didn’t want to bear the label of being his “worst lay ever” I just said the first thing that came to mind as I wiggled my way out of his arms and onto the floor with a thump.

“I’m really not that into you.”

As lies went...mine was pretty damn stupid, especially when I’d just happily sucked his tongue down my throat, gurgling with joy as he’d felt me up but I’d never been good under pressure, so, it is what it is.

All he said was, “Jesus, Bree,” before climbing slowly from the bed to stalk from the room, his stride filled with pent up frustration.

This time, when Dex stormed out the front door, I was smart and didn’t stop him.