I’m in a haze traveling somewhere far away, and I feel completely weightless. It’s his voice that calls me back. Zander. I search him out and fight my way to him. The look on his face is intense, white hot and full of need…for me…. he wants…me…

“Dani, now,” he says, and for the first time since I invented her, I feel like Dani. Our eyes lock.

“Don’t take your eyes off me, sweetheart. I want to see your face every second I’m inside of you. You hear me?”

My heart kicks up in fear. It’s been so good to this point…can I trust him to take it further? Will it be okay? I bite my lip and nod, giving him my yes. I don’t want this to end, in fact, I want it again and again. He’s like a drug, and I damn sure want to be addicted. He takes his cock and rubs it back and forth against my opening. The slick sound of us together is loud, even over my uneven breathing. I never realized that being with someone would feel like this. Instinctively, I know it’s because I’m with Zander, and that’s why it feels this way. There’s something about him that called to me from day one. That thought should scare me. Maybe it’s post orgasmic stupidity, but I’m not scared. I think I’m even starting to trust Zander.

That’s my last thought before he thrusts into me. Oh hell. He’s…big… but I’m so wet he goes in easily, it’s just he makes me feel…stretched. That feeling only intensifies when he pushes my legs back so they bend and lay against my stomach. Unfortunately, that’s also the time when memories try to weigh in. Michael’s face becomes superimposed on Zander’s, and instantly my body snaps out of its’ sex-induced haze. Zander is leaning over the top of me, and I feel exposed. The panic starts.

“Hellcat. Stop. Look at me. Who am I?”

“Zander…,” I say, trying to hold onto his voice.

“That’s right, sweetheart. Now wrap your legs around me. Hold on and I’ll take you on a quick ride.”

I try to breathe through it, letting his voice push the panic back. I don’t want Michael to ruin this. I can’t let that happen, he’s already taken too much from me. I wrap my legs around him, and he takes his hands and pulls them higher up, so the heels of my feet are digging into the cheeks of his ass. He sinks deeper inside of me and his face is next to mine. Our lips are just a breath away from each other. His eyes are closed and he doesn’t move. I’m afraid I’ve done something wrong. I start to ask him when he slowly opens them.

“You feel so fucking good, Hellcat. Mark this down sweetheart, you can use my dick any fucking time you want.”

His words make me smile. Which seems an odd thing. Smiling…while having sex…with a man I like…

“So, you’re giving me permission to use you for sex?”

“Abso-fucking-lutely.”

“You might be crazy, Zander,” I tell him, but his name comes out broken, because he finally starts moving, and I can feel him slide out and then slowly slide back in.

“Shut up, Hellcat. Kiss me. Tell me how you like your taste on my lips.”

His words excite me. I’m feeling something I don’t think I’ve felt since before I lost my mom…happiness. Then his lips are on mine. I taste myself, it mingles with his own unique flavor, and it makes me hungry for more.

“Thrust up to meet me, Hellcat, and grind that juicy little body into me. Do it,” he growls in my ear when we break apart to breathe. I follow his directions, while he kisses down the side of my neck, using his teeth to lightly graze and nibble the same path. Our speed picks up, and I feel my release rising. It’s bigger, more intense than the other two, and I have a moment of fear. It’s too late to turn back though. My release slams into me with the force of a tidal wave. My nails dig into Zander’s back, and I know I’m leaving marks, I just can’t help it. I hear him groan out with his own orgasm. If this is what sex is, it’s no wonder Nicole is so crazy over Dragon.

“Damn Hellcat,” he whispers into my neck, then he slowly pulls out of me, and lays on his side.

I watch as he disposes of the condom, and I would have thought I’d feel weird, but I don’t. I think I’m mindless and boneless. He throws it in the waste basket by the bed and comes back to me. He angles it so my head is on his chest, and he’s holding me close. He pulls the sheet over us, which I’m glad for. I had actually forgotten I was lying here naked.

I search for words to say to him and my brain comes up empty. My eyes start to go heavy, and I want to fight it, but I can’t seem to beat it back.

“Zander…,” I whisper, knowing I’m going to be asleep soon.

I feel a brush of his lips at my temple, and then he whispers the sweetest words I’ve ever known. “Rest, sweetheart. I’ll be here keeping you safe. Let it go and rest.”

Safe.

That word echoes as sleep claims me, and the damnedest thing happens.

I believe him.