If there was one thing that was supposed to be a benefit of the new threat from Vincent, it was that the university's IT department finally agreed to change my student email. With how persistent he was, I don't know how much it would help, but it certainly wouldn't hurt.

Walking out of the IT building that afternoon with Daniel next to me, I smiled and stretched my arms over my head. The weather was great, and it was just one of those days where it was hard to feel bad, regardless of what was going on. “Well, score one for the good guys.”

“If we're the good guys, that is,” Daniel said with a smirk. “I don't think I make anyone's list of good guys.”

“We can call you the anti-hero then,” I replied with a punch to the shoulder. “You know, the bad guy with a giant redemptive streak.”

“I can live with that,” Daniel said, then shook his head a moment later. “Check that. I guess I've gotten used to people calling me at least decent over the past few days. It feels a bit strange. I'm used to being called a heartless bastard, or a similar sentiment.”

“Okay, how about the good guy who sometimes does the hard thing?” I said instead as we walked down the stone steps and out into the quad. “I think that's a pretty good guy, actually, a lot better than most of the so-called good guys out there who aren't strong enough to stand up for what they believe in. And there's no way you could be called a heartless bastard.”

“Much better. So what do you want to do between now and your last class? Which, by the way, I hate. The professor keeps staring at me while you guys fuck around on your computers doing Photoshop or whatever.”

I laughed, realizing that Daniel didn't understand. “Dan, Professor Wilson's gay. He probably thinks you're hot. Or haven't you noticed that you have an effect on quite a few members of the student body?”

“Not concerned in how the rest of the student body reacts to me,” Daniel said. He was scanning the quad again in his Terminator mode, more personable than he'd been the first day, but still focused on his job above all else. “I'm worried about you.”

I knew what he was saying, but I blushed anyway. It had been touching that morning to find Daniel, still in his suit from the night before, sitting in the chair outside my room, his eyes open and looking to me when I cracked my door open.

Now, after a morning class and going to the administration office, he looked more than slightly worn out. He may be the Terminator, but he wasn't quite Superman. “Tell you what, let's go over to the student union and get you some coffee. It's not the best, but you need a shot of caffeine or something, and the place is busy enough that Drake wouldn't dare show his face. You can slack off for an hour while I keep my eyes open. We can even sit with my back to the wall.”

Daniel smiled, then yawned. “Is it that obvious?”

“My math class is boring, but I've never seen your head droop before today,” I said. I stepped in front of him and put my hand on his chest, stopping him. “You're an amazing guy who's busted your ass for the past few weeks, but you're not invincible. You need sleep, too.”

“I'll take twenty-four hours to do nothing but sleep after I ensure that Drake is in the ground,” Daniel replied.

I knew for sure he was exhausted. He hadn't even made a sexual joke about taking me to bed with him. I was starting to miss the little game we played, even though neither of us ever acted on it. I patted his chest and turned around. “Come on, Dan. For the next sixty minutes, you're on break. I'll buy you the coffee after you close your eyes for a while. Trust me, I know exactly where to go.”

The student union of my university has some pretty cool little areas, one of which was the so-called Student Performance Center on the second floor. Created and funded by a grant from one of the local tech giants, it had a lot of stuff that was supposed to help students relax, study, or just get their minds together better. A lot of it was junk, in my opinion, but there was one that would be useful at the moment.

“What's this?” Daniel asked as I led him inside, bouncing on the slightly squishy padding on the floor. “I'm tired, not insane. I don't need a padded room.”

“It's a sensory isolation room,” I said with a laugh, closing the door and locking it. “It's not totally secure. The staff can unlock the door from outside, but it cuts off the outside noise, and the floor is pretty comfortable. Oh, also about the staff—they have a video camera that was installed after these places got a reputation as a hook up spot. They get involved if any clothes come off.”

“Hope they scrubbed the mats down then,” Daniel said with a chuckle and set his bag down. He took a seat on the cushion and sighed, stretching out his legs. “It is pretty soft, though. I could see why people would want to have sex in a spot like this. Plenty comfortable standing, sitting, or laying down, I bet.”

“It's comfortable enough that you can get a nap,” I replied, ignoring the images that flashed through my mind of Daniel wearing a lot fewer clothes. “Go ahead. I'll be fine.”

Daniel nodded gratefully and closed his eyes, leaning his head against the corner of the room. Within a minute, he was breathing deeply, and within five minutes, he was snoring lightly, his mouth open and his face looking calm and innocent. If Daniel was handsome when he was awake, asleep, he was absolutely stunning.

Shaking my head at the injustice that a man so rough could have such delicate eyelashes, I pulled out my math book, hoping to get a jump on my study for the test I had coming up the next week. Thankfully, the concepts were pretty straightforward. Business mathematics is almost all basic algebra, just applied in specific situations, and I thought I had a good grasp of things.

I was just working through how to do inventory depreciation calculations when I heard Daniel rearrange himself, moving into a more comfortable position. I looked over and smiled at the position he'd taken, stretching out almost the entire length of the small booth, his head pillowed against his bicep. His snoring stopped, and he breathed slowly and steadily. I wanted to stretch out next to him, to feel at least for a moment what it was like to be next to him like that, but I knew it was a bad idea.

“Ade . . .” Daniel mumbled in his sleep, his face relaxing even as I saw the quick flutter of his eyes behind his eyelids that told me he was in deep REM sleep, dreaming. “My Ade . . .”

I felt guilty, like I was spying on him in his most intimate moments, and I closed my book. I wanted to reach over and wake him, but I also knew that REM sleep is the type of sleep that the brain needs most. Instead, I put my book away and moved to the far side of the booth, trying to think of a way to distract myself without prying into his dreams.

Daniel mumbled again, this time unintelligible. His eyes were tight, and his free hand clenched at his chest. “. . . love you . . .”

His words sent a lightning bolt through my body, and I knew I was blushing. In the course of my life, I'd had men tell me they loved me before, and I'd said the same to them, but never had I heard such a heartfelt cry, and not from a man who didn't even know he was saying it. It was honestly the most romantic thing I'd ever felt in my entire life.

I still felt like I was prying, but I also knew I'd promised him that I would stay in the room until his nap was finished. If he woke up and I wasn't there, he'd be worried sick and I'd never be able to explain myself.

Instead, I sat back and pulled out my phone. The deprivation rooms were built with a sort of mesh in them that stopped cell and Wi-Fi signals, but that didn't mean I couldn't set my alarm. I sat back and closed my eyes, not really needing to go to sleep, but a little nap never hurt.

I must have dozed, however, because the next thing I knew, I heard Daniel squirming on the floor, a weird sound coming from him. I opened my eyes and saw that his dream must've changed into a nightmare. His face was drawn and shocked, his eyes now open but unseeing, not realizing what was going on. He was locked in his mind, caught up in the trap of his own dreams. “No . . . no!”

Daniel's eyes widened again, and he scrambled to his feet, blinking and gasping as he was startled awake. “What the hell happened?”

“You had a bad dream, I think. Do you remember what it was?”

Daniel's mouth opened, then closed, and he shook his head. “No, not really. Uh, did I say anything while I was asleep?”

I shook my head. He didn't need to know, and I didn't need to tell him. My alarm went off, and I picked up my phone, shutting it off. “Well, if you're going to have a bad dream, at least you had good timing with it,” I said, chuckling. “Come on, we've got just enough time for us to grab some coffee before my next class.”

“I don't know if I should. If I look awake and perky, your professor might just eye fuck me for the entire period. If I look sleepy and surly, maybe he'll leave me alone,” Daniel grumped, then he shook his head and dragged his hand through his hair. “Oh well, fuck it. Let him stare.”

I smiled. “Good decision. Come on, let's get that coffee.”

Class went well, and Daniel and I were in a good mood when we got back to the house, even though it was Julius's turn to take over for a few hours. “Sorry, the nap was nice, but I need more if I'm going to be good for tonight,” Daniel said as he stood at the base of the stairs. “Sure you'll be okay?”

“We'll be fine, won't we, Julius?” I asked, grinning at the older enforcer. “You can help me with mixing my paints for my project I'm working on.”

* * *

Daniel slept from six until ten, waking up a bit after Mom and Uncle Carlo got home.

“Well, I'm glad he'll be up in time for the night watch,” Mom said, giving me a meaningful look. “And how are you feeling?”

“The new email is good, even though I know it's kind of a bit of window dressing,” I said. “And I know things are at a standstill on other fronts, but I'm taking progress where I can.”

Mom gave me a look. “Is your good mood from the email, or from something else? Someone else?”

“Mom, let's not go there,” I said. “Not now. Not yet.”

“All right, dear. I just want you to know, I was thinking of talking with Carlo after all this mess is done. I'd like you to have a little freedom to make your own choices, Adriana.”

“Thank you, Mom. I appreciate it, no matter how futile your speaking to Carlo is. But for now, I think I'm going to go to bed.”

Mom nodded, looking at the doorway where Julius was sitting in the other room, slightly sprawled in his chair and reading a Sports Illustrated. “Okay. You aren't going to stay awake until Daniel can sit outside the door?”

“I guess,” I said, grinning. “Think you might want to catch some TV with me to kill some time?”

We had just gotten to the TV room when my phone buzzed in my pocket and I pulled it out. It was a text message, and I pulled it up.

“Damn, not again,” I whispered under my breath. It's like he knew exactly when Daniel didn't have my phone.

“What is it, honey?” Mom asked, turning white when she saw the text. “Are you okay?”

“I'm not going to let him terrorize me,” I said. “He's twisted up my life, made me a prisoner in my own home, and I need to be babysat everywhere. I'm going to set this aside. We can tell Uncle Carlo and Daniel about it later, but for the next hour or so, let's just watch some TV.”

I thought I had put it out of my mind, even casually mentioning it to Daniel when he woke up and met Mom and me in the living room. Going to bed in my room, I even closed my eyes with a smile, thinking not only of what Mom had told me, but the little smile of approval she gave me as Daniel escorted me to my room.

Everything changed as I slept, and the fear I'd been repressing slipped out from under the tight control I'd been keeping myself in. I don't know what had caused it—perhaps it was seeing Daniel frightened earlier, maybe it was Vincent's text message, but most likely, it was the combination of the two.

In my dream, I was in Daniel's car with him, the two of us pulling into the parking lot at school. As Daniel was coming around to let me out, suddenly, something burst out of the bushes, tackling him from behind and driving him to the ground. I couldn't see exactly what happened, except for the gout of blood that geysered up into the air, in the sort of dream-state unimaginable amount that looked like it was a foot wide and spewing in gallons per second.

I screamed in my dream, ripping open the door to the car and running. “Mama, come here, mama,” whoever was chasing me said in Vincent Drake's voice. “Come and feel my invisible touch.”

I tried to run faster, but of course, as this was a dream, I was going nowhere. Instead, I could feel him gaining on me, his stench filling the air with the reek of blood and death.

My feet tangled up, sending me tumbling to the turf. I screamed, certain that I was going to die, when I was jostled awake, finding Daniel staring at me. “Shh, Ade, shh . . .” Daniel whispered, holding me close. I could hear the hammering of his heart in my ear as he hugged me against his chest. “It's just a dream, I'm right here, it's just a dream.”

“He got you,” I whispered, watching as the door to my room finished closing from the momentum of Daniel's throwing it open to come in my room. “He killed you, then was going to kill me.”

“I'm still here,” Daniel promised me. “And I won't die without knowing you're safe.”

I clung to him, his strength and now familiar scent giving me comfort. My terror changed, my desire for comfort becoming an overwhelming desire for reassurance, for human contact. Nuzzling against him, I lifted my lips up, brushing them over the warm skin of his throat. “Ade.”

“Shut up,” I said, tasting his skin for the first time. “I need a man tonight, not a bodyguard.”

He stiffened for a moment, then pushed me back, the hunger in his eyes matching the fire that was building inside me. For so long, we'd flirted with each other, both aware of the other but not doing anything about it other than some words, and we were at the point of no return. He pushed me onto my back, pausing above to look at me with an expression on his face I'd never seen a man give me before. It was like he knew what he was about to do was suicide, but he didn't care. I needed him, he needed me, and the rest of the world didn't matter.

His lips were soft but strong as we kissed for the first time, our tongues immediately coming into contact and tasting each other. I'd never been kissed with such fierce passion before, all consuming and powerful. His tongue caressed mine as his hands found the hem of my t-shirt, pushing it up and grabbing my breast, his fingers squeezing and kneading the skin until I was gasping. My nipple was teased and tweaked with every movement of his hand, and he let go of my lips to run the tip of his tongue around the curve of my ear and inside, sending sparks of pleasure down my body. “Daniel . . .”

He stopped for a second to look me in my eyes. “Don't worry, I won't hurt you.”

“I want you to hurt me. Hurt me in a good way.”

Reaching down, I ran my left hand over the bulge in his pants, and it was intimidating. “Ade.”

“I know,” I said simply, looking him in the eye. “I didn't tell you before, but you talked in your sleep during your nap.”

He nodded, accepting my statement, and reached into the pocket of his pants. He took out his wallet and set it on the nightstand next to me. Climbing off, he opened up the billfold and took out a foil packet. “For later,” he said, showing me the condom. I was shocked. The diameter was huge. “Safety first.”

Daniel's grin broadened, and he peeled off his shirt. He folded it up carefully, setting in on the floor before pushing his shoes off with his toes and taking off his pants. I wasn't sure what to think. I just lay there with a sense of destiny as I undid the drawstring on my pajamas and pushed them down my hips. I still had my panties on when Daniel reached forward, taking my wrists in his iron grip, and froze me. “What?”

“Not so fast. I want to take those off myself.”

He climbed onto the bed, still wearing his boxer briefs that bulged out obscenely, barely hiding what was contained inside. His chest was chiseled in the dim light of the bedside lamp he'd flipped on when he came in to comfort me, and I reached forward, tracing the muscles under my fingertips. “You're amazing.”

“No,” he replied, kissing me again before working his way down, his mouth finding my nipple and sucking on it strongly. “You're amazing.”

He kissed his way down to the waistband of my panties, and with agonizing slowness, started rolling them down. I could feel the anticipation build as he kissed each fraction of an inch of freshly exposed skin, smiling all the while.

I reached down and ran my hand over his scalp, lifting my hips slightly to let him finish pulling my panties off, where he set them down on the mattress next to my hip. I was nearly begging him to use that amazing tongue on me, and he hadn't even touched me yet.

Daniel grinned up at me as he opened his mouth and let his tongue hang out wolfishly. “You're never going to be the same.”

“Good,” I whispered back. “I don't want to be.”

He lowered his tongue, and the first trace of him up the lips of my pussy left me paralyzed in pure pleasure. I'd never felt anything like it before, like every nerve in my body was lit up at the same time, all of them screaming in joy. When he reached the top, Daniel looked in my face and smiled, this time not with arrogance but with happiness. “I think you like it.”

“More. Please, more.” I couldn't help it. Normally, I was the forceful one in bed, but Daniel had me asking and practically begging.

He smiled at me, lowering his head once again. All thought other than pleasure was driven from my mind by the first touch of his tongue on my pussy again. Energy and light flooded my body, my thighs trembling and wanting more of his amazing, electric tongue. My spine shivered as he kept going, my hips quivering as I started to grind upward into his hungry mouth and tongue, unable to control myself. I'd never felt this much pleasure before, such a pure ball of sexual excitement building within me, and I wanted more and more.

Dimly, in the back of my mind, I was aware that Daniel had slipped his fingers inside me, working them back and forth both to open me up for his cock and to add to whatever voodoo his tongue was doing to me. All I knew was that I was in heaven and that I didn't think it would ever stop.

Suddenly, his tongue moved directly to my clit, and what I thought was heaven before increased tenfold. I clutched at my sheets, balling them in my hands as something exploded inside me, silent and joyful and amazing all at the same time. My heels drummed into his strong back, uncontrolled and desperate. Daniel held my hips tight, pushing with his hand on my pussy as I rode whatever the hell it was out, until I collapsed into the bed, spent. “What the hell was that?”

“Don't tell me you've never had an orgasm before,” Daniel said in disbelief as he crawled up between my legs, kissing my lips. The musk of my juices stained his mouth, and I loved it. It meant nothing would ever be the same between us again, and I was glad for it.

“Of course, dummy. But nothing like that before,” I said, thinking back. After experiencing that, no wonder some women became nymphomaniacs. “Never in my life.”

“It gets better,” he promised, kissing me softly. “Want to help me with the condom?”

“What I want is to forget the damn thing and totally feel you inside me,” I said while reaching over to grab the packet.

He got to his knees and pulled down his shorts. His cock jumped out, bobbing in the soft light, and I gasped at its perfection. Long, thick, with a flared head that I knew would thrill every nerve inside me. I was suddenly struck with the urge to bend over and suck it, even though I had my doubts I could even get it all the way into my mouth. He was power and sex personified, a deity in the flesh.

Hesitantly, I reached out with my hand, wrapping it around his shaft, or at least trying to. It was hot, steely hard but silky, like he knew the impressive tool was too much for a lot of women to accept, so it did its best to ease the penetration. And that is what this was for, there was no doubt. Daniel, from his bubble butt to his ripped abs to the thick cock, was a man built for sex. “Dan . . .”

“I know,” he reassured me. “Don't worry.”

I looked up at him, and suddenly I didn't. I trusted him with my life, and I was ready to trust him with more. Instead, I gently stroked his cock and handed him the condom packet. “Take it out, and I'll put it on.”

Even with the obvious larger size, Daniel's cock was nearly too large for the condom, and he grimaced slightly as I rolled it down to the base. I gasped, kissing his chest and nuzzling under his jawline.

He ran his hands up and down my back and kissed my neck. We were on our knees, his cock trapped between us, hot and throbbing and demanding my attention.

I adjusted myself and laid back, spreading my legs as far as I could, accepting him in between and on top of me. “Change me. Make me yours.”

There was a moment of fear as his cock slid inside me, spreading me open. I thought he was in, but I felt myself being opened wider, wider than I'd ever thought I could be, and still I didn't think the head of his cock was fully inside me. My body rebelled, pushing back at the too-large intruder, when somehow, he slipped inside, all the resistance disappearing in a rush of fullness.

“Just know one thing, Ade.”

“What?”

Daniel paused his hips and looked me in the eye. “I've wanted this my whole life.”

I pulled him to me, our lips meeting to seal our bond. I moaned into his mouth as he began thrusting, filling me slowly, making me his. I realized the truth as he filled me more and more, that his words were absolutely true. He may have been with other women, he may have fucked them raw and left them begging for more, but I was the one he really wanted.

I cried out when Daniel's hips met mine for the first time, and he grimaced, his face tight. “No!” he whispered urgently, bringing his fingers to my lips and shushing me. “Your uncle is sleeping upstairs, remember?”

“I can't help it,” I groaned as he pulled back, biting my lip as he pushed forward again. I tried with all my might, but I cried out again, a little less loudly this time, but still loud enough that Daniel looked away, panicked. Not wanting to lose him, to lose the moment, I looked wildly to my left and right, seeing my night shirt still on the bed. I grabbed it. “Here. Use this.”

Daniel considered it for a moment, then nodded. “Only if I have to.”

Lowering his lips to mine, he kissed me again while he thrust, his mouth swallowing my moans and adding to the sensation. I'd never been stretched this way, and I wanted it again and again. My hips tried to rise up to meet his thrusts as his cock slid in and out, but he was so powerful, I was hammered down to the mattress even before I had a chance to move.

I held on desperately, my body racked with feeling as Daniel pounded me. I knew he was unleashing years, perhaps even as he said, a lifetime's worth of pent up passion and desire, and I wanted it all. I wanted to be his, to give myself to him every night of my life, if only he'd make me feel this way again.

“Daniel . . .” I groaned in his ear. “I'm going to come.”

“Me too,” he grunted back, taking the wadded up cotton of my shirt and shoving it in my mouth. He had to, pulling back so that he could get the great gulps of air he needed to thrust into me, his body shimmering in sweat and his face intent on mine. His arms were planted in my pillow on each side of my head, and he stared into my eyes as we crashed over the edge.

I had thought the sensation of his tongue had been the most ecstasy a woman could feel and not die, but I was wrong. My second climax crushed the first like it was just a small tickle, my scream muffled by the cotton I bit down on even as my hands clawed at his back. I felt his flesh give way under my short fingernails, and I watched as he shuddered, his cock expanding before twitching, his climax crashing over him and leaving me feeling more of a woman than ever. I had caused this wonderful man to lose that much control. I had drawn it out of him, and I was proud of the fact.

Daniel took the cloth from my mouth, kissing me tenderly, completing the act of making love. What we'd done left one thought in my mind as I was chased down into my sleep and my dreams. “I'm yours . . . be mine . . .”