"What are you nervous about?" Niki's voice blared from the phone sitting on my bathroom counter.

"I don't know. I just want the night to go good. You know Danny and I blow up at each other at the drop of a hat." I pulled the straps to a dark blue cotton dress over my shoulders. It barely hit the top of my knees but was conservative. After taking it in the ass from him in the players’ locker room shower the other day, I felt the need to remind him that I wasn't the slut I played on TV, or so it felt.

"So, what? That's a passionate relationship, Terra. People who don't fight have peace, yeah, but how much passion is there? Seriously?"

"I don't know." I reached back and zipped up my dress. "What do you know about Jannie's little girl? I've been here for a few weeks, and I've yet to meet her."

"I'm sure Danny is super protective over her, which is a good thing. No kid needs to be subject to a million hopeful exchanges with potential moms or dads." She sighed. "It's the reason why I haven't dated very often. I don't want Benji getting the hope in his head that some dude I bring home is going to turn into his new daddy." I could hear the strain in her voice and it hurt me.

I picked up the phone and smiled down at her. "He deserves a daddy, Niki, and you deserve a good man.

She shrugged and kept her head down, chin to her chest. "I'm not sure that's in the cards for us."

"Why? That makes no sense to me." I tapped the phone as if I could reach out and touch her. "Hey. Look at me."

She glanced up. "Because. I'm a stripper in New York." She laughed sardonically. "I'm not a prime candidate for winning over a man, and even if I were, there's no way in hell he's taking me home to meet his momma."

"Then quit. You're brilliant and capable of-"

"Okay. Back to you." She smiled and lifted one eyebrow, challenging me. "I'm good where I am, but you... you need a breakthrough with Danny. I think tonight should definitely be the night."

"What night?" I put the phone back down and picked up a tube of lipstick. She wasn't going to give up stripping until some strong, handsome guy made her. Then she might figure out another path for her life. Maybe. Doubtful.

"The night you give up the old V-card, and I want to hear every wicked hot detail when it's over." Her voice grew sexy.

I tried to talk while putting on my lipstick, which didn't go well at all. "I'm pretty sure losing your virginity is only hot to the guy taking it. From what I've heard it's painful and gross."

"The first few minutes are, but you'll move past that. With the experience Danny McAdams has? Oh man, you're most likely in for a treat."

"You're too much." I leaned over and smiled down at her as my hair curtained around my face. A knock at the door caused me to jump. "Shit. He's early."

"Good! Have fun and just go with whatever feels right, but please, for God sakes, don't get in a fight and walk away from each other again. This is date night. Make it a good one!"

I smiled. "Okay. Love you. I'll call tomorrow."

"With dirty details?"

I rolled my eyes. "Yes. Sure. Bye!"

A giggle rolled around in my chest as I half-walked, half-skipped to the front door. Danny was my high school sweetheart, the boy that got away. The very idea of having a real chance with him left me wanting to throw my arms out and spin in a circle. Love was powerful. Scarily so.

"You're early." I pulled the door open and moved back. My heart leaped in my chest at the sight of him. Dark jeans and boots, a black button-down shirt and an expression that told me that tonight was, in fact, the night.

"I would have come this morning if I thought you'd let me." He handed me a bouquet of red, yellow and white roses. "For you."

"Wow." I took them and moved them toward my face as I breathed in deeply. "Do you always try and outdo the boy before you?"

He laughed and walked into the house. "I usually pretend like there was no boy before me."

It was my turn to laugh. I turned and walked to the kitchen. "Hey, how is your dad doing? Did you get to see him today?" I put the roses in a vase and stepped back to admire them.

"I did. He's doing okay." He moved up behind me in the kitchen and slid his hand down my arms as he pressed his chest to my back. "You know he's as stubborn-"

"As a mule. I know. My dad was too." I pressed against him and closed my eyes. "Are we staying together tonight?"

He leaned down and moved my hair off my shoulder before kissing the side of my neck. "I want to. That's completely up to you."

I nodded. "I should get some clothes to sleep over in."

"You don't need clothes." He wrapped his arms around my shoulders and gripped my breasts with one of his hands. "I sleep naked. You should too."

I laughed softly. "We need to go, or we're going to end up sleeping over here instead."

"Somehow I'm not thinking that's a bad idea." He moved back, and I turned and slid my hands up his strong chest.

"Where's Lyndsay tonight?" I was worried about staying over if the little girl was there. I didn't want to give her the wrong impression as my first impression with her.

"She's with my mom and dad. I thought she'd be with us, but dad refuses to go to the heart doc." He cupped the top of my ass and pulled me closer. "Let's try and get through dinner and then go back to my place for the night."

"Or we could change into t-shirts and jeans and have dinner at your place instead." I lifted to my toes, wanting to taste his lips.

He didn't hesitate, but moved in and kissed me with a passion I'd grown used to doing without. I moaned and opened up for him as one naughty fantasy after the next rolled through my mind's eye.

"God, you're hot." I pulled back and licked my lips. "I don't think I could sit through dinner across the table from you and actually have a decent conversation."

He laughed. "Fine. Let's grab some stuff to make dinner at the grocery store and spend the night doing whatever the fuck we wanna do."

I nodded and pulled out of his arms. "Alright. Anything in particular you want?" I picked up my purse and walked to the door, suddenly worried that he might have the bike.

"You namely, but whatever else we have is good to me." He pointed to the bedroom as I glanced back. "Jeans and a t-shirt woman. I have the bike with me."

I smiled and handed him my purse. "Hold that."

He rolled his eyes. "Domesticating me already, I see."

"Never. I like you wild and unruly. Just make sure it's only with me." I walked to the back as his voice carried down the hall with me.

"That's not something you have to worry about, Ter. You're the only woman I want. It's just a struggle to make sure I don't let the caveman side of me out where you're concerned."

I realized his voice wasn't getting any softer. He was following me back to the bedroom.

"I like the caveman." I turned to face him and unzipped my dress. "What are you doing?"

"Watching you. Like I always have." He leaned against the door frame, my purse dangling from his fingers.

It was hard to believe the moment was real. I'd yearned for our friendship and so much more since the moment I lost all of it. How stupid we were to let each other go all those years before. What we had was intense and felt so fucking right it almost stole my breath.

"Don't blink." I offered him a sexy smile. "You might miss something."

"Don't worry. I won't." He ran his hand down his chest as I pulled my dress from the front of my body. The white lace panties and bra I had on didn't leave anything to the imagination.

"You like it?" I ran my hands down my sides, feeling far more beautiful than I did self-conscious in front of him, and that was because of him. He never failed to tell me how beautiful I was when we were younger and all the other guys wanted models. He didn't. He wanted me. Thick hips, big thighs, and breasts I thought were too small.

"It?" He brushed his hand over the growing bulge at the front of his jeans. "You? Fuck yes. You're beyond sexy, Ter. Turn around and let’s see my ass."

I chuckled and turned, glancing over my shoulder. The G-string was probably lost somewhere in my ass, but it didn't matter. As long as he was turned on, that's all I cared about.

"Goddammit, woman."

I yelped as he crashed into me, picking me up and pressing me onto the bed. His big, hard body pressed against the back of mine, and his hands were everywhere. A whimper left me as he pushed up on one arm and ran his fingers over the front of my throat, holding me softly, but reminding me just how dominant he was.

The press of his erected cock against the center of my ass had me wanting to roll my hips, but he was too strong, too big for me to gain any traction.

"Dinner?" I whispered roughly.

"Not a fucking chance."

Tonight was the night, and I was more than ready.