I hadn't even realized I was shaking. I didn't normally let my emotions get the better of me, but my rage at the other man was barely restrained. I wanted to beat the f.u.c.k out of him-badly. No one talked about Harper like that! No one.

A gentle hand covered my heart, and just like that I felt the anger start to drain away. Glancing down at her hand on my chest, I felt something deep inside constrict. It was almost painful and totally scary. Without thinking about it, I pressed her into the corner of the taxi's backseat and kissed her.

She had the sweetest taste. My tongue stabbed inside her willing mouth and I sipped her nectar greedily. I wanted more, ached to hold her naked body against my own. I needed to be inside of her; my body was screaming for it-my d.i.c.k weeping for it.

Instead, I only took what I knew she was ready to give. Each second the kiss lasted I savored, loving how she innocently kissed me back. I was her first kiss, and I was determined to be her last.

Chapter 9.

Harper How long the taxi had been sitting in front of my apartment building I wasn't exactly sure. But with the meter running, the taxi driver wasn't exactly complaining about the delay.

With a tortured groan Shane raised his face from my neck, having buried it there several minutes before. His lips had left a scalding trail from my lips to my jaw and down to the base of my neck as he had kissed me. "I don't want you to go," he whispered, kissing my lips quick and hard. "But I know you have to."

My brain was foggy with desire, so I didn't understand. "Why do I have to go?" I whispered back.

Another kiss to the corner of my mouth. "Because you aren't ready. You don't trust me enough."

"But..."

His lips stopped me from saying anything else. My fingers tangled in his hair, and I held on tight, trying to keep up with his demanding kiss. His hands stroked up and down my sides, his thumbs caressing the underside of my b.r.e.a.s.t.s, making me dizzy and aching in a way I wasn't sure I had ever felt before.

There was a tap on the window behind Shane, and his head jerked around to see some guy in a suit standing outside on the sidewalk. Muttering a curse, he tossed a bunch of bills at the driver and opened the door. The business man, who I was sure lived on the eleventh floor in my building, was grinning when Shane helped me from the back of the car.

Shane growled something under his breath at the man, who smartly remained quiet before getting into the waiting taxi.

With a hand on the small of my back, Shane guided me inside and pressed the b.u.t.ton to call for the elevator. The doorman gave us a nod in greeting but otherwise remained quiet until the elevator's doors were closed behind us.

Shivering with suppressed desire, I leaned against the big man who wrapped his strong arms around me. The trip up to the twelfth floor felt like it took an eternity, yet was over far too soon. His arms tightened for a moment, his lips lingering at my ear, before he finally released me and walked me down the corridor to the corner apartment.

I tried to find the words to ask him to come in. "Do you..."

He shook his head. "No, beautiful. As badly as I want to, I can't come in." He lowered his head and brushed a tender kiss over my lips, then my nose, and lastly over my eyes. It was so sweet that I felt my throat clog with tears. "Can I see you tomorrow?"

All I could do was nod as he stepped back. Our hands were still linked as he started to turn away, holding fast until we could no longer stay linked. "Good night, beautiful," I heard him say as I watched him walk backwards toward the elevators.

I bit my lip and watched until he disappeared behind the elevator doors before opening the front door of my apartment.

Of course no one was home, and I hadn't been expecting them to be. It was Sat.u.r.day night. Linc was probably on the prowl for a sleepover friend and he must have taken Dallas with him. Just as he was her guard, she was his. As for Lana, I was happy that she was spending yet another night with her Drake.

But that meant I was all alone in our big apartment, with an aching body and a whirling mind. I wanted to talk, take a long cool shower, and fall into bed. Sighing, I locked the door and headed toward my room. A cool shower would have to do.

I was stripping when my phone chimed with Shane's designated text tone. Glancing down at the screen, I saw his message.

<3><3><3 i="" miss="" u="" already=""><3><3><3 a="" goofy="" smile="" spread="" across="" my="" face,="" and="" i="" sat="" down="" on="" the="" edge="" of="" my="" bed,="" holding="" my="" phone="" close="" like="" a="" love="" sick="" fool.="" finally,="" i="" texted="" him="">

Wish you had stayed.

Almost instantly he sent a return text. Me 2. C U tomorrow, beautiful.

I was determined that I wasn't going to let the attraction I felt for Shane get in the way. We were friends and I wanted it to stay that way.

Each morning I woke with that determination firmly in mind. And it worked until we were alone. His drugging kisses would always bend my resolve, and I would melt against him every time his lips touched mine. It was scary, crazy... Wonderful.

I was developing stronger feelings for the rocker with each pa.s.sing day. My heart actually ached when he wasn't around, and that was kind of terrifying. Over the last five weeks, I had spent the majority of my free time with Shane. Of course with more and more freelance opportunities coming in, I didn't have as much free time as I was used to.

Work was booming and a few magazines had even mentioned keeping me in mind when they had a position open up. It was exciting and what I'd been dreaming of since I was fifteen, but it couldn't compete with the excitement I felt when I was with Shane.

Today we were at The Ink Shop watching Lana's back transform into a work of art. I was there for moral support, keeping her entertained so her mind wasn't on the needle pressed against sensitive skin. With Dallas, Linc, and Shane there to add some variety and humor to the event, Lana was spending more time laughing than thinking about what was going on behind her.

Lana was addicted to ink, just as Dallas was. While I had a tattoo of my own, I hadn't felt that rush of adrenaline like my friends had, and I didn't care if I ever got another one.

The Ink Shop was the place to go if you wanted a great tattoo. Dallas didn't let anyone but the owner work on her. Shane even had one on his right bicep that he'd had done a few years before by the guy that was working on Lana at the moment. Tyler was very professional and handled the tattoo gun with confidence.

"I might get another one soon," Shane said as he fingered through the photo alb.u.m of past work Tyler had done.

"Yeah?" I glanced at his arms. Most of his ink consisted of skulls, but there were some variations here and there. A star on his left elbow. A black rose on his forearm. I liked them all and had spent hours just tracing them with my finger nails. "What do you have in mind?"

His smile was sly, a little mysterious, and I wondered what was going through his head. "You'll have to wait and see, beautiful."

I rolled my eyes at him.

"Almost done," Tyler a.s.sured Lana who was making pained faces. She had been lying face down on the table for nearly four hours now and her back had to be killing her.

"I'm going to catch h.e.l.l when Emmie show's Jesse and Layla my credit card bill next month," Lana said to no one in particular. "But it will be worth it."

"I could have taken care of it, sis," Shane reminded her, but of course Lana had wanted to pay for it herself, which technically meant that her brother-in-law was paying for her ink.

Lana started to say something, but it turned into a grunt as Tyler went over a particularly sensitive area on her lower back. "Never mind."

"Five more minutes, sweetheart."

It was twenty minutes later before we were heading out the door. Lana had seen the masterpiece on her back, but now it was bandaged up. As we left and walked toward the restaurant where we had decided to have dinner, she kept glancing down at her phone.

I knew she wanted to call Drake, but Shane had talked her into giving it a day before she let him see what she'd done. I thought the angel wings on her back were beautiful, but maybe a little extreme if it was just to tell the guy she loved him. Really, if she loved him why couldn't she just say it and that would be that? Did she have to mark her body to prove it?

But it was her body and she could do whatever she wanted with it.

After dinner the five of us split up. Lana went back to the apartment to crash, while Dallas and Linc were heading to one of their usual clubs. Shane had tempted me with a movie, and I wanted some alone time with him. I was ready to admit that I wanted more than friendship.

I was ready for whatever he thought I still needed time for.

Shane I was one big ache.

Five weeks of nothing but kissing Harper and I was sure that my b.a.l.l.s were going to rupture. I had never gone without, had always taken what was offered. And when we were alone, she was more than willing.

But I had to be sure that she was ready before I took her to the next step. I wanted her to know that no matter what she could trust me with her body-and her heart.

After spending the entire afternoon watching Lana get her back inked with Dallas and Linc, then suffering through dinner, I finally had her alone in the back of a dark theater. The arm rest was up so she could snuggle closer, and I was more interested in how good she felt against me than the movie playing on the screen.

"Do you wear perfume?" I whispered, wondering what scent it was that she wore that drove me out of my mind.

"No, why?"

I nuzzled my nose against her hair. "You smell so good, beautiful. Like lavender and something else."

"Oh, that's just my soap."

Just soap? f.u.c.k, I was jealous of that soap! It got to touch her every day in places I had been slowly dying to take advantage of. Muttering a curse under my breath, I tried to move my d.i.c.k into a more bearable position. It was hopeless, of course. As hard as I was, there was no position that was bearable.

Harper raised her head. "You okay?"

"No, baby. I'm not okay." My hand rubbed over the painful rod that was resting against my thigh in my jeans. Instead of easing some of my pain, it only added to it. "I'm about two strokes away from coming in my jeans."

She glanced around. We were in the very back of the theater and this was a c.r.a.p movie, so there weren't many people watching it anyway. Seeing that we were practically all alone, she bit her lip. I nearly cried out when her slender fingers skimmed over my aching d.i.c.k.

I felt the pre-c.u.m leak onto my thigh. My b.a.l.l.s were tight and I was so close. f.u.c.k, I had been this way for over five weeks! Cold showers didn't help any more, and I had never been able to get myself off. It always made me think of that horrible time when I was a kid and Rusty would do things...

"Shane..." Harper breathed my name, her hand exploring the shape of my c.o.c.k through my jeans. "Take me home with you, Shane."

She didn't have to ask me twice. Grasping her hand, I pulled her up and out of the theater. In less than two minutes, I had her in the back of a taxi headed toward my apartment. I was trembling like an untried teenager. I couldn't keep my legs still as I tried to keep from devouring her in the back seat of a New York cab while the driver watched.

I wasn't against public s.e.x. I'd done it more than a few times at some really insane parties. But that wasn't going to happen with Harper. She deserved more respect than that...unless she wanted it. If my girl wanted public s.e.x, I would give it to her. Anything she wanted.

I doubted, however, that she wanted it tonight.

"Shane?"

Her sweet voice made me turn my head. I had the entire length of the backseat between us so I wouldn't do the things that kept flashing through my head. Such naughty things that involved my beautiful girl, like spreading her wide and eating her p.u.s.s.y, or fingering her until she squirted and soaked the backseat with her intoxicating scent.

"Are you okay?"

I could only nod. I couldn't find my voice. The way I was acting was probably freaking her out. I kept tapping my feet and rocked back and forth to ease some of my pain. My hands were shaking, and I had a cold sweat beading my brow. I probably looked like a crack addict. s.h.i.t I was sure that I looked like one.

"Are you in pain?"

"You have no idea." My voice was raspy, full of repressed desire. "Need you so bad."

I couldn't see her eyes and had no clue what she was thinking, but the small smile I saw tilting her lips kept any panic I might have over scaring her at bay.

When the taxi pulled to a stop in front of my building, I tossed a hundred dollar bill at the driver, knowing that the ride hadn't even came close to costing that much. The man thanked me, but I didn't pay attention to him as I pulled Harper out on my side and rushed her toward the entrance.

"Evening, Mr. Stevenson." Kyle, the night doorman, greeted.

I nodded my head at him, punching the call b.u.t.ton for the elevators. "Hey, Kyle. My brother home?" It wouldn't matter if he was or not. It would take a natural disaster to stop what was going to happen with Harper.

"About an hour or so ago..."

"Great. Thanks." The elevator doors opened and I pulled Harper in with me.

I wanted to kiss her so f.u.c.king bad but knew that if I did, the elevator wasn't going to make it to my apartment before I was between her legs in some shape or form. So I tried to remember every word to the National Anthem. I never could remember the whole thing!

When the elevator stopped on my floor, I practically sprinted down the corridor to my door. Behind me Harper was giggling, so I figured she wasn't too scared of the s.e.x addict about to ravage her.

Chapter 10.

Harper If I had known that he was hurting, I would have done something to help him. Now he was half crazy with need, and I found that I was liking every minute of it.

Shane didn't let go of my hand as he unlocked the door of his apartment. When the deadbolt became tricky, he growled something I couldn't understand and banged his fist on the thick door before trying again. My heart was racing with excitement as he swung me off my feet and carried me into the apartment, using his foot to slam the door shut as he practically ran toward his bedroom.

His lips were on my neck before we even reached his bed. I thrust my fingers in his hair and held on tight, sighing with pleasure as he licked and nibbled his way to my ear. "Want you so f.u.c.king bad, baby."

Good Lord, I loved how throaty his voice got when he was kissing me. I likened him to an actual demon when it got so deep and raspy like it was now. It made me shiver and gooseflesh pop up along my entire body. My nipples hardened at the sound of that s.e.xy voice, and I ached for him to touch them.

"I want you too," I whispered.

His hands were busy stripping me faster than I could think. My knee length cashmere skirt went flying, followed by the matching shirt. I didn't even try to cover myself as he unfastened my bra and bared my b.r.e.a.s.t.s. Even though they were so small, he had told me more than once that he loved my b.r.e.a.s.t.s.

"Your t.i.ts are so beautiful, baby." He lowered his head and captured one of my nipples while his fingers started tugging on my panties. "You taste as good as you smell!"

Unable to think, there was just too much going on at once, I gave myself over to his experienced hands. I knew that he would take care of me. Something deep inside a.s.sured me that Shane would never hurt me when it came to this.

His hands were everywhere: cupping my b.r.e.a.s.t.s, pinching my nipples, in my hair, caressing my outer thighs. My need grew with every touch, set my skin aflame in a way that I was sure would leave me with third degree burns before it was all over.

I felt the cool air against my naked flesh before I realized that he had left me. I opened my eyes, looking for him in the darkness. "Sh-Shane?"

"I...I..." I heard his voice along with his labored breathing. "I need a minute, baby. Never been this worked up before."

My heart melted. He could have taken me then and there. Sought out his pleasure and to h.e.l.l with my own. But he hadn't. Instead, he was trying to make this good for me. I scooted to the end of the bed where he was standing, facing away from me while he tried to get his breathing under control.

When my hand touched his bare back, he tensed but didn't pull away. "Turn around, Shane."