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  I sighed and turned under the spray of the shower head, washing off the rest of the suds from my body. It had been hard to sit across from him and not fall more and more in love with him.

  Yes, I said ‘in love.’

  I don’t know how it had happened. One minute I was thinking I couldn’t be with a guy like Derrek, and the next minute I was… Well, I was falling in love with him.

  Turning off the water, I stepped out of the shower, toweling off. Today, he had actually showed me that he cared about me. The moment he placed his hands on my face and helped me through the panic attack, I had known that this was much more than just him attempting to protect me.

  And now I didn’t know what I was going to do about it.

  Pulling my robe from behind the door, I shrugged it on, enjoying the way the silk clung to my body. What would it feel like to have Derrek touch me where the robe was? Could I handle the touch? I wasn’t so sure.

  But oh, how much I would love to have it happen! Derrek was the first person to make me think this way, to want to have this experience. Never had I been so attracted to a man before.

  There was one kid, in junior high, that I had thought could be someone special. Jeremiah Holden. He had been a blond-haired, blue-eyed kid who had sat next to me in chemistry and was assigned to me as my lab partner. I had been awkward, but he had carried on a conversation like I was just another normal kid.

  And I had been over the moon. I had doodled his name more than once, dreamed of him asking me to the junior high prom and sticking my tongue out at the other girls while I walked in on his arm.

  Perhaps I had thought too much into it.

  But then came our experiment together. I had turned the burner on too high and before he could reach over and adjust it, it started to burn our carefully constructed concoction. I had panicked, which had led to a full-blown panic attack in front of Jeremiah and the entire class.

  The way he had looked at me had been devastating, and I knew right then and there, everything I had dreamed of had died the moment my panic had taken over.

  The rest of the year, he had avoided me like a plague.

  But now…? Now I had a sexy, gorgeous man who wasn’t afraid of my attacks. He had taken them head on and even attempted to help me control them, all the while never looking at me like a crazy person.

  That was special, far more special than he could imagine.

  Sucking in a breath, I brushed out my wet hair before looking at myself in the mirror. I was going to seduce Derrek. I wanted to show him that I could be more than that scared woman who shut down at the slightest hint of something going wrong.

  I could be sexy.

  I could be what he needed.

  I could be something amazing for him.

  “I can do this,” I whispered to myself, finishing my toiletries before opening the bathroom door.

  I was going to get Derrek in my bed somehow, in some way.

  But he wasn’t on the couch.

  Frowning, I walked toward the bedroom. Maybe something had happened, and he had to go take care of it. Great. Just when I had got my nerve up, he was gone.

  But as I entered the bedroom, my pulse fluttered under my skin. Derrek wasn’t gone.

  He was right where I needed him to be.

  “Hey.”

  His eyes raked over my body, seeing far more of it than he had seen before. “Hey yourself.”

  I tried to strike a provocative pose. “What are you doing in here, Derrek?”

  His eyes never left my scantily clad body.

  “I came to find you, but it appears you were in the shower.”

  “I… Yes, I was,” I said nervously, forcing myself not to fidget.

  That couldn’t be sexy, and Derrek was used to sexy women with far more experience than I had.

  “What are you doing Alice?” he asked softly, rising from the bed.

  “I’m not doing anything,” I answered, giving him a small smile. “Why would you say that?”

  He took a step toward me, his eyes hard as glittering emeralds.

  “Because you are standing in front of me, wearing that robe, and thinking that I am going to throw you on that bed and fuck the daylights out of you.”

  The breath left my lungs, and I struggled to pull in a breath. His words had been harsh, yet were causing my body to tremble in anticipation.

  How was I going to compete with that?

  “Tell me,” he said harshly, taking another step. “Tell me what you want Alice.”

  I couldn’t say it. I couldn’t put myself out there like that.

  “I.”

  “Tell me.”

  “I want you to be my first,” I blurted out under the pressure, my voice coming out in a squeak. “Please.”

  His steps halted, and surprise registered on his face.

  “You don’t want me to be that person.”

  “I do,” I said quickly. Of all the men I could pick, Derrek out ranked them all. “I want you, Derrek, no one else.”

  He let out a harsh breath, running his hand through his hair.

  “I can’t do this. We can’t do this.”

  “Please,” I said, hurrying over to him before he could bolt out of the bedroom. “I’ve given this a lot of thought, and I know I want you.”

  “Shit!” he whispered as I reached out and touched his cheek, feeling the stubble under my fingers. “I’m not good enough for you, Alice. You deserve better.”

  His words broke me, and I gave him a soft smile, some of my nerves leaving my body.

  “I deserve you.”

  I felt like I had waited all my life for this moment, with him, and I wasn’t about to let it go by.

  The air left his lungs as his hand slid against my cheek, cupping it. I could see the uncertainty in his eyes, his normally confident self now much like me, unsure, and desperate for what we both needed.

  It made me feel like I had made the right decision.

  “You are fucking amazing,” he grated out, pulling me toward him. “Are you sure? Because, fuck, once I start, I’m not gonna want to stop.”

  I wrapped my arms around his neck.

  “Shut the door Derrek.”

  He growled and kicked the door closed, closeting us in the light of the lamp on my bedside table.

  I swallowed my indecision as he lowered his mouth to mine, erasing all doubts as sparks exploded between us. Suddenly my breasts were heavy, a tingling between my legs that was nearly impossible to hide.

  “I’m going to kiss you all over,” he whispered against my lips. “This body will be mine tonight, and only mine.”

  My knees weakened at his words, and all I could do was whimper.

  I was giving myself to Derrek tonight.

  His mouth forced mine open, and I tasted his tongue for the first time, quickly learning what made him growl low in his throat as well. My heart was hammering against my chest, my curiosity peaked, and I wanted to touch him all over.

  When his hands went to the belt on my robe, I froze, knowing what he was going to do. Derrek was going to be the first man who had seen me naked, in all my glory.

  Derrek tore from my mouth, forcing me to look in his eyes.

  “Do you want to know what you do to me?” he breathed against my skin, his other hand taking mine and cupping the front of his jeans.

  I swallowed as I felt the hardness there, the evidence of his arousal pressing through the rough material.

  “That’s what you do to me, clothes or no clothes,” he continued, pressing a kiss to my neck. “I’ve been dreaming of this Alice.”

  All my concerns flew out of the window. He wanted me just as badly. He wanted to see me, to kiss me, to do other things to me, Alice Gray. Now I understood what attraction really was.

  “Do you want me to continue?” he asked, letting go of my hand. “Because I will stop, for you. I will stop.”

  “N-no,” I stammered, sliding my hand up his chest and to his shoulder. “Please, don’t stop.” />
  He swore and reached for the belt on my robe again, untying it so that he could push one side off my shoulder. The cool air hit my skin and I shivered, feeling my skin pucker as a result.

  “Fucking gorgeous,” Derrek said in a low voice, his hand touching my aching breast. “You don’t know what you do to me.”

  Oh, I had a good idea. His thumb ran over my stiff nipple, and I gasped, a new sensation filling my body. I had touched myself many times but his touch, the roughness of his skin on my sensitive skin… It was something I couldn’t explain.

  With a growl, Derrek pushed the other panel away until both breasts were bared, his hands running lightly over my chest. I didn’t know what to do, so I just stood there, enjoying the change in sensations from him touching me. My body was aching for more, so much more.

  His lips grazed my bare shoulder, and I closed my eyes, enjoying the feel of his lips as they traced over my collarbone, then down to one breast while his hand cupped the other. Suddenly my brain was firing off in a thousand directions, my thoughts scattering, as his lips tugged gently on my nipple. White-hot heat shot straight to my stomach, and I arched toward the touch, biting my lip to keep from sobbing.

  “You like that?” he asked. “Then you are gonna like this too.”

  When his lips touched my mound, I nearly yelped. My eyes flew open and I saw that Derrek was on his knees before me, his dark head in sharp contrast to my lily-white skin.

  It was a humbling sight. Derrek, my strong, courageous biker, on his knees before me.

  When his tongue slid inside my already wet slit, I gasped, feeling the pressure starting to build low in my stomach. He pulled me closer against his mouth, giving him better access to the swollen nub that was nestled there, one that was pulsating with need.

  Oh, my…

  But Derrek was relentless. Somehow, my hands found his hair in a half-hearted attempt to pull him away, and I cried out softly, feeling the end was near.

  I was going to orgasm into Derrek’s mouth.

  “Please,” I said, attempting to push him away. “I.”

  He didn’t allow me to do so, grabbing my ass instead to hold me in place. I stopped trying to pull him away as my knees started to shake and the orgasm crashed into my body, taking over. I felt myself starting to fall, my limbs feeling like jelly, before Derrek’s strong arms caught me and lowered me to the floor.

  I was vaguely aware of him rising above me as I recovered, smoothing the hair out of my face with his hand, my body shaking from the release.

  He leaned down and pressed a kiss to my forehead.

  “Are you sure you want to continue?”

  I could barely nod. I didn’t want to stop now. The sound of his jeans hitting the floor registered in my brain as he covered my body with his, pressing kisses along my jawline.

  “It’s gonna be a twinge,” he said against my skin. “I’m damn sorry about that.”

  I clutched at his shoulders, wanting to feel what I had been denying myself for years.

  “Please.”

  He made a sound and I felt him press at my entrance, taking it slow as he filled me to the core. There was only the merest twinge of pain, but I urged him on, enjoying the feel of him inside me.

  “You’re so fucking tight,” he said through clenched teeth, posing over me. “So tight.”

  My body quivered around him, and I lifted my hips, wanting him to give me what he had promised.

  “Please Derrek.”

  He moved, and I gasped, feeling that same build of pressure from my orgasm.

  So, this was what I had been missing.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Derrek

  She was fucking killing me.

  I gritted my teeth as I held onto my own release, her muscles clenched tightly around me. I shouldn’t be doing this, but at this moment, it all felt right. Alice moaned under me, urging me on and I knew it wasn’t going to be long at all before I embarrassed myself.

  It had been far too long.

  But first, I would bring her to the brink of release. Moving my hips, I started a slow, leisurely assault on her body, pressing kisses along her shoulder as I moved in and out. Her movements started to become frantic, her hands grabbing at my shoulders, and I knew that she was close to another.

  I wanted to do this all night long.

  “Come for me,” I whispered against her skin, picking up my pace. “Come for me, Alice.”

  “Derrek,” she whimpered, arching her body against mine.

  I slid my hand down her body and touched her still sensitive clit, rewarded with a cry as she came around me.

  Fuck, yes!

  Pumping harder, I brought my own body to release, biting back the roar I wanted to release in case her mom was up and moving around, dumping into Alice’s body.

  For a moment, nothing else mattered.

  Not the Cazadores.

  Not her mom.

  Not Jack.

  Not anyone.

  It was just me and Alice, enjoying this singular moment between us.

  I collapsed on top of her, my body slick with sweat, my breathing harsh in her ear, as I recovered myself.

  Damn, it had been far too long.

  “Wow.”

  Alice’s single word jolted me back to reality, and I pushed off her, taking a moment to look at her flushed face, her body.

  God she was fucking gorgeous.

  But she was also a virgin, or at least she had been up until a few minutes ago.

  “Don’t move,” I said softly, grabbing my shirt from the floor and sliding it on, hoping I wouldn’t run into her mom in the process.

  After locating a washcloth, I wetted it and took it back into the bedroom, closing the door behind me.

  “What are you doing?” she asked, her voice trembling as I knelt before her.

  I didn’t answer, pressing the washcloth to her lower region, carefully taking care of what I had done. The enormity of what I had done tonight was just now hitting me.

  I had taken her virginity.

  “I got it,” she protested, reaching for the cloth.

  I stepped back, unsure of what to say or do. The last virgin I’d had was when I was fifteen, and she had cried throughout the entire process.

  Needless to say, I had stayed away until now.

  But Alice was handling it like a pro. She stood and grabbed her robe, slipping it on before walking over to her dresser for a change of clothes.

  “I will be right back,” she said softly before slipping out of the bedroom.

  I waited until she was out of sight before I let out the breath I was holding, raking a hand through my hair.

  Damn, that had been far more than I had anticipated. I had wanted to make it good for her, but what I hadn’t counted on were the tender feelings I’d had while I was doing it.

  Shit, I was doing exactly what I had been trying not to do.

  Jack was gonna kill me if he found out.

  “Shit,” I repeated, reaching for my jeans, sliding them on.

  I should have stayed away, left when she had first walked in the room, but it had been the first time I had seen her without her baggy clothes. Her curves were everything I could have imagined they would be and more.

  Then my damn cock had kicked in and the rest was history.

  Now, I had this fierce protectiveness building in my chest. I wanted to take Alice in my arms and hold her until this shit was over with. I wanted to take her away from here, give her what she deserved – a life without having to worry about others.

  Most of all, I wanted to prove to her that she wasn’t broken, that she was damn near perfect.

  “Sorry,” Alice said as she re-entered the room, her face flushed.

  She had changed into her customary t-shirt and shorts, though this time they seemed far more provocative than they had been in the past, now that I knew what was under them.

  “I.”

  I pulled her toward me, pressing a kiss on her forehead.


  “Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine,” she breathed, leaning into my touch. “A bit shaken still.”

  I grinned into her hair.