“I know what you mean,” he grunted through gritted teeth. “Take it, Gabriella. You can have it. You can have it whenever and however you want it. Fuck it, baby. Fuck it good. Make it yours.”

His words seemed to ignite something in her. She tossed all her hair to one side and put both hands on his knees. Immediately, Ian put his mouth on her neck, sucking at a delectable patch of skin. He supported her weight as she began to move, riding him, rocking him, and he even managed to slip his hand back down to finger her clit. He couldn’t see much in the mirror except her body thrusting against his now, but even that sight was wildly erotic when he felt the effects of her grinding on him, felt her body drawing greedily on him. Release built at the base of his spine, fire pooled in his balls, but he shook it off as best he could. No, no, hell no. She was getting hers first. Always.

All that beautiful hair was all over him. Caught between their bodies, sticking to his chest. Even puffing into his mouth as he breathed harshly against her neck. She sobbed and cried out, one hand following his forearm down to his wrist where he touched her. “Faster,” she pleaded. “I’m gonna come so hard, baby, so hard…”

Instead of giving her what she wanted, he created a V with his fingers around her clit, gently pinching and manipulating it but avoiding touching it directly. “Shit! Why do you do the opposite of what I say?” He almost had to laugh at the desperation in her tone, and he might have if he weren’t so far gone himself.

“Because I want to build you up, make you come even harder than you think yourself capable,” he rasped.

She gasped out an “Oh!” but he didn’t know if it was a response or a cry of denied passion. Maybe both. Poor baby. She’d suffered enough. He moved his finger back over her bud and stroked it quickly. “Ah! There. There, there, there…” And she threw herself back against him, her body milking him in great, heaving spasms, the intensity of which left even him amazed. There was nothing to do but let go and join her. His release punched through, pulsing deep and hot inside her, filling the trusted barrier between them.

When the maelstrom receded, he collapsed back on the bed, pulling her with him, snuggling her close. She trembled at his side, restlessly rubbing her legs together. Neither of them spoke for a long time…long enough that when he looked at her at last to say something, she was sound asleep.

Chapter Seven

Ian drove her back to her car in the muggy, gray early morning light, because Gabriella hoped to slip into the house before her parents stirred, and she certainly wanted to be gone from his apartment complex before there was any chance whatsoever of running into Brian. She probably could’ve waited until noon for that, though.

She’d hoped to avoid the awkward good-bye, but as she got off Ian’s rumbling Harley next to her car, there seemed no way around it. It had been a great night. It had rocked her world. Waking up this morning and realizing he’d taken care of her, moving her onto a pillow and covering her up, had perhaps been the sweetest moment of all—not the hottest, but certainly the sweetest. Holy shit, a guy who was hot and caring. She’d known they were out there somewhere. And while she certainly wouldn’t have anything against a repeat, it didn’t seem feasible for either one of them. And after all that, she might not have to think about sex for a year.

“Thanks for the greatest night I can remember having in…a long, long time,” she said at last, dismayed that she felt rather shy this morning after that wild, torrid display. After all, she’d been the one who enticed him back to his place. He’d taken her on, so he’d wanted it as much as she had, but still. She didn’t mind being the instigator. It had simply been a while since she’d done so.

“Thank you,” he said, a little smile curving his full lips. His stubble was much rougher this morning, his hair sticking up crazily, giving him an even more rugged look than he’d sported yesterday. Throw in the hard biceps and the ink flowing down both arms and the motorcycle, and he looked exactly like what any parent did not want to see pulling into their driveway. And exactly what she’d needed.

A guy like him, though… He needed a nice, little-bit-wild girl his own age. Not someone older who was all drive and ambition and rarely had time for anything but studying. No, the ideal girl for him would be someone kind of like Candace, who was sweet as pie but still fun and had no problem keeping Brian’s ass in check.

God, whoever that girl turned out to be, Ian would certainly know how to please her. Gabriella couldn’t help but feel a little bit jealous of the poor girl she didn’t even know. Hell, she might already hate her guts.

“What are you thinking about?” he asked, still wearing that mysterious smile, and she realized she’d been staring for the past few seconds.

“Sorry.” He probably wouldn’t appreciate the woman he’d f**ked all night telling him what he needed in a girlfriend. “You just gave me a lot to think about.” Was it her imagination, or was heat creeping up into her cheeks? Good God. It was; she was blushing. She might actually be a little bit smitten with him.

“Oh yeah? Well, I’m glad.”

“I guess…I’ll see you at our next appointment?” Hopefully it wouldn’t be too awkward, and they would be able to get through it without anyone catching on.

He nodded. “I think one more should finish it up.”

“Good.”

Silence stretched out for a moment. She wanted to leave; she didn’t want to leave. She wanted to escape…and she wanted to go back to his place and lie in his arms all day.

“Well,” he said at last, holding his hand out. “I’ll be seeing you.” Without hesitation, she took it, feeling a little thrill when he brought her hand to his lips and kissed the back. Her skin tingled where his mouth touched her. It tingled in lots of other places where it had touched her last night. As if the reminder of the way he kissed awakened her body and made it cry out for him.

Oh God. He was amazing. He made her feel like a teenager again. She had to get out of here before she fell into his arms and begged for a repeat.

Gabby mustered all her willpower and smiled, stepping back. She had the profound and disturbing feeling she was leaving behind something very important. “See you.”

He hung around until she started her car and pulled out. Then, in her review mirror, she watched him leave the parking lot on his motorcycle and speed off in the opposite direction. A red light caught her, so she was able to watch until his distant figure turned a corner and disappeared from sight.

Rain began to patter against her windshield. She stared straight ahead and tried to remember how to breathe.

She wasn’t early enough. As she drove up her parents’ driveway, she met her dad’s car as he was leaving for the office. Sighing when he began to slow, she braked and rolled her window down as he did the same.

“Looks like you missed curfew,” he said, which made her burst out laughing. Her dad could be pretty cool sometimes. And a hard-ass at other times. Like any one of his children, and certainly his wife. Gabby supposed she could lie and say she’d run an early errand…but then she’d have to make something up when he inevitably asked what it was, and she honestly didn’t have the brain power right now.

“I guess I did. I hope you didn’t wait up.”