Daniel dipped his head and bit the flesh just beneath her ear, then licked it to soothe the sting of his teeth. “Were you waiting for me like a good girl?”

Again, she nodded. As he slid his teeth up and down the column of her neck, she lost control of her head and it fell back against the door.

“No. You weren’t.” His hand reached under her dress, kneading the inside of her thigh. Her belly tightened in response, dampness spreading between her legs. “You misbehaved a little, didn’t you, gorgeous?” His hand slipped higher. “What are we going to do about that?”

“I don’t know. You tell me,” she breathed, afraid saying the wrong thing might make him stop. Finally, his fingers ever so slightly brushed the juncture of her thighs. Story whimpered at the simple contact. He teased her with soft brushes of his fingertips against the front of her panties while continuing to torture her neck. Holding his shoulders for balance, she tried to kiss him but he denied her with a stern shake of his head.

“No kisses yet. I didn’t like those men looking at you. And you’re going to suffer a little for it first.” Using the heel of his hand, he massaged her core with slow circles of his wrist, making the material of her underwear slide against her swollen clitoris. She cried out at the perfect pressure, but he ignored her. “When I get you home, I’m going to sink into your pu**y, nice and deep. Then I won’t move. I’ll let you wiggle and squirm underneath me, dying to come, but I won’t let you. Until I get the image of you half-dressed on a stage out of my head.”

He bit her ear hard, pulling it with his teeth. It should have hurt, but instead it felt like an attack on every erogenous zone in her body. Her knees buckled underneath her, but his weight kept her upright.

Daniel laughed darkly, palming her roughly once before removing his hand from between her legs and yanking her dress back down. “Who am I kidding? When I finally get inside you, I’m going to f**k you until your voice is hoarse from screaming my name.”

He grabbed Story’s hand once more and pulled her from the doorway. They walked in charged silence the remaining block to her building. She continually stole glances at him, curious over the intense strain on his face. A man like Daniel probably had more sexual partners in one week than she’d had in her whole life. Why, then, did being with her hold such urgency? His desperate behavior made no sense to her. Was he like this with all women?

They entered the building and stepped into the elevator a moment later. Daniel’s arms encircled her from behind, pulling her back against his warmth. He pushed his hips against her bottom so she could feel his arousal. Feeling bold, she reached back and slid her hands over his ass to pull him closer.

Daniel groaned above her head, moving with her. “I’ve thought of taking you this way a thousand times in the last two days.”

Her breath caught. “You have?”

“God, yes.”

She knew her next question might make it seem like she was fishing, but she asked it anyway, needing her curiosity appeased. “Is it always this way for you?”

He gave a pained laugh. “Never.”

Story turned in his arms to judge his sincerity, but witnessed only honesty in his steady gaze. Something changed in the air between them. Without second-guessing her instincts, she jumped into his arms, wrapped her legs around his waist, and kissed him eagerly. Whether she did it to keep the emotions on her face hidden or purely out of desperation to be closer to him, she didn’t know.

The elevator doors rolled open, and without releasing her mouth, Daniel walked them out into the hallway and toward the apartment. Somehow, he found her keys to open the door. The next thing she knew, they were tumbling onto the bed, Daniel’s rock-solid body coming down on top of her. Still wedged between her thighs, he immediately started rocking against her, sending shocks of pleasure racing through to her center. They finally broke their kiss to groan out loud at the friction of his jean-encased erection rubbing against her silky panties. Spreading her legs wider in his hands, he pushed against her most sensitive spot, allowing her to writhe against him. She panted and moaned as sensations assaulted her.

“I know. I know you like that, baby.” Reaching down, he stroked his thumb across her right nipple as it strained against the material of her dress. Again, he began to move, grinding his hips over hers. “You let me know when you’re ready for the real thing. But not until you’re dripping.”

Story’s head thrashed back and forth on the pillow. “I’m ready. I’m ready. Please.”

“Please, who?”

“Daniel,” she shuddered out. “Please, Daniel.”

He reached into his back pocket and froze. Confused and frustrated, she gripped his hips and arched underneath him, begging him to move. Yet he remained frustratingly still.

“What is it?” She finally asked, breathless.

“Please tell me you have a condom.”

It took her a moment to grasp his meaning. “What? No. I don’t usually travel with condoms.” When his head dropped forward with a curse, her eyes widened on him. “You don’t have one with you? You?”

Sitting back on his heels, he stabbed shaky fingers through his hair. “No. Shit. I didn’t think I would see you tonight and I wasn’t exactly prowling around for someone else, despite what you think of me. Christ, this is f**king embarrassing.” His eyes narrowed on her. “What the hell are you smiling about?”

Had she been smiling? She ran her fingers across her mouth. Yes, apparently. Maybe it was naive and ridiculous, but Daniel admitting he’d gone out without the intention of getting laid made her feel giddily happy. Which made her wonder if she’d recently hit her head and forgotten doing it.

“I don’t know. Nothing.” Don’t say anything else! “So it was either me or no one?”

He nodded somberly, scrutinizing her expression. “That’s right.”

Story rose onto her knees, grasped the hem of her dress, and pulled it over her head, before letting it drop on the floor.

His hands clenched on the bedspread as he watched her reveal her mostly naked body. “What are you doing? Sunshine, we can’t. Not if I can’t protect you.”

She unhooked her bra from behind and let it fall down her arms, uncovering her br**sts. Daniel’s breath shuddered in and out, his gaze devouring her, burning everything in their path. With a low growl, his hand dropped to the fly of his jeans to massage his straining erection.

“Are you trying to kill me?”

Letting her fingers trail up her sides, she pinched her ni**les playfully. “Go downstairs to the deli and get something. I’ll be waiting right here for you when you get back.”

He nodded, but didn’t move, seemingly hypnotized by her hands on her br**sts. Then an idea registered on his face. Jerking a thumb toward the hallway, he said roughly, “You don’t think there’s one…?”

Her hands dropped as his meaning sunk in. He actually thought to borrow a condom from Jack. Her father. “Don’t even finish that thought. Seriously. I’ll never recover from it.”

“All right. I’m going.” He leaned forward and kissed her, thrusting his tongue deep before pulling away. “Do not move.”