Her heart suddenly was in her throat. Shit.

"And you're the only one I haven't kissed."

He walked up to her in slow steps. His jaw was set, determination on his face.

She grabbed onto the kitchen counter behind her, her mind reeling to find a way out of this situation.

"Don't be gross."

It sounded lame even to her own ears. Apparently she lost her acting skills completely.

He stood right in front of her now, but he didn't seem to be close enough. He pushed his legs between hers, so their lower bodies touched.

His head lowered to her ear, his hot breath puffing against her skin. "Gross? We'll see won't we?"

He lifted his hand to run a finger from her cheek down her neck.

She shuddered at the contact.

She could hear him smirk.

"I've been thinking back to the kiss, you know? I remember a few more things."

"Oh?" she whispered, weakly, her eyes squeezing shut, knuckles turning white.

"Yeah," he breathed into her ear. "I remember how the girl smelled. A perfume I know well. I bought it for you for your birthday last month."

"It's a popular scent," she argued feebly.

"Hm. But not mixed with the conditioner I know you use. I've smelt that a thousand times when we hugged."

She let out a shaky breath. His closeness was killing her. She wanted to turn her head to kiss him, but she couldn't do that. They were friends. He'd made that clear so many times.

He breathed in deeply. "You smelt like that on the night of the party. It was the first time you used my perfume. You even told me when I asked you about it."

Shit. Shit, shittety shit.

"Coincidence," she croaked.

"But there was something else," he continued. His finger ran up her arm, tantalisingly slowly.

"The girl's mouth tasted of a drink. A drink I happen to know is your favourite." He paused for effect. "Long Island Ice Tea."

She gulped. "A lot of people like it."

"Mmh. Maybe so. But I have a last clue."

His fingers ran down her arm.

"When the girl pulled away, I grabbed her hand."

His fingers ran along her hand.

"She was wearing a ring."

His fingertips brushed against the dragon ring on her ring finger.

Fuckety fuck. She was so busted.

"So, if you don't mind I am going to test my theory now," he whispered against her ear.

She turned her head to protest, but his lips captured hers.

His arms snuck around her waist, holding her close as he pushed his hard body into hers. She gasped and he took the opportunity to shove his tongue in her mouth.

It was a kiss full of hot, blinding passion.

She faltered at his assault. Her hands let go of the kitchen counter and snuck around his waist, moulding into him.

He groaned into her mouth and kissed her deeper.

This was heaven and hell at the same time. He tasted so delicious, felt so amazing. Her body was on fire, her heart thumping loudly in her chest, her skin was tingling and her brain was unable to think. All she could do was kiss and feel him.

Suddenly, he tore himself away, recoiling as if he had burnt himself. He stood in front of her, chest heaving, running a hand through his hair.

"What the actual fuck?!"

She shrunk back at his anger. This was what she had been afraid of. She had hurt him and now she would lose him.

"Do you have any idea what you've done to me?"

She rolled her lips into her mouth, biting down on them. Tears started to sting in her eyes. The elation from a moment ago had vanished and made way to pain.

He stepped closer to her. "Do you have anything to say to me?" he ground out.

His eyes sparkled darkly with anger. He was seething. Livid.

And he was absolutely right.

"I'm...," she cleared her throat, but it still came out hoarse. "I'm so sorry, Shannon. I never meant to hurt you."

He stared at her as if he didn't know her at all. "Why?"

She owed him the truth.

"Because I can't be your friend. I have tried for the past five years. But I want more. Because I am in love with you. Have been since the start. And you never saw me that way. I was getting jealous of watching you with all the other girls and thought..."

"And thought?" he pressed.

She hung her head and fiddled with the hem of her top. "I thought if only I could kiss you once, it would be enough. I'd be able to move on. Make myself fall out of love with you somehow. Be the friend you truly deserve."

"Did it work?" It sounded strained.

"No," she whispered. Her vision was blurry and the first tear ran down her cheek. "It made me fall for you even more. And because of my selfishness, I am losing you and your friendship now."

Another tear fell. "I am really sorry for what I have done to you. I never meant to hurt you. You have every right to be angry with me."

There was a very long silence.

"You're an idiot," he finally said quietly. "An absolute fucking idiot."

She couldn't stop the tears from falling and she didn't want to anymore. She felt hollow and raw, her heart was hurting and she was angry, so angry at herself for what she had done.

His shoes appeared in her blurry line of vision for a second time this night.

"But then, so am I," he murmured.

She felt his index finger under her chin, tilting her head up.

His hazel eyes bore into hers intently. "I'm an idiot for not realising what you felt. An idiot for thinking you weren't interested in me. For parading all those girls in front of you in the hopes you'd get jealous. But you never did."

She stared at him wide eyed, mouth falling open. "What?" she croaked.

He cupped her face, his thumbs wiping her tears away gently. A small smile played on his lips, his eyes were warm, but he seemed nervous.

Instead of responding, he bent his head and touched her lips with his. It was hesitant, probing.

Her hands came up to wrap around his wrists as her eyes fluttered shut. Her soft body melted into his hard one. He tilted her head to deepen the kiss and he moved his tongue in languid strokes against hers.

His hands slid from her face over her back to her thighs, lifting her up onto the kitchen counter. He pulled her legs around him, pressing his groin into hers, letting her feel his growing arousal. She whimpered when his mouth left hers to pepper kisses down her neck, sucking on a spot that had her buck her hips into him. She could feel his smile on her skin, as he continued his assault, his hand coming up to her breast, splaying his fingers over it, before he started to knead it, teasing her nipple with his thumb through her bra.

Her legs squeezed his waist, pulling him closer, causing delicious friction that made him grunt into her ear.

"You're killing me," he panted, before his mouth was on hers again.

He lifted her up and carried her out of the kitchen into her bedroom. He fell onto the bed with her, covering her body with his. His hands fumbled with the zip of her top, tugging it up and over her head. Her hands found the buttons of his shirt, shakily undoing each one of them as he pulled on the buttons of her jeans. He sat up and yanked them off her legs, all patience gone now.

She sat up as she opened the last button and slid the shirt over his shoulders. She let her hands run over the smooth skin of his chest, feeling his muscles flex under her touch.

He shrugged the shirt off, discarding it on the floor. His hands slowly slid up her legs, before they gripped her hips. He gave her a heated gaze, before he tugged on her hips and she fell back onto her shoulders in the process. His hands roamed over the soft skin of her stomach, up her ribcage, his fingers slipping under her bra to cup her breasts. His hips jerked forward, hitting her core that now was only covered in her soaked cotton panties.

She gasped, her back arching. She looked up at him with hooded eyes, her feet coming up to his waist, toes sneaking in the waistband of his trousers and pulling them down to his knees. His boxers came off as well. His member sprang free and the sight of his fully erect cock proudly standing to attention made her mouth water and made her panties even wetter.

He toed off his shoes, pulled the trousers off, kicking them to the side. His gaze wandered to her panties and upon seeing the wet patch on the grey fabric, his eyes darkened. His eyes locked with hers, hungry with pent up need, as his fingers looped in the waistband, paused for effect and then he ripped them off with a smirk.

She gasped when she felt the cold air of her bedroom hit her wet centre. But his mouth covered her lower lips within a second, his tongue licking, circling, teasing, stroking. She was writhing underneath him, but his hands wrapped around her thighs, holding her firmly in place. He hummed against her, as he swiftly inserted two fingers into her, sliding them in and out at a maddening rhythm. He chuckled when she moaned throatily, her fingers fisting in his hair. The sensation of the vibration against her clit combined with his incredibly skilled tongue and his curled fingers hitting her where she most needed it made her legs shake.

"Shannon, I..." she tried to warn him, but her body already exploded with an intense orgasm.

He didn't let up though. His fingers and tongue kept working. She whimpered, her hands in his hair trying to push him away from her sensitive clit, but he was having none of it and within minutes she climaxed again. Her legs fell from his shoulders, her chest heaving, her eyes closed, hands still twisted in the sheets.

The tearing of some foil could be heard through the room, then she felt him kiss his way up her body, his hands roaming over her skin, caressing her. He slid his solid body over hers, one hand curling behind her back to unclasp her bra. She heard the garment hit a lamp, no recollection of her ever lifting her arms to slide the straps off.

His lips found hers in a passionate kiss. She liked tasting herself on his tongue. There was something highly erotic about it. He pulled away to look into her eyes, propped up on his elbows, his arms under her torso, cradling her, nestled between her legs, throbbing at her entrance.

Then he pushed his hips forward. She sucked in a sharp breath when she felt him fill her. He only stilled when he bottomed out inside her. He was stretching her to the absolute limit. His pupils were dilated as he stared at her.

"Are you okay?" he whispered.

Words escaped her. She managed to nod. Her legs wrapped around his waist, her feet pressing into his bum to let him know it was okay for him to move.

He pulled back out, almost all the way, slowly, before he thrust back inside her with a powerful stroke. The force of it would have made her body move up on the bed, had he not been holding her, pushing her down onto him.

And out again. She watched his face as he parted his lips, staring hotly at her. Then he impaled her again. He kept up this slow rhythm, sweat was starting to form on his forehead, his eyebrows were furrowed in concentration and he bit his lip.

Suddenly he sat back, his hands grabbing her hips as he slid them to the end of the bed, so he could stand up. He looked down to where their bodies were joined. His hands found hers, intertwining their fingers and he pulled her up to sit.

"Look at us," he said, voice coarse.

And she did. She watched him slide out of her, to the tip. His mushroom head was purple, his cock veiny, her juices glistening on the condom. He slowly slid back into her. She watched in fascination as her pussy took him in completely and she could feel his balls against her skin. He repeated his actions, a little faster. And a little faster next time.

He made her look up at him, his jaw slack. He bent down to catch her lips in a sloppy kiss, before she pulled away, watching his hand that now was between their bodies. His finger circled her clit, starting to rub, fast and faster.

She felt her orgasm approach and with a deep thrust she fell over the edge. Her body convulsed around him, squeezing his cock as she fell backwards onto the bed, moaning his name like a mantra.

"Fuck," he swore. He gripped her waist so hard she knew there would be purple marks there tomorrow in the shape of his fingertips. His other hand still rubbed her clit as he started to pound into her mercilessly.

She didn't think she could possibly orgasm any more. She was wrong. He angled his hips to hit a different spot and within minutes she was a mewling, moaning mess again. Her body exploded into fireworks and she saw stars as another orgasm hit her. He fell onto her, her hands flew to his back and ass, her nails leaving marks as his hips jerked into her several times as he released into the condom, grunting out her name.

Their breathing calmed down and he turned them on their side, still joined. He kissed her slowly, eyes locked on hers as he slowly slid out of her.

"I'll be right back," he said, before he got off the bed to dispose of the condom in her bathroom. He was next to her again in a moment, pulling her in his arms.

"Are you still pissed off with me?" she asked quietly.

His eyes searched hers. "No. I was pissed off at first, because I thought this was some sick joke. And then you said... And I was pissed at myself for never noticing."

He ran his hand through her hair. "We wasted a lot of time."

She buried her head in his chest. "I'm sorry."

"Well, we'll just have to make up for that now, won't we?" he breathed into her ear.

She looked up at him. He looked so... relaxed and content. His warm eyes were shining with happiness and love.

"No more secrets," she vowed.

"No more secrets." He kissed her tenderly, rolling them so she was on top of him.

She could feel his cock growing hard against her.

"Already?" she quirked an eyebrow.

He smiled that gorgeous, knee weakening, panty-dropping smile that sent her heart in a flutter. "I have very quick recovery time. Best get used to it."

He swallowed her laughter in a deep kiss.