He made the universal sign for sex with his index finger poking through the ring of his thumb and forefinger on the opposite hand a few times.

A laugh blasted from her tight chest. Because he made discussing difficult topics easier. And because he was right. She was scared in tandem with being horny. When it came down to it, she hadn't mentally prepared herself for getting it on with him today. Hell, she hadn't even known she was going to see him again.

Though obviously she wished it hadn't been because he was hauling her ass from another fire, she couldn't be sad about spending this time with Lucas. So she didn't want to do anything that would screw up the memories they were making, in case that's all she had later.

"As much as I hate to say this...no, I'm not positive." She sighed, deflating. "I haven't...you know, with anyone since I got out."

"Except your stable of dildos."

"Well, yeah." She smacked his abs. "I have some pretty cool ones-colorful glass ones, high-tech ones, waterproof ones, big ones. Lily bought me a really fancy one from Europe for my birthday. Jealous?"

"Hell yes." His eyes darkened as if the thought of her bringing herself pleasure really did it for him.

"Too bad I don't have any of my stuff with me. The one from Lily and JRad has a remote control feature that could be fun. Or I could put on a show for you." The idea burst from her lips before she could put the kibosh on it. Prior to Sex Offender, she never would have been so bold. Now she kind of liked that she could be. With Lucas, anyway.

After spending so long thinking of her ordeal as ruining her, she clung to any silver lining she could draw from the experience.

"I had something else in mind." He leaned down and kissed her. Long and languorously. "But I will gladly take a rain check on that, E."

He certainly had more experience than she did. Or had.

At least now she knew what possibilities there were. And she couldn't wait to experience them with someone attentive and skilled. Someone who would focus only on bringing her satisfaction, not pain. Unless it was the fun kind.

Lucas was so considerate and respectful of what was best for others that she knew he'd be an excellent lover. One she couldn't wait to experience and treat to some well-deserved ecstasy of his own.

When they were ready.

Jumping in too soon could spoil everything. So she let him guide them to the destination he'd selected. He didn't seem in any hurry to get there, though, as he continued to kiss her senseless.

Ellie lost track of time as they made out. A simple pleasure that she could indulge in for hours.

The only thing she'd found to quiet her buzzing mind most days was sketching in the pad she picked up seemingly randomly a few months back. It had called to her with an urgency that surprised her. Maybe the drugs unlocked some hidden well of creativity she hadn't known she possessed.

If the relief she derived from her art was like wearing earmuffs on a noisy street, kissing Lucas injected Zen directly into her soul. When he aroused her like this, it was like he gave that continuous underlying buzzing of her body's sexual system something to focus its extra energy on. Effective, his calming influence made her crave more of it.

With newfound purpose, she reached over to him, tangled her fingers in his hair, which-though still short-had grown some from his military cut. He groaned when she leaned into his embrace, taking as much as she was giving.

Ellie sucked on his tongue, thrilled that she could delight him even as she sated herself. And when she tried it in reverse, he let her raid his mouth, tasting him and claiming him all at once. He was delicious. By far the sexiest man she'd ever dared to kiss, never mind fuck.

It awed her that Lucas seemed to enjoy their interaction as fiercely as she did. Maybe not all of the intensity of their connection could be blamed on her chemical makeup.

His hands began to travel from her shoulders down her arms, caressing to her very fingertips before reversing their trail up to her collarbones. She shivered when he allowed his hand to dip, teasing the upper swells of her breasts with a barely there sweep.

The reverence he infused in each tender stroke was offset by a possessiveness and boldness that made her feel simultaneously cherished and desired. Not lusted after in a seedy way, like the men who'd relished her helplessness under the spell of Sex Offender, but as an equal who was wanted for who she was as much as-or more than-what she was willing to do with him.

Lucas growled into her mouth. He never once looked away from her gaze, letting his admiration shine through in his stare. He nibbled on her lower lip then paused, as if checking for her reaction.

She would have smiled, but he made it difficult with his teeth holding her mouth hostage. It felt amazing to be claimed by him.

When she didn't flee, instead kissing him deeper and more urgently, Lucas advanced their boundaries once more. His hand hovered over her breast, so close that she could feel the heat radiating from his broad palm.

Ellie followed her instincts. She arched her spine, lifting her chest so that she fit herself to his hand. The resulting pleasure was so sharp and deep that she gasped.

He withdrew instantly, eliciting a whimper from her. "No."

She dug her nails into his shoulders somewhat deeper than she'd meant to. Already her altered body was magnifying the effects of her natural arousal. For once, it didn't frighten her. She embraced it. And Lucas. "Please don't stop. I need more."

It wasn't an exaggeration, either.

Ellie legitimately needed additional contact. Once triggered, the Sex Offender mutation drove her to orgasm for relief. Otherwise, her entire body would begin to ache until pain seemed to radiate from her very bones. They'd gone far enough now to kick off the sequence. If she didn't finish it, she would pay.

Sometimes it happened at inconvenient times, like when she was out shopping. It was one reason she'd holed herself up in her house far more often than not the past year. After having to dart to the restroom to relieve herself more than once, she'd suffered. Embarrassed and ashamed, she'd eventually caved to the urgings of Lacey and Jambrea and gone to her doctor. That was when they'd discovered the permanent impacts of her time in captivity.

With Lucas, it didn't seem like such an imposition.

No, he made it feel like she'd hit a bigger jackpot than the one at the casino the day before.

Because he knew exactly how to handle her to spin the extra arousal into something she could enjoy.

"Tell me if it's too much," he whispered before cupping her breasts in his hands. "You're so responsive. It makes me feel superhuman to be able to turn you on like this."

Ellie's heels drummed on the bed when he began to knead her flesh. Sparks of electricity ran throughout her entire body. She felt alive. Her senses enhanced. Everything about her seemed to finally fall into place, like she'd been operating in the wrong gear and suddenly got it right, rocketing her forward, right off the starting line.

"More!" She couldn't even draw enough breath to add "please" to her demand.

The devilish grin Lucas tossed her had her squirming beneath him. He told her over and over how beautiful she was. How brave. He eased himself above her, still keeping a gap between their torsos, probably so as not to alarm her.

Ellie admired his strength and stamina. The man certainly had put his time in at the gym. Even balancing on his knees and elbows while his fingers began to toy with her nipples, he didn't waver once.

The intensity of their kisses increased when their mouths collided once more. She ate at him, trying to communicate just how madly she wanted him.

If they hadn't discussed it previously, she would have been groping between their bodies for his cock, to shove it inside her. Then who knew what she might have thought later, when she'd recovered enough to be logical again.

Fortunately, he didn't allow her to overstep their agreement.

Lucas abandoned her mouth despite her moan at the loss of the intimate connection with him. He made it up to her by proceeding to lick along her jaw then down onto her neck.

The instant his open mouth glided along the column toward her shoulder, pausing here and there to nuzzle, kiss and nip her, her pussy clenched. God, that felt amazing. Her eyes rolled back as he proceeded to home in on the places that made her quake the most.

Meanwhile, his hands never stopped toying with her breasts.

The thick length of his hard cock rested on her mound, making her sure she'd been a fool to answer him honestly earlier.

She could have Lucas inside her with a shift of their hips.

When she tried to make it happen, he stopped toying with her to tsk.

"Don't distract me, E." He bit her a little harder, which only made her cry out his name and hug him closer to her.

"Hurry," she begged. Already the pressure was growing inside her, demanding relief. "Need to come."

"I'll bet." Lucas murmured naughty things directly into her ear, "I can smell your arousal...so sweet. Hell, I can feel your heat on my cock. Just wait until I fuck you. It's going to be so damn good, for us both. We'll probably kill each other with how hot it will be."

She didn't doubt him.

"Do you think I can make you come just by sucking on your perfect tits?" he asked.

Ellie was more than willing to let him try, though she didn't think even she was that desperate. She'd always been a clitoral-stimulation kind of girl. Unable to form a coherent response, she shoved on his shoulders instead.

His rough chuckle made her press her thighs together. A trickle of arousal squeezed from her core. Soon she'd be soaked for him. She hoped he had another set of sheets.

Or at least the thought flashed through her mind an instant before he blanked out everything but the feel of his mouth toying with her collarbone and finally angling toward her right breast.

He removed his hand, swapping it for his lips.

When he lapped across her rock-hard nipple with the flat of his tongue, she moaned.

The deep, sensual sound spurred him on. Lucas latched on to the tip of her breast. He closed his lips around it and tugged, varying the suction so that her nipple pulsed in his mouth.

"Oh shit!"

His answering laugh rumbled across her ruched skin, only enhancing the sensations he imparted. Unwilling to leave her unbalanced, he switched his attention to the other side of her chest. His fingers toyed with the slick skin he'd left behind, which was so sensitive to his touch that she nearly wept with the bliss he left in his wake.

The haze of rapture fogging her mind made the world beyond him and her unfocused. She didn't realize at first that he was shifting his position until she felt his thigh settle into the space between her legs. When he leaned forward, he pressed against her pussy, nearly making her come on the spot.

"Lucas!" she shouted.

He hummed his approval against her breast, redoubling his efforts as if he knew he was within reach of his goal to make her shatter from his careful tending of her chest alone.

As Ellie rose on waves of pleasure that lifted her higher with each swell, she tensed. A tendril of fear snaked into her gut. It was too powerful. Would it dash her to pieces like a shipwreck against rocks in a storm?

What choice did she have now but to ride the tide?

She stiffened, feeling herself climb inexorably toward orgasm.

Her breath got stuck in her lungs and her hands fisted in Lucas's sheets.

Of course he noticed the glimmer of panic detracting from the beautiful sensations he granted her.

"It's okay, E." He lifted his mouth from her body long enough to reassure her. "Let go. I'll take care of you. I promise."

She trusted his word.

So she forced her fingers to unfurl one at a time until all she could concentrate on was the intoxicating pull of his lips on her breasts and the way he rocked, pressing his thigh into her clit and saturated pussy.

Resisting would have been impossible.

Ellie shuddered. She looked straight into Lucas's eyes and begged, "Help me."

He growled then mashed his leg against her, while at the same time plumping her breasts with his hands. His teeth raked against her nipple before he suckled her harder than he had before.

That was all it took to push her over the edge. Her climax erupted from her core, frightening her with its intensity even as it threatened to burn her alive. The room seemed bright, even with the curtains drawn, as if her pupils had dilated to the max.

From Lucas's hiss, as he watched her explode, she assumed the change was visible. Every part of her yearned for more pleasure. Her orgasm had only kindled the conflagration of lust now raging inside her. She wanted him.

When she reached for Lucas's cock, he shifted out of her grasp.

"Next time, E." He kissed her then, feeding her as much of his ardor as she could stand. When they were both breathless, he said, "I'm not going to let you make decisions when you're like this. Next time. When you're sober, we'll talk about what you really want."

"It hurts." She attempted to curl into a ball to stop the cramping in her abdomen, but he was in the way.

"Okay. I've got it, E. Hang on. Just a second." He didn't waste any more time explaining. Instead, he slithered down her torso until he was sprawled between her legs.

Of course he'd never leave her to suffer.

He pressed her thighs far apart to make room for his powerful shoulders and grant him the best possible access.

"I'd love to spend hours teasing you," he moaned.

"Don't!"

"Maybe after I've made you come a few more times." He blew across her oversensitive pussy as if trying to ease into contact.

The air flowing over her only acted like fuel on the fire of her arousal. It flared, and she responded without thought.

Ellie reached down and wrapped her hand around the back of Lucas's neck. She pulled him to her, though they both knew he was strong enough to resist if he chose.

He didn't.

Instead, he dove into the slick folds of her pussy, licking and nuzzling her between animalistic sounds that made her believe he enjoyed his feeding frenzy nearly as much as she did. It didn't take more than thirty seconds before he'd set off another orgasm, making her spill additional release for him to drink as if he were dying of thirst.

"Shit, yes."

He groaned against her when the vibration of his praise caused another shock wave to run through her. Their cycle of ecstasy and relief blended. She couldn't tell anymore when she was coming and when she wasn't.

Maybe because he kept extending her pleasure with his perfectly placed laps against her clit. When she hooked her knees over his shoulders and crossed her ankles behind his back, he chuckled.

"Better?"

It was, in a way, but still... "Mmm. More."

Greedy, maybe. But she wanted to revel in the fact that someone wanted to bring her pleasure, finally, instead of taking it at her expense or forcing her to service them.

"Yes, ma'am."

He got back to work. More gently at first, until she could tolerate the direct pressure of his mouth and the hand he slipped between her legs. The tip of his finger nudged her flexing opening, reminding her of how good it had felt earlier that morning when he'd used his thick digit to pump into her. "This okay?"

"Yes!" she shrieked.