She snorted in response and then climbed into his lap. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her in close to his chest.

Ronnie nuzzled his neck and licked his jaw. "Any chance you're ready to go home, hoss?"

Nibbling her ear, Brendon whispered, "More than ready. What would you like to do when we get there?"

She wrapped her arms around his shoulders. "Let's not worry about family or cops or anything else tonight." She kissed him and pulled back with a grin. "Tonight I'm a coquettish schoolgirl and you're the dirty next-door neighbor boy trying to talk me out of my virginity."

Dez choked on her beer, and Mace had to pound her back to help ease the cough.

Brendon ignored it all, instead staring into Ronnie's dark hazel eyes. Because of the darkness of the club, they glinted when she moved. "The coquettish schoolgirl?"

"Trust me, darlin'." She slipped off his lap and stood, grabbing his hand to drag him out of the booth. "I've got the perfect skirt."

Chapter Twelve.

S he'd practically shoved him into his elevator and told him she'd meet him upstairs in a little while. That had been forty minutes ago and he was starting to get antsy. Something about that female, something that made Brendon insane and wild. Something that made him want to do whatever necessary to make her a part of his life forever. Not just because she was a great time in bed-and Christ, was she ever-but because she had a heart as big as Asia. He loved how Ronnie cared about those in her life and did what she could to take care of them. Protect them.

He loved how she loved life. The woman had done more in her thirty years than most people in their sixties, but still she acted like everything was wonderful and new. She always found something interesting to learn.

Christ...he loved her. He loved her and she was home. They were home. She just hadn't realized it yet.

The knock on the door surprised him since he'd given her his key. He dropped his beer on the table and headed to the front door. He didn't need to check the peephole because he could smell her on the other side. He smelled her excitement and anticipation. The scent made him hard and desperate, but when he opened the door he froze.

He thought she'd been kidding. But nope. Not his Ronnie. There she stood in a way-too-short plaid skirt, white blouse, and white Keds. She'd put her hair into a ponytail at the top of her head, and she even had on small wire-rim glasses. She held a notepad and textbook against her chest, and she stared down at the floor.

"I'm...I'm here for your tutoring session," she stammered out, and all Brendon could do was lean against the door, staring down at her. She glanced up at him. "Ain't ya gonna let me in? My momma will be real mad if I ain't back in an hour." Her accent was thicker, her voice a little higher and insecure sounding.

She wanted to play to get his mind off his brother, and he was more than happy to oblige.

"Guess you better get in here then." He stepped back from the door and she walked in, doing her best not to brush up against him.

"Wanna beer," he offered, making sure to slam the door behind her.

She jumped and turned around. "Uh...no. No. That's okay."

"You sure? Might loosen you up."

"I don't need loosening up, Brendon Shaw. I need to get this trig down your throat, so I can go home for dinner." She stormed over to the living room and slammed the books down on his coffee table, then sat primly on the edge of his couch. "I'm just doing this cause Coach Wilson asked me to."

"Makes sense. You being president of the math club and all."

Brendon sat down on the couch next to her. "So tell me, Ronnie Lee, why don't you like me?"

"Don't like you? Who said I didn't like you?"

"You do, pretty much. You never say hi to me or sit next to me in history class." He brushed the hair falling from her ponytail off her neck. "You look right through me."

Her eyes closed when his fingers touched her throat, and a small shudder rippled through her body. "That's...that's not true. I just...we don't..." She shook her head. "I can't think when you're doing that."

"Doing what?" he softly demanded as he kissed her neck again. "Don't know what you're talking about."

"We need to study."

"Study later. I need you to reassure me now."

"Reassure you?"

"Tell me you like me, Ronnie Lee." He nipped her neck. "Even better...show me."

Ronnie's eyes crossed and she clenched her knees together. She thought she'd have to drag Brendon Shaw into this little role-playing thing. Not a lot of males, human or shifter, were real comfortable with it. Or they did it wrong. Diving right for the good stuff and not even bothering with the little scene she'd created.

Not Brendon. She could easily imagine him as head of some Texas high school football team, luring young girls to the death of their virginity. As much as she was ready to straddle him and fuck him into oblivion, she had no problems extending the game a wee bit more. How often would she get someone worthy of the effort?

"You stop that right now, Brendon Shaw! I'm not like those slutty cheerleaders." She slapped her hand against his face to push him back and squealed when his tongue licked her palm. "I...I'm a good girl."

"You don't have to be, Ronnie Lee." One of his big hands cupped her breast, the thumb teasing her nipple. "Let me show you how much fun it is to be bad every once in a while."

"I...I can't. It's wrong. What if my momma finds out? Or the preacher? They'll see it on my face. I know they will and I'll burn in hell."

With him kissing her neck and massaging her breasts, it took Ronnie a good thirty seconds to realize Shaw had slowly pushed her onto her back.

"No one will know, Ronnie Lee. I promise."

"You'll tell everybody."

"I won't. I know what your daddy will do to me if he finds out." He unbuttoned her blouse in record time, slipping it off her shoulders. "It'll be our little secret, Ronnie Lee. Yours and mine."

Brendon's big hands slid under her skirt and took hold of the plain white cotton panties she had to dig through her entire suitcase to find. She always made sure to keep a pair with her, and she'd never been so grateful before.

"But...I've never done it before."

He slid the panties down her legs. "Not ever?"

"No. Not ever."

"I'll be your first?"

She gave a shy nod. Amazing, since she'd never been shy a day in her life. Even when she had lost her virginity.

"Don't worry, baby. I'll take care of you."

She thought Brendon would just get on top of her and go for it, not that she minded, but he didn't. He played the game of the only-slightly bad boy next door. He rested on his side, staring down at her, his head propped up by one arm.

"Since this is your first time, we've gotta take this slow. I can't rush you or I'll hurt you."

Oh man.

"And I don't wanna hurt you, Ronnie Lee."

"Okay."

The fingers of his free hand slid down her chest, stopping briefly to unhook the front clasp of her bra and gently cup and squeeze her breasts. Then his hand continued its journey down her body until it reached her legs, slid back up her thighs, and under her skirt. The only thing, besides her white Keds, she still had on.

He slid one finger inside her, and Ronnie's eyes closed.

"No, baby. I want you to look at me. I need to know if I'm hurting you."

Oh Lord. The man is good!

Slowly, shyly, Ronnie opened her eyes.

"Good girl. Now tell me if this hurts." His index finger slowly pumped inside her, going in only so much like there was a hymen actually left to break. Normally this wouldn't do much for her, but the way Shaw watched her and made her watch him, while still keeping their little game going, had her arching into his hand. "You like that?"

She gave a shy nod and fought her desire to tackle the man onto his back and take him by force.

"How about this?" His middle finger joined his index, still moving slowly and carefully inside her. "Does that feel good?"

"Yeah."

"Good." He settled himself comfortably on the couch, his head still resting in the palm of his hand.

The entire room filled with the sound of their heavy breathing and his fingers stroking inside her, all that wetness making squishy sounds that might have embarrassed a lesser female.

"Now I'm going to try something else, Ronnie Lee. You might get a little scared at first, but what you're feeling is completely normal. Okay?"

She nodded and grabbed hold of his shoulders when his thumb brushed against her clit. Her legs moved restlessly over his couch and her breathing turned into hard pants.

"That's right, baby. Just go with it." Shaw watched her with wild eyes, like he couldn't wait to see her come. Merely the out-of-control high school quarterback triumphant over making the uptight math wiz come all over his hand? Nah. Ronnie knew better. Shaw simply liked to get women off. A rare and mighty attractive trait in a male.

His thumb pushed hard against her clit and moved in circles. Ronnie couldn't hold back anymore. Her body bowed, her head thrown back, glasses flying across the room. She vaguely heard them slide across his hardwood floor, then she came. The power of it exploding through her, her fingers digging into Shaw's shoulders as she rode his hand.

By the time she floated back to the here and now, Shaw had his clothes off and a condom on, probably from the box he'd picked up earlier at a little drugstore.

She knew he really liked her skirt when he still didn't take it off-merely lifted it out of the way-while settling between her thighs.

"You ready for me, Ronnie Lee?" he demanded between deep kisses.

Ronnie could only nod. She didn't want to say anything stupid. Like "marry me." She didn't want to fall for this guy, but how could she not? Sure, he was great in bed, but hell, so were a lot of guys. No, Brendon Shaw was a full-fledged, honest-to-God sweetheart with a wicked sense of humor.

And he liked her. He didn't just lust for her, he liked her. She could tell. She'd known enough men to know when they only wanted a woman for sex and when they liked her.

And she liked him. A lot.

His hands gripped her hips, raising them a bit. "It'll hurt a little at first," he whispered in her ear. "But then I promise it'll get better."

She grinned, loving the fact he was still rolling with the game.

"Will it be like what just happened?" she panted, loving the feel of his cock sliding inside her.

"Better, baby," he groaned desperately in her ear. "Christ, so much better."

"Brendon Shaw, you do not know how to share."

Brendon looked up from the glass of cold milk he'd just dunked his Oreo cookie into. "Hello? Male lion. Duh."

After more than an hour on his couch, they'd somehow ended up stomach-down on his living room floor with a hell of a lot of junk food. But apparently they both favored the chocolate cookies with the creamy center. Too bad for Ronnie there was only one bag.

Determined, Ronnie reached for another cookie and Brendon pulled the bag back, closer to his body. Ronnie snarled and Brendon roared back.

Her eyes narrowed. "You roared at me?"

"And I'll do it again if you can't keep your paws off my Oreos."

She moved fast, he'd definitely give her that, landing on his back before he could even blink. Couldn't say he really minded, though. With both of them being naked, it felt really nice to have her wiggling around back there.

"Give me that cookie!"

"Get your own, scavenger."

Ronnie gasped in outrage and gripped his earlobe with her teeth while her hand reached out and made a wild grab for his cookie.

"Get those fangs off me, woman."

"Start sharing," she demanded between teeth firmly clenched on his ear.

"I don't share." She bit down harder at his statement. "Ow! Okay. Okay! You can have a little nibble."

"I want the whole cookie, cat." She released his ear and reached over, snatching it out of his hand.

He flipped onto his back, grabbing hold of her hips before she could wiggle away from him. Realizing he had her, she shoved the entire cookie into her mouth and grinned around it.

"I can't believe you stole my cookie."

She chewed a bit and stuck her tongue out, showing crumbled, spit-covered cookie and cream.

"Oh, very nice."

"Come on, Shaw. Kiss me."

"No way." He turned his face away and she landed a crumb-covered kiss on his cheek.

She swallowed and sighed in pleasure. "That was the best cookie I ever had."