His hand gripped the back of my neck. "You're still in?" he whispered, searching every part of my eyes.

I sighed and he hitched my leg over his hip, struggling to get even closer.

"I'm still in."

Romeo's pupils dilated and an excited flush spread on his rugged face. "Fuck, I want you so bad. You doing everythin' I say makes me hard as fuck."

I leaned forward and kissed the spot just below his ear. I drew back slowly and, taking his hand, lifted my dress and placed his hand square against my heat.

"Mol... Christ," he groaned as his fingers slipped along my core. "You're killin' me."

My tongue circled the shell of his ear. "I like it when you lead, when you assert your authority. It turns me on."

"Fuck... I can tell, and I like that you submit. It...calms me. You're what I need. Damn, you're perfect for me. Beautiful, sexy as all hell with a body that makes painters weep."

Rome's fingers began their exploration and I lost all semblance of sanity. He wrapped his hand in my long hair and held me tightly as his fingers entered me, making it impossible for me to move. I hissed and his gaze grew darker.

"They'll be no one else. For the first time ever, you're givin' me what I want, what I need. You give me full control, and I love it. You do too, don't you? You fuckin' love it...?"

That familiar devastating wave of want began to lap along my legs and my breathless pants filled every corner of the room.

I gripped onto his shoulders and answered, "Yes, I love it. I love it!"

His taunting smirk both turned me on and infuriated me, and his fingers pulsed at a mind-bending speed.

My hand reached down to his jeans and he roared, "Off! Let go. Now. This is not about me. You won't touch me unless I say so."

I did as dictated and when a third digit entered me, I threw my head back and screamed in release. My chest heaved with the sensation and I gripped Romeo's hair, smashing his lips to mine, conveying my complete acceptance of who he was, who I was, what we were together.

The beat from the music on the dance floor thumped through the quiet of our little room; I could feel the drum and bass penetrate through Romeo's chest against mine. Romeo pulled his hand from my panties and kissed me softly, slowly, and lovingly, a direct contradiction from only minutes before.

"Are we okay?" he whispered against my mouth, his eyes guarded, even scared.

I kissed his forehead and smiled, causing a brightness to light up his face. "I want you, Romeo. You give me something I didn't even know I needed too."

"Even though I've fucked around for years? Made things even harder on you? That I come as damaged goods?"

I ran both hands up his arms. "I can't pretend I'm okay with it, but if I'm yours and yours alone, then I'll deal with it."

"You are. I don't even see other girls now, haven't since our very first kiss." It seemed as though it was almost painful for him to admit those words.

"Romeo?"

Fingertips stroked my face and he watched every move I made. "Mmm?"

"Are we wrong? Is how we need to find... pleasure completely fucked up? You ordering me around like a staff sergeant and me giving in to your demands."

He smiled darkly at my tormented worry. "I'm gonna say a resoundin' yes."

I nodded, slowly turning away. He pulled me back to his amused face. "Do you like it, Mol? Do you enjoy me bein' in control?"

My eyes rolled back, scorching heat threatening to ignite at the mere thought. "Yes... every time."

"Then we're not wrong. In fact, there are no two better-suited people. We fill an emotional gap that we both have missin'."

I breathed out a laugh. "Fateful star-crossed lovers?"

He smiled again. It was almost a full smile I'd never seen from him before, so careless and free. "I think we need to stop quotin' that damn play, Shakespeare. I feel like we're the fucked-up rated-R version of Romeo and Juliet."

I couldn't help but burst out in laughter, Romeo joining in. I fixed my dress and took his hand. "Now, let's go dance."

"I'm crazy turned on as it is. You're gonna make me blow by simply watchin' you move. Your curves are dangerous, baby."

I rubbed myself against his body, feeling the hard ridge in his jeans. "You're nowhere nearly done with me tonight, Romeo. I want you thinking about that until we leave this club. But we came here to dance, and I wanna dance. Show all your past conquests that you're now mine and they need to back the hell off from my man."

I went to turn away when he jerked me back, lifting me off the floor, wrapping my legs around his waist. "Say that again," he ordered sternly, playful Rome completely gone and dark Rome rearing his head.

"Say what?"

"What you just said."

"That you're mine?"

"Yes," he rasped as he pushed himself up between my legs.

"You are mine now. With no conditions. Just you for you."

He growled and slammed me back against the wall. I wasn't going to stop him taking what he wanted, and from the expression on his face, neither was he. I was going to give myself to my boyfriend in a closet and I honestly couldn't care less.

Romeo closed in, unzipping his fly, and the sodding doorknob began to rattle. "Hey, who's in there? Open up," a male voice shouted from the corridor.

"NO!" he bellowed through clenched teeth, his hands flexing almost painfully at my waist.

"Open up or I'll get security!"

Romeo's head dropped to my shoulder, and I muffled my laugh in his long hair. I reached down, pulling up his fly, and wiggled out of his grasp, lacing his hand through mine. "Let's go, baby. Let's actually have our date."

Nodding brusquely, he cupped my face. "You go out there and fuckin' show everyone we're together. You own this... us. Time to be bold, baby. Bring the fuckin' rain."

A smile slowly spread on my face, a warm feeling bursting in my chest. He'd shown me we were unbreakable. It was time to put that belief into practice.

Romeo yanked the door open and the young bar manager on the other side stepped back at the severe guise on his face.

We pushed through the crowd and made our way to the booth. Our friends were on the dance floor, so we grabbed our beers and settled our heated hormones with the waiting alcohol.

I spotted the busty waitress from before and signalled for her attention. Romeo watched me carefully as she came closer, every muscle in his hard body prepped for intervention. I perched on his knee and let him hold me proudly in his arms.

Her beady eyes crinkled at the two of us and she muttered something under her breath before painting on a fake smile. "Can I help y'all?"

I glanced playfully at Romeo, who pulled a confused smirk at my apparent new confidence. Our tryst in the closet had put my jealousy at ease-if a couple could bring that kind of animalism out in one another, I had no rivals or threats.

"We'll take a round of tequila shots, twice, and..." I trailed my finger down Romeo's abs to his jeans, his hips lifting against my bottom in reaction. "What do you want, baby?"

Romeo's eyes shone with unconstrained lust and he spoke only to me. "We should get everyone another beer too, beautiful."

I turned back to the waitress. "You get all that?" She nodded bluntly and went to turn away, rolling her eyes as she did so.

I saw red.

"Oh, one more thing," I shouted to her retreating form. She whipped around, annoyance radiating from her bitchy glare, all pretence gone.

I smiled a brilliant smile. "He's mine now. Spread the word to any other tart who wants a second round with my boyfriend that he's completely unavailable." She glared at Rome in fury, then scurried into the crowd. My heart was beating at a mind-bending rate.

Romeo spun me around, biting my neck in manic rapture. "I need you in the closet again... now. Fuck, that was so hot, baby," he growled.

"Was that bold enough for you?" I asked.

He pushed himself against me again, grinning. "Bold as fuck! I'm friggin' lovin' this new you."

"It's not new. It was just lying dormant."

"Then wake the fuck up, baby! Wake. The. Fuck. Up!"

Cass came strutting over with Jimmy-Don, clapping loudly. "Molly Shakespeare! I've never heard you talk like that to anyone. I freakin' loved it! I think I'm rubbin' off on you, girl! Next time, though, direct that at Shelly. That bitch needs a dose of tough new badass Molly talk!" She leaned down and kissed my head like a proud momma.

Five minutes later, we all had our shots and hit the dance floor nearest our booth. As we stood Big and Rich's "Save a Horse (Ride a Cowboy)" came through the speakers, and Romeo's eyes danced in jest as I pressed against him, gyrating to the beat. Cass and Jimmy-Don two-stepped like no other, the crowd offering them a wide berth, and Austin made Lexi jump on his back like a horse when the chorus kicked in.

With every shot of tequila, my inhibitions lowered and Romeo took full advantage, skirting his hand along my sides, brushing his tongue along my exposed skin, and whispering illicit murmurs into my ear.

We didn't sit down for two hours and had managed to move to a corner of the club, secluding us from people's constant attention. Romeo was flush against the wall and I danced around him, against him, upon him. I felt his need pressing against my bare thigh and it was at that moment that I made a decision.

I snuggled against him as the intro to Randy Houser's "How Country Feels" began to play, wrapped my arms around his neck, and watched as a smile broke out on his face as he reciprocated the movements around my waist.

"You okay?"

I shook my head and pouted.

His eyebrows furrowed, his adorable frown line making an appearance. "Why? What's wrong?"

I combed my fingers through his long hair, my mouth to his ear. "I want to go home."

"Are you ill? Is somethin' wrong?"

I sighed and nodded my head yes.

"What is it? Tell me," he pushed, his hard protective attitude rising to the surface. It was exactly what I wanted to happen.

"I want you to take me home and put me to bed."

His tongue traced across his bottom lip and his face looked all confused. "Okay, are you tired? It's still pretty early."

I shook my head and continued. "I want you to put me to bed... get in beside me... and make love to me."

At those words, Romeo's head snapped back and his cocoa eyes lit with instant arousal. His hard pelvis smacked against mine as he pushed me farther against the slick-with-sweat wall. "Are you serious?"

"Deadly."

Softening his tone, he murmured, "I don't want you to do anythin' you ain't ready for. You've been drinkin'. I don't want you to regret us in the mornin'."

"I'm not so drunk that my feelings are untrue. I want you, Romeo, no regrets."

"Then beg me."

Noticing my surprised reaction, he whispered in a gravelly timbre, "I told you I'd take you only when you begged me, when you wanted me like no other. If you're at that point, Mol, you have to prove it to me. You have to beg."

I remembered his words and tremors danced along my skin. He excited me. His verbal foreplay successfully reeled me into his line.

"Romeo Prince, I want you to take me to bed, I want you to undress me slowly, and I want you to make me completely yours. Please, Romeo, make love to me... tonight."

For a fleeting moment, I thought he was going to just take me right there against the wall, when he ordered, "Go and get your purse. I'll be waitin' for you outside. And don't be long." He disappeared in the crowd and I could see his hands clenching into frustrated fists as he aggressively pushed his way to the exit.

I made my way to the booth in an almost dreamlike state, collected our things, made our excuses to our friends, and went to join him outside.

As soon as walked through the exit, lusty eyes immediately locked onto my excited face and Romeo stalked me like a predator stalks its targeted prey. He flicked his chin, telling me without words to get myself closer.

I drifted on heavy feet and stopped before him. Leaning forward, he pressed a smooth kiss on the side of my neck, grasped my hand without saying a word, and signalled for a cab.

We jumped in the back seat, our thighs flush against one another, and the tension between us was palpable. Even the middle-aged, grey-haired driver shifted in his seat and looked at us repeatedly in his rearview mirror, probably worrying we were about to lose control on the leather upholstery.

I couldn't sit still in anticipation and Rome's hand gripped my bouncing knee. "Stop."

I risked a side-glance and a large bulge pushed against the fly of his jeans. I tried to edge closer, to steal a kiss, a touch, just something to appease my starving body for a little while longer.

Romeo saw me go to move and leaned over to my ear. "Decide now if you want to be arrested for public indecency, because if you move even a millimetre closer, I'll fuck you right here, right now, with no pleasantries. Your choice, Shakespeare."

I cowered to the door, rolling down the window to let in some air, and tried to refocus my wayward mind, wondering what the hell I'd signed myself up for.

As we finally pulled to a stop in front of my sorority house, after what seemed like an eternity, we got out onto the quiet street and Romeo said, "You go in the front alone; I'll come in from the balcony. And be quick, baby. I mean it. Don't test me right now."

15.