It’s dark, all I can see is glimpses of Shadow's sweaty face from the moonlight casting a glow through the window. Our bodies are slick with exertion, and our breathing harsh and needy. My body vibrates with greed and intimacy. Shadow's body clings to mine as he thrusts deep inside of me, grunting like a beast.

“I’ll die before I let you go, Dani,” he whispers against my cheek, his stubble scraping my skin, reminding me of the masculine man that claims me. My body arches for more as I plead for him to take me. I don’t care if my mother finds us, and he doesn’t care if my father kills him. We cannot deny the attraction that consumes us, brands us.

“Yes, Shadow, I’m yours,” I pant. “Take me.”

I feel a feathery light touch caressing my cheek, waking me from my dreams. My eyes flutter open and I see Shadow standing above my bed. His calloused fingers cup my chin. I sit up and rub the sleep from my eyes with the back of my hand, his touch sensual. He's wearing those low-slung sweats and nothing else again. My hands ache as I try to keep them from reaching out to touch that silky smooth chest.

“You’ve been asleep for a few hours. We got movies and pizza if you want some; you gotta be hungry.” His voice is deep and raspy and caring. The butterflies form in my stomach and my body flushes with the arousal I'm trying to conceal.

“Uh, yeah. I’ll be down in a few minutes,” I respond, trying to look at anything in my room but his god-like perfection. The raven on his bicep, however, lures me into its trap like the ominous predator it is. I'm hypnotized at the way the bird dances on his arm.

“Okay.” He stands there as if he wants to say more but eventually turns on his heel and walks out. The spell broken, I just catch his feet before the door closes. Shadow barefoot is somehow very appealing and lovable.

I stop in the bathroom on my way to join the others to splash my face with cold water, my dream left me a sweaty mess.

I walk into the living room to find the guys huddled around a couple of open pizza boxes and some movies. They're cussing over which one they are going to watch. I bet none of them asked my mom if she wanted any pizza, but who can blame them. She hasn’t been the most approachable human. I walk over to my mom’s room and hear her talking. The door is slightly open so I stop right outside of her line of vision and listen. Being snoopy is the only way I can find out anything around here. I should have started this a long time ago.

“It’s not like I had much of a choice in coming here!” I hear her snap at whoever is on the other end. “Are you serious? You want me over there?... Fine... She will be fine here. I can come back and if she has seen anything... Yes, I’ll go now,” she says angrily.

Where is she going? What does she mean if I see anything? This is what eavesdropping gets me, more questions and no answers.

I don’t hear her voice anymore, so I knock on the door.

“What!” she yells. I open the door and see her phone in one hand and her chewing her nails on the other. I wonder who she was talking to. Maybe it was my father, but I would be crazy to ask.

“They bought pizza and movies; want to join us?” I ask lightly, not wanting to piss her off any more than she seems to be.

“What? No, I’m fine. I’m going to the club. Will you be okay here by yourself?” she asks, putting her shoes on.

“Yeah, I’ll be fine. I have my cell phone if anything goes wrong,” I remark, trying to ease her mind from leaving me behind. But why is she going to the club?

“Great. If you see anything you’re uncomfortable with, give me a call, okay?” She walks past me into the living room.

“Can one of you take me to the club?” She words it like a question, but her voice makes it sound like a demand.

“Shit,” Bobby says, taking a slice of pizza. “Yeah, I can if you let me eat first. I’m starving.”

“That’s alright, I got it, boys,” Charlie says, finishing a slice of pizza.

“Great! Let’s go,” she says, walking out the door.

My mother hates my father, I wish I could say I am optimistic and my parents will get back together, but I know hell would have to freeze over for that to happen.

I grab a slice of pizza and flop onto the couch opposite of Shadow and Bobby. I dig my phone out of my pocket to stalk the social networks, anything to keep from having to look at Shadow and his gorgeous body. I can feel him looking at me; eye-fucking me. I need to keep him at arm's length. I have been burned enough.

“Ping”. My phone lights up alerting me to a text message from an unknown.

“Seems someone has been playing on my phone. – S”

Shit, that picture I put in there this morning before everything really went to shit. What was I thinking?

“Just delete it, it was a mistake, don’t read into it. - D”

“So, you moaning my name in your sleep, was that a mistake? - S”

My nostrils flare, and my face turns red with embarrassment. Before I can reply, my phone pings with another text.

“Oh, and I’m not deleting it! I want to remember you like that, thoroughly fucked by me. - S”

Reminded that I am nothing but a sex toy to him, my body vibrates with rage. At one point, a point when I was over stimulated and high on Shadow, I didn’t care what the terms were I just wanted him. After realization slammed into me this morning, I cannot allow myself to be that weak again. I have to maintain my self-control. I turn my phone off and shove it in my pocket. I focus my eyes on the movie; it appears to be a comedy of some sort. I can feel Shadow staring at me, making me uneasy. I glare back and he gives that wolfish grin that makes my panties wet.

“Well, that movie sucked,” Bobby proclaims, after the ending credits come up. He reaches forward and grabs his beer off the coffee table, his TCB tattoo again catches my attention.

“What does TCB stand for, anyway?” I ask, genuinely curious.

Bobby eyes his hand. “Taking Care of Business. You like it?” He flexes his fingers making the tattoo move slightly on top of his hand.

“Like the song, 'Taking Care of Business’?” They both start laughing; full-blown belly laughs. What's so funny? My ears and cheeks go warm, the blood rushing to them in embarrassment.

“No, it’s just something we say a lot around the club. Taking care of business,” Bobby informs me, after he gets his laughing under control. I look over at Shadow, his eyes hooded with desire. It seems like every time I make a fool of myself he gets turned on.

“Oh, do you have any other tattoos?” I ask Bobby, knowing he’ll show me. He rises from the couch and pulls his worn black shirt over his head of blond curls. His body is as toned and tanned as Shadow's but covered in tattoos. I stand up and with my finger trace a skull tattoo he has along one pectoral muscle. Without breaking contact, I glide my fingertip across his golden chest to follow the outline of 'Live To Ride, Ride To Live' inked just above his other nipple. I can feel his body stiffen under the caressing trail my fingers leave behind. He is definitely ravishing, but I don't feel anything when I touch him; not like the flames I feel with Shadow. I look over and see Shadow’s jaw clenched, he is staring straight ahead and taking a swig from his beer intently.

“They're nice,” I say cheerfully. “I would like to get a tattoo myself.” Seeing all the ink around me these last few days has me seeing tattoos in a different light.

“You do?” Shadow and Bobby say at the same time, clearly shocked that someone of my upbringing would want to ink herself.

I trail my fingers over Bobby’s shoulder blade and make my way to the kitchen to grab a beer for myself. I can't resist looking over my shoulder to see how my actions play out.

“I think she wants me,” Bobby teases Shadow as he grabs his beer off the coffee table and takes a sip. Shadow punches Bobby in the arm, reverberating the room with a 'smack'.

“Ow, fucker!” Bobby yells, rubbing his arm where Shadow just plowed his fist.

“So what are we watching next?” I ask, plopping down on the couch opposite of them. I take a sip of my beer, watching Shadow as he stands up to put in the next movie.

“I got one for you,” Shadow says, his gorgeous mouth curved into a malicious grin. As soon as the movie starts, I hear eerie music playing. He sits down right next to me.

I know what he is doing. He put a scary movie in hoping I would edge closer to him at the scary parts. Bastard. I scoot as far away as I can on the couch. Maybe not being able to eye-fuck each other will allow me to actually watch this movie. But sitting near him brings his scent to my nostrils and my body becomes aroused instinctively. His presence right next to mine might make this harder than eye-fucking from a distance.

Just like Shadow planned, every time something unexpected happens in the movie, I  jump and edge myself a little closer to him. Near the end of the movie, I am so close I can feel his hot breath on the back of my tender neck. He lays his hand on my knee, teasing me as he slides it slowly up my thigh. My heart is racing, thumping so loud, I’m sure he can hear it. I look up through my thick dark lashes and see his stormy blue eyes staring back at me intently. I’m drawn to Shadow like a moth to a flame. I stand no chance of defying his magnetism. Whether he wants me only for sex or something more, at least he can’t seem to leave me alone either.

“Oh shit!” Bobby exclaims, making us jump apart and snapping me back to reality.

I need to distance myself from Shadow. Being this close to him is a sure way to wind up in bed with him again, only waking up regretting my actions.

“Uh, I’m going to bed,” I say, jumping up from my seat.

“Night, Darlin',” Bobby says, waving his hand in the air, not taking his eyes off the screen.

Shadow stands up as I start walking up the steps. “Please don’t follow me. Please don’t follow me,” I say to myself. He doesn’t and now I’m kind of disappointed. My body and mind are making me feel bipolar.

I slip off my shoes, socks and shorts and untie the knot in the Devil’s Dust shirt. I remove my bra like a ninja but leave the shirt on to sleep in. I’m not even tired; I guess I can listen to some music. I dig through my purse for my iPod when all of a sudden I hear something similar to firecrackers.

Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop!

The walls vibrate with every pop. I fall to the ground and put my hands over my head in panic. I hear someone yelling my name from a distance. Suddenly, my door flies open and Shadow throws himself over my body.

“Stay down, Dani!” He shouts above the chaos. I can feel his heart beating as his chest covers my back, protecting me from the hostile world around us.

As fast as it started, everything goes silent and still.

“Wh- what was that?” I ask, frantically.

“Bullets. You okay?” he asks, lifting his body off mine.

Bullets? Someone was shooting at us? I can feel my hammering heart trying to catch up with my frenzied breathing, causing me to feel light-headed.

Shadow takes my face in both of his hands. “Look at me. Breathe, baby,” he says calmly, his tenderness not going unnoticed.

I grab his wrists and stare into his stormy eyes as I inhale a deep breath.

“Baby?” I repeat, confused that he would call me that. Baby is a term you use for someone you care about. I’m not that, am I?

Shadow's eyes widen. He didn’t even realize he called me that in the heat of the moment. He drops his hands from my face, breaking contact instantly.

I look down at my body and feel around, making sure my limbs are still intact. Still looking down at myself, I spot blood dripping on the floor. Where is that coming from? I’m sure I wasn’t hit. I retrace the thick bloody drip to find it coming from Shadow's arm.

“Shadow, you’re bleeding. You’ve been shot!” I yell, pointing at his arm.

He looks down at where I'm pointing, “Oh, shit. I have been shot,” he says surprised.

“I’ll be fine. Are you okay?” He looks at his arm again then back at me. Seriously, that’s his reaction to being shot? I nod my head that I'm fine, physically. Mentally, I’m not sure yet.

“She okay?” Bobby asks, running into the room.

“Yeah, she’s fine. I caught one though.” He lifts his arm to show the damage.

“Did you get a look at who it was?”

“Nah, man. Motorcycles, but I couldn’t tell who,” Bobby says, taking a look at Shadow's arm, then at me. Suddenly I’m aware that I’m only in a t-shirt and underwear. I grab the bottom of the shirt and try to pull it further down to cover myself, but I'm not accomplishing much. Shadow grabs my shorts from the floor and hands them to me.

“Put these on, you're killing me in that damn shirt.” His confession makes me smile, I love knowing I affect him.

“I’m gonna call Bull,” Shadow says, pulling his phone out of his pocket. His arm is still dripping dark red blood onto the tan carpet. The Ol' Ladies are going to be pissed. I run into the bathroom and return with a soaked towel. I wrap it around his arm and pull tight to knot it. He winces at the harsh contact the towel makes when it squeezes his wound shut.

“Yeah, she’s okay,” he says, surveying my quick work. “Just me... Nah it’s not bad, but I’ll need the Doc... I don’t think it was her, unless she joined a club lately... Yeah, we’ll head that way now.” Shadow pushes his phone back in his pocket.

“What’s the word?” Bobby asks.

“He wanted to know if I thought my mother was behind this. She left a voice mail demanding drugs or money or she would take Dani. You said they were on bikes, so unless she's joined a club lately, it's not her. I'll tell you more later. Let's get.” He's speaking to Bobby as if I'm not even in the room.

Bobby nods his head in understanding. I'm flabbergasted. Who is Shadow's mom? What kind of a mom demands drugs? How did she know about me? Why would she use me as a bargaining chip? I open my mouth to voice the questions but Shadow cuts me off.

“He wants us at the club; it’s not safe here anymore. Pack your shit, Dani.” He pauses and points at my handiwork. “Where did you learn to do this?”

“TV, of course,” I say, smiling proudly, getting a lopsided grin from him in return.