"John… you have no idea what you're talking about." Amanda muttered once his words had fully sunk in. He removed one of his hands and shoved the box of money aside; grabbing her shoulders he pushed her back onto the carpeted floor and slowly crawled up her body, kissing as he went. She giggled and ran her hand through his hair; half elated at what he just said and half terrified, what if it did happen? Was she ready to live with someone else? Someone that she hadn't known even a week… but on the flip side would she be willing to move when her mother inevitably made that announcement? It would mean leaving John and the strangely alluring Chicago behind and that was something she couldn't stomach.

"I do know what I'm talking about." he muttered, now kissing her neck like he loved to do. Amanda began giggling harder as he tickled her neck with his long, wispy hair that brushed the skin around where he was kissing. His hand reached down and grabbed her thigh, hauling her leg up and around him so she was angled just enough that he could press himself against her. Removing his hand once he was certain she'd hold that position, he ran it up her leg and underneath her shirt, tickling and massaging the sensitive skin of her stomach. Amanda laughed and moaned in tandem with the warring sensations wracking her; at one moment he would be playfully ghosting his fingers over her skin until she broke down and laughed out loud, the next moment he would be pressing the heated skin of his palm against her in a gesture that could only be construed as lustful.

"Again? So soon?" Amanda breathed out. John nodded and kissed up her neck some more until he was nibbling her jaw, his hand following him upwards just to rest against her ribs right below her right breast. She sighed as the near oppressive heat from his skin flooded her, making her warm and achy.

"I can never get enough of you," he muttered against her jaw, delivering a particularly harsh nip that made Amanda squirm, "I'll take everything I can get." His tongue darted out and laved at the miniscule would he had created, which reminded him…

Pulling his hand out from beneath her shirt and moving her leg he sat up. He buried his hands beneath Amanda's back and tugged her shirt and sweatshirt up until she arched her back in a way that made him ache and he was able to remove her clothing. She smiled up at him, thinking this was all foreplay only to be shocked when John gently reached out and touched the now purple bruises on her upper arms. Amanda looked down and saw the mottled skin then looked up at John to find his eyes were filled with something similar to… remorse?

Leaning down he pressed his lips against the starkly dark skin that stood out angrily against her usually pale complexion.

"What's the matter?" she asked gently when he didn't remove his lips.

"I hate it that I hurt you; it makes me feel like I'm no better than him." he spat that last word out venomously, his eyes darting to the doorway to indicate he was speaking of his father. Amanda reached down and buried her hands in his long hair, looking down at him like he had lost his mind.

"You and I both know you are nothing like him." she assured him. He lifted his head and stared at her wistfully; wanting to believe her despite everything he'd been told his whole life.

"I want to be better." He said, both of them knowing he wasn't speaking of his parentage exclusively.

"What do you mean?" she asked. He sat up, pulling her with him and onto his lap. His hands went and undid the back of her bra gently; his lips kissed her shoulder where her bra strap previously sat. He laid his hands on her ribs and rubbed the skin with his thumb.

"I'm really no good." He told her, nibbling the skin of her shoulder while his hair tickled her neck. His hands moved to her back and pulled her closer. Amanda reached down and grabbed at the hem of his shirt desperately until John leaned forward and she was able to pull it off of him to reveal his near feverish, muscled chest. She ran her fingers over his shoulders, down his pectorals to his tattoo on top of his ribs, he was kissing her collarbone down to her right breast where he captured a nipple with his lips and sucked gently until she moaned and arched her back against him, pressing his hardened length into her.

"I kind of like that about you though." She responded to his previous declaration. Detaching himself from her he moved her so they could both stand and unsnap their pants. Amanda shimmied out of hers down to her lacy underwear John had chosen this morning when she'd been getting dressed which had been a process in and of itself with him touching her all over and kissing wherever he could find. He was sans underwear like she had known he would be.

John stood and stared, something he found himself doing more often than not nowadays, at the girl in front of him. Her small five foot stature, shockingly blonde hair and navy blue eyes made him ache with the want to get as close as possible and explore every inch of what she had to offer. Her extreme, bubbly and loving personality topped her off and made her a wonder to behold. He'd never felt so at home like he did when he held her.

He reached out and grabbed the top of her undergarment and tugged it down her legs quickly. Amanda was much less shocked this time around compared to yesterday but it was still unnerving to be completely naked in front of someone like him. It was the strangest feeling; on one hand she felt like a complete fool, here she was, still a virgin in some ways, standing before him without a stitch of clothing on and he had lord knows how much experience with how many girls? But at the same time it was liberating and an overwhelming turn on to be with someone who genuinely cared about her and knew all the ways he could make her feel good.

Once she was out of her panties he walked over to his nightstand and pulled out a condom. She smiled and laughed, remembering their earlier conversation. She watched as he ripped the packet open and rolled it over his painful looking erection; she wondered if all men got that hard and took on that reddened color. He dropped the empty foil packet and reached over, grabbing her wrist and yanking her towards him. He sank down onto the bed so he was sitting and pulled her onto his lap, smashing his lips into hers he lifted her hips with his hands just enough so he could position himself and sink into her. Amanda moaned and hissed at the slight twinge of pain that was quickly masked by explosive pleasure. She wrapped her legs around his hips and her arms around his shoulders in an attempt to hold that position for as long as possible with him buried so deeply within her.

"I'd ruin you." He muttered against her lips. She took his lower lips between her teeth and bit down gently, savoring the deep groan he released at the surprising spark of pain that only worked to further enflame him.

"I'd let you ruin me," she muttered, her tongue now licking his small bite marks, "and I'd ruin you." John's eyebrows rose in his classic fashion; no one had shocked him as frequently as Amanda did.

"And just how would you manage that?" he hissed, pulling himself out fractionally then surging back in when she smiled. Amanda bit her lip at the explosive ripples of bliss that wound through her at his movements.

"You'd fall in love with me and that would devastate the tough guy façade you work so hard to shove in everyone's faces." She moaned. John paused at her choice of words but only momentarily, once he'd regained his composure and had shoved her declaration to the back of his mind to be focused on later he grabbed her hips and yanked her upward, almost entirely removing himself before pulling her back roughly so he was fully embedded within her tight, wet heat once more. Amanda let out a shallow scream at the first thrust; the heat was damn near overpowering, it threated to spill through her with every small movement he made. John continued thrusting in this manner until a fast, desperate rhythm was established and they were both moaning. Amanda ground herself down against him and John surged upward into her. She fell forward and rested her head on his shoulder, her legs burning from the vigorous workout. John continued to thrust into her, his hands on her hips. Amanda wrapped her arms around his shoulders and kissed his neck.

"John…" she moaned just as the floodgates opened and she came in a wave of blinding light. Screaming out loudly, her hips seemed to move of their own accord against his powerful thrusts. John jerked her forward and covered her still screaming mouth with his hand before exploding within her; realizing at that moment that she was already tearing down those barrier's he'd worked so hard to put up.

And he loved her for it.

##

Monday

Amanda smiled widely as she reminisced about the past twenty four hours. She'd woken up next to John twice, had sex for the first time, made love for the first time and fell in love for the first time. It was almost painfully wonderful how everything was working out. The situation was the epitome of perfect; every girl's dream. They woken up, gotten ready for school and walked there together, hand in hand. He'd given her a piggy back ride to her locker, both of them laughing the whole way despite the shocked looks of their peers. He'd given her a sweet kiss before making his way to his own locker; telling her he'd see her in English.

"Amanda?" She heard behind the open door of her locker. Grabbing her English textbook and notebook she closed the door to reveal a girl standing beside her.

"Yeah?" she asked. The girl extended her arm and offered her gloved hand in greeting. Amanda took it hesitantly, somewhat put off at the uncustomary propriety of her gesture.

"Do you have a minute?" The girl asked. Amanda nodded and shook their connected hands.

"Sure, wait, who are you?" she inquired.

"I'm Claire."