Author's Note: Warning - mild adult content in this chapter. And if this turn of events freaks any of you out, have faith. Just keep youre eyes on the pitch. Curve ball comin' at ya really soon. But first, the slider...uh, no pun intended. Seriously.

I couldn't believe Caleb was kissing me. I could feel his lips moving over mine, taste him even, but I couldn't believe it. As far as diversionary tactics went, this one had to be tops. I felt all the rage and pain that had been fueling my magic slip away in the wake of my surprise.

He held my face in his hands, slowly working his mouth in a firm, but gentle back and forth slide over my own. For several mind boggling moments, I stood there, wide-eyed and rigid with shock. This was Caleb for fuck's sake!

Then, his tongue traced the seam of my lips and I was lost to it. Friends and principles be damned because they were long forgotten with the deepening of his kiss. My hands, which had been fisted at my sides, crawled up his chest and curled into the muscle there. He stepped closer until our bodies touched. His tongue swept across the point of one of my canines, nicking his skin and I tasted his blood.

Startled by the sudden, unexpected pain, he pulled back and his eyes searched mine. I didn't speak. To be perfectly honest, I couldn't. I was still trying to digest this unexpected turn of events. The pad of his thumb rubbed over the corner of my lip, drawing it up and allowing him to see my sharply pointed tooth. He let his thumb graze it before sliding his hand back along my jaw to cup the back of my neck.

My mind began to clear. What the hell were we doing? This was wrong. So very wrong on so many levels. I tried to take a step backwards only to have him tighten his grip. I growled and shoved at his chest. Still, he wouldn't let go. His eyes were dark and glittered dangerously in the darkness of the tower.

Curling my fingers around the lapels of his coat, I lifted him onto his toes and growled, "Let me go, Caleb."

His eyes widened just a bit in surprise before he loosened his hold. The moment I set him down and turned to walk away, he was right there, spinning me around until my back collided with the cold brick wall.

"I'm not afraid of you, Erin," he whispered against my lips before claiming them a second time. My resolve melted instantly. I don't know if it was what he said or the realization that I was well and truly pissed off at Reid. Besides, given his jealousy of Caleb, what better way was there to get a little revenge? I gave myself a mental shake, reprimanding myself silently for that dangerous train of thought. Did I really want to be that girl?

"Wait," I said, tearing my mouth away. "What about Sarah? And Reid?" I had to know what he was thinking.

"Not about them," he answered as he drew the zipper on my jacket down and parted the silver fabric. His hands found my breasts and his voice was muffled by the press of his face into the side of my neck as he said my name.

"Hmm?" I managed to reply between playful nips of his teeth against my skin. If it wasn't about them, then what was this about?

Pulling back to look me in the eye, he said, "Shut up," then kissed me again.

I knew then that the time for thought was over. Sensation ruled me now. The feel of his hands and mouth on my body did strange things to my insides. I'd experienced desire with Reid. But this? This was way different. This was lust and passion on a primal level. It had nothing to do with whether we liked or cared about one another. It was about anger, heartache and hurt. It was about finding something that would take all of that away - even if only for a few stolen moments.

Caleb wedged one of his knees between my thighs, shoving me further up the wall until I had to wrap my arms around his shoulders for support. I felt him slip one of his hands between us but didn't register the motion until that same hand cupped my ass and hoisted me up half a second before he slammed inside me.

My scream was lost to the howling of the wind outside. I didn't scream because it hurt. It was more uncomfortable than it was painful and definitely nothing to cry out over. No, I screamed because I wasn't ready. I hadn't realized we'd gone so far in so short a time.

He didn't move. Just stood there with one arm bracing himself against the wall and his forehead pressed into the hollow of my shoulder. It didn't take a psychic to tell me what he was thinking. He thought he'd hurt me and the last thing Caleb Danvers ever wanted to do was hurt someone.

Grabbing a fistful of his hair, I gave it a little tug until he raised his head and looked at me. Yep, there it was. Self-loathing. And it was written all over his face.

I rose up and lightly bit his chin, scraping my teeth over the late evening stubble growing there. We'd come this far already. The damage was already done. We might as well salvage something from the experience. I let my lips trail down over his Adam's apple and down towards the collar of his shirt. With impatient fingers I fumbled over his buttons until I remembered that I didn't necessarily need to hid myself from him any longer. An abbreviated wave of my hand freed them all and I pressed a kiss to his chest just above his heart.

Whatever permission he'd needed in order to continue, that must have been enough because the next thing I knew, he was moving in me again, driving my body against the wall in smooth, powerful strokes.

I'd heard other girls talking about losing their virginity, swapping tales of how much it had hurt or how unsatisfying it had been. As Caleb shifted my body to take him deeper, I pitied them. It might not have been the most comfortable of sensations in the beginning but he was more than making up for it now. My legs were locked around his hips as I found and met his rhythm. Absently, I wondered how something so terribly wrong could feel so good.

His mouth returned to mine for a moment only to blaze a trail down my neck to my breasts as he picked up the pace. Little black spots began to dance in my peripheral vision and I knew I was getting close. I pulled his lips back to mine and kissed him, sweeping my tongue into his mouth before retreating. His followed, mimicking the motion of his lower body.

It was on me before I even knew it was happening. My belly began to tighten and I started to chant his name in a series of breathy little moans. I came hard digging my fingernails into his shoulders and drawing blood.

"Son of a bitch," I heard him groan against my neck as he bucked his hips once, twice, three more times before following me over the edge.

Our breathing seemed to echo loudly in the stillness of the tower. It sounded harsh and unforgiving to my ears. I'd just given Caleb what I'd denied Reid and I'd done it out of a fucked up combination of hurt feelings and spite. And the worst part of it all was that I couldn't find it in me to be sorry.

Slowly, we sank to the ground until Caleb was kneeling with my legs straddling his. He raised his head and brushed the sweat dampened strands of hair from my face.

"Are you okay?" he asked quietly.

I nodded. "Yeah. You?"

"Yeah," he said. "Not sure I can move just yet though."

I laughed softly. I knew what he meant. My thighs were shaking and just about all of me felt boneless at the moment. I couldn't have managed to stand at the moment, not even if my life depended on it.

"Me neither," I replied then ran a hand over his chest, accidentally grazing his nipple. It was a subconscious gesture, not meant to entice or seduce but it was just as effective. I felt him harden inside me and smirked.

He flushed and grinned sheepishly. I wiggled a bit and the hand that was beneath my ass gave it a playful smack.

I kissed him lightly before leaning back against the wall. Pulling his shirt closed, I said, "So."

Caleb zipped my jacket back up and repeated, "So."

"Exactly," I replied. "We should probably get out of here. They're probably looking for us and it's only a matter of time before someone thinks to look up here."

He scrubbed a hand over his chin and agreed, "You're right. Think you can stand?"

With a nod, I planted my feet next to his hips and using his shoulders for leverage, pushed myself up. The moment he slipped free of my body we both looked down then back up at each other in dawning horror. In our haste, we'd forgotten protection.

"Fuck," we both said in unison.