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Ten years ago…

The stage was set. It was time and they both knew it.

They had waited for months, the tension sizzling, the passion mounting until they could hardly bear it.

Maxie had started having dreams, erotic ones, the kind that had her young heart pounding from her chest and her nipples growing as hard as steel.

Not to mention that her downstairs was getting tired and achy.

She had told him he had to wait until she turned eighteen.

He already was. His birthday being in June.

They had celebrated it with ice cream, lots of popcorn and heavy petting.

One where he had taken off her blouse and played with her breasts, using his fingers and then his tongue, until she had sobbed out his name.

He had also given her a taste of what was to come by using his fingers down there.

The shock of the climax that erupted had her clinging to him.

She had dreamed more vividly that night.

He had tried to convince her after that -- that they should go ahead and do it, but she had remained adamant.

She wanted to do it on her birthday. On the very day.

It was to be a gift to herself as well as to him.

It was killing her and if he was telling the truth, it was killing him too.

Well, as far as she knew, no one had ever died of sexual frustration before.

Now the time had come. It was July and her birthday. He was tickling her. But instead of laughter, she felt the tension running through her young body like a coiled piece of rope.

"You're mine," he whispered. The mood had changed, and they were both aware of it. The gaiety and playfulness had turned into something else -- something more primitive, more potent.

Maxie had just turned eighteen. They had graduated high school with plans to go on to something much higher.

Kai was going to Harvard to study law. Which was just a formality.

His future was already mapped out for him.

As the only son and heir to a thriving business, he was expected to one day take over from his dad.

Maxie was going to NYU -- to study art and history.

They had never discussed their relationship outside of high school.

He had never told her he loved her even though they were exclusive.

She knew his reputation with the opposite sex, one of the reasons she had stayed away from getting involved with him.

Her friends had warned her that he did not stick with anyone for long.

But she had been unable to help the feelings tumbling around in her teenage body.

She was drawn to him, not just for his gorgeous, good looks, but for his sharp mind and his sense of humor.

He made her laugh. She was also an only child with parents who were too busy with their own hectic lifestyles to bother with her.

Kai was there for her. He knew what she was facing. His parents were strict and unyielding. He had never said it, but she knew he was expected to take over the family business and marry someone like him.

"I will make my own choice when the time comes," he told her in his quiet deep voice, and she clung to that. She had never met his parents -- he had met hers and they accepted him with their usual vague indulgence.

They would go to college, see each other on breaks -- New York was a stone's throw away from Boston. They would find a way to be with each other.

He had not pressured her for sex. She had told him that she had no intention of going all the way until she was eighteen and he had accepted her decision with a nod.

But there was no denying the sexuality smoldering between them.

The sizzle of passion was like an electric storm that seemed to grow more each day.

They were on summer break -- their future already charted.

They had heard from their respective institutions and the acceptance letters had been carefully filed away.

Very soon, they would be going off. Even though they would see each other again -- it was unbearable.

At least for her. She would give up her prized possession -- her innocence, knowing that she was in love with him. And he would always be the boy for her.

He saw the spark in her eyes and knew it was time.

He never told her that he was experienced, vastly experienced, never boasted of his expertise when it came to making love.

He had been trained in the subtle art of lovemaking since he reached puberty.

He had been initiated by one of the best that money could pay for.

It was part of his culture, just as it was part of his heritage to know the art of self-defense.

He had a black belt in karate and was an expert in jujitsu.

He could injure with the mere flick of his hands and his feet.

But he had waited, knowing that she wanted to. It confounded him that he was waiting for her. That with her, he wanted to get a signal before pushing forward.

Instinctively, he knew it was time. And he promised himself he would be gentle with her. The thought of it being her first time -- that he would be her first lover swelled his heart and left him humble.

When he reached for her, she melted against him without hesitation. He had no idea where they were going from here, but he did not want to think it through. They had the time -- they were young and carefree, and he cared for her deeply.

"Kai." Her voice was a whisper that trembled along his skin, raising his blood pressure.

"I won't hurt you," he promised. His dark eyes looked deep into hers as if waiting for assurance that she was really ready. The answer was there, plainly.

She reached for him, her fingers trailing over the sculpted cheekbones, the smoothness of his golden skin.

She was entering into this with her eyes wide open.

It was what she wanted. She had been looking forward to it since her eighteenth birthday.

He was the one she wanted to take her innocence.

It felt right. Her heart was racing, not with fear, but with an anticipation and excitement that was slowly building.

His kisses had paved the way and given her a hint of what was to come.

Potent, drugging, sensational, were some of the words she had thought of when his lips met hers.

And a faint hint of confusion. He was aloof, always in control.

Even when she was burning up, fingers clutching, heart racing, it seemed as if he was holding back, watching from a distance.

But this time she was determined to have him burning with her.

He had taught her a lot over the past months, and she was a quick study.

She had learned from him. She was going to make him lose control if it was the last thing she ever accomplished.

She was going to break through the shell of aloofness and control he carried with him like a shield.

She wanted him to feel for her the way she was feeling for him.

She wanted him to yearn, the way she did. She wanted to touch his heart and assure herself that he loved her. She wanted promises that would take them to the next level.

He sensed the change in her. She had a certain boldness that had never been there before. In spite of her exquisite beauty, Maxie had always been shy and a bit of an introvert. He knew her. He sensed the passion building -- bursting from her in waves.

It staggered him when she poured into the kiss, something that was dark and sweet -- something that had his heart quickening and his body going as tight as a drum.

"Hey. Wait." Dragging his lips from hers, he pressed his forehead on hers and closed his eyes as he struggled for control. It bothered him that she had somehow managed to get through his defenses. That she was getting to the heart of him.

"No." Realizing what he was doing, she pressed her lips against his, hands busy as she snuck up the edge of his shirt to touch firm hard skin. A smile touched her lips when he jolted.

"Maxie--" He muttered something in Japanese that she could not decipher, but to her it sounded like a curse. Within minutes he was tugging at her simple cotton dress, pulling it down, hands shaking. His breath was harsh, his body burning for her.

He tried again to slow things down but gave up completely when he could not get a handle on things.

With his breath whistling between his teeth, he dragged off his clothes without finesse and pressed her down on the cushions they had put down on the carpet.

They were alone in her parents' magnificent and graceful home.

The housekeeper had gone for the day, and her parents had left for the day and night for some sort of retreat.

His hands trailed down to cup her small breasts, eyes flaring as he took in the rigid nipples. His mouth was watering, his body poised to take. He was slowly losing control, something that never happened to him before.

Dipping his head, he took hungrily, the taste of her lingering on his tongue and making him hungry.

Her fingers gripped his hair, fingers running through the thick midnight darkness before gripping the strands.

Her body arched in complete surrender, his name a desperate cry on her lips.

He devoured, demolished and drove her to complete madness.

When he switched to the other nipple, she thought she was going completely mad.

Her body was trembling; her thoughts filled with nothing but him. He filled her mind and body -- she could smell his cologne, something citrusy and male. His hair brushed her skin, tickling her -- moving her beyond the ordinary. His mouth was all over her, making her weak.

A cry escaped her when he moved from her quivering stomach to the core of her. He hesitated a second or two when she tugged at his hair as if to stop him.

Lifting his face, his eyes darkened with an intensity that sent a charge through her, he removed her clutching fingers.