Vincent's phone rang at three twenty-five a.m., give or take, and he stood from the couch to answer it, leaving me sleeping. At least, he thought I was sleeping as he padded to the bathroom and closed the door. Of course, that wasn't going to do a damned thing. I barely had to strain to hear him.

"They won't attempt a break-in, Colin. I don't care if Manny was the king of Egypt, I don't need fucking backup. Yes, I told her about the domus, but she doesn't know everything. I can't just drop it all on her at once, not in her condition. No, I haven't asked about him. As soon as I can approach the subject without raising her suspicion, I'll let everyone know where to look. We'll probably find him in Baltimore. That's where she lived before she moved here. The sooner we take the bastard out, the sooner she'll feel like herself again. Christ, you need to get over it and think about what's best for Reese. If she was attracted to you, you'd know it. And I haven't had sex with her. Give me some goddamned credit."

In her condition? Take the bastard out?  

What kind of crazy shit had I gotten myself into? When the bathroom door opened, I pretended to be asleep, but my heart was traveling faster than a roadrunner on steroids. If Vincent returned to his previous position, he would know I was awake. Either that or think I was having a heart attack in my sleep. Thankfully, he detoured to the fridge and helped himself to a bottled water. I heard the plastic lid snap loose before he swallowed a large quantity, which made me thirsty, but I continued to play dead as he walked over and took his seat, lifting my feet onto his lap.

"Are you thirsty, Reese?" 

Damn. He knew.

I opened my eyes and looked up at him, trying to keep the guilty grin off my face. "Actually, I am."

He handed me the bottle and I sat up to accept it, bringing the cold beverage to my lips. Knowing his mouth had just been on it had me aroused. Or, it might have been the way he was watching me. His eyes lit up the dark living room like a cellphone screen, and I stared at them as I handed the bottle back. I rubbed my face with my palms, feeling strangely alert despite the meager two hours of sleep I'd had.

"I assume you heard my conversation with Colin," he said.

"Um, yeah. Sorry about that. I don't always eavesdrop on purpose."

"Feel free to ask questions. I want you to know everything. Just bear in mind, there's a lot to know, so it's going to take a while."

How much did I want to know? I'd heard ignorance was bliss. If I asked if he was with the mob, would he answer me honestly? And if I knew the truth, would I be locked-in for life? "Who is this bastard you need to take out? Is it the guy who's stalking me?"

Vincent's body went rigid, and he closed his eyes for a moment. Clearly, I'd chosen a topic he wasn't ready to discuss. Granted, my brain had already decided he was talking about Heath, but I wanted to know why and how Vincent and his family were involved.

"You don't have to answer that now, Vincent. I'm not sure I want to know anyway." I snuggled against him, burying my face in his cotton shirt and listening to his heart thrum beneath his muscles. He was a masterpiece of human craftsmanship, and despite my worries about his motives, I was glad he was on my side.

"No, I do have to answer it. We need to get everything out in the open, but the conversation may end up with us taking a shower again."

"That's fine with me. I was going to suggest we ditch our clothes first."

He shook his head as he released a nasally breath. "You wreck me, Reese."

"And you don't think it's been difficult for me? Every time you kiss me, I nearly..."

"I know. I feel your desire like a shot of adrenaline. It makes my job ten times harder."

His job?

Suddenly, the mood changed, and I was eager to ask a different question altogether. "And what is your job, exactly? Does it have something to do with your domus? I heard you tell Colin that if I'd fallen for him he'd know it. So, answer me this, Mr. Valentino. If I had wanted to jump Colin's bones, would you be out on your ass while he took on the job of sweet talker?"

His response was not immediate, and when I saw him hedging for something to say in his defense, I stopped him with a flick of my hand. "Don't bother searching for an excuse. I figured things out myself." With my temper swiftly rising, I knew it wouldn't be long before the situation deteriorated. "You can leave now, Vincent. I don't need your help or your pity. Give your family my regards."

I pushed off the couch and stalked away, escaping to my bedroom and slamming the door. I knew my outburst had probably woken someone up, but they could just deal with it. I'd been a perfect neighbor, which was something I couldn't claim when I lived with Heath.

I was amazed at the speed of Vincent's pursuit. He was at my door before my body hit the bed. "Reese, you've misinterpreted my use of the word job. There are a lot of elements at play here. I don't want to overwhelm you."

"Gee, thanks for thinking of my well-being. I understand how concerned you are about my condition." My words were acerbic and spiteful, but I didn't care. I wanted to knock the snot out of him. The insensitive, self-centered jerk. Instead, I pounded my pillow.

"This is new to me. All these...emotions. I have no experience with females I want a relationship with. A relationships that isn't based purely on sex, that is." Vincent released a tormented sigh while I continued assaulting my pillow, picturing his head on it. 

"And what kind of relationship is this, Vincent? I'm really interested to know what you plan to do with me once you've done your job."

His silence was deafening, and tears began streaming down my cheeks as I stopped pummeling my pillow and hugged it instead. I heard the door creak, and I imagined Vincent resting his weight on it.

"I was thinking..." he said in a strained whisper. "If you felt the same about me as I do about you, we could spend the rest of our lives together. Of course, I was prepared for the possibility the connection would not be there. That you were destined for someone else, maybe even Colin. But I felt it the moment I saw you. The moment I touched your hand. Volo carnalis - carnal desire. The prelude to love."

My breathing slowed to an almost non-existent rasp as I listened to his confession. Spend the rest of our lives together? A prelude to love? We weren't even at the boyfriend/girlfriend stage. Was this another trick to rope me in, next to turning a kiss into a sex act? Was he speaking from the heart, or was he too hardened to feel such an emotion? I'd been fooled before.

Grudgingly, I sat up, using my sleeve to dry my cheeks. I honestly didn't expect the situation to take this turn, and I was forced to decide whether to continue giving him the benefit of the doubt. The man was so confusing.

What's your move, Reese?

The voice inside my head prompted my body to take action, and I climbed off the bed, making my way to the door. When I opened it, Vincent quickly pushed his shoulder away from the frame. He looked at me with the most pitiful expression, like he was experiencing some form of emotional upheaval, and it caught me off guard. 

"Vincent. If you're truly serious about continuing this relationship, however strange it might be, we need to get one thing cleared up."

His eyes brightened with hope. "Name it. Whatever it is, we'll work it out."

"Kiss me." I tilted my head up, giving him easy access to my lips.

"Reese, you don't know what you're asking." His tone held an edge of caution to it, like he didn't want to ignite my temper. Of course, he wouldn't have to worry about my temper if he just followed my instructions.

"I'm asking for a kiss, not the deed to your apartment. If we can pull it off without showering in our clothes, I'm willing to continue this...whatever it is."

Vincent appeared to understand my request, and he slipped his arm around my waist, tugging me gently against him. I felt the warmth of his breath just before his lips fell onto mine. They caressed me with such softness that a chill swept me up, up and away, like a happy little cloud in a Bob Ross painting.

As he opened his mouth to deepen the kiss, I focused solely on his tongue as it stroked mine, letting our sensual exchange erase the past five minutes. Although my body was swiftly revving-up, I wasn't gasping for breath or succumbing to a bout of dizziness. Apparently, his heartfelt speech had cooled my temper enough, but that didn't mean his kiss wasn't causing major flare-ups below, and I pressed my thigh into his groin to sate my need. When I felt his need against my leg, a moan escaped me.

"Reese, we can't." He breathed his protest as his tongue flicked across my lips, like he had no intention of can't anything.

"We can't or we shouldn't?" I stealthily slid my hand across the front of his jeans, tracing my finger over his erection. Damn, he was seriously aroused.

"Both."

"Don't you think we should make sure we're compatible before we continue this...relationship?" I eased my fingers upward, beneath his shirt, walking them across his chest. His body felt as solid as concrete. As unyielding as steel. But his muscles quivered at my touch. Vincent's lips left my mouth and he tucked into my neck, kissing his way down and across my collar bone. It made me so freaking wet, I had to stifle another moan.

"If you only knew what you do to me," he said. "You wouldn't have to ask that question."

"Show me, please. I need to know."

Lifting me easily with one arm, Vincent carried me to the bed and laid me down, kneeling over my body as his mouth continued exploring. He nudged my center with his hip as he undulated against me, and I rubbed my hands over the contours of his back, panting into his ear to let him know how compatible I thought we were. If it all blew up in my face tomorrow, I wanted to have this memory to carry me to the next fucked-up affair.

We made out like a couple of horny high-schoolers, but Vincent's hands stayed in the safe zones, never straying to my chest or pelvic region. I knew why. He was a control freak. The poor guy was going to give himself blue balls. I wasn't so disciplined however, and I fondled him through his jeans. He didn't pull away as I'd expected. Instead, he gyrated against my palm, and I heard him grind his teeth at my ear. I felt a little guilty for putting him through such torture, but it wasn't really torture if he was turned on, right?

"Oh, Reese. Fuck," he cursed through a labored breath. "I want to be inside you. I want to make you come so hard you scream my name." 

His voice sounded strangled and disconnected as he sucked on my neck, like he'd been taken over by someone else, and a second later he released an animalistic growl as he bit down.

"Shit, that hurts!" I jerked up, but Vincent didn't budge. His weight held me to the bed, and he thrust his hard-on into my hip as he sunk his teeth deeper, not noticing the pain I was in.

"Vincent, stop!" I screamed his name as I pounded on his back with my fists, and this finally did the trick. He swiftly retreated and sat back on his heels. His eyes were a shocking silver and his face was flushed pink. But it was his teeth I couldn't take my eyes off of. They were sharp and tinged with blood. My blood!

"What the fuck was that about?" I swiped a hand across my neck and glanced at a faint streak of red coloring my fingers.

As Vincent stared at my hand, the pink that had painted his cheeks quickly drained away, turning his skin ghostly white, and I glimpsed his sharp canines before he closed his lips over them. How had I missed those teeth?  

"Christ, Reese. I told you... I told you we couldn't..."

"Don't pin this on me. I'm not the one biting people."

Vincent didn't move as I crawled off the bed and made for the bathroom to check the damage he'd done. At the mirror, I pulled back my hair and found two small punctures behind my ear. He hadn't drawn much blood, and I was able to wipe the residue away with my thumb without drawing more. But the fact remained, he had bitten me. Heath was into inflicting pain during sex, and I was not going there again. Not even with Vincent, a man I would give up my precious Nikon to see naked.

Through the mirror's reflection, I watched Vincent walk up to stand in the doorway. His eyes had faded to a soft gray, and he looked like he'd been handed a death sentence. But I was angry. Dammit, I was angry. So, why couldn't I tear him a new asshole? Why did his expression of remorse work on me when Heath's never did? Oh, right. Heath never showed remorse.

"I never meant to hurt you. That's the last thing I want to do. I'm trying to protect you. Please, believe me."

I tugged on my bottom lip, releasing a strangled sigh and wishing this shit wasn't happening. "Why can't it just be normal with us, huh? We either end up in the shower or needing first aid."

"Is it bad? Can I see?" He took a tentative step toward me, and I held my hair up, letting him examine his handiwork. "Shit. That was too close. You can't touch me like that again. Touch me...there." He glanced down at his crotch but it was unnecessary.

"So, we can never be intimate?"

"I didn't say never."

"Listen, Vincent. I'm going to level with you. My ex used to bite me during sex, along with other things that weren't always pleasant for me. It's one of the reasons I left him. If you're going to take me down that path, I'm afraid it's not going to work out."

"It won't be like that for us. I lost control and it won't happen again. But when the time comes, and it will come, I know it will be amazing between us. It's just that...I need to take care of something first. Until then, I can't guarantee your safety if we get physical. I don't know how else to explain it."

He reached out to touch my hair, sifting his fingers through it and erasing the pain like an hours' old dream. His sharp teeth were gone, and I couldn't help thinking I had imagined them as I slipped my hand into his, soothed by his gentle gesture. 

"Can you tell me what you need to take care of?" I asked. "Maybe I can help."

Anything to expedite the intimacy.

"You can definitely help, but the situation is not inconsequential. I'll need to explain some things first. Come, you should rest. We'll talk more in the morning." 

He pulled me by the hand, leading me back to my bedroom where, moments before, he had nearly taken out my jugular. I knew I needed more sleep if was going to function properly, but I had a feeling it wasn't going to come easily. Vincent had awoken the demons I thought I had put to rest, and they never let me sleep. 

PLAYLIST SONG: Bad Moon Rising by Palestra ft Candace Devine