It was difficult to think with Vincent so close. His presence commanded my attention, as did his hand where it brushed against mine as we shared dog walking duties. Every time I looked at him, he was looking at me. How was a girl supposed to focus? Was he trying to read my mind? Good luck with that.

We had brought the dogs to a small park, encountering a plethora of other people doing the same with their four-legged friends. Vincent bought us gelato from a vendor, another off-diet treat I chalked up to a stress remedy, and we chatted about our favorite flavors and the memories associated with them. All in all, the experience was enjoyable, and Vincent seemed somewhat relaxed during our adventure. He even chose to ignore his cellphone.

When he finally succumbed to the buzz, he informed me that Amelia and Lucy were home with Colin, although he didn't seem eager to return to meet them. I wasn't sure how I felt about it either. While I looked forward to seeing Colin, I wasn't looking forward to witnessing the clash of the titans. Of course, we had to face reality eventually. Ha! Reality. That was a word I would never take for granted again.

Colin sat on his cherry red couch surrounded by family when Vincent and I arrived, and I stifled my commentary about the stark differences between Colin's decorating style and that of his control freak bother. The theme was definitely Asian, with reds, blacks and golds commanding the color scheme, and I didn't doubt most of the decorative pieces were actual artifacts Colin had purchased while visiting the exotic continent.

Bare chested and well-chiseled, Colin relaxed half nude on the couch, covered only by a pair of acid-washed jeans and a bandage wrapped around his ribcage. I couldn't help staring at his impressive features as he patted the spot next to him. "Reese. Long time no see."

Colin's grin had me grinning back as I sat down, forcing Vincent to stand due to the lack of seating. He responded by skulking off to lean against the sliding glass door while Colin broke into his rendition of the ambush in Baltimore, describing the battle in great detail, which concluded at the climactic moment the blade slid between his rib cage. I grimaced at Colin's grotesque descriptions, glancing now and then at Vincent, who had become interested in his phone and refused to return my gaze. I knew this tactic. Heath behaved the same way, even with his closest friends, and a thought came to me unbidden. Had all of Heath's friends been demons?

Visiting hours ended with Wren shooing everyone away, although Colin tried to talk me into staying to watch Underworld with him, a movie he claimed was riddled with plot holes. Vincent gratefully escorted me next door to his place, closing the door on Colin's pleas.

"You need to get onto a nocturnal schedule, Reese," Vincent said as we were greeted by Bonnie and Clyde's clicking toenails. "I can tell you're feeling the effects of fatigue."

"And what effects might those be?" I asked, kneeling to pet the overenthusiastic canines.

"Being oblivious to the obvious."

He walked further into the apartment, forcing me to chase after him to take issue with his accusation. "Oblivious to what? Am I supposed to placate you every time you're acting pouty? For the record, I'm not oblivious to that."

He stopped in front of the pantry door and rummaged for dog treats as he continued his tirade. "If you weren't so fatigued, you wouldn't be arguing with me right now. I need to take a nap before our date. I suggest you do the same."

Vincent allowed himself to be distracted by his dogs as he forced each of them to sit before giving them their reward. I was still standing in the foyer when he swept past me, unbuttoning his shirt on his way across the living room. I wanted to backhand him. I wanted to pummel his chest until it burned red with my prints. Then I wanted to peel his clothes off and ride him nice and slow.

"So, is this how it's going to be until Heath is dead?" I called after him. "You telling me how much I mean to you then ignoring me like I'm some vile creature you want to disembowel."

My comment slowed him at the doorframe to his bedroom, and he turned around to face me. "I never said you were vile."

"What if this plan doesn't work? What if you kick Heath's ass into the next dimension and you still want to do the same to me? I'm not sure I want to stick around for that."

Vincent's body had taken on that hard-as-granite bearing, and his eyes were clouding over like the sky before a heavy rain. Yet, he looked lost.

"Think about it, Vincent. All we have going for us is a healthy sex drive, and we haven't even had sex yet. What if that doesn't work out and we realize we have nothing in common?"

"You don't think we have anything in common?"

"How the hell should I know. You're about as closed off as a brick wall. I don't even know what you do for fun. Do you have hobbies besides being the boss of everyone?"

"Magister."

"What?"

"I'm the magister. It's Latin for teacher or chief. It goes to the eldest male in the domus. When my father died, Charleton resumed the role until I came of age." 

I stared at Vincent while he delivered his speech, feeling the worst kind of guilt. Was I being insensitive? I'd been so focused on my own drama, I hadn't thought about his turmoil. He had assumed an important role in his family at an early age, and his burdens were probably greater than anything I had ever felt. It wouldn't take a genius to see how this had affected his personality. He even kept his intimate life on a tight leash. Now, he had found someone he claimed to have deep feelings for and we weren't allowed to get close.

"Would it be too much to ask if I took a nap with you?" I said as I walked cautiously toward him. "I promise to keep my clothes on."

His lips twitched subtly, like he was stifling a smile, and he held out a welcoming hand. "I will agree to those terms, but I won't guarantee the mission will be a success."

I grinned as I slid my fingers between his. "Should I put the fire department on speed dial in case we need to be hosed down?"

"You astound me, Reese." He chuckled and I did a double take to make sure the sound had come from his mouth.

"I'm suffering from fatigue. You're going to have to explain what you mean by that?"

"You have me making choices I never would choose otherwise. Choices that go against my better judgment."

"To hell with better judgment. Not everything has to fit onto a neat little spreadsheet. Sometimes you have to take risks to find out what you really want, even if it turns out to be a mistake. At least you've learned from it."

Taking me by surprise, Vincent lifted me up and carried me into his room. He tossed me onto his bed, and my flailing arms dislodged his pillows. I giggled and crawled away as he pursued me. A second later, he had me pinned, curling his long fingers around both my wrists and holding my arms over my head.

"You are one wicked female," he said as he loomed above me. "I would love to take a risk with you. To tease you until you're begging. To hear you pant my name as I make you climax more powerfully than you ever have before."

My breathy "Yes, please" must have been the trigger he needed, and he lowered his mouth onto mine, taking my lips hostage in a passionate kiss. His hair fell across my temples, tickling my skin as his tongue assaulted my mouth. I wanted to feel the silky strands of his hair between my fingers, but he had me trapped.

"Vincent, I want to touch you, please." I spoke against his mouth while he nudged me playfully with his nose, tracing circles around my cheeks.

"Your touch is my undoing. And, I don't think you would agree to being tied up. So, we'll do it this way for a while."

Tied up? What?

Vincent continued blazing a trail across my face with his nose and lips, and he communicated his excitement in the form of yummy noises as he gave himself license to explore my body. When his mouth found my ear, he whispered into it. "Your skin is like candy. I want to taste every inch of you. I want my tongue inside you."

My hips bucked off the bed as my body responded to his vocal seduction. He ignited me like no man had ever done, and I was lost to his touch, giving no regard to the eminent danger of sharp teeth. I wanted him to take me, to taste me, to defile me.

"I'm going to release you now," he said. "I need you to keep your hands above my waist. Can you do that?" 

"I will do my best," I said as I dragged all ten of my fingers through his hair. "I'm enjoying your version of a nap."

A wry smile graced his face as his hand traveled along my shoulder, down my torso, and across the curve of my hip. He squeezed it gently before slipping his hand under my shirt. "I couldn't sleep now if you shot me with a tranquilizer gun."

An unwelcome image of Vincent being taken down by a tranquilizer dart popped into my head. Had this happened to him before... in his gollum form? My thoughts were quickly redirected to Vincent's hand as it found my breasts. He slipped his arm around my back and unlatched my bra, then he helped himself, cupping one breast then the other, brushing his thumb back and forth and making me quiver under his playful touch. He had me completely aroused, and I hadn't missed his arousal either. His hard-on jabbed my thigh as he straddled me, and I whimpered when his thumb and forefinger clamped onto my aching nipple.

"Vincent, I'm so... You make me so hot."

As I stammered, my hands drifted over his shoulders and down his back until they settled above the waistband of his jeans. His body stilled, and I read his silent message, bringing my hands back up to his shoulders to grip his flexing muscles. I was mad with lust. Trembling with it.

"Reese." Vincent's tongue lashed my mouth as he spoke my name like it caused him pain. "Tell me what you want. Talk me through it. Don't let me get lost in you."

He didn't need to explain himself further. I knew exactly what he meant, and I was more than happy to oblige.

"Your mouth," I said. "I want it everywhere."

"You have to tell me where."

"Take off my shirt."

He released a breathy groan as he placed a retreating kiss on my lips and sat back on his heels. I leaned up and he relieved me of my shirt and bra, tossing them onto the floor as he gazed unapologetically at my breasts. "So beautiful. It's like you were built just for me."

Lowering over me, Vincent started a slow progression across my sternum, kissing me every few inches and inciting a rush of delicious tingles. When he reached my breasts, he warmed one with his breath while he teased the other with his fingers. The sensation made my belly clench, and I focused on my sweet spot where it rubbed against the seam of my jeans.

"Yes. Just like that," I said, keeping him on task. At this rate, he'd have me coming without even touching my sex.

With methodical precision, Vincent increased my arousal as he tongued my breasts, his acute focus driving me closer to release. When I felt his teeth graze my sensitive flesh, I reminded him where he was.

"No teeth, Vincent. Only your tongue. I want you to punish me with your tongue."

Although he didn't acknowledge me with words, he obeyed my wishes, continuing his onslaught of pleasure with his plush tongue and soft lips. His head dipped below my breasts as he licked and sucked his way around my torso, causing warmth to blossom south of my navel. His fingers began a slow, deliberate circling of my pubic bone, occasionally slipping between my legs and eliciting a luxurious sensation that had me moaning.

"Oh, God yes. Touch me there."

Vincent's breathing became more erratic as he drove me further into sexual insanity, and just as I felt the swell of my impending orgasm, he stopped fondling with his fingers and covered me with his body, grinding into my sex with his stiff erection.

"I'm so hard for you," he said through a rough whisper. "I'm going to come for you."

His crude remark had me grinding back, and I let my hands roam where they wanted to, pressing my fingers into his firm ass. My climax came on like the surge of a roller coaster taking a turn, and I bucked as I let it sweep me away. As soon as my wits had returned, I reached for the button on Vincent's pants.

"Let me touch you, please," I begged. "I want to feel you when you come."

"I'm already gone, baby."

Knowing my time was limited, I yanked down his zipper and took his thick erection into my hand.

"Fuck!" he cursed as he jerked against me, spilling his warmth onto my belly and coating my fingers with his release. He buried his face in the bed, wailing belligerently into the comforter and thrusting well after I expected him to be done.

Vincent was still breathing hard when he rolled off me, throwing his arm over his face and blocking my view of his eyes, which I expected were shining like neon. Neither of us spoke, but we didn't have to. Words paled in comparison to what had happened between us, and any plans I had of escaping the clutches of Vincent's proprietary grip flew out the window.

PLAYLIST SONG: Gangsta by Kehlani