Amelia and Griffin greeted me with smiles when I arrived to give Mr. Pearlman his five a.m. meds. They were hard at work in the kitchen preparing two pans of lasagna while Mr. Pearlman sat in his recliner with a full breakfast in front of him.

"It smells delicious in here," I said as I hovered over the pot of homemade spaghetti sauce. "Is this going to be the famous Valentino lasagna?"

"Yep," Griffin said as she stirred the noodles. "We always cook a big batch. Enough to freeze for leftovers."

"And why you're cooking lasagna at five in the morning is beyond me," Mr. Pearlman said from his chair.

"You won't complain when you taste it," I said. "Vincent made me the special Valentino lasagna while we were at his cabin."

I opted to leave out Vincent's nude cooking escapades, which I believed enhanced the flavor. A text beckoned me, and I evicted my phone from my pocket to read it. Maybe it was Adamo telling me to shred the certified letter and enjoy my life with Vincent. Damn. It was Deidra.

Learn any rope tricks?

I ignored the text and went about my business, just like Ruben suggested. I refused to play Deidra's petty games. Nurse Kathy arrived at six and everyone scattered, but Deidra's stupid text continued to plague me, and when I found Vincent on the couch, reclined and comfortably dressed, an idea popped into my head.

"Do you have a meeting today?" I asked as I sat at his feet.

"Not until two. What's up?"

"We haven't trained in a couple of days."

His expression turned suspicious, probably because he knew I hated that damn rec room, but he also looked intrigued. "You're right. We've been spending too much time in hospitals. What did you have in mind? Flight or strictly battle?"

"Actually, I was thinking of something that didn't require the change. Something involving that hook and pulley system hanging from the ceiling."

"Reese..." My name rolled off his tongue like thunder, and he pinned me with a look just shy of seductive. "We need to work up to that."

"I thought that's what we did in the elevator the other day."

"So, you liked it? Or were you just trying to please me? I need an honest answer."

"I loved it. I love making you come."

I tugged at my lip, watching Vincent's mercurial eyes catch the light as he stared at my mouth. The tang of pheromones hit my nostrils, and a moment later, he stood from the couch, holding his hand out.

"Come with me."

~ ~ ~

"It's softer than I imagined," I said as Vincent brushed a length of rope across my palm.

The hook and pully system had already been lowered into position, and Vincent had me inspecting the rope he retrieved from the equipment room.

"It's made of jute, a traditional material used for Kinbaku," he explained. "Each piece is cut to the same length. I like mine at eight meters."

"How many pieces are you using on me?"

"For now, just one. Starting slow, remember? Hold out your wrists and put your elbows together."

I did as he instructed, and he began tying. "This is a variant of a bowline. It should give you a sense of security without pain." He spoke gently as he manipulated the rope, making each pass look elegant and practiced. When his work was done, he leaned down to kiss my lips, using the rope to pull me against his body.

"Okay, baby. I'm going to tie the ends and slip it over the hook. You should be able to raise your arms comfortably and hold onto the rope above your head."

I nodded my silent agreement, still mesmerized by his adept skill at seducing me into having my hands bound. When the second knot had been tied, he positioned me below the hook, and I raised my arms slowly over my head. A moment later, I heard a click as the rope triggered the latch.

"How does that feel?" Vincent asked as he inspected his handiwork. "Can you reach the floor without straining?"

"Yes. I'm good."

"I want this to be better than good," he said as he kissed the underside of my arm, nibbling his way around the strap of my cami. "Mmm. Salty and sweet. Your body is my addiction."

Vincent rolled up my shirt, exposing me fully, and he leaned down, taking my naked breast into his mouth as he made another yummy noise. When he'd given both breasts equal attention, he reached up to check my wrists again. "Everything okay? I'm going to lift you up now, but only if you agree."

"How high?"

"About twelve inches. Just enough to get your pretty cunt in the right position for my mouth." A wicked smile crept onto his face and I felt my cheeks flush. Oh, how I wanted his mouth on my pretty cunt.

"Okay."

"Hold onto the rope and don't let go," he said. "It will keep the pressure off your wrists."

Vincent walked to the control panel at the wall, and I noticed a pair of scissors in his back pocket. My emergency exit. The hum of machinery started as soon as he flipped the switch, and my arms were tugged upward. I pointed my toes as they left the ground, and a moment later, the tugging stopped.

Vincent walked back and touched my fingers where I had them wrapped around the rope. "Don't squeeze so tight." He loosened my fingers, then he turned his attention to my jeans, pulling them off and casting them aside. "Up you go," he said as he lifted me by my thighs and rested them on his shoulders, getting a full frontal. "Do you know how much I love you?"

"I know you love me."

My reply came out breathy as I quivered at the close proximity of his lips to my heat, and I groaned when he trailed his tongue along the crease of my leg, following my pubic bone down my inner thigh. Then he flattened his tongue, dragging it through my trembling cleft, and I felt the slightest pressure on my ass as he teased me there with his fingers. This brought on a flurry of erotic sensations that had my buttocks clenching with a needy spasm.

"Yes. Don't stop," I encouraged him.

"You mean don't stop this?" he said, sucking me relentlessly until my center throbbed.

"Please.... yes."

"How bad do you want my tongue on you?"

"Bad."

"If I make you come this way, will you let me have you with your arms and legs restrained?"

"Here? Hanging from this hook?"

"No. In our bedroom." He tasted me again, a long, luxurious lick. Then he dipped his tongue past my entrance, forcing a pleasured cry from my throat. He kept his mouth there, circling and diving until I keened softly with the approach of my orgasm. He pulled away, leaving my thigh muscles trembling at his ears.

"I'm still waiting for your answer," he said as he licked my arousal from his lips.

"Are you going to deny me if I don't agree to it?"

"No, Reese. I would never deny you pleasure, but you said you were interested in experimenting."

I bit my lip, knowing exactly where a scenario like this could go.

"Okay, I'll let you tie me up and have your way with me, but first... your tongue, please."

He grinned up at me. "My pleasure."

~ ~ ~

I wasn't surprised to learn that Vincent had a secret stash of rope in his bedroom closet, and the steel rungs of his headboard and footboard provided several options for attaching said ropes. Once again, he tied my wrists with a gentle touch as he secured them to the headboard. He did the same with my ankles, stretching them toward the footboard in the spread-eagle position. With that done, he set the scissors on the nightstand and stood beside the bed, staring at me with deliciously lewd intent.

"I can't think straight when I'm looking at your body. It mesmerizes me. You mesmerize me." He spoke as he undressed, removing each article of clothing slowly, making me wet and needy by the end of his strip tease. "If you feel uncomfortable at any point, remember to use the release mantra."

I nodded, too nervous to speak. I trusted Vincent. I really did, and my body quickly responded as he began to kiss and lick his way up from my feet. Each time he triggered the chills, I would shiver, which reminded me of the restraints. It was especially difficult not to reach for Vincent as he dragged his erection along my body, following the wet trail of his tongue.

"Do you feel how much you turn me on? This is all for you, Reese." I caught him wearing a mischievous smirk as he lowered to my mouth and kissed me. A moment later, he penetrated my entrance, filling me just with the crown then withdrawing to circle me with his hardness. Then he started the delicious process again, entering, retreating, circling until I was forced to beg.

"I need you deeper," I groaned.

"How deep do you want me?"

"All the way. Please, fuck me."

"There's that F-word again. I thought we were taking this slow."

"Slow was your word, not mine. Please, I want you. All of you."

Vincent growled and arched his back as he slid all the way in, stopping only when he met with resistance, and I clenched around him as a powerful jolt of pleasure shot through me. This spurred him on like a whip to a stallion, and he pinned me to the mattress, fucking me with measured thrusts, causing my limbs to stretch until the rope bit into my skin. But, did I care? Hell no.

"Is this what you want?" he said as he rode me, slamming into my hips and groping my breast as if it were a mane. "Am I all you'll ever need?" He dropped his loaded question as he took a nipple between his fingers and twisted, sending signals to my sex.

"Yes, Vincent. It will always be you."

Vincent's diligent navigation had me contorting as a violent orgasm snatched me in the middle of the madness, and my head lolled back as he pounded me through the tempest, releasing a long, guttural growl as he powered on.

"Fuck! I need to cover you." Vincent jerked out of me and slapped his hand around his erection, driving his palm across the slick surface until I felt his desire splash against my breasts, covering me in wet warmth. The scent of him made my head reel. I wanted to drag my finger over my chest and taste him, but I was regrettably bound.

"Let me taste you," I said as I eyeballed his glistening hard-on.

Vincent offered me a lusty smile as he maneuvered his pelvis toward my face, resting his balls on my chin, which were tight from his climax. He pressed himself between my waiting lips, coating my tongue with the flavor of his love, and I relished the feeling of his thick head inside my mouth as it pulsed with aftershocks.

Vincent gazed at me as I devoured him, wearing the expression of a man in the throes of pleasure. "You rule my world, Reese."

I returned his lusty smile as I released him, and he kissed my lips before slipping off the bed to untie my limbs. A moment later, he was at my side again with a warm washcloth, cleaning my chest and belly with tenderness. As we held each other in the afterglow, my mind wandered. I knew Vincent enjoyed covering me. It was how he marked his territory, but he'd been doing it a lot lately.

"Vincent, why are you pulling out?" The question couldn't be avoided as far as I was concerned, but it sounded accusatory, and Vincent appeared confused, cocking his head and prompting me to explain further. "In the elevator. Twice at the Ritz. Tonight. Are you doing it on purpose?"

"Of course. It gets me off." His lower lip protruded as hurt softened his features. "You said you like it when I come on you."

"I do like it. It's just my mind wandering to these stupid places. The council's ultimatum. Babies with horns."

"Stop with the damn horns. I will love our children whether they grow horns or not."

The room fell into a hard silence, taking me back to the night Vincent assumed his gollum form in front of me. He had taken offense when I thought gollums had horns. Had he changed his mind about what defined his enemy? Had compassion done it? 

"What about me, Vincent? Will you still love me if I grow horns one day?"

With easy grace, Vincent brought his lips to rest on my forehead, speaking warmth against my skin. "Put those worries out of your mind, baby. You have taught me something I thought I already knew. The meaning of tolerance, which is difficult when you're bred to fight an enemy. My father had it, and he instilled it in his sons, but my view of demons became tainted after his death. I have learned to keep myself emotionally neutral in battle. It's a survival tactic. Roberto was once quoted as saying, 'A strong adversary knows his enemy, but know him too well, and he is weakened by mercy.'"

"That's very insightful."

"Yes, it is, but my father's actions did not always match his words. He had friendly accords with many of the New York demons. But, they're all gone now, and new faces have popped up in their place. It makes me wonder if Hadria has been orchestrating it."

"We still don't know if Hadria's going to bother the gollums. Maybe she'll put all her energy into messing with the humans."

"You mean the humans we're sworn to protect?" Vincent said facetiously. "What is the likelihood gollums have fallen off her radar?"

"If my experience with Hadria is any indication, not very likely."

Vincent kissed my nose as he lifted onto his arms to straddle me. "And how likely is it that I take this opportunity, with you so alluringly naked, to prove to you I am not withholding anything?"

I grinned up him. "If my experience with you is any indication, very likely."