Vincent's sexual prowess had never been a worry of mine. He'd proven his worth despite his avoidance tactics to seal the deal, so I should have known that once he overcame his fear of biting me in the throes of passion, he'd be unstoppable. After we christened the porch, we continued playtime in the shower, the kitchen, and in front of the fireplace. The amazing but exhausting carnal assault concluded with a much-needed nap, after which Vincent and I convened on the couch to enjoy a roaring fire and catch up with the rest of the world.

My phone had been recovered from Mr. Pearlman's apartment, and I scrolled through my logs and listened to missed messages. Sylvie texted six times and called twice, leaving a voicemail that made me feel like the worst friend on the planet. I needed to come up with a reasonable excuse for my lack of response before I made contact with her. As for Mr. Pearlman, his message sounded a lot like an apology for letting me get dragged off by demons.

"I know you said Mr. Pearlman was fine when you got to his apartment," I said to Vincent as he tapped away on his smartphone. "Did you make sure he was telling the truth? He's a proud man."

Vincent looked up from his screen. "Well, I didn't make him submit to a strip search. He said he was fine and I believed him. Colin drove over this morning to do a sweep of the complex and check on him. All is well."

"What about his refrigerator? Did Colin make sure he had everything he needed?" I probed my brain for the last item Mr. Pearlman asked me to pick up at the store. Probably cigarettes or coffee.

"Call Mr. Pearlman if it will put your mind at ease, just be prepared to answer his questions. He asked a lot of them."

I nodded. "You're right. I should call. I guess I'm feeling guilty. It's my fault he had to deal with a demon ambush." I talked as I punched up Mr. Pearlman's number, standing to pace in front of the fireplace. My hips popped and complained from all the sex calisthenics. Good thing I'd been forcing myself to exercise occasionally.

"Hello?" Mr. Pearlman sounded suspicious, probably because he didn't receive many calls.

"Hi, Mr. Pearlman. It's Reese."

"Reese, how are you? Where are you?"

"I'm fine. I'm with my boyfriend, Vincent."

"Ah, good. How is Vincent? He looked like he'd been shot and left in the hot sun when he came over the other night."

"He did? Well, he's fine now." I glanced at Vincent taking care of business on his phone. I caused his suffering too. "I'm sorry about what happened to you, Mr. Pearlman. It was really crappy of Christoph and Josh to break into your apartment and threaten you."

After a brief pause, in which I heard the click of Mr. Pearlman's lighter then a long inhale, he spoke. "They didn't threaten me, but I knew they were under pressure to carry out their mission. I've seen that look before on the faces of soldiers, most of them the same age as those young rebels. So, I'm sorry too. Maybe if I were a younger man, I could have put a stop to their shenanigans."

I could tell by the soft tone of Mr. Pearlman's voice that he felt responsible for my abduction, and I couldn't let him carry that guilt. "Please, don't blame yourself. Christoph and Josh didn't hurt me, but you're right about them following the orders of a higher power. I dealt with the situation and it's over, so you shouldn't be visited by any more rebels with wings."

"Speaking of that. Those wings looked realistic. The horns too, but I'm an old man, and my eyesight isn't what it used to be. Were they real demons, or were they just pulling my leg?"

Me and my big mouth.

I glanced at Vincent. He had abandoned his phone to watch me squirm. "I think they were just trying to scare you," I said lamely. "Do you need anything, Mr. Pearlman? You said you were nearly out of coffee before I left. Or was it cigarettes? I could have Colin pick up a few things for you. I'm not in Manhattan at the moment."

"I've got enough essentials to last me a couple more days. You coming home anytime soon? Is it serious between you and Vincent?"

I continued to hold Vincent's gaze as I offered my answer. "Yes. Vincent and I are exclusive. I've got to go now, but I'll be in touch about my timing. Take care of yourself."

"You too, Reese."

When I hung up, I realized a lump had formed in my stomach, and I stopped pacing to sit down. I spent the next few seconds staring at the screensaver of my phone. A selfie of me and Sylvie at a Death Cab concert sticking out our tongues. The footloose and free days, before demon queens and boyfriends with wings. Vincent scooted across the couch and pulled me into his arms.

"Feel better?" he said.

"Not really. I can't help worrying about him. He's so frail."

"When we return to the domus, I will arrange to bring your neighbor to Twenty Exchange Place. Does that help?"

He rubbed my shoulder as I tucked into him. "That depends on when we return. How are negotiations coming along?"

I looked up to find him pressing his lips together. Damn those lips. "Not well, but I don't want to talk about that. We're supposed to be taking a break from stress, remember?"

"Yes, I remember, but I really need to call Sylvie, and that conversation is guaranteed to cause me stress."

"Well, I suggest you get it over with then." He kissed my nose, then he picked up my empty water glass and walked to the kitchen, while I stretched out on the couch and dialed Sylvie. She answered on the first ring.

"Hey chica? What the hell gives?" she grouched into the phone. "You know my paranoia has skyrocketed since you were kidnapped by crazy gang bangers. A simple return text would have been nice."

"I'm sorry, Sylvie. Vincent and I have been at his cabin in the Catskills and reception stinks."

"A cabin in the Catskills, huh? I hope that means you've broken down his defenses and are fucking like bunnies."

I smiled as I offered my truthful reply. "Yes, and it's fucking amazing. You don't have to worry about me picking the wrong Valentino anymore."

My gaze traveled across the room to the kitchen where I found Vincent splashing grenadine into my glass. Apparently, I was being served a Shirley Temple.

"That's a relief. I was starting to think the guy had serious hang-ups about sex."

"No hang-ups to report. He's just overcautious."

"That's what condoms are for," she said with a snigger. "So, how long do you plan to be at this cabin?"

"That's up in the air. We're giving ourselves some downtime. Enjoying nature and each other."

"I'm glad to hear it, but next time you go running off to the wilderness, give me a heads up, will you? I worry."

"I'm sorry. It was a spur of the moment trip. I'll let you know as soon as I'm back in Manhattan."

"You planning to ditch your place and move in with Mr. Megabucks?"

Ugh.

I rolled over to face away from the kitchen. "There's nothing set in stone yet, but I'll keep you posted on that front too."

"Tell Vincent I've been giving his proposition some thought. The one about the job offer in New York. I'm this close to telling my asshole boss what an asshole he is."

"Really? It would be great to have you close again. I'll be sure to relay the message to Vincent. I love you, Sylvie."

"Love you, chica."

I deposited my phone on the coffee table and let my arm drape over the couch, hanging half on and half off. Vincent returned and sat at my feet, setting a glass of sparkling pink liquid next to me.

"How is Sylvie?"

"She seems good. She wanted me to tell you that she's interested in taking you up on your offer to move to Manhattan and work for someone who isn't an asshole. She hasn't been happy with her job for a while."

"Okay," he said as he picked up his phone. "I think a position just opened up at Harper and Smythe. They're our legal counsel. Does she have any paralegal experience?"

"No, but she has a brilliant mind, so if the position doesn't require a paralegal degree, it shouldn't take her long to get the hang of things. Actually, I think she took a legal course in her last year of high school. I'll text and ask."

While I texted Sylvie my inquiry, Vincent walked over to stoke the fire. Now that I knew what he looked like under his V-neck and jeans, I couldn't stop thinking about his nether regions as I watched him bend over to throw a log into the fireplace.

"Are you hungry, Reese? I could start the lasagna," he said.

In lieu of an answer, I moaned as I replayed the visual of him taking me from behind right where he stood.

Vincent turned to look at me. "Was that a yes?"

I smiled as I pushed off the couch and walked over to him, sliding my hands inside his shirt. "Oh, yes. I'm ravenous."

He joined me in a smile, something he'd been doing a lot of since we arrived. "I think you mean you're insatiable. Tell me how I can satisfy your appetite?"

"Have you ever cooked in the nude?"

Vincent assessed me with a quirked brow. "I'm afraid I have never had the pleasure. My family tends to forget what doors are made for."

"Well, we won't have that problem here. What do you say, Vincent? We've crossed one border today. Do you want to try for two?"

His eyes twinkled with fascination, assisted by the flames of the fire. "You have a way of making something completely irrational sound like the best idea to come along in a century. I have half a mind to submit your name for a seat on the board."

"I didn't realize the members of your board were interested in cooking in the nude, but if you think it will be good for business..."

Vincent silenced my sarcasm with his lips as he lowered his hands to my backside, cupping and squeezing as he ground his hips into me. A moment later, my sweatpants were being yanked off and Vincent had his fingers beneath the fabric of my panties.

"You're always so ready for me," he said. "I could be on my death bed, and you would have me suppressing my arousal." Vincent unzipped his pants one-handed as he backed me into the couch. "What is your pleasure, madam?"

My lips tweaked into a smirk. "Gee, Chief. I was thinking of your pleasure."

I swept my leg behind his foot and kicked it out from under him as I pushed hard on his chest. Vincent let himself be subdued, falling onto the couch and submitting to my impatient fingers as I unzipped his pants. I tugged his erection out of hiding and went down on him, swallowing automatically as his thick head triggered my gag reflex. The salty flavor of his desire on my tongue had my sex clenching, and I dragged my lips back and forth until a moan rumbled from his throat.

"Damn, baby," Vincent purred as he reclined into the cushions and took his pleasure in me. This would count as round five, and I wore a satisfied grin as I made it happen again for him. We had bested Sylvie and Colin's epic throw down.