Vincent's absence felt like a hunger pain. The kind of pain you get when you reach into the cookie jar for that last cookie and realize someone has eaten it. In my case, Vincent left me hungry more times than I cared to think about, but I continued to crave him.

Mom's call came at precisely ten o'clock, and while I tried to keep the subjects light, she insisted on knowing whether I had seen any unsavory characters lurking around my apartment. I assured her that Vincent and his family were keeping a close eye on me, and that all was well. Of course, all was definitely not well, but Mom and Dad didn't need to know that. I couldn't blame them for being paranoid. Their only remaining child had been snatched out of the living room window by a winged bandit. If they knew my big secret they would flip. Hopefully, they would never find out.

After skating around thin ice for close to an hour, I hung up and took care of my bodily functions, including clipping my fingernails, which had grown exponentially over the past twenty-four hours. I walked to Mr. Pearlman's place to make sure he was alive and well. I didn't have to wait long before he answered the door in his usual nasty robe, dabbing at a fresh coffee stain with a dishtowel.

"That thing needs to be washed, Mr. Pearlman," I said as he opened the door to let me in. "I wish you would wear the new one I gave you for your birthday. I'm starting to think you don't like it."

"It's not broken-in like this one."

"Well, you have to wear it to break it in. That's how it works." I smirked as I walked around his apartment, picking up after him. "How are you feeling? Have you been sleeping okay?"

"I'm sleeping fine. How are you doing, Reese?" His pale eyes assessed me as he lowered into his recliner. "You seem to have your hands full with gentleman callers these days." He glanced pointedly through his window, the one that gave him a view of the sidewalk. Had he seen me talking with Rafael earlier? Did he witness the showdown between Rafael and Vincent?

"My life has gotten a little complicated lately, but it's nothing I can't handle." I spoke nonchalantly as I carried empty coffee mugs to the sink.

Mr. Pearlman didn't look convinced, but his scrutinizing gaze had less effect on me than it used to. I was trying to put my rambunctious days behind me. As I filled his sink with soapy water, my cellphone rang, and I fished it out of my pocket with my dry hand. I didn't recognize the number, but it was a New York area code.

"I'm going to take this on the landing. It might be a business call," I said as I stepped outside his apartment, leaving the door cracked behind me.

"Reese Kentwell," I answered.

"Hi, Reese. It's Rafael."

Ugh. Here we go. "What's up, Rafael?"

"I want to apologize for making a scene in front of you this morning. That argument between me and Vincent got out of hand. I was letting the testosterone talk for me."

"I appreciate your apology. Everyone has lapses in judgment."

"I'm glad you see it that way. I kicked myself afterward. I was trying to impress you and I'm sure I gave you the wrong impression."

This guy was seriously fishing, which I didn't fault him for, but his efforts were still futile.

"So, you think you need to impress me? You're better off just being yourself."

Silence followed my comment. Had I stumped him? "Good point. You obviously have a sharp mind and you're not afraid to use it. I should have let my intuition guide me. I hope it's not too late to redeem myself."

"No harm done. Thanks for the call and the apology." I rubbed my eyes with my palm, pleading for the conversation to be over, although I suspected he was going to push his luck.

"Thanks for accepting it. I try to live my life with no regrets, and that one was burning a hole in my chest. I'll see you around, Reese."

When he hung up, I released the breath I'd been holding. Funny. I felt sure the conversation was going to take a different turn. Of course, I wasn't foolish enough to think Rafael had thrown in the towel. He'd already made it clear he was interested in me. The call was probably phase one, but there was no sense telling Vincent about it. He had enough on his mind. I walked back into Mr. Pearlman's apartment, and he wasted no time helping himself to my business.

"You look upset. Problem?"

"There's a serious possibility for it."

He turned in his chair to talk to me while I walked to the sink to finish filling it. "I know I'm not the man I once was," he started in. "In my prime, I carried a wounded buddy up a muddy slope during an air raid. But I don't want you to hesitate to ask me for help if you need it. I still have a few living connections in this town, and some of them have means."

"Thanks, Mr. Pearlman, but please try not to worry about me. I've made a few connections too. Both Vincent and Colin are perfectly capable of helping me if I need it."

He let the subject drop and lit up a cigarette as I washed his dishes. He probably thought Vincent and Colin were the guys causing my problems. I kind of had to agree with him on that. Before I left, I convinced him to change into his new robe so I could wash the nasty one, and I returned to my apartment just as a text came in from Colin.

On my way over.

Roger that. I sent back.

Who's Roger?

You need to watch more old movies.

Knowing we would be practicing mantras and possibly engaging in combat, I changed into a cami top and a comfortable pair of shorts, and when Colin arrived, I handed him a water and we got comfortable on the couch.

"So, I heard Rafael and Vincent had a showdown outside your apartment this morning," Colin said to start things off.

"Yeah, but they managed to keep their shirts on. I guess Vincent has been keeping tabs on me from his Bentley."

"And this surprises you?"

"No. He would make a decent stalker. Hey, have you heard from Sylvie?"

"We've exchanged a couple texts." He left is response there, and I couldn't help reading deeper into his abrupt answer.

"But..."

"She's human, Reese. I'm not going to lead her on, especially being your friend. I don't want to make things awkward for everyone."

"That's very thoughtful of you, but for the record, if you ever have the chance to get together with her again, you should go for it. Sylvie is a seat-of-the-pants kind of gal. I don't think she'd mind engaging in a relationship that's based purely on sex."

I raised my eyebrows for effect and Colin looked like he might have been suppressing some form of embarrassment. "Okay, cool. So, have you noticed any changes since yesterday? Bodily changes, that is."

"My appetite has increased. I polished off all the leftovers from our Indian lunch yesterday plus two scrambled eggs. And I had to clip my fingernails after my shower this morning even though I just clipped them two days ago. Does that mean anything?"

"Yes. Those are both encouraging signs that your body is responding to the mantras. Why don't you keep a list." Colin reached into his pocket and pulled out the paper with the mantras on it. My stomach responded by bunching into a knot.

"Hey, Colin. Before we get started. Do you have any techniques for dealing with... you know, the sensations down under? I was thinking I'd visualize myself getting hit by a truck to distract me."

Colin chuckled darkly. "Gollums would never let themselves get hit by a truck. Our reflexes are too quick. I suggest you use will power. Everything is about control. I'm sure you've had to deny yourself something at one time or another. Just deny yourself that feeling. Of course, if you fail, I won't judge you."

I smacked his leg as I grabbed the paper from his hand. "Let's just do this."

I glanced over the mantras, but my brain had already called them up automatically. As soon as I felt the whoosh in my ears and the thumping in my chest, I focused on absorbing the sensations, riding them out like a surfer catching a wave.

When I felt my sex clench in anticipation of good things to come, it took every bit of will power to keep my mind off my crotch. Instead, I concentrated on the pounding in my chest, imagining the blood pumping through my veins rather than my lusty needs. Colin offered me a thumbs up once the ride was over, giving me a chance to rest before encouraging me to go another round.

The next one started out with minimal whoosh. In fact, it sounded less like a tornado and more like radio static. My heart still pounded like a drum, but without the bass, and when I felt the ache between my thighs, I redirected my focus to my hands as I clenched them in my lap. I made it through without embarrassing myself, and when the feelings subsided, I realized I was panting.

Colin grinned at me. "Rough one, huh?"

"Don't look so amused. I've never done this before."

"I'm sorry. The sensation you're feeling doesn't affect young gollums the same way. It isn't until they reach puberty that they realize it means something more."

I thought about Griffin learning the ropes from her family. She said Vincent taught her the mantras and Colin focused on her combat training. What will happen when her hormones start raging? I shut out those thoughts before they derailed me, and I took a swig off my water bottle.

"Once more for good measure?" Colin said.

"Okay. Once more."

As expected, the whoosh came first, but in the form of static. Definitely an improvement. And my heart thumped enough to remind me I had one, but not enough to bust a valve. It was the feeling down below that had me breathing erratically and clenching my jaw, and for some stupid reason my brain flipped to the memory of Vincent with his face between my legs as he tongued me against his refrigerator. That was all the help I needed, and I squeezed my eyes shut as I climaxed.

"Dammit!" I growled as I rode the initial wave then quickly suppressed the feeling, bringing my body back in check before I made a complete fool of myself.

I opened my eyes, but I refused to meet Colin's gaze. Instead, I grabbed my water, pushed up from the couch, and walked to the kitchen counter. Once I had put some distance between us, I hazarded a glance at him.

"Don't say a word," I said.

Even from across the room, I could tell Colin had enjoyed my failure as he tried to hide both his grin and his hard-on. He honored my wishes, silently composing himself with a subtle adjustment as I walked back into the living room. When I resumed my position across from him, I made a confession.

"I'm not sure I can handle doing this with you, Colin. It's too personal."

"It won't always be like that. You were able to stifle it, I could tell. Can you see why Vincent sent me to do this instead of him?"

"Not at all. This must be killing him."

"It is, but you know me better than the others, so your trust in me is greater. Despite my strong attraction to you, I would never betray Vincent. There is honor among gollums."

"So, I was right about yesterday. When we were sparring and you came onto me. Vincent put you up to that. He was testing me."

"No. That was my fault. I was surrendering to my base urges, but I still would not have let the situation get too far."

"How far is too far?"

Colin smiled as he folded the sheet of mantras. "That depends on who you ask. If you ask Vincent, he would say a kiss. If you ask me, I would say... more than a kiss. So, are you ready for a little sparring? I promise to be on my best behavior."

I was not especially eager to get down on the floor with Colin again. I wanted Vincent. I ached for him. "Actually, I need to call Vincent. Give me ten minutes."

As I walked to my bedroom, I placed the call. Vincent answered right away.

"Reese. Are you okay?" The urgency in his voice made me smile. He did care, and I dropped onto my bed, sandwiching a pillow between my legs to stifle my need.

"Yes, I'm fine. I just wanted to hear your voice. I hope I didn't interrupt anything important."

"You're the most important thing in my life, so anyone else who calls will be interrupting."

My smile widened as I snugged the pillow against my sex, feeling the tingle. Okay, so it wasn't stifling my need. I had never engaged in serious sex talk before, but there was no better time to start. "I was just thinking about the eve of All Hallow's Eve, specifically the after party between you and me in your kitchen, against the refrigerator, with your face in my..."

"Reese." He spoke my name on a whisper, making it sound so seductive I felt it all the way to my core. "You taste divine. I plan to indulge in you as often as you will allow me."

"I replay that scene over and over. It's what fuels me when we're apart." I stopped suppressing the sensation and slipped my hand inside my panties. "Keep talking, Vincent."

"Would you like me to tell you what fuels me?"

"Please." I practically groaned into the phone as I fingered myself, imagining his mouth on me.

"Your lips on my skin. Your tongue inside my mouth. Your hand around my cock. My cock inside you, pounding you, making you beg."

"Oh, Vincent. I need you so bad. I don't want to come without you."

"Are you touching yourself?"

"Yes."

"Mmm, baby. Would it help if I came with you?"

"Fuck yes. Tell me where you are so I can picture you."

"I'm walking to the bedroom so we have more privacy. I don't want to scar Bonnie and Clyde for life."

I chuckled. He made a joke.

"Okay, I'm on my bed and my pants are off," he said. "Does that please you?"

"Oh, yeah. You have no idea how much I want to suck you off right now."

"You made that pretty clear the other night, before I told you to run."

"I'm not going to lie, Vincent. There's a part of me that loves it when you lose control."

"Good. I plan to do it a lot when we're together again, but in a good way. A really good way."

All of a sudden, a tear pricked my eye, and I sniffled unintentionally.

"What's wrong, Reese?"

The fact that Vincent sensed my mood change through the impersonal connection of a cellphone had me sniffling even more. "I just thought everything was going so well. Now here we are, living in the same city and resorting to phone sex."

Vincent sighed heavily, and I felt the sexual urgency evaporate like steam from a coffee cup. "I agree, and if I didn't have the weight of the domus on my shoulders, I would be there right now so you could cry on them."

"If you were here, I would have no reason to cry."

Enough silence passed that I worried I had said something wrong. Finally, Vincent spoke.

"Would it help you to know I am so far gone in love with you I would do anything to secure our future together? I would behave badly, abandon my responsibilities, burn every bridge... as long as you told me you felt the same."

More silence passed while his words rendered me speechless. He loved me? Did I love him? Could I live with a man whose moods varied more than the seasons? It didn't take me long to arrive at my answer. I would always find a way to ride the emotional roller coaster if I knew Vincent Valentino would be there to hold my hand. "I feel the same, Vincent."

If that didn't seal my fate, nothing would.

PLAYLIST SONG: Strong by London Grammar (RAC remix)