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  Joan usually didn’t go with strange men to their apartments. Serial killers didn’t always look crazy, so she avoided taking risks like going with them. Yet she’d just gone into an abandoned warehouse with Christian, which probably hadn’t been a good idea either.

  Christian cradled her cheek in his hand. “I promise I’m not a killer, and I’m not going to keep you tied up in my guest bedroom either.”

  Had did he know what she’d been thinking? Of course, her expression had most likely given her thoughts away.

  “It’s a little too late for me to be worry about being alone with you now, isn’t it?” Joan placed her hand over the zipper of Christian’s jeans then rubbed. “I’ll take my chances at your place.”

  “You’re not shy, are you?” Christian rocked his hips, pushing his fabric-covered erection against her palm.

  She laughed. “No point in it. I want you and you want me. Why should we play games when we could be in your bed doing other things?”

  Christian leaned over to place a hard kiss on her lips then he straightened. “Let’s go.”

  Joan didn’t say anything else, just followed him toward the street where they could find a taxi. They stepped onto the sidewalk, and a cab almost immediately pulled over. No surprise that they didn’t have to wait. In fact, she wouldn’t have been shocked if Christian had his own car and driver, though it didn’t look like he’d driven there himself.

  After climbing in, Christian gave the cabbie his address then settled back against the seat. She smiled at him as he placed his hand on her thigh before inching it up to rub his pinkie over the seam of her jeans.

  Biting her lip, she kept from making a sound as he continued to tease her with his touch. It was all she could do not to ask him to unbutton her jeans and slide his hand inside her panties.

  “Don’t worry,” he murmured, leaning close to her. “We’re almost to my place.”

  Again, it was like he was reading her mind, but she was glad to hear him say that. Joan pulled her phone out of her back pocket as she remembered she was supposed to let Cecila know that she was all right.

  Done for the night.

  She sent the text and jumped when Christian nibbled on her earlobe. A minute later, her phone buzzed.

  Good. Heading home to bed?

  “Are you going to tell her that you’re going to a bed, but it’s not yours?” Christian tongued the sensitive spot right behind her ear this time.

  Going to Christian Vosberg’s apartment with him. I’ll text you in the morning, so you know he hasn’t chopped me up in a million pieces.

  Christian shot her a questioning glance when she showed him the message she’d sent. “Isn’t she going to freak out since we’ve only met once before?”

  Joan shook her head. “No. Cecila trusts my judgment for the most part. She’ll worry, but she’s not going to come hunting us unless I don’t text her in the morning.”

  “I’ll have to make sure to remind you to do that. I’d hate to have your friends dislike me, or think I killed you in your sleep.” He nuzzled her temple. “I’m not that far gone yet.”

  Those last words were whispered softly, and Joan had the feeling she wasn’t meant to hear them. Deciding to let that statement go for the moment, she made up her mind to enjoy the evening and not worry about the rest of the world.

  The driver pulled up to the curb and Christian paid him before they climbed out. He rested his hand at the small of her back, encouraging her to head inside.

  The building wasn’t one of the modern steel and glass constructs that could be found throughout the city, rather this building’s façade was brick, and the lobby floor was marble. She marveled at the old world charm of the place, like stepping back into the nineteen-twenties. If a woman dressed as a flapper walked past her, Joan wouldn’t have been shocked.

  “This is a wonderful old building. How long have you lived here?” she asked as they stepped onto the elevator.

  “Since I came to live in New York.” Christian took a card out of his back pocket then slipped it into a slot above the floor buttons in the panel.

  “I expect you’d never want to leave.” She leaned against the mirrored wall.

  “Why would I? I own the entire building. My apartment takes up the top floor, and I don’t have to pay rent. There’s no reason for me to ever leave.” Christian shrugged. “Though I do go away on business quite frequently.”

  “Where are you from originally, Christian?” Joan hadn’t done any other searching on the internet after Piet had told her who Christian was, and now she was glad. She wanted to learn about him in his own words.

  Christian’s frown held a hint of sadness, and she wondered if his hometown was what he’d been talking about when he’d said he understood what it was like to be homeless.

  “A small little town, barely a dot on a road map. You wouldn’t have heard of it. Came to the city when I was fifteen to try to make a living.”

  Joan laid her hand on his arm. “You fulfilled that dream.”

  He covered her hand with his. “I didn’t have anything else to focus on. Did all the jobs I could find to have enough money to put a roof over my head, then I caught a break and started making good money.”

  The bell dinged and the doors opened right into Christian’s foyer. Joan gasped as she left the elevator. Gleaming hardwood floors greeted her gaze, along with brightly painted walls. Christian walked farther into the apartment, and Joan couldn’t do anything except follow.

  The living room boasted a black leather couch and recliner. A large screen TV hung on the wall in front of the furniture. There was a stone fireplace and a bank of ceiling to floor windows, showcasing the beautiful New York skyline. She ran her hand over the supple leather, enjoying how soft it felt.

  Everywhere she looked, there was artwork and furniture that spoke of money and class. It sure beat her little studio apartment, yet she wasn’t ashamed of her place. It was what she could afford on her own. She didn’t count on anyone else helping her with her bills. Standing on her own two feet was important to her.

  “Come here.”

  Christian wrapped one of his arms around her waist, dragging her close to him before kissing her. She buried her fingers in his hair as she opened for him. His embrace seemed demanding in a way that she’d never experienced before. There was also something desperate in it, like he was searching for an emotion or feeling, and hoped she would provide it for him.

  Finally when her lungs burned because of lack of oxygen, she broke the kiss. Christian just went to nibbling and sucking on her neck. With his free hand, he started unbuttoning her shirt. Stopping him never crossed her mind.

  It didn’t hurt that he was a walking Greek god, and she wasn’t going to run away from the attraction. Oh no. She was going to savor it like the most expensive champagne she’d ever tasted. Sex and lust were the closest things she could find that would bring her the same buzz that liquor had.

  Cool air drifted over her heated flesh when Christian finished opening her shirt, then pushed the edges aside to bare her chest. Before Joan could think about that, he’d stripped off her shirt and her bra.

  “So beautiful,” Christian whispered before he bent to take one of her nipples in his mouth.

  Joan arched her back, loving the wet warmth as he sucked on her flesh. She jumped, startled when he pinched her other nipple hard, seeming not to want it feeling left out. He tugged then licked, and Joan rocked her hips into his.

  Christian continued to worship her breasts, and no matter how hard she tried to get him to stand up so she could undress him, he was having none of it.

  She’d never thought her breasts were so sensitive, but she was afraid if he kept it up, she’d come in her jeans, and she really wanted him to be fucking her when she orgasmed for the first time that night.

  “Christian, please. I want to be naked with you in your bed,” she pleaded as she gripped his hair tight and pulled a little.

  Grunting, he looked up at he
r then slowly inched away, even though he seemed reluctant to let go of her. She waved vaguely in the direction of the rest of the apartment.

  “I want to see your bedroom, and then I want you to fuck me on your bed. I want you buried so deep inside me, we get lost in each other.”

  “All right. Lead the way.” He motioned for her to go on.

  It took a moment for her to get her legs moving, but once she was sure she could take a step without falling over, Joan straightened. Yet she didn’t move, simply looked at him.

  “What are you waiting for?” he asked.

  “This isn’t my place. I don’t know where your bedroom is,” she pointed out and smiled.

  Christian chuckled. “Right. Apparently all the blood has left my brain and pooled in my dick. You made me forget where I was.”

  She took that as a compliment, laughing as he grabbed her hand to drag her down the hallway toward the back of the penthouse. Again she felt a surge of pride, knowing that she’d turned calm and collected Christian into kind of a bumbling fool.

  Shocked they’d made it to the bedroom without breaking something, Joan didn’t say a word as Christian began to strip in front of her. She worked on her own clothes while she watched him.

  Smooth, tanned skin was revealed with each inch he lifted the shirt, making her fingers itch to touch. When he pulled his T-shirt off and tossed it into a corner, Joan didn’t stop herself. Trailing her fingers over firm pectoral muscles, she absorbed the warmth radiating from his skin.

  Joan flicked one of his flat, copper-colored nipples, and he inhaled sharply. “Sensitive, are we?”

  “I’ve never been before,” he said, looking rather intrigued by how his body reacted to Joan.

  “Hmm…must just be our intense physical attraction, huh?” Joan winked at him before she leaned forward to lap at the hardened bud.

  Christian jerked, but didn’t move away. In fact, he ran his hands over her shoulders, then down to her hips. He kept his hold loose, not stopping her from doing whatever she wanted. And what she wanted was to get a look at his cock.

  He balanced her as she sank to her knees then fumbled with the buttons of his jeans to get them undone. Once they were, she pushed both the jeans and his underwear down, freeing his cock to her gaze.

  She hummed her pleasure at the sight of his erection. It was thicker than some of the others she’d had over the years, but not as long. Yet she knew it would feel perfect inside her when they got to that part of the night. Leaning in, she rubbed her cheek along his length, loving the way it felt like velvet over an iron rod.

  A shudder shook Christian as Joan took him into her mouth, and he moaned. She swirled her tongue around the flared head of his cock then pressed the tip of it into his slit.

  “Fuck,” he swore, threading his fingers through the locks of her hair to hold her, or maybe he wanted to hold her so he could stand up.

  Joan didn’t care and the slight tug of his hands on her head kept her from getting too caught up in the blowjob. She needed him to fuck her, so she wouldn’t get him off yet, but she did want to taste him. As she started to bob her head, he began to thrust, and they found a rhythm that they both enjoyed.

  She must have ended up losing track of time because she came back to herself when Christian tapped her cheek. Looking up into his dark blue eyes, she saw desire and lust burning in them.

  “I think we need to get naked and to the bed or I’m going to come in your mouth,” he told her.

  After letting him slide out, she nodded. “Good idea.”

  He helped her to her feet without any more talking. Before she climbed onto the mattress, Christian caught her then brought her into his arms. Her heart stopped beating for a second when their naked bodies touched from chests to knees.

  He shared his breath with her when they kissed, and Joan wondered why it felt like the most important moment of her life, even more important than kicking her drinking problem and finally getting off the streets. Could it be that all of her days of living on this earth had been leading up to this second as Christian wrapped his arms around her, surrounding her with his heat and scent?

  The kiss went on longer than Joan ever thought it would. Neither of them was in a hurry any more to get down to the sex part. There seemed to be something far more intimate about sharing kisses and air until it became too much, and she broke it off. Chest heaving, she stared up at Christian, and his rather wild-eyed stare told her he was as freaked out by the whole encounter as she was.

  “I want you,” she admitted, “probably more than I’ve ever wanted another man. What are you? Some kind of incubus or something?”

  He answered, “Incubi are just true demons trying to find ways of suck souls from mortals.”

  “What?” Confused, Joan studied him. “True demons? You do realize that demons aren’t any more real than angels, the devil or God.”

  She could only describe the look he gave her as pitying, but he didn’t try to correct her. All he did was pick her up and toss her onto the bed. She shrieked as she bounced.

  Christian dug in the nightstand next to the bed for second before joining her. Joan spread her legs, letting him settle between them. Sighing, she allowed her head to drop back on the pillow as he nuzzled the curve of her breast. She traced the bumps in his spine then eased her fingers over his shoulder blades.

  Two thin, ragged scars on his back teased her, and she wondered what they were about. How did he get two identical wounds like that? It was almost as if they’d been inflicted on purpose.

  He tensed as she touched them then when she moved away from them, he relaxed. So whatever they were from was a touchy subject and not one she should talk about at the moment. Joan gave a mental shrug, doubting they were going to be best friends after this night.

  That’s all it is. Just one night together, and I’ll never see him again. Christian doesn’t strike me as the type of guy who slums very often.

  So she’d enjoy the experience and look back on it fondly after they parted ways in the morning. Christian took her nipple between his teeth before tugging gently, getting her attention.

  “Oh, my God,” she groaned, arching her hips off the bed in a need to get closer to him. Her pussy was wet from want, and she was impatient to have him fuck her. “Please, Christian. I want you in me now.”

  His chuckle sounded rather hoarse like he didn’t find reasons to laugh very often. It made her happy to know that she’d gotten him to smile a few times since she’d run into him at the warehouse.

  “As you wish.” He rocked back on his heels, then opened a foil packet.

  Joan watched him roll the rubber over his cock and licked her lips. He was an impressive man, that was for sure. He positioned himself at her opening and met her gaze as he pressed in.

  Holding her breath, Joan relished the way he filled her slowly, but with no sign of stopping. She exhaled when he was seated as deep into her as he could go. Their gazes were locked for the entire process, but just the feel of him in her most private of places caused her to close her eyes for a moment. She needed to adjust to the feeling that she was baring her entire soul to a stranger.

  “Are you okay?” His question brimmed with concern and she could feel his tension in the way his arms trembled where they were braced on the bed next to her.

  Was she okay? Joan wasn’t sure how to answer that—it was another of those moments where the next few minutes would change her life on some molecular level that she didn’t even realize.

  “We don’t have to do this.”

  Christian’s being willing to stop right then and there, even if it meant he’d have blue balls for a while until he could take care of his hard-on, was enough to convince Joan she was being silly. Opening her eyes, she nodded.

  “Yeah, I’m fine. You can move any time now.” She tightened her inner muscles and Christian grunted.

  He slid out then plunged back in. Each thrust was harder and faster than the one before. Joan encircled her legs around his w
aist as she undulated with him, finding that rhythm they’d discovered while she’d been blowing him.

  She cried out when he reached between them to rub his thumb over her clit. Pleasure shot through her like needles of electricity, causing her to shiver with need.

  “More, Christian. Please,” she pleaded, and thankfully he listened.

  The scent of sweat and sex filled the air around them as Christian drove Joan to the heights of lust.

  “Holy fuck!” She shouted as her orgasm crashed over her in enormous waves of ‘omigod, that was the best sex I’ve ever had’ joy.

  As she trembled in her own seconds of wishing it would never end, Christian joined her when his climax hit him. Shuddering, he filled the condom with his seed, and for the first time, Joan wished they had done it without protection. Yet while she was on the pill, she wouldn’t risk catching anything from her lover, and she didn’t know anything about Christian.

  She winced when he pulled out, and he touched her thigh.

  “Did I hurt you?”

  “No. It’s just been a few months since I’ve done this, and you’re a little thicker than the last guy.” She giggled at the look of pride that flashed across his face at her statement. “You men are so infantile. Happy to know your dick’s bigger than some stranger’s.”

  After rolling on to her side, Joan watched Christian make his way to what she assumed was the bathroom to get rid of the condom. The sound of running water soothed her, and she closed her eyes as exhaustion swept over her.

  The dip in the mattress informed her that Christian had returned. He settled behind her then rested his arm at her waist, pulling her back against him. She grinned as he brushed a kiss over the nape of her neck.

  “What time do you have to get up tomorrow?”

  “I have to be at work at eight, so I should be out of here by six,” she murmured.

  “All right. I’ll set the alarm.”

  Her long day and night without much sleep caught up with her, and she drifted asleep, warm and feeling oddly safe in Christian’s embrace.

  Chapter Five

  Christian pulled his pants on over his hips, but before he could fasten them, the rumpled sheets on his bed caught his attention. Joan had rushed out shortly after the alarm had gone off, blowing him a kiss as she left. He imagined if he buried his face in the pillow she’d used, it would smell like her, and what did it say about him that he was tempted not to change his sheets?