Prologue

Pulling up to the high rise, holding his hand, I nervously say, “this place is nice.” He looks at me tentatively and winks, grasping my hand a little tighter. As we pull in front, the doorman opens my door and helps me out of the Porsche. He is at my side in an instant, his hand on the small of my back as the doorman opens the door. “Shall we?” and he kisses the top of my head.

We ride the elevator up to the penthouse. He and I eye each other and I know we are both thinking the same thing. He smirks. The door opens and in the hallway is our realtor. “Mr. Zsadist, Ms. Payne, nice to see you. This penthouse has all the amenities you requested and was just recently put on the market. It is one of only two penthouses in this building,” he says as he unlocks the door. Z is looking all around as if he’s looking for something. I catch a faint scent, but ignore it. As we step inside, the place is beautiful. I was barely into the kitchen when Z whispers in my ear, “Princess, this is Rehv’s place, which means the other penthouse belongs to your brother.” I pull back from him and stare at him, shocked. “H…How do you know?” I ask. He points to the mantle where a picture of Ehlena, Rehvenge’s mate, is perched. “Oh shit” is all I can say as I turn back to him. We both chuckle. “That explains the scent I caught in the hallway.” Z smirks at me and then goes to speak to the realtor.

The next day we check out another penthouse on the other side of town. We ride up the elevator with the realtor who explains this penthouse covers the entire top floor, no neighbors. Z and I look at each other and smile at that thought. The elevator opens right into the foyer through which is a hallway. Immediately to the left is an office, with floor to ceiling bookshelves and a gas fireplace. Down the hall a little further is a half bath and then the space opens up to kitchen and living area. The entire back wall is floor to ceiling windows, overlooking the incredible city view below. We step into the kitchen which has top of line gourmet appliances and an island big enough to place 4 bar stools. It is very modern and sleek. As we walk toward the windows, I point to an area near the corner and comment “a piano would go great here.” Z turns to me and nods as he opens two of the windows, which are actually doors onto a private balcony. “Princess, come out here,” and he extends his hand. I take his hand and step outside and the view is breathtaking. The balcony is large and is perfect for some lounge chairs and a grill. “Wow,” is all I can say as Z cups my face in his hands and leans down for a gentle kiss on my mouth. “Wow is right.”

Opposite the kitchen, against the wall, are what look like free floating stairs and beyond them is another hallway. The realtor takes us down the hallway. He explains this place has two bedrooms, the master suite and lounge upstairs and this room at the end of the hall. Walking into the room, Z and I both looked at each other simultaneously, knowing it was perfect. The room was very large and off to right was a modest sized bathroom with a large standing shower. The left side of the bedroom was flanked with the same floor to ceiling windows as the main living area. Z cocked an eyebrow at me when he saw the windows. I laughed, “we can hang curtains.”

The entire upstairs was the master bedroom with a lounge area, a dressing area, huge closet and an absolutely enormous bathroom complete with whirlpool soaking tub and separate glass enclosed shower. There was an additional balcony outside. It was perfect.

As we made our way back downstairs, Z held my hand and the realtor left us alone. I looked up at him and smiled. “It’s pretty perfect, huh?” He nodded and kissed my forehead. He told the realtor we would be in touch and quickly led me to the elevator.

“Z, what are you doing? What about the……” I didn’t get a chance to finish my sentence. As the elevator doors closed, his mouth attacked mine. When he pulled back, I was breathless.

“I need you…..now.”