Climbing onto her mattress, she patted a spot for Patches, and her pet bounded onto the area she'd indicated. Cassie ran her hand along the cat's fur, her purrs of delight filling the room. She smiled at the animal even as her thoughts went once again to the man she had met tonight. Her drive home had been punctuated by images of him and the strong emotions he had evoked in her.

She had dated before, of course, but no man had ever caused such a wealth of feelings in her. Not one of them had been able to touch her and send her heart fluttering the way Dimitri had. She remembered his cool lips on her hand and it was almost as though she could feel pleasure of his touch all over again. Why was she thinking such thoughts about him? It was crazy.

Enough was enough. She wasn't a teenager anymore. Cassie turned off the bedside lamp and settled down, pulling the covers up to her chin.

Two hours later, she was still awake. She turned in bed, murmuring an apology to Patches as she rolled over the cat. Patches let out an indignant squeak and jumped off the bed.

Cassie groaned. She couldn't stop thinking of Dimitri and her body was on fire, aching all over for a man she barely knew. Surrendering, she closed her eyes and touched her breasts, pretending it was him caressing her, stroking her.

Burrowing deeper into the covers, she tweaked her nipples with her fingertips, then ran a hand down over her stomach to settle between her legs. Cassie rubbed the heel of her hand against the throbbing juncture. With her other hand, she continued to knead her breasts, taking pleasure in conjuring Dimitri's face, imagining his hands on her.

She slowly inserted a finger inside her moist opening, pushing the digit in and out, and moaned. She needed release, something, but somehow knew this could never measure up to what Dimitri would have to offer. Her breath hitched, coming quick and erratic as she pictured his body on top of hers, pressing inside her, bringing her to unbelievable pleasure. Her thumb brushed over her swollen flesh as her finger worked in and out until finally she came. Her body convulsed, one hand squeezing her breasts tightly. She couldn't help it when his name ripped from her lips.

Dimitri almost fell out of the tree he was perched in. He'd followed Cassie home, listened as she talked to her cat and went through her night preparations, then had left briefly for an evening snack, only to return and find her doing the unexpected.

It had taken everything in him to not fly down from the sturdy branch he sat on, walk up to her apartment door, then claim her the instant she invited him in.

He recognized the fact that she'd be mortified if she knew he'd been aware of what she'd just done. She seemed innocent, sweet, not the type to masturbate to thoughts of a man, much less him, but under that business exterior was clearly something wild just waiting to be released.

He grinned, his fangs rubbing over his bottom lip. Even though it was wrong, something about her called to him. He couldn't help but want to be the one to unleash the sultry woman within.