They were off within seconds, along with my panties and shoes, leaving only my fuzzy socks. His hands kneaded my hips and he groaned into my hair. "You smell amazing."

"That's just what I was thinking about you," I said, then bit at his lip again. The man was heavenly, all hot and warm and hard all over. My fingers slid down his taut abdomen and unbuckled his pants, and within moments his hard cock was free. It was huge, too, and thick, and my brain flashed back to scenes of the night I'd forgotten. Noah leaning over me in bed, thrusting into me, his blue eyes fixed on my face. Him breathing my name over and over again in litany. Me screaming out his.

Breathless with the memory, my hands wrapped around his cock and gave it a gentle squeeze. "I remember this."

The next thing I knew, he was shoving me up against the wall again and murmuring in my ear, "Give me your leg, Jackie."

Obediently, I lifted one leg, and his fingers stroked my wet folds. I thought I was going to die right then and there, and it must have sounded like it from the moans I was emitting. Noah's mouth covered my own as he shushed me, his fingers sliding against my clit and circling against it. Feathery-light at first, his motions grew bolder when my body gave an involuntary shudder in response. He circled my clit with the pad of his thumb again, hard.

Overwhelmed with sensation, I gave a soft cry of longing, my body aching to be filled. I needed him inside inside me. "Noah," I whispered against his mouth. "This is really great and all, but I'd really like you to fuck me right now. me. "Noah," I whispered against his mouth. "This is really great and all, but I'd really like you to fuck me right now. Hard. Hard. I'm itching like crazy." I'm itching like crazy."

He groaned against my mouth, grabbing my other leg in his hands and hiking me up against the wall until I was straddling him, pinned between the confessional wall and his glorious hot body. The head of his cock slid against my sex, teasing and rubbing against me for a mere breath of time. I barely had a chance to say how much I liked that when he was sliding that hard length inside of me in one sharp thrust. My legs clenched around him, and my muscles spasmed as I had the strongest orgasm of my entire life.

My moan of pleasure echoed through the booth, and he tried to kiss me again to silence me, but it wasn't working. His groan matched my own in volume as I locked my ankles behind his waist and buried my head against his neck, riding out the wave of pleasure with him.

"Oh God, Noah!"

"Don't say that," he murmured against my skin, his teeth gritted. "Not here. Just hold on to me, Jackie." With that breath, he stroked into me again. I hadn't even had a chance to come down from the last orgasm as he hammered into my flesh, over and over again. Within moments I bit his shoulder, trying desperately to keep myself from screaming my pleasure.

I clung to him and held on for dear life as he pounded into me with long, measured strokes, enjoying every sweaty second of it.

Just before I slipped over the edge again, Noah groaned and shuddered, releasing inside me. As he gently rocked me on his cock and tried to control his breathing, I tried not to be disappointed that I'd only come once. But I must have given him some sort of hint-couldn't be all the wiggling I was doing-because he slid a hand between us and reached for my clit again. "One more for the road," he whispered against my mouth, and within a few moments, I clenched and shuddered my orgasm all over again.

A few minutes later, reality began to sink in: our sweaty bodies, pressed against each other, inside the church confessional.

The church confessional. confessional.

"Oh God," I murmured, shock coursing through me. "I'm going to Hell for this for sure."

Noah pressed a kiss against my sweaty brow and disentangled his body from my own, not an easy feat in the tiny booth. "God will understand. Some things just can't wait. You were in a bad way."

I slid down to pick up my clothes and tried not to feel raging embarrassment. "I can't believe what we just did. I can't believe I was mauling you like that."

"Remy calls it the Itch. I'm sure she can sympathize with you."

I felt immensely relieved, like a huge itch had been scratched. Maybe the name was appropriate, after all. "Remy-is that the girl out there?"

I could hear his clothing rustle in the dark booth as he straightened his clothes. "Yes," he said. "I wanted you to meet her-she's the only other succubus I know."

"She's a succubus?" I was surprised. "Really?"

He laughed. "You sound relieved. Did you think she was my girlfriend?"

If I could have found his arm in the darkness, I would have socked it a good one. "Don't laugh at me." I threw the rest of my clothes on and hoped like mad that the booth didn't smell too too much like sex. "Are you decent yet?" much like sex. "Are you decent yet?"

"Yes." He sounded amused.

"Good." I slammed the door open and stomped out, trying to straighten my hair. I had a rat's nest on the back of my head from the ride against the wall; I was lucky I didn't have splinters in my you-know-what.

Remy sat quietly in the back of the cathedral, looking angelic and innocent. She smiled at the sight of us and pulled a pair of earbuds out of her ears. "Looks like we're back to normal now, I see?" She pulled out a compact from her purse and handed it to me. "Take a look."

I looked. My cheeks were flushed with high color and my forehead shone with a hint of sweat. I even spotted a hickey on my neck. "Right," I said, blushing. "What am I supposed to be looking for?"

"Your eyes aren't blue anymore. That means the Itch is gone for now."

Sure enough, pale silver eyes stared back at me in the mirror. "Wow. You're right. The two are connected?"

Remy nodded. "The bluer your eyes are, the closer you are to feeding." Her pale blue eyes sparkled. "I'm due tomorrow, in case you were wondering."

"I wasn't going to ask." A thought occurred to me. "So, uh, do you get the Itch pretty often? As an, um, succubus?" The thought that I was one took a little getting used to, but the wave of abject horniness was gone and now I could think a bit more reasonably. Since being completely sex starved and having a crazy libido were not normally part of my day, I assumed that was part of the kit and caboodle.

"About once a week," she said. "We're stuck between the two races. Hasn't Noah explained to you? The Fallen-that's the Serim, Noah's kind-they crave sex as part of their curse. The Serim must bring pleasure to their partner-not themselves-or they get as wild as we do. They're affected about once a month, usually near a full moon. Vamps must feed more frequently, and feed on blood. We're some sort of bizarre blend in the middle, since we come from both." She offered me a hairbrush without batting an eyelash. "We have the addiction to sex, like the angels-except ours is a more selfish version-and we have the feeding frenzy of vampires."

"You're kidding me." I gaped at her. "I'm going to turn into a raving nymphomaniac because of angels and vampires?"

"It's a really long story, and one better told over breakfast." Remy cast a glare at Noah. "I can't believe you didn't explain any of this to her before. What were you thinking?"

It was Noah's turn to look embarrassed. He tugged at his collar, straightening it, and I was secretly delighted to notice the sheen of sweat on his skin, sweat that I I had caused. "She wasn't listening the last time we talked." had caused. "She wasn't listening the last time we talked."

That was true; I hadn't listened to a word he was saying. "Breakfast sounds good to me," I said.

Noah glanced down at his watch. "I'm afraid I can't go with you. I have to meet someone."

Of all the embarrassing things, I felt tears prick my eyes. "You're leaving me? Now? But we just got here." He'd just screwed my brains out in the confessional and now was too busy to stick around? I swallowed past the humiliated knot in my throat.

He shook his head at me and gave my forehead a gentle kiss, his eyes bleached silver once more. "I wish I could stay." His eyes stared into mine for a moment, his thumb caressing my cheek. "I'll catch up with both of you tomorrow. Remy will take good care of you."

"Promise?" Lord, I sounded needy.

Remy rolled her eyes at the two of us and grabbed me by the arm. "Save the foreplay for sex. We've got a lot to do, and I don't feel like hanging around here and waiting for one of the you-know-who to find her." She pointed at the ceiling and gave Noah a pointed look.

"One of what?" I stared up at the ceiling. "Roofers?"

This time, two snorts of laughter met my ears. "Come on." Remy tugged at my arm. "Let's get you something to eat. We can catch up with Noah some other time."

"But ..." I protested as she dragged me toward the thick wooden doors. I felt odd leaving the man I had just waited hours for. "I thought ..." Hell, I didn't know what I thought anymore. I just felt abandoned, used.

At least I did until Remy flashed me a brilliant white smile. "I've waited forever forever to have another Suck around. This is going to be to have another Suck around. This is going to be so so much fun!" much fun!"

"Excuse me?"

She blew a kiss at Noah, who was pulling out a cell phone. "Suck, succubus, whatever you want to call it. I was the only one in New City before, and I'm glad that you're here now." She flashed me a wicked, exotic grin. "We're going to paint this town red."

"Great," I echoed unenthusiastically, sparing a longing look back at Noah. He was whispering into his phone and a spurt of irritation flared through me. If I felt used, it was because he was acting like I was some sort of discarded piece of trash.

Remy was chatting my ear off as we left the cathedral. "First things first, girl. We have got to get you some serious clothes. You look like a bag lady."

"Don't we have more pressing matters to worry about?"

Remy gave me an incredulous look. "Nothing's more important than appearances, sweetheart. Bite your tongue."

Maybe this was Hell, after all.

CHAPTER SEVEN.

Remy leaned against her car window and peered at the drive-thru menu. "You want a burger or a shake or something?"

I shook my head, feeling too self-conscious to think about food. Much. "No thanks."

"I need a triple cheeseburger with fries," Remy shouted at the speaker box. "Extra mayo, extra cheese, and a chocolate shake. Oh, and a side order of chicken nuggets. And an apple pie." She looked over and grinned at me. "A snack."

Good lord.

We rolled around to the front of the drive-thru and Remy handed her money over, taking the bags of food back from the pimply boy at the window. "So, did Noah tell you anything anything? I want to make sure I'm not recapping anything you've already heard."

"He said he was an angel, and that I got bit by a vampire, but he skipped a few details," I said dryly.

Remy turned a corner, sipping her shake, and pulled into an empty parking lot. "Okay, then I'll start from the beginning. Have you ever heard of Enoch?"

My mouth watered as I watched her take a huge bite of her burger. It looked delicious. I hoped my stomach wouldn't growl and embarrass me. "Enoch ... isn't he in the Bible?"

"He's in Genesis, but the rest isn't included anymore. Lost book of the Bible, I believe. Anyhow, if you read the Book of Enoch, it explains how the angels fell from Heaven." She took another enormous bite of her burger.

"It does? I didn't know that."

She nodded, wiping her mouth with a napkin. "Yep, they fell in love with mortal women and had sex with them. God said that was a big no-no and told 'em to stop, but they didn't, so he cast them out. When the Big Cheese speaks, it's generally a good idea to listen," she intoned sagely, then ruined it by cramming some fries into her mouth. "Sure you don't want any?"

I shook my head. "So Noah's been cast out from Heaven?"

"Him and a few thousand other guys, yeah. Gabriel and the rest that stayed behind were really angry, too, so they cursed the Serim. Since they were so hot for female flesh, they were cursed to crave it and to indulge themselves every full moon. Not so bad, you would think-but then the Archangels went and killed all their women and they were left with nothing. It's a sad story, really. Some of the Serim turned to evil as a result, and that's why we have vampires. They wanted their wings back, no matter the cost. Lucifer was willing to give them wings, but they had to sell their souls. At least, that's the rumor. All you need to remember is that the Serim can only go out in the daytime, and the vamps can only go out at night. That's what happens when you mess with the big guns."

My eyes widened. "Jeezus, that's a terrible story. All of their loved ones died?"

She shrugged. "Die now, die later; they're all still screwed. All the women were mortal, so it's not like they were going to have a really long life together. French fry?"

Disgusted by her callous attitude, I turned and stared out the window, hoping that the conversation would steer to more pleasant matters.

"You're not much of a talker," she complained. When I offered no rebuttal, she gave up and started the car again, the burger clutched against the steering wheel. "Come on, then. Let's go to the mall!"

I stared up at the neon sign over the mall entrance with trepidation and wondered for the ninth time why I was heading to a shopping mecca with a supermodel. I must be sick.

Remy pulled into the parking lot in her tiny BMW and beamed at me. "Ready for some fun?"

I was actually ready for a bite to eat, but since I'd declined to eat at our pit stop, it seemed silly to ask for food now.

Ignoring my rumbling stomach, I asked, "What sort of fun are we going to have, exactly?"

"We're going shopping, of course." She got out of the car and moved around to my side, since I hadn't budged.

I rolled down my window a crack and peered up at her. "It's been a weird couple of days; I just had sex in a church not long ago; I haven't slept in two days. Not to mention my job's probably wondering where I'm at."

I was trying not to think about work. Julianna would be furious that I had another unexcused absence. "I'm not exactly having a great streak here. Can we do this some other time?"

Undeterred, Remy opened my door and waited for me to get out. "That's the beauty of a twenty-four-hour mall, my friend. All shopping, all the time, and enough time to get it all in. If you smell bad, we can stop by a bathroom first and you can mop up anything that Noah left behind."

Ouch. She had a potty mouth. I flinched and got out of the car, albeit very reluctantly. "I'm really tired," I tried.

"Horseshit," Remy announced in a singsong voice. "We don't get tired."

"We don't?"

She shook her head and dragged me by the arm toward the glass double doors in the distance. "Sucks don't need to sleep. Vamps do, Serim do, but we don't sleep a wink. It's odd at first, but you get used to it."

I was horrified. "We don't sleep? At all?"

"I haven't slept a wink in four hundred years."

This was a nightmare of vast proportions. I loved loved sleeping. There's nothing better than diving under the sheets and snuggling into some dreams of yourself and your favorite actor. sleeping. There's nothing better than diving under the sheets and snuggling into some dreams of yourself and your favorite actor.

"This just keeps getting worse and worse," I complained as we stepped into the brightly lit mall. I squinted at the light and turned to look at Remy. "Anything else you want to tell me? Do I turn into a hooker at the full moon? Should I avoid people with garlic around their necks? Or-wait-since we're succubuses, should we avoid people with birth control?"

Remy giggled at my ranting. "You're quite the funny girl, you know that? I'm so glad you're one of us." She patted my hand and threaded my arm through hers as if we'd been best friends since grade school. "Like I said, I've been the only Suck in New City for quite some time, so it does get a bit lonely."

She'd avoided my question, but I decided not to press the issue. If she was laughing at my concerns, maybe it wasn't as bad as I thought. "So why don't you move, if you don't like New City?"

She shook her head. "Can't. My masters are here. Both of 'em. So here I stay."

I eyed the Gap with longing as she steered me away from it, an expression of distaste on her striking features. I hitched my sweatpants up around my waist again. "Masters? Kind of like an I-Dream-of-Jeannie thing?" I wasn't too keen on that idea. "I'm not real good with being all submissive and stuff."

Remy shrugged and led me toward Frederick's of Hollywood, which sank my spirits almost as much as her next words. "It's just the roll of the dice, I'm afraid. Since you were created by a vampire and a Serim, you have to answer to both." She gave me an odd look. "Didn't you notice that you couldn't contradict anything that Noah told you?"

I had noticed that. My spirits plummeted. "I have to do everything everything he tells me to?" Then visions of handcuffs and kinky sex games rolled through my mind, and sweat beaded on my forehead. he tells me to?" Then visions of handcuffs and kinky sex games rolled through my mind, and sweat beaded on my forehead.

"'Fraid so, but you're lucky. Noah's a good guy. He won't abuse you or anything."

"And the other guy? The vampire?"

"Who can say?"

At my stricken look, she patted my hand. "Don't worry. If the vamp turns out to be an unsavory sort, you just avoid him. He can't tell you what to do if he can't find you, right?"

"Right," I echoed. "Is that what you do? Avoid yours?"