-puremature- -nicole Aniston- Nighttime Romance... Instant

The downtown loft was a cathedral of glass and steel, all sharp angles and city lights bleeding through the floor-to-ceiling windows. Nicole Aniston stood before one of them, her silhouette a dark, elegant curve against the glittering tapestry of the night. She held a glass of deep red wine, not drinking, just letting the cool glass rest against her palm.

He stepped into the moonlight, barefoot, wearing only the loose linen pants he’d slept in. Leo. He was older, a photographer whose eyes had seen too much and whose heart had been locked away for years. He’d met Nicole at a gallery opening six months ago, a collision of his weary cynicism and her vibrant, guarded grace. She was an enigma he’d stopped trying to solve, and that, he realized, was why he’d fallen for her.

“Come here,” he said softly, not a command, but an invitation. -PureMature- -Nicole Aniston- Nighttime Romance...

“Or maybe we’re just listening too closely,” she replied, finally taking a sip of the wine. He watched the bob of her throat.

He’d photographed supermodels, war zones, the desolate beauty of abandoned places. But he’d never seen a light like the one that lived inside Nicole. It wasn’t a blazing sun; it was a steady, quiet ember. She didn’t demand attention; she commanded it by simply being . Her blonde hair fell in soft, natural waves around her shoulders, and her face, even without a trace of makeup, held a classic, pure beauty that made his chest ache. The downtown loft was a cathedral of glass

A slow smile touched Nicole’s lips, a rare, unguarded thing that softened her entire being. “And now?”

“The city’s too loud tonight,” he said, coming to stand beside her, close but not touching. That was their dance. A magnetic field of almost. He stepped into the moonlight, barefoot, wearing only

She set the wine glass down on the cold steel of a side table. The soft clink was the only sound for a moment. She turned, and the city lights painted silver streaks across her bare arms. She walked to him, and this time, when she stopped, there were no inches left. Her body met his, a gentle, yielding pressure.