J.C. Gordon's Blog, page 3

A Reluctant Love Ch 11

Chapter 11: Throw Back Thursday.

Emily couldn't believe her wedding day had arrived so quickly. She felt nervous and excited at the same time. She hadn't seen Cullen since yesterday, deciding on being traditional and spending the night before the wedding apart from her intended.

Alice had stayed overnight, sleeping in her bed as Anton was in the spare room. They had whispered and giggled into the early hours, both too excited to sleep. Her friend had begged to see the wedding dress Emily had specially commissioned but she had refused. No one was going to see it until today.

Emily smiled when she thought of Cullen's face when he saw the dress. She had changed the materials but it was, in essence, the exact same design as the purple dress she had worn on the night they'd first made love. She had altered the slip dress part to be silk covered with lace but left the satin long skirt as it was. It was all in white as was traditional, but the lace part was full of tiny embroidered diamantes, which matched the lace circlet she would be wearing in her hair. She'd even managed to get white sandals that were almost identical to the purple pair she had worn.

Emily smiled as she sat patiently as Alice's hairdresser friend gathered the curls at the side of her hair up to the top of her head, leaving most of her hair to spill down her back. She had wanted to wear her hair loose but Alice had been tenacious with her demands that she needed to be a bit more adventurous as it wedding day.

The hairdresser clipped the hair in place with a diamante clasps and then secured the circlet over the clasp, so it was still visible. A train of lace and diamantes settled over her hair at the back.

"It's beautiful, Emily," Alice sighed as she watched from the bed. Her hair and makeup was already complete. She just needed to slip into pale lilac bridesmaid's dress that Emily had bought her. It was taffeta and figure hugging wit off the shoulder straps. Alice loved the dress and couldn't wait to put it on. She was still dying to see Emily's dress.

Finally Emily's hair and makeup were finished and they could get dressed. Alice's friend left and she hurriedly unzipped the garment bag so she could slip into her dress.

"It's so beautiful, Emily," she said, twirling around when her friend had zipped her up. "Now, finally, I get to see your dress!"

Emily laughed at her friend's excitement and unzipped her garment bag.

"Oh. My. God!" Alice said slowly as the dress was revealed. "Cullen is so going to throw you down on the ground and have his wicked way with you in front of everyone if you wear that dress, Emily!" Her eyes were large pool of liquid blue as she laughed at the thought.

"As long as he marries me first," Emily chuckled sliding into the dress. "Zip me up, Alice."

"You look so amazing, Emily," the little dark haired woman said softly. "So perfect."

Emily viewed herself in the full length mirror and had to agree with her friend. The dress was stunning. The whiteness of it screamed chastity while the cut of it screamed lust. Cullen was going to die when he saw her. He might even be sorely tempted to do just as Alice had said.

"That is a deliciously, wicked smile," Alice laughed. "I wonder what you're thinking about?"

"I'm thinking we're going to be late if we don't get a move on," Emily smiled. "That's one tradition I don't want to do today."

"Emily, there's been a delivery for you," Anton called, knocking on the door.

"We're decent," she answered, turning as her brother opened the door.

"That's a matter of opinion," he said dryly as he looked at her, but he was smiling. "You look truly stunning, Emily."

She smiled warmly at him and crossed to give him a kiss on the cheek. He handed her a package and she smiled.

"I know what this is," she said, ripping open the package and pulling the jewellery box out. She opened it slowly and there inside was the matching necklace to the bracelet, Liam had given to her.

"Wow," Alice said, her eyes shining. "It's beautiful, Em."

"It's from Liam," Emily said softly. "The second gift of a matching set. He told me he would give it to me on my wedding day."

She dug out the matching bracelet and fastened it around her wrist. Then she put the necklace on. The effect was stunning with the dress.

"You don't have any earrings," Alice said disappointed.

"I don't need them today anyway," Emily smiled. "The two pieces are perfect as they are."

She slipped her engagement ring from her finger and transferred to her other hand until after the ceremony.

"Okay, let's get this show on the road," she said happily.

Cullen was nervous. He was pacing in his room at Karpathia's while Liam and Dorian watched him trying not to laugh at his agitation.

"Do you think the room looks okay?" he asked suddenly. He had transformed his room into a light airy space, full of white silk and lace material hanging from the posters on the bed. Around the room were vases full of lavender, the sweet scent mixing with the vanilla and coconut he had sprayed lightly on the delicate fabric. Beside the bed was a magnum of champagne and two glasses. There was a basket of coconut macaroons and another with strawberries. The room screamed Emily's scent.

"The room looks fantastic, Cullen," Dorian said for about the seventh time. "I'm sure Emily will love it when she sees it."

Cullen frowned slightly and wondered if maybe it wasn't such a good idea to bring Emily here for their wedding night. They were off on honeymoon tomorrow but he had wanted their wedding night to be something special, something perfect.

The most perfect moment he could think of was the night she had given herself to him, in this very room, for the first time. So he had chosen this for their wedding night.

He smiled as he remembered that night with perfect clarity. Dear God, that dress had been the stuff erotic dreams were made of. He wondered why she had never worn it again since then. He'd make a point of asking her about it sometime.

"It's almost time," Liam said. "Let's go wait for your Emily, Cullen."

Swallowing, Cullen tugged at the deep purple tie around his neck. He hated ties but Dorian had insisted that he wear one as it was tradition. Cullen had only agreed to it when he had seen that it was Emily's favourite colour. He started to follow Liam and Dorian from the room and then he stopped and tugged the leather thong from his hair and shook his golden brown locks loose,

"Cullen," Dorian groaned, exasperated when he saw what his friend had done.

"Emily likes my hair down," he said unrepentant, his beautiful face set and ready for an argument.

"That's true," his friend agreed and then he reached up and pulled his own blond hair free too. "What Emily likes is what she gets today," he said breezily when Cullen raised an eyebrow at him.

Laughing they hurried to catch up with Liam.

The main room of Karpathia's had been transformed for the wedding. An artificial screen had been placed a few feet from the elevator doors, to give the bride a brief respite from prying eyes as she arrived. The sofas and chairs had been moved to either side of the room to allow for an aisle to be created down the centre of the room.

The seating was already full of vampires and humans alike. The vampires were on best behaviour so the humans from Cullen and Cross would not be able to guess their true nature. It was slightly uncomfortable for them but they did it anyway because it was for their special human woman whom they all held a great affection for.

The air was thick with tension as they waited for the bride to arrive. Cullen tried really hard not to fidget as he stood beside Dorian who was serving as his best man.

"Aren't you going to ask me if I remembered the rings?" his friend said in a very loud stage whisper. Laughter filled the room at Cullen's startled look.

"Just kidding," Dorian laughed. He laughed even harder as Cullen glared at him.

The sound of the elevator arriving caught everyone's attention and the room went silent.

"Are you ready, baby girl?" Anton asked Emily, a tender smile on his face.

"As ready as I'll ever be," she quipped lightly, kissing him on the cheek.

The sounds of an acoustic guitar began, a hauntingly beautiful melody filling the room.

Alice kissed her lightly and stepped around the screen to begin her slow walk down to the bottom of the room.

Dorian's heart stuttered as he watched his little Alice glide across the floor towards them. She looked so beautiful. She would be stunning on their wedding day, he thought and then stiffened slightly. He smiled suddenly, a beautiful, loving smile as he caught Alice's eye and she blushed delicately at his expression. Yes, she would be stunning on their wedding day, Dorian smiled.

As Alice reached the bottom of the room and moved off to the left, Anton appeared around the screen with Emily on his arm.

A gasp resounded around the room as the bride came into view.

Cullen felt as if he had just been punched in the stomach. His Emily was simply breathtaking. His eyes quickly travelled the length of her body and back up again. The little minx, he thought, a smile curving over his lips. She had turned that bloody dress into a wedding dress! And she was just breathtaking in it. Innocence and lust all rolled into one.

Emily's eyes sought Cullen's the moment she came into view. Her smile was smug as she saw him swallow hard as his eyes flew over her body in stunned surprise. The achingly beautiful smile that crossed his face when his eyes finally met hers was worth all the effort.

She had eyes for no one else as she walked slowly towards him. He was so incredibly beautiful as his love shone naked for all to see. She wondered if her expression looked anything like his. She hoped it did.

Finally she was at his side, and Anton kissed her hand gently and then placed it in Cullen's large hand. Alice slipped forward to take her bouquet and the guitar melody faded away.

Emily gazed up into Cullen's eyes, her smile radiant. The minister cleared his throat lightly and went to speak.

"One moment please," Emily said suddenly, her voice sounding loud in the silent room. Cullen frowned slightly when she spoke, wondering what was going on.

She smiled at him and then reached up and undid his tie, sliding the material free and handing it to Dorian who was muttering under his breath even as he began to smile. Emily undid the top two buttons of Cullen's silk shirt and ran her hand lightly over his chest before she stepped back and took his hand again.

"You can start now," she smiled at the minister and there was laughter from the assembled guests. Emily only heard Cullen's laughter. His eyes were shining brightly with his love for her as he kissed her hand gently and turned to face the minister.

It wasn't a long ceremony, neither of them had wanted anything too elaborate. They spoke their vows and then they exchanged rings. Both their hands were shaking as first Cullen slid her ring in place and then Emily placed his ring on his finger.

Hands joined, they heard the minister declare them as husband and wife and finally Cullen's lips were against hers and she was melting into his arms as they sealed their vows with a kiss so loving and sweet that Emily thought she would weep from the beauty of it.

The roar around the room finally broke through the haze around them and Emily was laughing as Cullen picked her up and hugged her ecstatically.

Alice and Anton were suddenly hugging and kissing her and then Dorian swept her up and gave her a bear hug. Liam followed Dorian, his eyes shining as he saw her wearing the necklace. She touched it lightly and smiled. "Thank you," she whispered softly as he embraced her.

"Thank you for honouring me by wearing it on this special day, little Emily," the dark haired vampire smiled.

The next hour was an whirlwind of people hugging and kissing her and she lost track of where Cullen was. Finally she had circled the room and saw him, chatting with Anton as his eyes searched the room intently.

She felt like she was floating on air as she made her way towards him. His golden brown eyes tracked her, his expression joyful as he saw his bride coming to him.

Emily flowed into his arms as he bent his mouth to capture hers in a tender kiss.

"Mrs Cullen," he breathed against her lips as Anton disappeared and they were alone for the first time.

She smiled against his mouth. "Say it again," she whispered, her eyes shining.

"Mrs Cullen," he sighed softly. "I have to tell you that I was so close to throwing you down and making love to you in front of everyone when I saw you in this fantastic dress." He ran his hand underneath the satin to stroke the back of her thigh softly.

Emily sucked in a sharp breath and chuckled. "Alice said she thought you might do that," she said softly.

Cullen laughed softly and kissed her again. "It may still happen, " he groaned, his mouth moving more urgently against hers.

"Behave, Cullen," she laughed, though her breath was ragged when she pulled her mouth from his.

He laughed happily and held her tightly.

"You look so beautiful, Emily," he whispered. "I can't begin to describe how happy I am right now. How proud I feel to have you at my side. I must have done something right in my life to be granted the honour of having you as my wife."

"Oh, Cullen," she sighed happily. "It is my honour to have you as my husband. I can't wait to spend the rest of eternity with you, my love."

"I want to be alone with you, Emily," he said, his hand stroking her cheek gently, his expression fierce. "Say your goodbyes quickly, love, and then come back to me."

He kissed her head as she moved off to find Anton. It was another half an hour before she managed to extricate herself from their friends.

Cullen was suddenly at her side, taking her hand and pulling her from the room. He picked her up as soon as they were in the hallway and kissed her softly.

"Tomorrow you get to find out where we're going on our honeymoon," he smiled. "Tonight we celebrate our love in the room where I first tasted the sweetness of your pure body."

Emily moaned softly and buried her face in his neck as he strode down the hallway and into his room. She gasped as he set her down on the floor and turned her so she could see the changes he had made.

"Cullen, it's perfect," she gasped, taking in the sights and the scents, all the things that reminded him of her.

"I'm glad you like it, my love," he breathed against her ear. "Now, about that dress," he laughed and she squealed as his hands stroked down the sides of her body and he tickled her.

He scooped her back up in his arms and dumped her unceremoniously into the middle of the bed where she lay laughing.

He stared down at her, his eyes molten pools of gold. "I love you Emily Cullen," he said softly.

"I love you, Sebastian Cullen," she smiled back, her face radiant with her happiness.

Cullen joined her on the bed, pulling her up into a sitting position. He opened the bottle of champagne and poured a glass for her and then one for himself. He popped a strawberry into her glass and handed it to her. He clinked his glass against hers.

"To eternity," he said.

"Eternity," she echoed.

They sipped the champagne slowly, their eyes making love to each other. Cullen picked up another strawberry and brought it to her lips. He watched spellbound as she bit into the succulent fruit and chewed slowly. A sliver of juice ran down her lips and he leaned forward and lick it lightly before he popped the rest of the fruit into her mouth and sat back and sipped from his glass while he watched her eat.

"Those strawberries are delicious," Emily smiled. "Nice and sweet, just the way I like them."

"The coconut macaroons are sweeter," Cullen laughed. He picked a candy from the basket and slipped it into her waiting mouth. He could watch her eat all night. There was something so fascinating about the way she embraced each flavour with such relish.

Emily finished chewing the sweet and sipped her champagne. "Are you going to feed me all night?" she asked with a smile.

"I was just thinking about it," Cullen admitted ruefully. "Your mouth is so incredibly erotic when you taste something. I could stare at it for hours."

"Why don't you take your clothes off and let me taste you then?" she said boldly, her face flushing slightly.

He sucked in a deep breath and his eyes darkened with passion. He stood slowly and removed his clothes.

She watched him undress and stared in wonder at his beautiful body. Her words had excited him and his body had hardened instantly.

She slowly moved off the bed, her hands pulling the circlet from her head. It dropped to the floor as she slowly sank down to her knees and her hot breath fanned across his rigid hardness.

Cullen groaned deeply as he felt her soft lips kiss slowly up the length of his throbbing cock. Her lips were cool from the champagne and it felt so amazing against his hot skin. Her sweet little mouth opened and suck the head of his cock inside.
"Emily," he groaned, his hands coming to her head.

She slowly worked her lips down around his cock, taking as much of him into her mouth as she could. Her head moved rhythmically as she moaned softly and began to stroke him smoothly with her hot mouth, loving the sounds coming from his throat as she used her tongue to lick along his length.

Cullen reached for her, pulling her up and fastening his lips onto hers with urgency. He had to have her. He couldn't wait long enough to take the clothes from her body. He lifted her and snapped the lace of her panties, dropping the ruined underwear to the floor. He pushed the dress up around her hips and groaned as his fingers touched the lace of her silk hold up stockings as he spread her legs wide so he could impale her onto his cock.

Emily cried out in pleasure as she slid down Cullen's hard cock until he was buried deep inside her. The delicious naughtiness of being taken while she still wore her wedding dress was incredibly erotic. She wrapped her legs around his waist and moaned as he moved until her back was pressed firmly against the wall. He began to thrust into her, hard and fast, his lips feverish as he devoured her mouth.

Emily's breath was ragged as he took her roughly. The lustiness of their coming together was such a turn on and she could feel her pleasure building quickly as Cullen smothered her with frantic kisses as his body pushed deeper and harder into her.

"Cullen," she cried breathlessly, her hands threading into his hair, so she could grind her mouth against his. "Harder," she moaned. "Faster."

Her cries spurred him on and he began moving faster into her body, feeling his need grow hotter with each stroke into her hot, tight tunnel.

Emily was crying out over and over as his relentless pace pushed her towards a blinding orgasm with shattered her body to pieces as waves of pleasure engulfed her and her body shook wildly.

Cullen cried out in ecstasy, his head thrown back as he arched deep inside her again and again, bathing her insides with his hot seed. He trembled, his breath coming in pants as their bodies shook together with the intensity of their release.

Cullen finally moved, laying her gently on the bed. He fell beside her and struggled to get his breathing under control.

"Dear God, Emily. I didn't intend for that to happen," he said, his breathing harsh.

"I'm so glad it did," Emily laughed breathlessly. She rolled onto her side so she could look at him. "That was so naughty," she smiled. "When can we do it again?"

Cullen laughed and opened his eyes to gaze up at her. "Any time you want, my love," he chuckled. "But I had more of a nice, long, slow lovemaking session planned for our wedding night. The sight of your sweet mouth sucking me was just more than I could bear. I hope I haven't ruined your wedding dress."

"The dress is fine," she smiled, sitting up and turning her back to him. "Unzip me, husband."

"Certainly, wife," he laughed, pulling the zip down and peeling the dress slowly from her body. He slipped her sandals off and then rose to place their clothes on a chair. "You can keep those on," he said huskily, referring to her stockings.

Emily laughed and picked her champagne back up. She sipped slowly and then grabbed a strawberry and took a bite from the sweet fruit. She moved up the bed, resting against the pillows so she was in a sitting position. She popped the rest of the strawberry into her mouth and then crooked a finger at him.

She looked so sexy, resting against the pillows in just her stockings and the necklace and bracelet. Cullen swallowed hard as he crawled towards her as she sipped again at her champagne.

"Do you need a drink, my love?" she asked, her voice soft and throaty. She stroked a hand lightly against her breast as she watched his eyes flare with hunger. "Come and take what you need, Cullen," she said softly.

She put the champagne down as he reached her, his hands coming to cup her breasts. He licked each beautiful globe, his tongue rough against her soft skin. Her nipples hardened and he suckled each one gently until she was moaning in pleasure.

"Bite me," she urged, pulling his mouth to the swell of her breast. He groaned and sank his fangs into her tender flesh as she stiffened and cried out. Her hot, sweet blood filled his mouth and he drank greedily, sucking hard as his need to taste her grew stronger.

Emily stroked his hair rhythmically as he fed from her breast. The pull of his mouth was driving her crazy with need. "Cullen," she moaned softly. She felt his hand between her legs. She parted her thighs for him and cried out as his fingers pushed into her wet body. He drank slowly as his fingers moved fast inside her, his thumb finding her clit and rubbing against the hard nub.

Emily shuddered and writhed against his fingers as she felt another orgasm begin to build quickly. Her body rose to meet the thrust of his fingers as his thumb pushed her higher and the sweet pull on her breast finally pushed her over the edge and she was shuddering and crying out in ecstasy.

Cullen licked the puncture wounds in her breast, sealing the flesh and licking away the stray blood. "You are so amazing," he breathed against her skin.

She smiled her beautiful smile at him and his heart thumped loudly in his chest. He sat up and handed her back her glass. He leaned forward and gently unclasped the necklace and bracelet and placed them on the bedside table.

He drank from his own glass of champagne. The drink wasn't as bad as he thought it would be, Maybe it was the significance of drinking the champagne that made it bearable.

"Do you want some more?" he asked, taking her empty glass from her.

"Yes, please," she smiled.
 
He refilled her glass and then moved to kneel in front of her. He pricked the tip of his finger and let a single drop of his blood spill into the fizzy liquid. It turned pink straight away.

"Only if you want to," he said quietly, handing the glass to her.

Emily stared at him in amazement. She remembered the story he had told her about the significance of drinking a drop of vampire blood. The thought both frightened and excited her. It was Cullen's blood though. She didn't think she would have even consider doing anything so intimate with anyone else.

She smiled gently at him and raised the glass to her lips. His eyes flashed as she drank the entire glass down in one go. Her body felt as if it was energised. The sweet taste of him tantalised her taste buds as the liquid poured down her throat. She felt so alive, so hot, so sexy. It was simply amazing.

"You taste so good, Cullen," she said huskily. "I can understand how a human could become addicted to the sweet taste of a vampire. My body feels amazing."

"Your body is amazing," he laughed delightedly. "Eat some more, my Emily. Because you'll need all your strength. I plan to sample some more of your sweet body before this night is over."

She stretched sensually. "I don't need food, Cullen," she purred seductively, her lips curling in a teasing smile. "I just need you."

Cullen groaned and gathered her up into his arms. "Tell me what you want, Emily," he breathed. "I thought this night would be for sweet loving but I find you driving me so crazy with need that all I can think about is being deep inside you and taking you hard and fast."

She crawled into his lap, kneeling with her legs outside his. "Deep and hard and fast sounds perfect to me, Cullen," she whispered and then raised her body and sank down onto his hard cock.

Cullen groaned and grabbed her hips tightly. He slid her up and down his rigid hardness, thrusting deeply into her as he pulled her down onto him with hard, fast strokes.

Emily's head fell back and she cried out as he stroked into her fiercely, taking her with such passion and need that her body shook with the intensity of their lovemaking.

He lifted her from him and turned her until she was on her hands and knees. He slid between her legs, thrusting back into her. He gripped her hips and began thrusting fast into her tight body. He growled as he banged against her sweet ass with each hard thrust. She was wild beneath him, pushing back hard to meet his cock as it plunged in and out of her.

Cullen leaned forward and slid his hands under her so he could cup her breasts with both hands. He tugged at her hard nipples as he moved inside her. Her beautiful sweat slickened body slid against him and he groaned and began to run his tongue across her back.

They movement became more urgent, more frantic as their passion built swiftly. Emily's cries were almost continues as Cullen stoked the burning fire deep inside and she was coming with a scream of pure bliss as her body shuddered wildly.

Cullen answered her scream with a guttural cry. He spilled his seed over and over inside her, his pleasure so intense that he thought he wouldn't be able to bear it if it didn't end soon.

"Are you some kind of sex God?" Emily laughed breathlessly as they fell back onto the bed. "That was out of this world."

Cullen roared with laughter and hugged her close. "No I'm not," he finally said when he could breath again. "I think you may be experiencing the effects of the increased libido my blood has given you."

"Why didn't you give me some before?" she pouted and then she laughed. "I think it would have scared me to death any other day than today," she chuckled. "It felt right tonight, that I join with my husband as completely as I can without actually doing the other thing."

"It'll certainly make for an interesting honeymoon, my love," Cullen smiled, kissing her gently.

She sighed against his mouth and her eyes closed sleepily. "Don't let me sleep too long, Cullen," she whispered. "I want to try for long and slow before the night's over."

She fell asleep to the sound of her husband's beautiful laughter in her ears.

Cullen had awakened her again as she had asked. Their lovemaking had been long and slow, full of tender kisses and gentles touches. Emily had felt as if the heat of their passion would burn her alive it was so intense. They had finally fallen asleep, arms wrapped around each other, after they had taken their pleasure from each other.

To be continued..

A Reluctant Love Ch 10:2.

Chapter 10.2: Throw Back Thursday

Emily gazed around Karpathia's her eyes shining with pleasure. A large number of the younger vampires had slowly drifted down the room, all wanting to pay their respects at her engagement. It had been more than she could have hoped for. Some even lingered, friend's of Alice's brother Chris who she had insisted stay with them as being part of her extended family.

Quite a few of the older vampires faces had set hard as their hallowed space was encroached upon, a few had even left but most of them chose to put up with the indignity. Emily could even see some begin to relax and mingle a bit more with the younger vampires.

She felt eyes on her and looked up to see Liam smiling broadly at her. He gestured with a slight crook of his finger and she extricated herself from Cullen's arm and headed across the room to him.

"Truly masterful," the dark haired vampire breathed softly against her ear as he bent to kiss her cheek. "A touch of pure genius, little Emily."

She laughed at the note of respect and approval in his voice. She really had come to think of Liam as part of her family. That he approved of her efforts on behalf of his kind made her very happy.

"I have something for you, Emily," he smiled, taking her arm and leading her to one of the sofas. He handed her a long box with a prestigious jeweller's name when they sat down.

Emily blinked in surprise and opened the box. She gasped in shock as she saw the exquisite bracelet inside. It was made of three ropes of white gold joined together at intervals by delicate, little heart shaped amethysts.

"It's beautiful, Liam," she breathed softly, her eyes shining with unexpected tears.

"The stones match your eyes beautifully," he smiled. "It is my engagement gift to you, little Emily. It is part of a matching set.


The necklace I will gift to you on your wedding day. The earrings, on the day that you join us."

She looked up surprised that he would know her decision when she had only just made it herself.

Liam smiled at the look of surprise on her face.

"Emily," he said softly. "You may be newly come to your decision, child, but it has been plain to me since the first day I saw you with Cullen. Your love for him burns like a bright flame. It burns so bright that anyone close to you becomes consumed by the flame also. One lifetime would never be enough for a love that bright. And you have come to love our kind almost as fiercely."

"Yes I have," she smiled gently. "There is such beauty within you all, Liam, not just the external beauty everyone can see, but a deep inner beauty."

"You are showing us that beauty, little Emily," he replied. "And your joining with us will make us so much stronger, so much more compassionate. Not all of my kind may know it, but I believe we have been waiting millennia for you to come to us, to show us the way to a better existence."

Emily felt a lone tear slide down her cheek and she smiled when the vampire gently brushed it aside.

"You give us so much, Emily," he sighed. "I know your brother has agreed to walk you down the aisle on your wedding day. It is fitting that he do so as your father is with you no more. It would be my honour if you would allow me the privilege of taking on a father's role when you join us, sweet one."

Emily gasped in shock and then she threw her arms around Liam and gave him a big hug.

"The honour would be mine, Liam," she said tearfully.

"Why is my fiancé in tears again?" Cullen asked, a smile tugging at his lips as he sat down beside them.

"Liam's going to be my dad," Emily hiccupped, turning to cuddle against him.

"If you have no objections, Cullen," the dark haired vampire said quietly, inclining his head respectfully.

Cullen's eyes widened in surprise at the unexpectedness of the gesture and also the huge honour being offered. He wondered if Emily even knew how much of an honour it was.

"Whatever my heart desires is fine with me," he smiled, inclining his head to Liam. "I think she is overcome at the prospect," he added with a laugh when Emily hiccupped again.

Emily sat up, her eyes shining as she brushed at her wet cheeks. She held out the box still clutched in her hand. Cullen admired the pretty piece of jewellery. He took it from the box and fastened it against Emily's slender wrist.

"Just as well you announced your intentions before I saw you giving such beautiful gifts to my fiancé, Liam," he laughed. "I would have had to resist beating you up so as not to have my Emily annoyed with me at our engagement party."

Emily's eyes flew to his and then she relaxed when she saw the amusement on his face.

"I would be very annoyed with you, indeed," she laughed, kissing him lightly on the tip of his nose.

Cullen threw back his head and laughed. "If you've finished with my fiancé?" he said to Liam, standing and pulling her into his arms. "We have some mingling to do, my love."

Emily paced nervously in the airport waiting area. Cullen was sitting quietly on a chair, watching as she pace up and down in front of him, her anxiety plain for anyone to see.

"Come and sit down, Emily," he said for about the tenth time, his tone patient.

"I can't," she muttered anxiously. "I just wish he'd get here so I could have this over and done with."

Cullen sighed and stood up, catching her as she moved passed him. He held her securely in his arms, his hand stroking down her back as he tried to calm his beloved.

"It's going to be fine, Emily," he told her softly. "I understand that Anton will be feeling very protective of you. I will not hold that against him, in fact, it gladdens my heart to know that he loves you so much. The more protectors you have, the happier I am."

"You don't know Anton," she moaned. "He's not one to mince his words, Cullen. If he doesn't like you or feels that you're more of a danger to me than anyone else, he'll just come out with it. I don't want you to get angry with him if he says unkind things."

"I swear I will hold my temper, no matter what your brother says," Cullen sighed, bending his head to kiss her lightly on the lips. "Trust me, Emily. I will do nothing to hurt you, my love."

She sighed and relaxed against him. "I know you won't," she finally said. She looked up at him. "I just so want him to like you, Cullen. It's very important to me."

"I know, love," he smiled tenderly. "I will do everything in my power to put your brother at ease. Try not to fret so, Emily."

Anton spotted them before they did him. Emily was pacing and looking worried. He paused and watched as the tall, golden haired vampire stood and caught her in his arms. He couldn't hear what they were saying but the look of complete adoration on the vampire's face wasn't hard to miss.

At least Cullen loved his sister. He was sure that was the case as Emily could not have loved the vampire so much if he didn't return her feelings. Anton felt uncomfortable as he watched them.

His instincts screamed at him to do something to stop the upcoming union. But he couldn't break Emily's heart like that. The months of endless weeping he'd endured when she had been apart from her love had been more than he could bear.

He watched the couple kiss and took a deep breath. This was Emily's choice. He was smart enough to know that he couldn't condemn this strange lifestyle when he knew nothing about it. He would try to keep an open mind.

"Emily," he called loudly.

He saw her head turn, her eyes anxious as they met his. He forced a smile and then she was running across the waiting area and throwing herself into his arms.

"Oh, Anton, you came," she said breathlessly.

He hugged her tightly, his smile becoming more genuine as he kissed the top of her head. "Of course, I came, baby girl," he said softly. "You know I'll always come when you call."

"Really," she asked, her voice small and unsure. "Even after?" she left the sentence incomplete as she searched his eyes intently.

He stiffened slightly but maintained his smile. "Even after," he sighed quietly. "I still think it's complete and utter madness, baby girl, but if it's what you want, then I will live it."

Emily relaxed slightly. "Come and meet Cullen," she said tugging at his hand. "Please be nice, Anton. Give him a chance, for me."

Anton nodded, his expression guarded. He let her pull him towards the golden haired vampire who was watching them intently, his own expression guarded.

"Cullen," he said with a slight nod as Emily made the introductions.

"It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Anton," Cullen said quietly, returning the scrutinising gaze the other man was giving him. "Emily speaks of you often."

"Likewise," Anton said shortly ignoring the sharp tug on his hand from Emily.

"I'm not going to lie to you, Cullen," he continued. "I think this is a colossal mistake. My gut instinct is telling me to get Emily as far away from you as possible but I know she wouldn't thank me for doing so."

"Anton," Emily groaned, her cheeks flushing.

He looked down at her. "I'm sorry, Emily, I'm not going to lie about it. The mess you were in when you came home makes me want to beat the living daylights out of him. Not that I'd stand a chance of that," he added ruefully.

"I understand totally," Cullen said softly. "I would feel the same in your position, Anton. All I ask is that you give us a chance. Get to know us, see how precious your sister is to us. Then hopefully you will be able to find it in your heart to give Emily the blessing she so desperately craves from you."

"I'll try to keep an open mind," Anton finally said. He smiled down at Emily as he spoke. "This is certainly going to be interesting to say the least, Em."

"Just try and behave, Anton," she smiled. "Please, for me."

Anton rolled his eyes and laughed.

Cullen joined in with his laughter. "She does that to me too," he said fondly, smiling at Emily who punched him on the arm.

"No ganging up on me allowed," she said tartly. "I know I want you both to like each other but not at my expense."

Anton laughed again and reached for his bag. He watched as Emily gravitated back towards Cullen and the other man's arms opened automatically to shelter her in his embrace.

He grudgingly felt some respect towards the vampire. He couldn't deny the other man's feelings for his sister. The way that he had responded to his blunt attack on him too had been favourable. Maybe he was being too hasty to judge what he didn't really understand. What really mattered was Emily's happiness. Cullen obviously made her happy and Anton couldn't imagine her being safer with anyone else.

Cullen stored Anton's bag in the boot of his car and then slid into the driver's seat. He listened quietly as Emily chattered away with her brother, asking about old friends from the company. He was pleased to see her brother had relaxed slightly, the rejection in his body language softening. He hoped for Emily's sake that Anton would come to accept them.

His initial thoughts on the man surprised him. He had expected to have to force himself to like Emily's brother but the other man's bluntness and obvious love for his sister had actually touched Cullen. He found himself liking the man instantly. He just hoped the feeling was mutual.

"Can we stop at the office first, Cullen?" Emily asked. "I want Anton to meet Alice before tonight."

"Maybe Anton would like to clean up and have a rest before he's thrown into the public arena?" Cullen laughed softly. "It might be nice to ask him first."

Emily blushed and turned to Anton. "What do you want to do?" she asked.

"Office is fine with me," her brother smiled. "I'm curious to see Cullen and Cross after all the investigative work I did on the place."

Cullen raised an eyebrow and Emily giggled lightly.

"We were just keeping an eye on what you were up to while I was away," she explained.

"I should have thought of that," Cullen said dryly. "Might have found you sooner if I had."

Emily laughed. "Dorian found me by accident, Cullen," she said. "You two were really pretty hopeless at trying to find me.
Maybe Anton should give you the name of his private investigation team. Help you out a bit."

"Less of the cheek," Cullen growled good naturedly swinging into the car park of Cullen and Cross.

"If you could give me the name," he continued in a large stage whisper to Anton as they climbed out the car.

They were all still laughing as they entered the building and went through security.

"Nice offices," Anton commented as they stepped out the elevator on the top floor.

Cullen headed towards the boardroom and opened the door.

"I'll get Dorian and Alice," he said, kissing Emily lightly on the head before disappearing out the room again.

Emily looked at Anton expectantly and he groaned loudly.

"All right, he seems like a decent enough guy," he finally conceded. "It's obvious that he adores you, Em, and that you adore him right back. Maybe I was being hasty, making judgements without knowing all the facts. I'm keeping an open mind, I swear I am."

Emily smiled warmly at him. "That's all I ask, Anton," she said softly. "I'm sure you'll come to see why this is so very right for me."

They turned as Dorian, Cullen and Alice entered the room.

"You don't look anything alike," Alice complained, a hint of disappointment in her voice. "Hi, I'm Alice," she said brightly to Anton, holding out her hand.

Anton stared at her in bemusement but shook her hand anyway. "Your Emily's friend that she was so worried about," he said.

"Good to see you again, Anton," Dorian said with a smile. "Emily has been practically bouncing all over the office the last few days, she's been so excited at your coming over."

Anton nodded to Dorian as Emily's cheeks flamed red.

"I have not been, Dorian," she said in a scolding tone. "I've been far too busy working to have time to bounce anywhere."

"Keep telling yourself that, love, and maybe you'll believe it," Dorian chuckled sitting in one of the chairs.

Alice sat down beside him, her eyes bright with excitement.

"Speak in Spanish," she pleaded, her eyes going to Anton and then to Emily. "I want to hear what it sounds like."

"I can see why you love her so much, Em," Anton said, slipping into Spanish to cater to the little woman's whim. "She's a little bundle of energy."

"She is that, big brother," Emily replied in Spanish. "Her exuberance is practically contagious."

Alice crowed in delight and clapped her hands. "I think I want to learn to speak Spanish," she sighed happily.

Dorian laughed and caught her clapping hands. "I swear you could power this entire building with your energy," he said, smiling fondly at her.

"So what are the plans for tonight?" Anton asked sitting down and accepting the glass of red wine Cullen offered him.

"I thought me, you and Alice could have a light dinner at the apartment," Emily answered. "Then we could meet up with Cullen and Dorian a bit later on for a drink. Nothing too taxing because you'll be tired after the flight."

Anton looked at her with a raised eyebrow at the split evening.

"We don't eat food," Cullen explained quietly. "Emily felt you would find it less awkward this way."

"Oh, right," Anton said, his expression a bit startled. "But you can drink?"

"Yes, we tend to drink red wine when we're among human company. It helps us blend in." Cullen answered.

"You get used to it, Anton," Alice said, her tone blasé. "Emily and I don't mind eating while they watch. They're incredibly fascinated when we eat. I think they're slightly jealous."

"Alice!" Dorian groaned with a laugh. "You really say the oddest things sometimes!"

"That's why you love me so much," the little dark haired woman quipped, throwing him a cheeky smile.

Alice's natural exuberance kept the mood in the room light and relaxed as they all laughed at her cockiness.

Anton watched Dorian's face light up as he listened to the little woman's chatter. So there was more than one unconventional love match in the room. That fact seemed to alleviate more of his concern for Emily. By the time he was ready to head to his sister's apartment, his misgivings were almost totally gone.

Emily glowed under the adoration of the people around her. There seemed to be no bounds to the level of happiness that wafted from her. She was loved and well taken care of with her adopted family, it was plain to see.

"May I have a private word with Emily and Cullen?" he asked politely before they left the Boardroom. Dorian and Alice smiled and left them alone.

Anton cleared his throat, feeling suddenly overwhelmed. Emily looked at him expectantly, a slight hint of worry in her eyes. He smiled gently at her.

"Don't look so worried, baby girl," he said fondly. "I just wanted to say that I understand now. The way you thrive here, surrounded by your friends and loved ones. It's breathtakingly beautiful to watch, Em. I can see that this is right for you. You have my blessing, baby girl."

Emily cried out with joy and threw herself into his arms. "Oh, thank you, Anton," she whispered tearfully. "Thank you, thank you, thank you," she cried kissing him all over his face."

"Hey, calm down," he protested, laughing. He hugged her close and looked at Cullen who was smiling broadly, his golden brown eyes warm.

"I know there is no one better for her, Cullen," he said quietly. " I can see that her happiness with always come first with you. What more could a brother ask for in a brother-in-law?"

"Thank you, Anton," Cullen smiled, his tone full of respect. "It gladdens my heart to have your approval, not just for Emily's sake, but for my own. I hope I can be a welcome addition to your family."

"I think this is going to work out just fine," Anton said, peeling Emily off of him. "Can't we go get something to eat now, Em? I'm starving!"

He left his sister in the Boardroom and waiting in the hallway. Alice joined him, coming out of Dorian's office with a slightly dazed look about her.

"Good kiss?" Anton whispered. He chuckled loudly as she blushed furiously and then nodded impishly at him.

Cullen gathered Emily into his arms and tried to kiss her soundly. She was struggling to stop grinning broadly and he growled his frustration as he couldn't kiss her the way he wanted to.

"Oh, go on," he finally laughed. "I'm not going to get to enjoy your sweet mouth until you come down from the high you're on. I told you it would be all right, love."

"I'm just so happy, Cullen," she giggled. "I promise I'll make it up to you later."

"You bet you will," he said huskily kissing the top of her head. "Go feed yourself. I'll pick you up later."

Emily laughed and went out to join her brother and her friend.

"Food," Anton groaned, theatrically.

"Oh, behave!" Emily growled with a laugh as they stepped into the elevator and headed down.

The evening was so much fun. They'd eaten quickly and then gotten ready to head out for a drink. Cullen picked them up, saying Dorian was meeting them at the bar.

Emily had opted not to take her brother to Karpathia's on his first night. It might have been a bit overwhelming for him. Liam had said he might drop by the bar they were going to later, so there was a chance Anton would get to meet him before he went to Karpathia's.

Emily was overjoyed that the visit was going so well and that Anton had given them his blessing. It meant the world to her to have her brother's approval.

Liam appeared at their table after they'd been at the bar an hour. He bowed to Anton when he was introduced.

"It is my honour to meet you," he said formally. "I hope your visit will set your mind at peace of any concerns you may have about our little Emily. She is much cherished by my kind."

"I'm beginning to notice that," Anton said with a laugh.

"I have spoken with both Emily and Cullen about a very important matter which is close to my heart," Liam continued. "As Emily's official human guardian, I would seek your approval on the matter too."

Anton looked puzzled but nodded for him to continue. He was finding Liam's archaic way of speaking to be quite strange.

"I am sure Emily has discussed her future plans with you," Liam said gravely. "When one is so special among my kind, we seek to protect that which is so dear to us. Emily will have the loving protection of her husband and her adopted brother," he continued nodding at first Cullen and then Dorian.

"Of course, she has your protection too, Anton, as her only living male relative. What she lacks is the protection of a father figure. I have asked for that honour when she joins us. Emily is willing, as is Cullen. It would gladden my heart if you would give your approval too."

Anton stared at him in surprise. "You want to adopt Emily as your daughter?" he asked, his voice confused.

Liam smiled. "It is nothing as formal as a human adoption," he smiled. "More an acknowledgement of kinship between us. To complete her family when she is one of us."

"Emily?" Anton said, looking at her for help. "Sorry, but this is quite confusing. Do you need another dad, Em?"

"Liam's offer is of protection more than being a father like dad was to us," she explained gently. "Not that I need any protection as no one would want to harm me anyway, but these men of mine take loving me and protecting me to the extreme sometimes." She smiled fondly at the vampires to take the sting out of her words.

Anton still looked confused but he guessed that what was being asked was some kind of huge honour and Emily seemed to be happy enough with it.

Liam was looking at him expectantly.

"If it's fine with Emily, it's fine with me," Anton finally said. "I'd love to see anyone try to hurt her with you three around looking after her. You have my approval and my thanks, Liam."

Liam's face broke into a beautiful smile. "Excellent," he beamed happily.

They stayed at the bar for another hour and then Anton said he needed to get some sleep. Dorian and Alice left together, with Liam following them not long afterwards.

Cullen drove Emily and Anton back to the apartment and waiting outside as Emily followed her brother into the apartment.
"I'm staying at Cullen's tonight," she said to Anton. "Will you be okay on your own?"

"I am a big boy now, Em," he laughed. "I'm looking forward to a night of uninterrupted sleep."

Emily kissed him and said she'd see him tomorrow.

Cullen kissed her hungrily all the way down in the elevator. "That's better," he smiled finally raising his head.

"I'll say," Emily laughed breathlessly. "Drive quickly, Cullen. I can't wait to get naked with you."

He threw back his head and laughed. "I know the feeling,"


To be continued.... 

Since you went away...

Since you went away, time has been at a stand still. Oh, I know it's moving. I know that days are passing, but in my heart - time is standing so still, the pain of losing you a raw, open wound pulsing against my soul.

It's hard to believe it has been a month since you left me. I miss you with every breath in my body and my heart aches every time I pause during the day and am forced to acknowledge that you are not here any more.

It's so cruel that life just marches on, that it doesn't care that the world no longer has you in it. I want to rail against that injustice and yet I throw myself into work and studies, and into my online world where I have commitments and expectations on me. Because life must go on they say, but deep inside my soul cries out soundlessly, and I want to scream out loud so the whole world knows my pain.

Last night I cried for you. Last night I said the words that broke my heart all over again, the words that acknowledged the truth I so wished I could deny. As my heart splintered once more, I admitted out aloud...

"Dad is dead. There is nothing I can do to bring him back."

You have left such a huge hole in my life, Dad. I know I will have good days and bad days, and time will finally start again for me and dull the pain I feel. But for now time is at a stand still, and my heart is heavy with sorrow.

I'm not ready to let you go, no matter what I admit out aloud. You are my hero, my protector, my teacher, and the kindest, most loving man in my life. I don't want you to be gone. I wish you were still here with me, making me laugh and filling me with your love.

I know I must let you go though, but not without telling you that I am who I am because of your love, support and protection. Thank you so much for being the most amazing father in the world, and for loving me so unconditionally and always being there for me.

I miss you so much, Dad, and always will.

Your loving daughter.

A Reluctant Love Ch 10.1

Chapter 10.1: Throw Back Thursday


Emily awakened slowly. She felt a warm body pressing against her back and she smiled. It had been so long since she'd woken to feel Cullen lying beside her. She lay quietly for a while, just savouring the feeling of his arm lying across her waist, his breath tickling her shoulder as he slept.

She looked at the clock and then groaned. It was nine thirty!

"Cullen, we're late," she said, twisting around to face him. He mumbled in his sleep and tightened his arm around her, pulling her closer to him. He buried his face in the crook of her neck.

"Cullen," she laughed softly, threading her fingers into his silky hair as she felt his lips begin to travel over her collar bone. "We need to get up," she said, wriggling in his arms.

"Hold still," he mumbled sleepily. "I'm kissing my fiancé."

Her heart thudded in her chest at his words. For a moment she had forgotten that she'd agreed to marry him last night.

He felt her sudden stillness and moved back to look at her, pushing his hair out of his eyes. "Emily?"

Her heart thudded in her chest again as she heard the hesitant note in his voice and saw apprehension in his beautiful, golden brown eyes.

"I haven't changed my mind," she smiled, her eyes glowing. "I'd just forgotten for a moment and you took me by surprise."

She saw relief cross his beautiful face and then he was pulling her closer to him, his mouth seeking hers. He kissed her long and slow and very thoroughly. She moaned and rubbed against him as his lips ignited a fire deep inside her.

She stifled another moan as his lips traveled back to her neck. "Cullen, we need to get up."

"My thoughts exactly," he chuckled, rubbing his hardness against her stomach.

Laughing, she extricated herself from his arms and climbed out the bed. "Not that kind of up," she smiled. "We're late for work. And it's my first day back too. I'm telling you, my time keeping has been shocking since I started working for you!"

Cullen grumbled and muttered under his breath about her having no romance at all which just made her laugh more. He finally realised that she wasn't going to let him have his wicked way with her and got up.

"I need to stop off at home first," he said when he'd finished his shower and put on his clothes from the night before. "I really need to bring some clothes here."

Emily was finishing securing her hair back with a clasp. "I'll meet you at the office then," she said. "I don't want to be any later on my first day back."

Cullen's eyes were thoughtful and for a moment she thought he was going to disagree with her, but then he smiled his beautiful smile and kissed the top of her head.

"Okay, love," he said. "I'll see you a bit later on."

Emily hurried out the apartment before he could change his mind. He was so stubborn when he wanted to get his own way.

She flagged a taxi and was soon at the Cullen and Cross building.

She chatted briefly with Dave, the security guard, as she signed in and then headed up to the top floor.

Beth smiled at her when she arrived.

"Dorian asked if you could go through when you arrived, Emily," the pretty blonde said.

"Thanks, Beth. Emily hurried down to her office and to deposit her bag and jacket.

Alice was positively glowing as she all but skipped into Emily's office.

"Oh, Emily, you were so right," she said happily, hugging her. "Last night was so wonderful."

"I take it things went well after we left?" Emily laughed.

Alice blushed and laughed. "Did they ever! Being with Dorian was like walking through the clouds," she sighed and Emily laughed again.

"I'm so happy for you, Alice," she smiled, giving her a quick hug. "Now I need to go see what the love of your life wants. I shouldn't be too long and you can fill me in with all the fluffy details later."

Alice laughed and went back to her own office as Emily headed to Dorian's.

The blond vampire looked up when she knocked and his face broke into a huge grin.

"Emily," he smiled, motioning for her to come in. "You're late!" he chuckled.

"Blame Cullen," she said, flushing slightly. "I assumed he had set the alarm as he's been staying at the apartment."

She sat down across from him and noticed slight changes in his face. He looked happier and more beautiful than she remembered. His blue eyes were literally shining.

"What did you say to Alice last night?" he asked with a grin.

"I just told her to follow her instincts," Emily smiled. "It just so happened that she instinctively wanted to run her hand through your hair at the time. I didn't think you'd mind," she added with a laugh.

Dorian roared with laughter, his beautiful face alight with joy. "I most definitely did not mind," he said, "once I'd gotten over the shock. Thank you, Emily. I didn't think I could feel any happier yesterday when you came home to us. Then you gave me my heart's desire too. I will be forever in your debt, love."

"You deserve it, Dorian," she said softly. "You made my happiness possible again when we met in Brussels. I'd say we're even."

He smiled a beautiful smile and then asked, "Where's Cullen?"

"Gone home to change," she told him. "Said he'd be in later."

"Maybe you two should take a holiday?" Dorian suggested. "Spend some time getting reacquainted?"

"I can't take a holiday when I've just gotten back," she laughed, though the thought of spending some uninterrupted time with Cullen was very appealing. She decided not to mention that they'd be taking some time off together soon enough, for their honeymoon. She wanted Cullen to tell his friend their news.

"Okay, on to work then," Dorian said, suddenly all business. "We didn't progress any further on the audits of our subsidiaries while you were away. I didn't think we had anyone with your skill level to complete the audits but Cullen mentioned Rafael Montana for some reason."

"Rafael is almost as good as I am," she replied, pleased that Cullen had remembered her recommendation of her old study partner's skills. "I went to university with him. I'd mentioned it to Cullen once. He could have done the job if you'd given it to him."

Dorian frowned thoughtfully, "Maybe Rafael's talents are wasted where he is at the moment. I'll have a think about it. So, are you up to getting on with the audits?"

Emily nodded. "If I may suggest that Rafael assist me?" she said. "It's just I'm going to have another project to work on fairly shortly and it may take up a bit of my time. I could use an assistant on the audits."

Dorian arched an eyebrow, "Another project?"

"Something personal," she smiled sweetly. "Nothing I can talk about just yet."

He shrugged. "Fine," he agreed. "Talk to Rafael. Make sure you get someone to cover for him before you take him away. If you give me a review of his work at the end of the audits, we'll see about moving him somewhere more suitable to his talents afterwards."

"Thanks, Dorian. He really is way too talented to be sitting stifling in his current position. Though he would never complain about it."

Dorian smiled. "Well, go get some work done, woman," he said, waving a hand dismissively.

"Yes, boss," she laughed, heading out his office.

"Alice, can you call Rafael Montana and ask him to come up to my office when he has a moment," she said when she got back to her office.

"Right away," her friend smiled. She hovered for a moment in the doorway.

"Right away?" Emily asked with a laugh.

Alice blushed. "I was just wondering. Did Dorian say anything?"

Emily smiled gently at her friend. She was obviously still a bit uncertain about her new relationship.

"He thanked me for giving him his heart's desire," she said softly. "Does that help?"

Alice's pretty face lit up with a wonderful smile, her eyes glowing with happiness. "I'll just go and call Rafael," she sighed and went back to her own office.

Rafael arrived ten minutes later and after welcoming her back, they sat down at her little meeting table and she explained why she wanted to see him. Rafael was ecstatic at the news.

"Thank you, Emily," he smiled gratefully. "I promise I won't let you down."

"I know you won't, Rafael. That's why I suggested you," she answered. "There's going to be a lot of travelling involved out to the various sites. I won't always be able to go but if you come to the first couple with me, then I'm confident you'll be able to go on site on your own."

"What about my department?" her friend asked with a frown.

"Do you have anyone in your team that can cover for you?" she asked. "Take some time over the selection because there is a good possibility that the person will be taking over permanently."

"Permanently!" Rafael said shocked. "What am I going to be doing?"

"Well, Dorian wants a full review on how you perform with the view of moving you onto something a bit more befitting your talents when the audits are completed. I've a few ideas running through my mind at the moment which I will discuss with Cullen and Dorian later on."

Rafael's expression lit up. "Thanks, Emily," he said quietly. "I really appreciate your faith in me."

"Call it payback for the sleepless nights with you at University, when I refused to give up on a particularly frustrating problem," she laughed. "You're up to the task, Rafael," she added. "I know what you're capable off."

The meeting broke up and Alice came into her office.

"Cullen is looking for you," she said.

Emily smiled. "Better go see what he wants then."

She headed up to his office and was surprised to see him looking nervous when she popped her head in the door.

"What's wrong?" she asked, bemused, as she closed the door.

"Have a seat, Emily," he said with his familiar, crooked smile.

She sat down, her expression curious as he hovered nervously over her, his beautiful face thoughtful.

"Emily," he finally sighed, kneeling in front of her. "I know I asked you last night to marry me and you said yes. But I want to do this right. I know it's corny and old fashioned in this day and age but I want every single important moment between us to be just right."

He was suddenly kneeling on just one knee, a small box in his hands. She could see his hands were shaking slightly as he opened the box and the most stunning engagement ring was revealed.

Emily felt her heart stop for a moment as she gazed at the platinum ring. It had a single, large, square cut diamond in the centre and was the most beautiful piece of jewellery she had ever seen. She felt tears gather in her eyes as she looked at Cullen's beautiful face.

"Emily Swan Mackenzie, will you marry me," he breathed softly, taking the ring from the box and sliding it slowly onto her finger. It fit perfectly and she couldn't stop the smile of joy that bloomed across her face.

"Yes, Sebastian Cullen, I will marry you," she whispered happily.

Cullen rewarded her words with a smile so loving and tender that her heart fluttered wildly and then he was pulling her to her feet and his mouth was on hers, kissing her thoroughly.

She moaned and wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing him back with all the love inside her.

"Thank you, my Emily," Cullen whispered against her hair. "Thank you for making me the happiest man alive."

"You make it sound as if you're the only one getting something precious, Cullen," she laughed softly. "I'm getting quite a bargain here too."

She kissed him gently, smothering his laughter with her mouth. He groaned and deepened the kiss until they were both breathless. Finally he pulled away and held her hand, smiling as he looked at the ring on her finger.

"You haven't told Dorian." It wasn't a question, more a fact.

She shook her head. "I wanted to wait until you were here," she said with a smile.

"Let's do it now," he said, pulling her from the office, his steps quick.

Emily laughed as he dragged her into Dorian's office without knocking.

"We're getting married," he announced unceremoniously.

Emily burst out laughing as Dorian's face went from annoyance, at their rude interruption, to shock, at Cullen's announcement, and then to joy as he took in the meaning of the words.

The blond vampire almost bounded over the desk as he rushed to congratulate them, pounding Cullen hard on the back as he hugged him and then turning to kiss Emily warmly as he gentled the hug he gave her.

"This is brilliant news," he cried happily. "Your personal project?" he queried, looking at Emily.

She blushed and nodded and he laughed, delightedly.

"This calls for a celebration," Dorian said, "Though not right now. We do need to get some work done today," he added.

"Tonight. Maybe Alice could arrange something?"

"I'll ask her," Emily smiled. "She doesn't know yet."

"She'll be fit for nothing work wise once she finds out," Cullen laughed good naturedly as Dorian picked up his phone and asked Alice to pop up to his office.

The little, dark head woman's eyes were curious when she entered. She blushed when Dorian grabbed her to his side and gave her a long kiss before Emily told her their news.

Alice was like a two year old as she bounced around the room, kissing and hugging everyone enthusiastically. Dorian's warm gaze followed her everywhere she went until she finally made it back to his side. He really did love the tiny, exuberant, little woman so much.

"Work," he finally growled laughing, as he shooed them all from his office. He caught Alice's hand as Cullen and Emily left, pulling her back into his arms.

"You can stay a little longer," he breathed against her mouth, his tongue parting her lips so it could slide inside her sweet mouth. He drank in her little gasps of pleasure as he plundered her soft mouth over and over again.

His eyes were shining when he finally pulled away and looked down at her beautiful face, her cheeks flushed with colour, her lips swollen from his kisses.

He groaned softly, "Now I understand why Cullen finds it so hard to get any work done with his love so close to him," he said with a shaky laugh.

He gave her another quick kiss and then stepped away. "Go organise a party," he smiled affectionately.

Alice laughed breathlessly and hurried out the office.

Emily chose Karpathia's for their party. Alice was doubtful but she stuck to her guns. It just felt right to her. One day she would be entering that world completely and she wanted to make sure that she was fully accepted.

Also, the night before she had seen the pattern of the room and it felt wrong. It was old and outdated and whilst she understood the respect the more ancient vampires generated, it was their isolation for the newer members of their kind which was halting progress.

The ancient ones just didn't realise that they had so much to learn from their younger counterparts who still remembered being human. It was time to shake up Karpathia's and bring the vampire nation into the twenty first century.

Alice grumbled but finally went off to call Liam to see if he was amenable to them having a party there. She came back and said he didn't see any issues with it, as long as other vampires were free to come and go as usual.

Emily smiled happily as she worked. She kept glancing at her hand, staring lovingly at the ring on her finger. She suddenly realised that she hadn't told Anton her news. It would be the middle of the night in Spain but she called him anyway.

"For the love of God, Em!" Anton groaned sleepily when he answered. "I finally thought I was going to be able to sleep the night through when you left but you're still wakening me at silly o'clock!"

Emily laughed. "Sorry, Anton, but this news can't wait. I'm getting married!"

Silence greeted her announcement and then she heard him suck in a deep breath. "You're getting married?" he exclaimed, shocked. "Are you sure about this, Em?"

"I've never been more sure about anything in my life, Anton," she said softly.

"I'm stunned," he breathed. "And overjoyed for you, baby girl. It's just, well, you know what he is."

Emily sighed. "Yes, " she answered gently. "Anton, I don't know how to say this." She tried to make the words come out but they froze in the back of her throat.

"You're going to become like him," her brother whispered hoarsely. "Dear God, Emily! Have you seriously thought this through?"

"Yes," she sighed. "One lifetime isn't enough to be with him, Anton. It's not going to happen for a while anyway. There's plenty of time. I'll still be your baby sister."

She could hear the pleading note in her voice. She wanted her brother to accept the decisions she had made.

"Emily," he groaned, his voice sounding harsh. She heard him take another deep breath. "You know I love you, baby girl," he finally said. "I'll always support whatever decisions you make, even if I think they're complete and utter madness. If this makes you happy then I'm behind you one hundred percent."

Emily exhaled slowly and felt tears on her face. "Thank you, Anton," she said softly, wiping at her wet cheeks. "It would have broken my heart if this was something you couldn't live with. I have a favour to ask of you."

"Name it, Em," Anton said, his voice sounding warmer.

"Will you give me away?" she asked breathlessly.

This time the silence lasted longer and she was becoming worried. Finally she heard what sounded like a choked sob at the other end of the phone.

"It would be my honour, Em," Anton finally said, his voice thick with emotion.

They chatted for a few more moments and then she hung up and sighed deeply. She had Anton's approval, albeit a guarded approval.

She headed up to Cullen's office. He looked up as she entered, his eyes quickly seeing the slight redness around hers. He pushed his chair back and opened his arms.

Emily sank down onto his lap and rested her head on his shoulder.

"I told Anton," she said quietly.

Cullen frowned slightly at her subdued tone.

"I take it he knows everything?" he asked softly.

She nodded. "I've never been able to lie to him," she sighed. "He's not exactly thrilled about things but he's willing to support my decisions. He's agreed to give me away at the wedding."

"That's good, love," Cullen smiled, tilting her head back so he could see her face. "Why the tears then?"

"I was just so scared that it would be all too much for him," she answered. "I know how overwhelming all this can be. And then I remembered how Alice reacted to Chris and all the trouble that caused. It would have killed me if Anton couldn't bear to be near me anymore."

Her bottom lip trembled as she spoke and Cullen caught her mouth gently with his, kissing her lightly.

"But that didn't happen, love," he smiled gently. "It's to his credit that he loves you enough to be able to accept your decisions no matter how unusual they may be."

"Unusual," Emily laughed. "His exacts words were 'complete and utter madness'."

Cullen stroked her check tenderly, his golden brown eyes warm as they drifted over her face. "You don't have to do this, Emily," he said softly.

He laughed at her shocked expression.

"Well, you have no choice when it comes to marrying me," he clarified, his lips quirking into a smile. "But the other, it isn't a prerequisite to us being together, love."

"I know," she whispered softly. "But it feels so right, Cullen. All my instincts are telling me that it's the right thing to do."

"Then we'll trust your instincts," he smiled. "Your brother will come around to the idea, once he's met us and sees how much we love you and sees that I'll do everything within my power to make you happy."

Emily hugged him tightly and then slid from his lap, feeling more settled now she had verbalised her fears and Cullen had helped soothe them.

"We're having our little celebration at Karpathia's," she said with a smile. "Need to do some shaking up there. Hope you don't mind me using our engagement as my first battleground."

Cullen laughed. "I suppose we're getting married there too?" he asked, half jokingly. He groaned when her eyes sparkled. "I almost feel sorry for my kind," he said, shaking his head. "They have no idea what's about to hit them."

Emily laughed. "Times must change, Cullen. It's for their own good. Plus, I want to include Liam and Chris in on our celebrations. I've become quite fond of them."

"Whatever you want, Emily," Cullen smiled indulgently.

"I'm heading home now to get ready for tonight. Pick me up at eight?"

"I'm counting down the minutes already," he said softly.


To be continued...... 

A Reluctant Love Ch 9

 
Chapter 9: Throw Back Thursday.


"How many nights have you woken up crying, Emily?" Anton suddenly asked, his voice sad. "I stopped counting myself after the first couple of months."

It was a week since they'd returned to Spain. Anton must have seen something in Dorian that had made him believe that Emily's secret was safe. He had decided against taking her away and trying to find somewhere else to hide her.

Emily didn't answer him, just kept staring at the blurring text on the page of the book she was trying to read at the poolside,
.
"You have such a beautiful smile, Em," he continued. "I miss seeing it. I don't think I've seen one genuine, heartfelt smile on your face since you've been here. Are you even aware of how haunted your expression is when you think no one is looking? It breaks my heart every time I see it."

"Anton, don't," she whispered, brokenly brushing at the tears that suddenly fell on her cheeks.

"Don't tell you the truth?" he asked softly. "I can't do that, baby girl. And I can't sit back any longer and watch you wilt more and more as each day goes by. You walk and talk and eat and drink but you're not really living, Emily. You're just pretending."

"There's no future with Cullen," she cried in anguish, jumping up from the lounger. "It's complicated and messed up and I can't deal with it!"

"Emily Swan Mackenzie, you couldn't run away from a problem if you tried," Anton said with a fond smile. "You're just too damned stubborn to do it. You used to drive me and Dad nuts when you were little, always wanting to know why or how? No answer was ever good enough for you. That's why you're wilting here in this beautiful Spanish sunshine. You have a problem you need to fix and you're trying to hide from it."

"He hurt me so badly," Emily whimpered, her eyes full of agony.

"And I dare say you leaving him hurt him just as badly as he hurt you. From what Dorian said the man is miserable without you," Anton said. "Hasn't he suffered enough, Emily? Haven't you both suffered enough?"

She stared at him and saw his eyes shining with love and support for her.

"It's time to start living again, baby girl," he smiled crookedly. "I'm going to miss you so much but you need to go fix your problem."

Emily sniffled. "Are you throwing me out?" she asked.

"If that's what it takes," he smiled. He pulled her into his arms and gave her a big hug. "You always could fix anything when you set your mind to it, Emily. You can fix this too, I know you can."

Emily gave a little laugh at the conviction in his voice. "When did you get to be so smart, big brother?"

"You're not the only one in the family with brains," he laughed. "Now go fix your face, it's all snotty!"

"It is not!" Emily said indignantly and then laughed when he winked at her.

"Just don't leave it so long to come home next time," Anton said, smiling.

"I won't," Emily promised. "I love you, Anton. Thanks for putting up with me."

"Any time," he smiled. "You're my baby sister and I'll always be here for you."

Less than twenty four hours later, Emily was standing outside the building of Cullen and Cross. She sucked in a deep breath and walked through the glass doors.

Dave, the security guard, looked up and his face broke into a big smile. "Miss Swan," he said delightedly. "So good to see you back."

He opened up a desk drawer and pulled out her security pass and elevator key. He pushed them across to her as she signed in. "Mr Cullen said to keep these available at all times," he told her.

Emily stared at them in surprise and then took them from the desk. "Thanks, Dave," she smiled and headed to the elevator. Her heart thumped in her chest as she got in the elevator. Cullen seemed to have been certain that she would come back.

The elevator pinged open on the top floor and Emily stepped out nervously. The office looked just the same as it had been when she left. She saw Beth's stunned face break into a big smile.

"Emily, it's so fantastic to see you back," she beamed happily. "Cullen and Dorian are in a meeting in the Boardroom. I'll just ring through."

"Beth, can you give me a minute first please?" Emily said, her hands feeling sweaty as her nerves increased.

Beth's face fell. "Cullen gave us strict instructions that if you called or came here he was to be notified straight away."

"I'll sort it if he gets annoyed," Emily promised with a smile. "I was hoping to speak to Alice first. Is she here?"

"She's in her office," Beth said.

Emily headed down to her old office. Alice's office was straight across from hers. She smiled as she saw her friend staring intently at her laptop screen.

"Can I come in?" she called softly.

Alice's head snapped round and her eyes grew big as she stared at Emily. Then she started to cry as she jumped up and threw herself into her arms.

"Oh, Emily, I've missed you so much," she cried.

Emily hugged the little woman, feeling her own emotions starting to overwhelm her. "I'm so glad you're safe, Alice," she whispered. "I was so afraid for so long."

"I'm fine, really I am," Alice reassured her. "It was really scary, Emily. But Cullen, he stood in front of me and said that no one was going to hurt me and if they wanted to try then they would have to go through him first. And then Dorian joined him and Liam. I didn't feel scared after that. I knew I was going to be okay."

"Why didn't you tell me, Alice?" Emily groaned. "I would have helped you find your brother."

"I didn't know you knew about them," she whispered. "I thought I was the only one. I did a really silly thing and I nearly paid a heavy price for it. But it all worked out in the end. For me anyway. I just wish you and Cullen weren't so hurt by it all."

"That doesn't matter, Alice. If Cullen and I shedding a few tears was the price to pay for your safety then I'd do it all over again in a heartbeat, love." Emily hugged her close and smiled her first genuine smile in a long time.

"Cullen's taken care of me since you've been gone," Alice said softly. "Emily, please make him smile again. A proper one that makes his face light up as if all his Christmas' have come at once. The kind he has when he sees you."

"We have to do a lot of hard talking first. It may not be that simple, Alice. But I'm here and I'm willing to give it try. I'd better go before he scents me here and gives Beth a hard time because she didn't alert him right away."

She kissed Alice lightly on the cheek and then turned for the Boardroom. She froze when she saw both Cullen and Dorian standing at Beth's desk. Cullen's head snapped round and she saw his beautiful face for the first time in so long.

He looked tired and dejected. His eyes were dark and unfathomable as he stared at her as if seeing a ghost. His luscious hair was loose and hanging round his shoulders. He seemed rooted to the spot, as if he didn't quite believe what he was seeing.

Emily began to walk towards them just as Dorian turned and saw her too. The smile on his face was ecstatic and he strode down the hallway to capture her in a big bear hug. "I'm so glad you came back, love," he whispered against her hair.

"You can show that by letting me breath, Dorian," she laughed.

"Sorry," he groaned and released her, stepping back and grinning broadly.

"You're in my way, Dorian," Emily said with a smile.

He groaned again and stepped to the side so she could see Cullen again. She walked slowly towards him and then stepped passed him into the Boardroom. He followed and closed the door behind them.

"Hello, Cullen," she said softly, turning to face him. His eyes roamed over her face, taking in the deep circles under her eyes, the sadness that seemed to permeate her skin.

"Emily," he breathed. "Are you really here?"

"In the flesh," she said. "I'm not a figment of your imagination, Cullen."

She walked to the table and sat down. He followed and sat down facing her.

"Did you see Alice?" he asked, his eyes trying to peer into her soul.

"I just spoke to her," she answered. "She said you took good care of her."

"It was the least I could do," he muttered, a frown on his face. He looked at her again. "Have you come home, Emily?" he whispered.

She looked down at her clasped hands. "We need to talk, Cullen," she finally said. "There has been a lot of hurt on both sides. It's not a simple case of walking in here and everything goes back to the way it was."

She looked up and saw raw pain on his face.

"But you know me," she said with a small smile. "Never happy unless I'm trying to fix things. So here I am. Willing to try and fix us, if you're prepared to meet me half way."

She saw uncertainty in his eyes as well as a small bit of hope.

"You really want to try?" he asked, his voice low and strained.

"I wouldn't be here if I wasn't willing to, Cullen," she whispered. "I'm tired of running away. I'm tired of pretending that I'm living my life when really I'm just existing from one day to the next."

She sighed and unclasped her hands only to re-clasp them again a second later. She looked at him.

"Meeting Dorian in Brussels brought everything back and I found it just as painful then as I did when I was last here. So I guess all the moving on I thought I had done was just a lie. I could run to the ends of the Earth and I still wouldn't be able to put enough distance between us, Cullen."

He closed his eyes as if trying to escape from the raw emotion in hers.

"I thought you were dead," he said, his voice breaking. "When I couldn't find you, I thought I would go mad with grief. And then Dorian saw you in Brussels. I was happy, Emily. Happy that you were safe and well, even if you didn't want to be with me. Knowing you were safe was all I could ever really hope for. I never expected you to come back. I hoped for it. I prayed for it. But I never expected it."

He opened his eyes and they were bright with tears. "Tell me what you need from me." he whispered. "Name it, anything you want and I'll give it to you, no matter what it is."

"I want my heart back, Cullen," she whispered, her voice raw. "I gave it to you and you ripped it to shreds. When you stood with the others against me, I thought I would die from the pain it hurt so bad. How could you do that, Cullen? I gave you everything. I loved you. I trusted in you. And you threw it all back in my face when you were willing to kill my best friend even as I begged you for mercy."

Emily took a deep breath, trying to reel in the raw emotions coursing through her. "I know you argued against me helping that day but I loved you. I needed to protect you and I was left in the middle of the man I loved and the best friend I loved. I trusted in you never to hurt me. That included you not wanting to kill someone I loved to protect yourself."

"I know," he groaned, his cheeks wet with tears. "I know I let you down, Emily. It killed me to do so. For a brief moment of time the monster inside me was in control and it was determined to shatter whatever happiness I had. But it was only for a moment. And then I came to my senses. But by then it was too late. You had gone and I couldn't find you to beg your forgiveness. I'm sorry, Emily. You have no idea how sorry I am."

They stared at each other, their faces mirroring the pain they both felt.

"If you ever do anything like that to me again there will be no going back, Cullen," Emily finally said brushing the tears from her face. "I can't go through that again, not ever."

"I swear I'll never let you down again," he answered his hand reaching tentatively across the table. He slowly touched her hand lying on the table. Her heart raced at his touch but she held herself still, afraid to trust in him again.

"Emily, if you can't forgive me, I'll understand," he said softly. "If friendship is all that you can offer then I'll accept it gladly just as long as you don't hate me and I can be a part of your life, no matter how small a part."

Emily felt more tears roll down her cheeks. She hated to see Cullen so dejected, so humbled. His pain hurt her almost as much as her own pain did. She had to make a decision and she had to make it now. She couldn't drag this out any longer, hurting them both with her indecision.

She closed her eyes and more tears fell. What were her instincts telling her? Where was her infamous intuition that always seemed to lead to the correct answer from insufficient data? Could she trust him? Was Anton right in asking if he had suffered enough by losing her for so long?

"Cullen," she whispered brokenly, opening her eyes slowly. "I forgive you."

The flare of joy in his eyes and the tears that spilled over both elated and saddened her.

He flew round the table and fell to his knees beside her. He hesitantly reached out and buried his head against her stomach and wrapped his arms around her tightly. She cradled his head in her arms and cried with him as months of pain sought release.
"I'm so sorry, Emily," he wept over and over, his body shaking.

She stroked his hair and kissed the top of his head, soothing him, telling him everything was going to be all right. As his tears ebbed she tilted his head up and tenderly brushed his wet cheeks. "Forgive yourself," she whispered against his mouth. "And forgive me for the pain I've caused you too."

She kissed him, slowly and softly, feeling her heart race as she felt the sweet pleasure she had longed for so much but had been denied. Cullen's lips trembled against hers and he groaned and took over the kiss, parting her lips and tasting her with his tongue.

His hands cradled her face as his fingers traced her features gently. He kissed her again, pulling her from the chair until she was sitting in his lap and he was holding her tightly to him. "Emily, sweet Emily," he whispered. "How I've missed you. How I've long to see you beautiful face, to see your sweet smile, to hear you say my name the way you used to, so full of love."

"I meant what I said the night we first made love," she sighed softly. "I will love you forever, Cullen. Even when I told myself I hated you I knew I was lying to myself. I've loved you every moment we've been apart. I've longed for you every night. I tried to pretend I didn't care after I saw Dorian. But Anton made me see sense when he asked me how many nights had I cried in my sleep as he had stopped counting after the first couple of months."

Cullen tensed slightly, the hand stroking her face stilled and he swallowed hard.

"Who's Anton?" he asked softly, as he closed his eyes and began stroking her face again. "I'll understand If you sought comfort elsewhere, love."

Emily giggled as she realised how what she had said sounded. "I think Anton would be very shocked at the interpretation you've taken from my words."

He looked at her, his expression confused.

"He's my brother."

Cullen stared at her stunned. "I didn't know you had a brother," he gasped.

"There was a lot of things you never asked about me, Cullen," she said gravely.

"A mistake I intend to rectify," he promised, his eyes glowing with love. "When can I meet Anton? I want to thank him for taking such good care of you, love, and for giving you such good advice that you came home to me."

"I'll invite him over soon," she said, smiling. "I've spent far too much time away from him over the last few years. A mistake I intend to rectify," she laughed, echoing his words.

"Oh God, I love you so much, Emily," Cullen groaned, stealing her breath away in a glorious kiss that seemed to last forever.
"I love you too, Cullen," she said breathlessly when he finally freed her mouth from his.

She suddenly giggled and he smiled at her. "What?"

"We're sitting on the Boardroom floor," she laughed. "They're probably all outside with glasses against the wall trying to figure out what's going on in here."

"Now we're lying on the Boardroom floor," he laughed, moving so she was lying against the carpet and he was lying beside her

"Do you want to go out there?" he asked his eyes running slowly over her body.

"Not just yet," she smiled. "I want to phone Anton first."

Cullen sat up and grabbed her bag and handed it to her. She rolled onto her stomach as she dug out her cell phone.

"I have your other phone," Cullen said quietly. "I found it in a trashcan when I was looking for you."

"Throw it away," she said. "Leave it in the past where it belongs."

She dialled Anton and put the phone on speaker so she could twist round and kiss Cullen as it connected.

"This better be a bloody emergency, Em!" Anton growled in Spanish when he answered.

"No emergency. I just wanted to let you know that I arrived safely. And that I took your advice and fixed things. Oh and I have you on speaker phone," she laughed, answering in Spanish.

Anton swore at her in Spanish but she just laughed harder.

"I'm overjoyed," Anton said reverting to English. "I assume your beloved is with you, hence the speaker phone?"

"Yes, Cullen is here," she smiled.

"I'm glad you two have made up and as much as I love you to death, baby girl, right now all I want to do is sleep. Call me at a decent hour next time," he said grumpily.

"Love you too, Anton. Cullen wants to meet you so get your backside out here soon."

"I don't play happy families, you know that," he grouched, tiredly. "The last few months was more than enough happy families I can cope with for a lifetime."

"You're such a terrible liar, Anton," Emily said affectionately. "You loved every minute of it. Call me and let me know when you're coming over."

"I'm hanging up now," he warned.

"Okay, Anton. Talk to you soon."

"It's good to hear you laugh again, baby sister," he said. And she could hear the smile in his voice before he hung up.

She smiled as she disconnected and turned to see Cullen looking at her, his expression fascinated.

"You speak fluent Spanish," he said in amazement.

She nodded. "And fluent French, German and Italian."

He shook his head in shock. "How did I not know this?" he said quietly. "You were so right when you said there were many things about you that I didn't know."

Another thought seemed to strike him suddenly.

"Emily, who exactly is your brother?" he asked.

She blushed and looked sheepish. "The reason you couldn't find me was because I was living and working under my real name, my father's name rather than my mother's, which I've gone by my whole life," she admitted. "Your friend Carter Long almost found me."

"Your brother is Anton Mackenzie of Mackenzie Petrochemicals?" he exclaimed shocked.

She nodded.

"So when Carter thought he had a lead on a girl called Emily working there, it was really you?"

She nodded again. "I saw him and knew what he was straight away. I persuaded Anton not to do any business with him. I knew if he hung around long enough he would have realised that Emily Mackenzie was in fact Emily Swan."

"So you own half of Mackenzie Petrochemicals?" he said.

"Technically," she answered. "Up until recently, I've not had much to do with the company. I preferred to follow my own path and Anton was happy to take on running the place when Dad died. I was happy to let him. It worked out fine for both of us."

Cullen sat up and laughed. Emily sat up too and smiled at him. "What?" she asked.

"I just found it suddenly funny that I was paying 250K a year to a billionaire," he laughed.

"You don't have to pay me, Cullen, it's not as if I need the money" she said quietly. "I don't work for money. I work because it's what I love doing. Finding and fixing problems."

"Oh, Emily, you are so priceless," he laughed softly. "You have no idea how much we all need you to teach us what being human is all about."

"Dorian said that in Brussels," she said, her voice tense. "Cullen, I can't begin to describe how non human you all appeared to me that day. It was as if I had been looking at carefully constructed masks all the other times I'd been at the club. That day you were all stripped bare to your very cores and I was terrified of what I saw." She shuddered as she spoke and he pulled her close.

"You felt so scared yet you still stood up against us," he said, his voice full of admiration. "And we needed that, Emily. We needed your capacity for mercy and compassion to make us see that what we intended to do was so very wrong. Liam told me what happened between you in the Boardroom. He so admired your bravery, Emily. It was that bravery which made him stand with us later on that day. Don't you see, Emily? You're doing it and you don't even know that you are."

"Doing what?" she asked perplexed.

"You're fixing us, Emily," Cullen smiled, his beautiful golden brown eyes shining with love. "Subconsciously, your wonderfully unique mind recognised a problem with us and you started to automatically work on solving the problem. First with me and Dorian and then with Liam. I am constantly asked if I have found you when I go to Karpathia's, even by vampires who have never spoken to you but have just sensed your innate goodness when you've been there. We need you, love. You are our one hope of remembering what being human truly is."

Emily stared at him in shock. "Cullen, I don't know if I can do that," she whispered.

"You don't need to do anything but be yourself, love," he smiled and kissed her long and slow until she was breathless.

A knock sounded on the Boardroom door and Dorian hollered, "When you two are ready there's a welcome home party going on out here for Emily."

Emily and Cullen laughed. He jumped up and pulled her up beside him and they headed out to the party.

Emily practically glowed as she laughed and hugged all the friends she had missed so much. She pulled Alice close to her and held onto the little woman for a long time. She looked across the room to see Cullen watching her intently. His beautiful face seemed less tired than when she'd first saw him. His eyes shone as he watched her and his lips curved upwards in a heart stopping smile.

"That was the smile I was talking about," Alice sighed, her head resting against Emily's shoulder.

Emily laughed. "It is pretty spectacular," she agreed wholeheartedly.

She pulled Alice with her over to Dorian and Cullen.

"You have been sorely missed, Emily," Dorian said fondly giving her a warm hug.

"I've missed you all too," she smiled happily. "It's so good to be home."

"Your apartment is still there for you," Dorian told her. "All your things are still there, just waiting for you to return. I had a cleaning company go in once a week to keep it ready for you."

"Didn't the company need it?" she asked surprised.

"Cullen bought another apartment for the company," Dorian chuckled. "Wouldn't let anyone else stay in yours, except himself."

"It's not mine," Emily laughed, shaking her head at Cullen who had looked away, embarrassed by Dorian's revelation.

"It is now, " Dorian said. "By order of Sebastian Cullen, the deeds were transferred into your name months ago."

"Cullen," Emily groaned, her face flushing red. "You can't just give me an apartment. I'm paying you full market value for it."

"I won't cash your cheque," he said stubbornly, his beautiful face set obstinately.

"Are you really going to fight with me so soon, Emily?" he grinned, his eyes sparkling, when she glared at him.

"We'll talk about this later," she warned but her lips twitched upwards and she ended up laughing at his hopeful expression.

Dorian and Alice laughed with them.

A while later, Cullen cornered Emily in a quiet corner and kissed her thoroughly.

"Did you really stay at my apartment?" she asked when he let her breathe.

"Most nights," he said softly, hugging her close. "Your scent was there and I needed to be around you so badly."

"Oh, Cullen," she sighed and hugged him hard.

He kissed the top of her head and ran his hands through her long curls.

"About the apartment, if you really feel strongly about it, I will let you pay me back," he said. "But I would prefer if you accepted it as a welcome home gift from me. I know you don't need me to buy it for you. It would give me great pleasure if you would let me, though."

"This one time, Cullen," she smiled. "If it brings you pleasure."

"It does, love," he smiled and kissed her again. "Will you come to Karpathia's tonight, Emily?"

She tensed, automatically remembering the last time she was there.

"I don't know if I'm ready for that yet, Cullen," she whispered.

"You would be safe with me, Emily," he sighed. "Don't you think the sooner you go, the easier it will be? You need to lay the bad memories to rest."

"I can't really argue with your logic," she said and then nodded her agreement.

Cullen left her side to tell Dorian that they were leaving.

Emily met him at the elevator and was surprised to see Alice and Dorian waiting with him.

"Are you coming too?" she asked, surprised.

"Of course we are," Alice said taking her hand. "My brother Christopher will be there. I want to introduce you to him. He thinks you're great even though he's only ever heard about you."

"Why on Earth would he think that?" Emily said stunned.

"Because you saved his little sister and he loves me very much," Alice laughed, as if it was obvious.

Cullen slipped an arm around Emily and Alice walked between Emily and Dorian, holding a hand each.

Emily noticed Dorian look down fondly at the little woman between them. She smiled slowly as she recognised the feelings in his eyes. He caught her eye and silently shook his head at her raised eyebrow. So Alice had no clue that Dorian was head over heels in love with her. She could fix that.

Surrounded by the people she loved, Emily walked into Karpathia's with only a slight hesitation. Her step almost faltered when the room went deathly silent when they entered. She felt Cullen and Dorian tense and Alice grip her hand tightly.

Then the oddest thing happened. As they passed towards the back of the room, a large number of the vampires present inclined their heads in what she could only discern as being a respectful gesture.

Liam jumped up from his customary seat on the big sofa at the back of the room.

"Little Emily," he cried loudly, his beautiful face grinning broadly as held his arms out wide to her.

Emily ran the last few steps and threw herself into his arms, feeling overcome with emotion at his exuberant greeting.
"Liam, it's so good to see you again," she said breathlessly.

"It gladdens my heart to see you safe and well, little one," he said, sounding slightly choked. "Thank you for coming, Emily. For your generous, forgiving heart."

He called loudly for drinks for everyone and handed her back into Cullen's waiting arms. Alice had vanished somewhere so Emily sat between Cullen and Dorian on the sofa. She looked around the room and then turned to Liam.

"Not wishing to sound disrespectful, but how old are you, Liam?"

He looked surprised at her question. "I am somewhere in my nineteen hundredth year. Why do you ask, Emily?"

"Patterns," she said with a smile. "I just noticed the pattern of the room. I don't know why I didn't notice it before."

"What pattern?" Cullen asked laughing. "What has your mind cooked up now?"

"The younger the vampire, the nearer to the door he or she sits," Emily elaborated. "Your culture seems to associate age with wisdom and therefore the further into the room you sit, the older and more respected you are. It's why a larger number of vampires at the front of the room inclined their heads as we passed. They're more likely to remember being human therefore they are more accepting of the havoc I've inadvertently caused here. The older vampires feel differently."

Cullen, Dorian and Liam stared at her open mouthed. Liam suddenly laughed.

"Your little Emily is a treasure, Cullen," he said smiling. " I have spent the last three months trying to work out where the resistance to change was coming from and she solves the problem with a quick glance around the room and a few sentences."

Emily blushed. "To be honest, Liam, if the vampires hadn't inclined their heads as they did, I probably wouldn't have noticed the pattern."

"But you did, Emily," Liam said. "Thank you for once again coming to our rescue."

Emily cuddled into Cullen and smiled as his arms wrapped around her and he kissed the top of her head. "You constantly amaze me, love," he said softly, his voice glowing with approval.

Dorian smiled fondly at her and patted her hand. "We do so need you, sweet Emily," he smiled.

Emily saw Alice on a sofa near the door with a young vampire. His shock of dark hair and the resemblance to Alice marked him as her brother.

"Oh there's Alice," she said with a smile. "Looks like she's with her brother. I'm going to go say hi, Cullen."

"Hurry back," he smiled. "I've been without you too long already."

She kissed him on the tip of his nose as she stood up.

She reached Alice after some more head inclining, which she found embarrassing but made a point of nodding back so as not to offend anyone.

"Alice, there you are," she called as she approached her. "I wondered where you disappeared to."

"Emily, come and say hi to Chris," the little woman smiled.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Emily," Chris said, standing and inclining his head slightly. "Alice had told me so much about you."

"Lovely to meet you, Chris," Emily smiled., sitting down beside Alice. "I'm so glad you two managed to find each other again."

He smiled at Alice, his eyes warm with affection. "I am too, Emily."

He chatted for a moment and then he said he'd be back shortly and left.

"He's going for some blood," Alice smiled. "He keeps telling me he's off to talk to a friend. Like I don't know what he's doing," she laughed.

"I'm glad you're handling all this so well, Alice," Emily said. "It must have been an incredible shock to find out that not only your brother was a vampire but also Cullen and Dorian."

The little woman regarded her solemnly.

"I wasn't that surprised to find out about Cullen and Dorian," she finally said. "What did surprise me was that you knew about it."

"It surprised the hell out of me when I found out," Emily laughed. "Remember when I took time off sick when I first started at the company? That was when I found out."

Alice eyes were shining with curiosity. "So that was what was wrong with you," she exclaimed. "I always wondered what was going on around that time. Cullen and Dorian were so tense that week."

"You weren't surprised to learn about them?" Emily prodded.

"I'd seen Chris by then. The beautiful appearance," Alice sighed. "I looked at Cullen and Dorian and saw the exact same beauty. I think I knew though I never verbalised to myself."

Emily smiled. "So you think they're beautiful, do you?" she teased lightly.

Alice rolled her eyes. "Oh, come on, Emily," she laughed. "You can't take your eyes off Cullen when he's in the same room as you. His beauty draws your eyes to him. Dorian is just the same."

"I find I can avoid looking at Dorian quite easily," Emily smiled, her eyes speculative. "What about you, Alice?"

Alice blushed and looked away.

"You can tell me," Emily coaxed. "You like him, don't you?"

"Shhhh Emily," Alice groaned. "It's so embarrassing."

" Tell me," Emily smiled encouragingly.

Alice blushed deeper and groaned. "I find myself thinking about him at the oddest times," she finally said. "I have to resist the urge to run my fingers through his gorgeous blond hair. Sometimes I can barely speak if he's in the room."

Emily's smile widened. "Have you ever seen him look at you in a similar way?" she asked quietly.

"God, no," Alice groaned. "He treats me as if I'm his erratic niece or something. Always politely amused by what I say or do."

"Take a chance, Alice," Emily said, her voice low. "The next time you want to run your fingers through his hair, do it. You'll be surprised by his reaction."

Alice's face flamed hotter. "I couldn't do that, Emily," she whispered.

"Trust me, Alice," Emily laughed. "You know how I can't help fixing things. The look Dorian gave you tonight when we left the office was most definitely not the look of a fond Uncle."

Alice's eyes flew to her, confused.

"I don't know how long he's been in love with you, Alice," Emily sighed softly. "But I saw it in his eyes tonight. So if you have feelings for him, take the risk and go for it. It's scary and exciting, and sometimes incredibly painful, loving a vampire but so worth the risk."

Alice looked as if she had just been slapped across the face.

"He's in love with me?" she whispered, shocked. "He's never once even hinted that he thought about me like that. Maybe you only saw that you wanted to see, Emily."

"Oh, Alice," Emily laughed and stroked her cheek gently. "Another thing about vampires is they're monumentally overprotective of the ones they love. You've been through so much these last few months. Dorian will be afraid of doing anything to frighten you further. He'll keep his distance as long as he feels that you're still fragile."

Emily smiled as she saw a flash of hope in the little woman's eyes. "You really think he loves me?" she asked breathlessly.

"I'm certain of it, Alice," Emily smiled. "Take a chance and find out for yourself."

Satisfied that she'd done her work for the day, Emily waited until Chris returned then she made her way back to Cullen who was watching her approach with a beautiful smile on his face.

She sank onto the sofa and pulled his arms around her body, feeling happy and content. She smiled up at Dorian and his eyes narrowed slightly.

"What are you so smug about?" Dorian asked, a smile tugging at his lips. "You look like you've been up to something."

"Just fixing things," she laughed breezily as Cullen kissed the top of her head and laughed.

"Liam off to indulge himself?" Emily asked, seeing the other vampire gone.

Dorian nodded and sipped from the glass in his hand.

"Not drinking from source tonight, Dorian?" Emily asked and laughed when she saw his eye narrow further.

"I thought you'd noticed earlier that Dorian is a little preoccupied at the moment," Cullen grinned.

"I see the pattern clearly," she answered smiling.

"Will you two cut it out," Dorian said with a groan. "Nothing worse than two smug people taking the piss just because they're lives are finally back on track."

"Taking the piss?" Alice laughed coming to join them and hearing the end of the conversation. "You swore, Dorian!" she said, feigning shock and disapproval as she sat down on the other side of him.

Emily saw Dorian tense slightly as Alice's leg appeared to innocently brush his as she sat down. She stifled a giggle and Cullen looked at her, a question in his eyes as he felt her body shake against his.

"Dorian would you mind if I touched your hair?" Alice asked innocently. "I've always wondered what it felt like. It looks so soft and silky. It's so unfair that you and Cullen have hair a woman would give her right arm for."

Dorian froze and looked at Alice, his expression unreadable. "That might not be wise, Alice," he finally said, his voice low and strained.

"Why not?" Alice asked, her voice catching slightly as she tried to maintain her innocent act.

Dorian exhaled slowly. "A brief touch," he finally said.

Alice's eyes shone with excitement as she reached one small hand up and gently threaded her fingers underneath the hair at the side of his face. She watched in fascination as the blonde silky locks flowed gently through her fingers to come to rest back against his cheek.

"It's even softer than it looks," she smiled delightedly. She had risen to her knees on the sofa, bringing her face so close to Dorian's that her breath fanned his cheekbone as she spoke.

"Sit back, Alice," Dorian said sharply, his body rigid.

Alice turned her face to his and seemed almost as surprised as he was to find their faces so close.

"Did I do something wrong, Dorian?" she asked softly, a slight frown on her lovely face.

"No," he said through clenched teeth, "but I'm about to if you don't sit back right now."

"About to do what?" she asked breathlessly and then gave a startled squeak as he moved suddenly, taking her face gently in his hands and closing the gap between them until his mouth was on hers.

Emily sighed happily and cuddled against Cullen as Dorian kissed Alice with months worth of pent up hunger and desire. Her friend's arms circled his neck and she was kissing him back with just as much passion, her tiny hands threading into his hair.

"You just can't help yourself, can you?" Cullen laughed kissing the top of her head, his eyes sparkling with amusement.

Emily twisted around until she could reach his lips with hers. "Would you have me any other way?" she teased against his lips.
"I love you just the way you are, my Emily," he breathed softly and then kissed her deeply.

When they stopped kissing, Emily turned back to Dorian and Alice. Dorian was holding the little woman close to his chest, his eyes bright with joy. He looked at Emily and smiled ruefully and she laughed and then stood up, tugging Cullen with her.

"Come on," she smiled. "I think it's about time you took me home."

Cullen's golden brown eyes glowed as he hugged her to his side.

"See you two tomorrow," he called over his shoulder as they made their way from Karpathia's.

Emily wasn't surprised when he took her to the apartment. He had said he'd been spending most night's there anyway.

Cullen closed the door behind them and then leaned against it and watched her walk around the room, re-familiarising herself with the apartment.

Emily smiled gently at him and held out her hand. "Come and welcome me home properly, Cullen," she said softly.

He groaned and the emotions in his eyes deepened as he walked slowly towards her. He picked her up when he reached her and walked through to the bedroom, laying her gently on the bed.

"I've missed you so much, Emily," he whispered, his hands shaking as he slowly undressed her and then himself.

"I've longed for you so much, Cullen," she moaned softly, taking his hands and placing them against her breasts.

His mouth found hers and his tongue parted her lips gently and dipped inside her mouth, searching for hers. His hands massaged her aching breasts softly as he kissed her.

Her own hands were stroking against his skin, tracing his jaw line, the broadness of his shoulders, the hard plains of his chest.

Cullen's hands slid to her hips, stroking rhythmically as his mouth trailed kisses of fire down her throat and to her breasts, suckling gently against the hardened peaks.

His hand gently parted her thighs and then his fingers were against her hot flesh, teasing her open with gentle little touches. He began to stroke her rhythmically, dipping his fingers inside her body as she moaned and her hips rose to meet his clever hand.

Cullen pushed her higher and higher as his fangs elongated and pierced the flesh of her breast, drinking deeply of her sweet essence as she shook in his arms as she achieved her pleasure from his fingers.

He finished feeding and closed the puncture marks with his rough tongue. He moved his hand from between her thighs and she felt his hardness replace it. He groaned and slid deep inside her with one hard thrust.

She felt so full with him inside her body. Her breathing was ragged as he sat back on his heels and pulled her body up until she was sitting in his lap, impaled by this throbbing hardness.

Cullen gently smoothed the curls back from her face with one hand, the other wrapped tightly around her lower back. His lips kissed her arched throat and then travelled back to her breasts to suckle her taut nipples.

"My Emily," he breathed softly as he strove to taste every inch of her sweat slickened skin.

He began to move inside her and she moaned and held onto his shoulders as she felt pleasure coil inside her stomach as he set a slow, deep rhythm.

Emily moved her hands to his neck and pulled her body closer to his as they moved in unison. She licked at his lips and they parted, his tongue coming out to lick against hers erotically as his movements began to become faster.

His golden brown eyes were fierce with desire when she looked at him, his beautiful face flushed with passion as their movements became more frantic.

"Emily," he groaned. "You feel so good. I can't get enough of you."

She kissed him wildly and moved faster, pushing her body down against his upwards thrusts.

"Take me, Cullen," she moaned against his lips. "Take me to heaven and back again."

He groaned deeply and laid her down on her back. He rose over her, resting his hands on his elbows so as not to put his full weight on her. His fingers threaded into her curls and he began thrusting hard and deep into her tight body.

Emily moaned and thrust against him, her need spiralling higher as he relentlessly pushed her body towards the wonderful pleasure that waited for them. She didn't want it end, the feel of him inside her so intoxicating after so many months apart.

But he stoked a fire deep inside her. A fire that threaten to consume her. She moaned and pulled his mouth to hers. "Cullen," she groaned, her voice thick with need.

His own need matched hers and suddenly his movements became more frantic. He thrust harder and faster into her, his kisses wild as the breath rasped from his throat.

"Emily," he groaned hoarsely. "Now, Emily. Take your pleasure."

Emily cried out in ecstasy as white hot flames of passion erupted deep inside her. Her body shook wildly as she felt Cullen's own need spill deep inside her as he growled his pleasure loudly against her ear.

Hearts thundering and breaths rasping, Cullen rolled onto his side, taking her with him, their bodies still joined. His hand lay against her lower back, pulling her tight against him.

"I don't want to leave your beautiful body," he said with a groan. "I've missed this so much, Emily. I'm afraid if I leave, I'll never be able to feel this sweet pleasure again."

"I've missed this too," she said shakily. "I dreamed of this every night we were apart. I would wake crying because I thought I would never know this sweet bliss ever again."

"Stay with me always, Emily," he pleaded, his eyes haunted. "Life is unbearable without you at my side."

"No more running away," she whispered softly. "If we have another problem, I'll stay and try to fix it. I promise you that, Cullen."

She kissed him gently and soothed away the last remnants of hurt from his beautiful eyes.

"I want to marry you," he sighed softly.

Emily stared at him in shock. "Don't you need all manner of legal documents for that?" she asked with a nervous giggle.

"Semantics," he shrugged with a smile. "I know a man who can supply all manner of things. It's a requirement of living this life. Until someone scrutinises too closely," he added with a laugh, looking pointedly at her.

"What can I say? I hate mysteries," she laughed with a blush.

"So, what do you think?" he asked softly. "Will you marry me, Emily?" His voice wavered uncertainly, his eyes intense as he stared at her, holding his breath.

"Yes, Cullen," she breathed softly, her eyes shining with love for him. "I'd marry you in a heartbeat."

The look of joy that crossed his beautiful face caused her heart to miss a beat. He hugged her close and then kissed her gently on the lips, his smile radiant.

"I love you Emily Swan Mackenzie," he laughed happily.

Emily laughed and kissed him. "Soon to be Emily Swan Mackenzie Cullen," she giggled.

"That sounds so good," he whispered, his hand trembling as he stroked her cheek lightly. "Soon, Emily?"

"As soon as we can arrange it properly," she smiled. "I don't want to wait a moment longer than you do."

They lay quietly, arms wrapped around them. Emily couldn't remember a time when she had felt happier. She knew Cullen was thinking hard. There was always a stillness about him when he was deep in thought. She smiled and kissed his chest lightly

"Yes," she whispered, softly.

"Yes?" he asked, his voice tight.

"It is the next question, isn't it?" she said quietly, raising her head so she could look deeply into his eyes.

He was so tense, his eyes deep with emotion. She felt him tremble against her and he swallowed hard.

"Not right now, Cullen," she smiled serenely at him. "But later, when I've fixed things at Karpathia's. Then I'll join with you completely."

"Are you sure?" he asked hoarsely. "You don't have to, love. I am happy to live your lifetime with you, Emily. Even a brief moment of glorious love with you would sustain me for eternity."

"I want to love you forever, Cullen," she whispered. "Not just for my lifetime, but for all time. I'm sure, my love."

A tear of joy spilled over from his eye and she wiped it gently away and kissed him.

Cullen pulled the covers over them and Emily slipped into a deep, contented sleep.

To be continued....

A Reluctant Love Ch 08 Chapter 8: Throw Back Thursda...

A Reluctant Love Ch 08 
Chapter 8: Throw Back Thursday


Emily didn’t think life could get anymore perfect than it was.  The passion she felt in Cullen’s arms was like nothing she could ever have imagined. They couldn’t seem to get enough of each other, spending as much time alone as they could.

Dorian had known immediately that their relationship had progressed and he had approved wholeheartedly and begun to treat Emily like an adored younger sister.

Emily was busy at work, having completed her audit review at Cullen and Cross and had moved onto their subsidiaries. Her relationship with her PA Alice had blossomed into a strong friendship and when she wasn’t with Cullen or Dorian, she was at Alice’s house having some quality girl time. She had never been happier.

Emily was coming back from a meeting out of the office when she suddenly felt a sense of foreboding. She shivered slightly as she made her way to the elevator, trying to shake the feeling. She felt a threat to her happiness, something she couldn’t quite put a finger on.

She exited the elevator and was astounded to see Liam towering over Beth.

“I MUST speak to them instantly!” he said coldly to Dorian’s PA.

“They are out of the office at a meeting,” Beth said, her voice quivering slightly. “They cannot be reached.”

“Liam?” Emily called, a question in her voice. “Can I help you?”

Liam spun around, his beautiful face cold, his eyes flashing with anger.

“Get me Cullen,” he snapped.

Emily almost took a step back from the vampire. He had always been cordial and friendly to her whenever she attended Karpathia’s with Cullen, especially since her relationship with Cullen had developed into something deeper. His coldness surprised her.

“Why don’t you join me in the Boardroom?” she said carefully, immediately walking to the room and hoping that he was following her. He did and she closed the door behind them quickly.

“What are you doing?” Emily hissed, trying to keep her voice down. “Cullen and Dorian will not be pleased that you’re risking their livelihood by throwing your weight around here, Liam.”

She didn’t see him move but suddenly he had her by the throat up against the wall, his black hair swaying wildly about his face. His eyes looked murderous and it was only complete, utter surprise at his actions that stopped Emily from crumbling into a nervous wreck. Instead she held his gaze with a calmness she didn’t feel inside.

“Are you so weary of having your head on your shoulders, Liam?” she said softly. “You know Cullen and Dorian will be most displeased if you do anything to hurt me.”

Liam’s mouth suddenly quirked and he released her slowly.

“I dare say they would be, little Emily,” he sighed. “As would I once my temper had cooled. Forgive me, child.”

Emily rubbed her throat lightly and prayed it didn’t bruise. Cullen would go mental if she was marked in any way.

“Sit, Liam,” she said. “Tell me what’s so urgent. I want to help.”

She walked over to a secret panel in the wall and clicked it open. She dialed in code and a small refrigerator opened. She pulled out an opaque bottle and glass and poured some blood into the glass. She handed it to Liam.

“A drink usually helps Cullen maintain a certain amount of control,” she smiled softly. “Be quick, in case anyone comes in to see if you’re murdering me.”

Liam swallowed the contents of the glass and passed it back to her. She put it back and then closed the concealed panel again.

She sat across from him and waited for him to speak.

“Someone is trying to break through the firewalls at Karpathia’s,” he finally said, his eyes sparkling with fury. “We have no idea who but they are persistent. It had been going on for the last three days.”

Emily gasped in shock. Someone knew about them? How was it possible?

“You’re certain it’s a concentrated attack?” she asked quietly.

Liam shot her a withering look and she sighed softly. It probably was a stupid question.

Emily took out her cell and sent a quick text to Cullen. It was one word, lavender. Their secret code for if she should need to speak to him urgently. She knew Cullen would be able to read the message unobtrusively and extract himself from his meeting to call.

Less than ten seconds later her cell rang.

“Emily, what’s wrong?” Cullen asked anxiously.

“Liam’s here,” she said quickly. “Someone knows about Karpathia’s. Their firewalls are under attack. You two need to get back here as soon as possible.”

“Let me speak to Liam,” he said and she passed the cell to the vampire.

Emily borrowed a notepad and pen from Beth as Liam and Cullen talked. She couldn’t hear a word they were saying anyway so she wasn’t missing anything by leaving the room.

Liam had completed the call by the time she returned. “They’re on their way,” he told her.

“While we’re waiting, can you talk me through the sequence of attacks? So I can see the timeline?” Emily asked.

She scribbled on the pad as Liam talked it through. She was frowning at the pad when Cullen and Dorian walked in half an hour later. She looked at their serious faces and shivered. Cullen smiled at her and kissed her lightly on the head, his hand stroking her back soothingly.

Liam filled them in on what was happening. Out of respect for her presence, he spoke slowly enough for her to be able to understand. Dorian asked a few questions as Emily continued to read through the sequence Liam had given her. She finally threw her pen down in disgust and jumped up from the chair and began pacing the room.

“Emily?” Cullen asked, surprised by her annoyance.

“It doesn’t make sense,” she growled in frustration. “There’s no pattern to the attempts on the firewall. Something has to be missing.”

She waved her hand at the pad.     “I need to see the computer logs,” she said. “No offence, Liam, but second or third hand data isn’t good enough to establish a pattern.”

Cullen frowned at her, “You expected to see some kind of pattern?” he asked, surprised. “It’s not a number problem for you to solve, Emily.”

“It is a number problem,” she said. “Computers are numbers, they’re binary numbers. All 1’s and 0s. If I can see the logs then I should be able to discern the pattern. Once I know that, I can reverse the movements and hopefully track down the person doing it.”

“Do you really think you could?” Liam asked, his interest piqued.

“I’m almost certain,” she answered, her eyes fixed on Cullen’s set face.

His expression hardened and his frown deepened. “You’re not getting involved, Emily,” he said firmly. “This is dangerous. I don’t want you being anywhere near this if it blows up in our faces.”

Emily sighed at his over protectiveness. “I’m already involved, Cullen,” she said softly. “Anything that threatens you or Dorian threatens me too. You’re my family now.”

“It’s worth a try,” Dorian said suddenly. “We need to know as quickly as possibly who this threat is so we can counter it.”

“Please let me try, Cullen,” she pleaded.

She saw a muscle in his jaw twitch and then he finally nodded. But his look told her they would be having serious words later on.

They headed down to Karpathia’s. Liam had the log print outs ready for them when they arrived.

It felt strange to Emily to be in a high tech computer room at the club. It was completely different from where she usually went. Plus the vampires seemed different too. She didn’t know if it was the severity of their current situation, but she felt slightly frightened of them. Even Cullen and Dorian felt a bit remote to her.

Emily searched the logs for half an hour and then her instincts kicked in and she began scribbling equations on the page. She could feel the eyes of every vampire in the room on her . She turned to Alfred, their technical guru, and called out routes for him to type into his tracking software. The program sprang to life and within moments it had narrowed down the search, finally coming to a stop at a location.

Emily was looking over Alfred’s shoulder when the software finally tracked the location.

“It can’t be!” she gasped, her voice tortured. Her face lost all colour and for a moment she thought she might pass out. Cullen was at her side immediately.

“Emily, what’s wrong?” he asked anxiously.

She looked up at him, her eyes full of fear. “Alice,” she whispered, her voice full of pain. “That’s Alice’s home address.” She knew it well as she was round there often enough.

Cullen and Dorian both repeated “Alice!” in shocked tones.

“Who is this Alice?” Liam said loudly, his tone furious.

“My best friend,” Emily said quietly, her face worried.

“She works for us as Emily’s PA,” Dorian elaborated, his voice sounding colder that she had ever heard before. “Emily is particularly fond of the girl, though we now have to wonder if Alice has fostered this friendship to try and get information about us.”

Emily stared at him in shock. His face was hard, his eyes unforgiving. She turned her gaze to Cullen and shrank back from him as she saw his expression mirrored Dorian’s.

“I don’t believe that, Dorian,” she said, her voice wavering slightly. “There has to be another explanation. She has to have a reason for trying to hack into Karpathia’s computer system. Alice doesn’t have a deceitful bone in her body.”

“You don’t think trying to hack our system is in anyway deceitful?” Liam asked harshly, his eyes flashing angrily.

Emily struggled not to flinch away from the fury in his voice.

“Let me talk her,” she said, her voice holding a hint of a plea.

“Emily, you can’t fix this.” Cullen’s face had softened slightly as he looked at her, and she saw regret in his eyes.

“What do you mean, Cullen?” she asked, her voice sounding harsh. “What are you going to do?”

“We will do what needs done,” Liam said coldly. “We must protect ourselves.

Her eyes flew to his and she shuddered at the coldness she saw there.

“Define what needs to be done, Liam,” she pushed, a feeling of cold dread coming over her.

“We will find out what she knows and then we will make the problem go away,” Liam answered. “Do you wish me to say the exact words, Emily?”

Emily shook her head in denial. “No,”  she whispered, her voice raw with anguish.

Her eyes sought Cullen’s. “Don’t hurt her,” she begged.  “Please don’t hurt her, Cullen. I love her.”

His eyes were tortured as he looked at the anguish on her face. “Emily, I can’t stop this,” he groaned. “It’s what has to be done, to protect ourselves.”

“Can’t you do your mind thing instead?” she cried, clutching at straws. “Cullen, you and Dorian keep telling me that my instincts are uncanny. I couldn’t love Alice the way I do if there was something inherently bad about her. I’m sure there is a reason for her actions. Just give me time to find out what it is. Please!”

“You can’t fix this, Emily,” he whispered harshly.

She spun round, her eyes welling with tears as she saw the sad resignation in Dorian’s eyes and even a touch of pity in Liam’s as they looked at her.

“You can’t do this,” she cried. “I won’t let you kill Alice!”

“Emily,” Cullen groaned, his expression tortured. He reached for her but she flinched back from him.

“I’ve done this,” she moaned, her body wracked with pain as her part in it hit her like a ton of bricks.  “I handed her to you on a plate.”

Emily looked around the room frantically, her eyes pleading once more with them as the tears spilled down her face. She saw their fixed expressions, the deadliness in their eyes. For the first time she saw the monsters they all were deep down inside and she shivered.

She finally turned back to Cullen and her heart silently broke as she saw the look in his eyes. Her body felt numb as she looked into his beautiful face and didn’t recognise him.
There would be no amount of begging or pleading that would convince him that Alice should receive any mercy.

“If you do this I will never forgive you, Cullen.” She didn’t even recognise her own voice it sounded so cold and hard.

“Or you, Dorian,” she continued, turning her accusing gaze on the blond vampire.

She looked at each vampire one last time and then she slowly wiped the tears from her face as she felt her heart harden.

“I’m going home,” she finally said, her voice lifeless and cold. “I have some blood to wash off my hands.”

“Emily,” Cullen said softly, his hands reaching for her.

“Don’t touch me, Cullen,” she said, her voice dripping with distaste. “The very thought of your hands anywhere near me makes me want to throw up.”

She wanted to hurt him so badly. She wanted to break his heart in just the way he was breaking hers.

“Today I finally see the monster you really are,” she continued coldly. “Today I also see the monster I’ve become too. To protect you, Cullen, I’ve handed my best friend over to your brand of justice. I’ve murdered Alice as surely as if I’d put a gun to her head and pulled the trigger.”

She turned to leave. “I’m assuming I am allowed to leave?” she said, her voice flat and hard. “Or will I become subject to your justice as well because I know too much about you and what you’re about to do?”

“I’ll take you home, Emily,” Dorian said, his voice gentle. “You know we would never harm you.”

“No, Dorian. I don’t want to be with you any more than I want to be with Cullen. And you are harming me right now.” She turned to face him. “I was right the first time, I went from one nightmare straight into another. I wish I’d never met either of you.”

She walked out the door without a backward glance. She didn’t see the agony in Cullen’s eyes as she walked away from him. She knew he would be suffering but she didn’t care. What he was feeling was nothing compared to the way she felt.

She dialed Alice’s number but it went to voicemail. She didn’t leave a message. Slowly she walked through the streets, wandering aimlessly. She tried Alice again and it still went to voicemail. She finally called Beth to be told that Alice had left the office with Dorian a while ago.

Emily found a bench and sat down and cried. Her heart ached for her friend, and her guilt at her part in the whole thing threatened to engulf her completely.

She finally pulled out her cell again and dialed a number she hadn’t called in a long time.

“Anton, I want to come home,” she said quietly.

“Emily, you know you’re always welcome here,” her brother answered. “Where are you? I’ll charter a jet for you. Are you okay, Em? You sound so strange.”

“I’ve done such a terrible thing, Anton,” Emily sobbed as her brother’s concern washed over her and triggered the heartache she felt deep inside.

“I find that hard to believe, Em,” her brother said quietly. “I could believe it of anyone but you. Come home, baby girl. We’ll work through it together. Just tell me where you are.”

Three hours later, Emily was in a private jet headed to Europe. She hadn’t gone back to the apartment. She’d stopped long enough to pick up a new cell so she could dump the old one. Cullen had been calling almost constantly and she didn’t want him to be able to reach her. She had wiped the memory of her old cell and dumped it in a trashcan.

She planned what to do next as the jet came to land at the private runway belonging to her family home in Spain. She knew Cullen would try to track her by having her debit and credit cards logged for movements. But she had her family accounts to draw from. Something  no one knew apart from herself and her family.

She had never told Cullen. Not because she had deliberately hid it from him. It had just never come up. He had never asked her about her family, not once since she had known him.

Anton was waiting by his car when she stepped from the jet. Her big brother, all lanky six foot of him, leaning against the bright red Ferrari he loved so much. They looked nothing alike, they had the same father but different mothers and Emily favoured her mother. Anton had their father’s deep chocolate coloured hair and big brown eyes. He held his arms open and she ran into them sobbing.

“Shhhh, baby,” he crooned softly. “It’s okay now. You’re home with me.”

He drove quickly to the house, his eyes deeply troubled by the sobbing woman beside him. Her pain was wretched to listen to.

He handed her a whiskey once they were inside, telling her to drink it all down in one go. Then he held her as her tears began to ease.
“Tell me everything, Em,” Anton said gently.

Emily hiccupped and tried to think how she could explain it to him without mentioning vampires. There just wasn’t any way to do so. She considered lying but her brother had always been able to tell when she lied to him. So she took a deep breath and blurted it all out, her voice rambling on as her story was interrupted by fresh tears.

“Vampires,” he said quietly when she had finished. “I’ve always wondered if there was any truth to that myth. Guess I now know.”

He hugged Emily and handed her another tissue to blow her nose with.

“Are you sure they meant to kill Alice?” he asked gently.

“Their meaning was pretty clear,” she said forlornly. “I couldn’t sway them, Anton. I tried so hard to but they were set on their course of action.”

She held her glass out for more whiskey and he poured a liberal mount into the glass.

“You would have loved Alice, Anton,” she sighed sadly. “She was so spunky and fun and full of life. And I led them right to her.”

She started crying again, her misery having no ending.

“What about you?” Anton asked, concerned. “Will they try to hurt you, Em?”

“I don’t think so,” she shook her head. “I don’t believe Cullen or Dorian would allow that to happen. I’m the lucky one,” she snorted. “They  both love me.”

“But will they look for you?” he persisted.

“Cullen most definitely will,” Emily said softly. “He was phoning my old cell constantly. That’s why I ditched it and bought a new one. Dorian will look for me too but they don’t know the truth about me.”

Anton relaxed slightly. “They don’t know you’re a Mackenzie?”

Emily shook her head numbly. “I was still using mum’s name.”

“So they can’t tie you to Mackenzie Petrochemicals in any way?”

“I said they couldn’t,” Emily grumbled sourly. “Dad concealed my relationship to him very well when they divorced. I’ve never told anyone who I really am. “

“That’s a blessing in disguise,” Anton said. “You’ll be safe here, Em. I’ll place a trusted team on Cullen and Cross to keep an eye on their movements. It’ll be so discrete they won’t notice it, don’t worry.”

“Be careful, Anton,” she said worriedly. “They have almost two thousand years of experience over you.”

“I’ll be careful, baby girl,” he smiled reassuringly. “The most important thing to me is keeping you safe. To do that, I need to know what they’re doing and if they’re getting close so we can move you somewhere else before they find you.”

“I’m sorry, Anton,” she whispered.

“For what?” he asked gently.

“For staying away so long,” she sighed. “I should have come home more often.”

“It doesn’t matter, Em. You came home when you really needed to. That’s all that matters, that you still view this as your home and a place of safety. I’ve missed you, Em.”

“I’ve missed you too, Anton,” she whispered and began to cry again.

When Emily fell asleep, her brother got on the phone and quickly implemented a watching brief on anyone searching against Emily Mackenzie. It was unlikely to happen but he wasn’t willing to risk it.

He then set his private security firm to do a covert investigation into Cullen and Cross. He wanted to know everything about them. He also asked them to keep a daily check on any news concerning Alice Matheson. If they did indeed kill Emily’s friend, her body would have to show up at some point.

Satisfied he had done all that he could, he put some classical music on and poured himself a scotch. He sipped slowly as he waited for Emily to awaken.

Emily sighed and tried hard not to scratch at the wig on her head. Anton was really taking this protecting her seriously. He refused to allow her to go into town unless she put on the black, bobbed hair piece. She couldn’t fault his logic. Her hair was very distinctive and hiding it was for the best. She had considered cutting it short and dyeing it but had balked the day before her appointment. Her vanity just wouldn’t let her get rid of what she thought of as her best asset.

At least Anton was letting her out of the house now. Okay, she had to take two private bodyguards with her but still, after a month of being stuck in the house, it was worth it to get out and about and do some shopping.

Naturally she wasn’t using any of the funds she had acquired as Emily Swan. Instead she was using the money she had under her real name. Her eyes had almost popped out of her head when she had seen her bank balance. She knew she was rich and that Mackenzie Petrochemicals was worth billions and she owned half of it. But she had no idea that she had thirty six million in hard cash sitting in her Spanish bank account.

Anton was also insistent that she speak only Spanish when she was out or if anyone visited the house. He had smiled broadly when she had told him that neither Cullen or Dorian was aware that she was fluent in Spanish, French, German and Italian. It was another mask to hide behind. Between the dark wig and her perfect grasp of the language, she could pass as a native born Spaniard.

Emily checked daily to see if there was any news about Alice but nothing ever came up. She still cried every time she thought of her friend and what had happened to her. Guilt ate at her very core and sometimes Emily wondered if she would ever fully recover from Alice’s death and her part in it.

She also told herself daily that she hated Cullen. She stood in front of the mirror and said the words out loud, as if doing so would make them true. But each night her dreams were filled with his beautiful face. His laughter surrounded her. His golden brown eyes haunted her and she woke every night with tears on her face.

The first few weeks, Anton came to her at night and held her as she cried. Finally she asked him to stop, seeing the dark circles around his eyes as he was deprived of sleep. She took to muffling the sounds of her crying so he couldn’t hear and sighed with relief when she saw him actually start to believe that she was slowly coming to terms with things.

Emily was surprised and concerned with the number of vampires that lived in Spain. She could spot them a mile away. They were all just so incredibly beautiful. She avoided them like the plague. Terrified that they were looking for her.

Anton had sat her down last week and told her that a detailed search was being done against Emily Swan. His contacts had told him that her cards were being tracked by an anonymous source but they both knew who it was. She wondered when Cullen would give up. Would he ever give up? Would she be in hiding for the rest of her life?

Inevitably, Emily quickly grew bored with her life of leisure and she started going into the office with Anton. It had taken some persuasion but finally he had agreed if she promised to keep a low profile and her disguise in place.

Weeks moved into months and finally Emily was finding that she could sleep through the odd night without dreaming of Cullen. The pain was still there but it seemed more manageable. Being able to work in the accounts department helped. It wasn’t on the level she was used to and she had to work hard to downplay her knowledge, but it was better than sitting in the house all day long.

When Emily saw an impossibly beautiful man at the reception desk one day, her heart almost stopped. She didn’t know him but she knew what he was. She quickly turned and hurried into the nearest office, which was thankfully empty and closed the door. She hid inside until he was gone.

She quizzed Anton about him later on and was told that he was a prospective new client. She told him that he was a vampire and her brother quickly severed all contact with the man. It wasn’t as if they really needed Carter Long’s business.

Life seemed to fall into a familiar pattern so it was a massive shock to Emily when she bumped into Dorian one day when she was visiting a subsidiary in Brussels with Anton.

He was sitting in the reception area, waiting to attend a meeting with someone. She spotted him before he saw her and quickly turned and walked back into the office she had just come out of, praying he wouldn’t see her.

He stopped her closing the door easily and entered the room behind her.

“The hair threw me for a moment,” he said quietly. “But your scent is unmistakable, Emily.

She shuddered at the sound of his voice. It was so familiar. It made her want to turn around and throw herself into his arms. She wrapped her arms tightly around her body and kept her back to him.

“Emily, love, we’ve been looking everywhere for you,” he said gently.

“What do you want, Dorian?” she replied.  She kept her voice cold and hard.

“Some time,” he breathed softly. “To talk. I swear I won’t tell Cullen you’re here, Emily. I just want to talk to you. To make sure you’re okay.”

She turned around. “I’m perfectly fine,” she said not meeting his eyes. “Did you think I’d crumble, Dorian? I’m much stronger than that.”

“I know, Emily,” he sighed sadly. “But you were hurt so badly, love. We never meant for that to happen. You know we love you.”

Emily sighed too and shook her head. “I’m not coming back, Dorian. I don’t want to be part of that life again. I became someone I didn’t recognise. I lost myself. It’s taken me so long to find myself again.”

“We need you, Emily,” Dominic said softly. “I don’t just mean myself and Cullen, though God knows, Cullen needs you more than anyone does. I mean ‘we’ need you.”

She looked at him then, knowing he was talking about a collective we, as in his kind. His beautiful blue eyes were full of pain as he looked at her

“That day,” Dorian explained. “What had to be done seemed so clear.”

Emily swallowed and closed her eyes. “Alice,” she breathed miserably.

“You have to understand, Emily. We need to protect ourselves. There has always been a set way things were done to ensure our secret was never revealed.” Dorian’s tone was pleading.

“I don’t know when we lost our humanity, love. Somewhere along the way we did, in our battle for self preservation. And then you came into our lives and suddenly everything wasn’t so cut and dried anymore. When you left that day, the look on your face, the pain and the anguish and then finally the life draining out of you so completely. It was more than Cullen and I could bear. Even Liam’s heart was touched by your pain.”

He paused and searched her eyes intently. She nodded to him to continue even though her heart felt like it was breaking all over again.

“We brought Alice back to Karpathia’s. The girl was terrified out of her wits. Some of my kind wanted instant justice but some of us reasoned calmly to see why she had done what she had done.”

Dorian groaned,  “She was just looking for her brother, Emily. It turned out he was one of us and she had turned him away when he had revealed himself to her. Her love for him was strong and she wanted to find him to beg his forgiveness. If your plea had not stayed our hand, love, we would have done a grievous wrong not only to Alice but to ourselves too.”

“Alice is alive?!” Emily whispered in shock.

“Yes, love,” Dorian said gently. “She’s safe. You got through to us. Made us stop and think before we acted.”

“Really, Dorian? Alice is really safe,” she whispered and then she burst into tears. He was at her side in an instant, pulling her into his arms and holding her as she wept tears of relief.

“I swear to you, Emily,” he said gently. “Alice is safe and well and missing you almost as much as we do. You saved her, love.”

“All this time I thought I’d killed her,” Emily sobbed. “I thought it was my fault.”

“We couldn’t find you, Emily,” Dorian groaned. “We looked high and low but you seemed to have just vanished from the face of the planet. We were frantic looking for you, love. Cullen is a complete wreck. I think somewhere deep inside he feared that we couldn’t find you because you were no longer alive.”

“Cullen thinks I’m dead?!” Emily’s voice came out in a startled squeak. She pulled back so she could look into Dorian’s eyes.

He smiled sadly at her. “He’s never said it out loud,” he told her. “But I know how his mind works. He is so sure he would find you if you were still alive. We almost thought we had a while back. One of our friends had a lead on a girl called Emily who worked in the accounts department at Mackenzie Petrochemicals but it turned out she was the daughter of the man who founded the company and her name was Emily Mackenzie”

“Carter Long,” Emily breathed softly. “I knew he was bad news. I talked Anton out of doing business with him.”

Dorian started when she said the vampire’s name, then he looked at her perplexed. His expression was so confused that she couldn’t help but laugh.

“Neither of you ever asked me about my family,” she said pointedly. “My parents divorced when I was two and they agreed I should use my mother’s name for protection. I am Emily Mackenzie.”

Dorian stared at her incredulously and then he suddenly laughed. “Serves us bloody right,” he finally said. “No wonder we couldn’t find you.”

“I didn’t want to be found, Dorian. I’m still not sure how I feel about it now,” Emily admitted. “I’m glad in one way, because I now know that Alice is safe. I’m unhappy too because now you know who I really am and I no longer have a safe place to hide anymore. Anton is going to be gutted if I take off again and vanish from his life.”

“Anton?” he queried, his eyes still sad.

“My brother,” she replied. “We’re half siblings really but I think of him as my full brother. I’m all he has and I stayed away a long time after my father passed. I was happy staying out of the limelight and Anton was happy running the company. But he missed me terribly. I didn’t realise how much until I came back into his life.”

“You don’t need to run, Emily,” Dorian sighed. “I won’t reveal your identity to anyone, not even Cullen. We’ve done you so much harm already, love. It’s the least I can do for you.”

“Thank you,” she whispered, relief in her eyes.

“Oh, Emily, I’m so sorry about everything,” Dorian groaned and hugged her tightly again. “I hope one day you can find it in your heart to forgive us.”

Emily felt tears threaten to overcome her again and she hugged him tightly.

“Emily,” she heard Anton shouting outside and then the door pushed open and he was rushing inside.

“Get away from her,” he growled at Dorian, his face contorted with fury.

Dorian released her immediately and stepped back.

“I’m sorry, baby girl,” Anton said, crossing to Emily and taking her in his arms. “I just heard that he was here. I hoped to get to you before he did.”

“It’s all right, Anton,” she said quietly. “He wasn’t going to hurt me.”

“You trust too easily, Em,” her brother said, glaring at Dorian. “Why can’t you leave her alone? Is it not enough that you’ve almost destroyed her once? Are you back for a second attempt? I’d advise you re-think if you are because I will not let you or anyone else hurt her again.”

“It is not my intention to ever do anything to harm, Emily,” Dorian said. He kept his tone neutral so Emily couldn’t tell if Anton’s anger had annoyed him or not.

“Anton, Alice is alive,” Emily said gently, turning his head to look at her. “They listened to me. They took time to discover her reasons. She’s safe.”

“You believe him?” her brother asked doubtfully.

“Dorian has never lied to me once, Anton. If he says Alice is safe then I believe him.”

“I meant what I said,” Dorian said softly. “We need you, Emily. Cullen, his melancholy pierces my heart. He spends more time trying to find you than he does working. The light has gone out of his eyes and he never smiles anymore. His mood only lightens when Alice is around. He smiles for her but it never reaches his eyes. He protects her and cherishes her as if hoping that if he takes good enough care of her, you will somehow know and come home to him. He is lost without you, Emily.”

“Dorian,” she groaned pulling out of Anton’s arms so she could face him.  “I’m sorry Cullen is hurting, I really am. But I’m not about to come running home just because he feels bad. He ripped my heart out that day and handed it back to me in pieces. I don’t think I could ever go through that again. I barely survived this time.”

“I understand, love,” he said gently. “Just think it through though. Take as much time as you want. I’ll keep your secret, I promise. He won’t suddenly turn up on your doorstep.”

“I promise I will think about it, Dorian,” Emily said. “I’m not promising anything else though.”

Dorian nodded and smiled sadly.

“Can I at least tell him I saw you, that you’re safe?” he asked, hopefully.

“Yes.” She found herself agreeing almost immediately. “You can even tell him you met me in Brussels. I’m leaving in a few hours anyway. I don’t live here. I move around a lot.”

“I hope you can forgive us, Emily, and you come home to us,” Dorian sighed. “Thank you for at least listening to me. It is more than we deserve.”

“I’m glad we had this time to talk, Dorian. Tell Alice I send my love and I hope she is happy.”

Emily hugged Dorian one final time and then she turned and walked out of the room with Anton, without a backward glance.


To be continued...

A Reluctant Love Ch 07

Chapter 7: Throw Back Thursday



Cullen declared all-out war on Emily starting the very next day. His first move was waiting for her when she arrived at work. She was running ten minutes late because she’d finished off the bottle of wine Cullen had opened the night before. The wine had knocked her out and she had slept through the alarm.
Alice was dancing excitedly outside her office when she stepped off the lift.
“These just arrived for you,” she said, excitedly, holding up a small lilac heart shaped vase with generous amounts of lavender spilling out of it. “There wasn’t a card.”
Emily stared at the vase of flowers in shock and then her mouth curved into a smile.
“You know who they’re from, don’t you?” Alice said accusingly, her eyes sparkling with curiosity.
Emily didn’t answer and her PA huffed at her and entered her office to put the vase down.
Emily turned her head to see Cullen leaning against his office door watching her. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw him, heat flooding her face when she thought of his lips against hers. He laughed loud enough for her to hear and she blushed even more furiously and followed Alice into her office.
Apart from that one incident, the rest of the day passed normally. Any time she had any contact with Cullen he was friendly and helpful if she had a question needing answered. He never alluded to the night before.  Emily found herself on tender hooks all day, wondering if he was going to say anything but he didn’t.
The next morning she was already in her office when a small basket of coconut macaroons was delivered. Alice stared at the confectionary with a puzzled expression and a raised eyebrow but Emily merely smiled and popped a sweet into her mouth. She chewed on it slowly, savouring the taste of the coconut.
Again the rest of the day was uneventful on a personal level. Work wise, she was busy with the last few meetings she had planned. She e-mailed Cullen and Dorian telling them she hoped to have some rough recommendations for them by Friday and asking to schedule a meeting.
A bottle of perfume arrived on the third morning. Emily gasped when she saw it was the perfume that she usually wore. How could Cullen have known the exact brand? Was his sense of smell really that good?
Emily decided that he was having way to much fun at her expense. She knew he had a meeting away from the office that morning so she snuck into his office and liberally sprayed some of the perfume on a few pages of his leather bound notepad.
She was heading into the Boardroom a few hours later when he cornered her and closed the door behind him. His eyes were twinkling with amusement.
“It’s going to be nigh on impossible for me to get any work done today now,” he said laughing. “My office reeks of your scent.”
He began stalking her slowly until she was backed breathlessly into a corner. He leaned into her and she was surprised to find her back pressed against the wall.
Emily felt his lips took forever to finally reach hers. She saw Cullen’s eyes flash with desire seconds before she felt his mouth brush hers gently. She sucked in a deep breath as he slowly coaxed her lips to part and then slid his tongue deep inside her mouth.
Cullen groaned softly as he felt her mouth open under his. She tasted so heavenly. He wrapped a hand into her hair and lifted her from the floor with one arm around her tiny waist. He pressed his body into hers as he deepened the kiss and she moaned against his mouth.
Emily felt as if her body was going up in flames as Cullen rubbed his body against hers as his kisses became more urgent. She could feel his arousal pressing against her stomach and it both excited and frightened her a little. She felt his thigh slide between her legs and begin to rub against her as he trailed hot kisses along her jaw line and down her throat.
“Cullen,” she groaned, her hands in his hair, trying to force his head away. “Stop, Cullen. Dorian will be here any second.”
She didn’t know how she managed to make any coherent sounds as he was slowly and mercilessly intent on igniting a white, hot need in her body.
“Dorian can go to hell,” Cullen growled, capturing her lips again, his mouth feverish on hers, demanding her response.
Emily moaned and the hands that had been trying to push him away suddenly began to pull his head closer to her as she ground her lips against his. She felt his hand leave her hair and move to cup her breast through her blouse. His thumb rubbed against her nipple and white hot flames seemed to explode through her body.
“Cullen,” she moaned, arching her breast against his hand. “Cullen, we need to stop now.”
He growled his disapproval and rubbed against her again but she could feel him begin to struggle to get his control back. His thumb rubbed against her nipple again as his mouth softened against hers and his kisses became more gentle.
Finally he lowered her back to the floor and gave her one more slow, gentle kiss before he moved away from her and ran a shaky hand through his thick hair.
Emily pressed her hands back against the wall to keep her traitorous legs from buckling under her. She saw Cullen smile in satisfaction as his eyes roamed over her flushed face.
“I think you may find it nigh on impossible to get any work done today as well,” he chuckled.
“You started it,” Emily grumbled, moving away from the wall and sitting in the first chair she came to, her knees feeling as if they were made of rubber.
“And I intendto finish it,” he whispered against her ear before he sat down beside her. “Fix your hair,” he added softly.
Emily tried to get her breathing under control as she  unclipped the clasp holding her curls up and shook them loose. She quickly gathered the curls at the nape of her neck and locked the clip back in place.
Seconds later Dorian entered the Boardroom. He looked from Cullen to Emily and raised an eyebrow but didn’t say anything.
Emily tried to hide a blush as the meeting began. She tried to concentrate by taking notes but was having a hard time because Cullen kept lazily rubbing his leg against hers. She prayed that Dorian couldn’t tell what they had been up to.
Dorian was in fact multi tasking. As he spoke aloud about the first subsidiary they wanted Emily to audit, he was having a mental conversation with Cullen.
“What are you doing to the poor girl, Cullen? She looks like she’s ready to jump off her chair and flee the Boardroom,” he laughed.
“She sprayed my room full of her bloody perfume,” Cullen laughed back. “I’m just having some payback.”
Dorian fought back a laugh and listened intently as Emily asked some questions about the timescale they were looking for to have her proposals ready for the subsidiary company.
The meeting seemed to last forever. Finally Emily could flee the Boardroom and head back to her office.
Alice raised an eyebrow as she saw the huge smile on Emily’s face. “Good meeting?” she asked curiously.
“Excellent meeting,” Emily said breezily and entered her office and closed the door behind her. She threw herself into her chair and sucked in a deep breath. Cullen had teased mercilessly the whole meeting and she felt wound up and confused and exhilarated.
She checked her e-mail just as one arrived from Cullen. She read it and laughed. So he would never quite view the Boardroom in the same way again? Neither would she after today.
He was waiting for her at the elevator at the end of the day.
“Want to go for a drink?” he asked, his beautiful lips twitching with a little smile.
“It’s a school night,” she laughed. “I’ve already been late once this week because I was drinking. My bosses might frown on me being late again.”
“I’m sure you could convince your bosses to go easy on you,” he teased, his golden eyes sparkling with amusement.
Emily sucked in her breath as he ratcheted his charm offensive up to full power. It was so unfair that both he and Dorian could do that.
“Have you been taking dazzling lessons from Dorian?” she asked with a breathless laugh.
“Why, is it working?” he grinned unrepentantly.
“Cullen,” she groaned as the elevator arrived and she stepped in. “No, it is not working,” she continued.
He held the door open and smiled. “You can’t leave until you say yes,” he said softly.
Emily shook her head and then laughed. “Yes,” she finally said, conceding defeat.
Cullen’s beautiful face light up with a huge smile. “I’ll pick you up at eight,” he smiled. “Dress sexy, Emily,” he added softly as the elevator doors closed.
Emily realised that she didn’t have any sexy clothes. All her ‘going out’ clothes had gone up in smoke along with her house and she hadn’t replaced them. She decided to buy something on the way home.
So Cullen wanted something sexy. She’d give him sexy! She quickly found the most amazing dress she’d ever seen. They even had it in her favourite colour, purple.
It looked like it was in two pieces but was, in fact, one item. It had a little slip dress, which came to mid thigh, made of satin with an intricate lace covering. It had thin straps and the cleavage plunged low. Underneath the bodice was a gathered satin band with a beaded broach in the centre, meeting the V of the plunging cleavage.  Yards of purple satin flowed from the band, hiding the dress beneath until she moved.
‘Eat your heart out, Cullen,’ she laughed to herself as she quickly found a matching satin wrap and a pair of four inch sandals which criss-crossed once over her feet before securing, delicately around her slender ankles.
Emily got ready, her stomach fluttering with butterflies as the time wore on. She surveyed herself in her full length mirror and gasped as she saw the sultry woman staring back at her.  She’d left her hair loose, knowing that Cullen liked it that way. It was tumbling down her back in thick, vibrant red curls. The dress looked as if it had been made just for her. She really looked amazing she had to admit.
Cullen rang the doorbell dead on eight o’clock and she took a deep breath before she opened it. He stood staring at her, a totally stunned look on his beautiful face as his eyes roamed slowly over her body. She saw desire flare brightly in his golden eyes and his jaw clenched tightly.
He looked pretty amazing himself. He was wearing a black suit with a black silk shirt underneath. The top two buttons of the shirt were open and she could just see a light smattering of golden brown hair on his chest. His thick luscious locks were loose and flowing over his shoulders. His golden brown eyes had darkened as he dragged them back up her body.
“Get your bag,” he said in a strained voice.
“You’re not coming in?” she asked surprised.
“Emily,” he breathed raggedly. “If I step foot in your home right now, we won’t leave it tonight. Just get whatever you need and meet me outside.”
He spun away and leaned his back against the wall so that he couldn’t see her. His breathing was heavy and his heart was pounding. His body had hardened the moment she had opened the door. He struggled to get some control as he heard her moving about the room before she came out and closed and locked the door.
“You did say dress sexy,” Emily said quietly, coming to stand in front of him.
“Oh, you’ve done that all right,” he managed to laugh. “You’ve just managed to invent a whole new meaning to the word.”
She frowned worriedly and he gently stroked a finger over her cheek and smiled gently. “You’re perfect,” he said softly. “So perfect that all I want to do right now is take you back inside and slowly peel that dress off you and make sweet love to you, Emily.”
Emily sucked in a sharp breath as his eyes devoured her.
“Come on,” he said, wrapping an arm around her shoulder and heading towards the elevator.
“Where are we going?” she asked, the heat of his body against her side sending butterflies through her stomach.
“I want to show you my world, Emily,” he said suddenly serious, his eyes searching hers intently. “Are you up to that challenge?”
Her violet eyes widened as she realised what he was saying. “We’re going to one of your places?” she asked breathlessly.
“Only if you want to, Emily. We can go somewhere else.” He seemed nervous as he waited for her to respond.
“Let’s go,” she finally whispered, giving him a small smile. “I want to know everything about you, Cullen.”
He hugged her against him and kissed the top of her head, the sweet scent of the perfume he’d bought her, drowning his senses. “You smell delicious,” he growled as the elevator finally arrived.
She laughed and entered the elevator.
Emily was surprised to find that she wasn’t the least nervous as Cullen parked in the private car park underneath Karpathia’s.  The club had looked like any normal club as they’d swung past it on their way to the car park.
“Nervous?” Cullen asked, his eyes glued to her legs as he helped her from the car and the satin parted to reveal her slender form.
“Excited,” she breathed, her violet eyes shining up at him.
His beautiful smile broadened and he dipped his head for a quick kiss and then hugged her close to him. “If it gets too much, let me know and we can go somewhere else,” he told her.
He inserted a key into the waiting elevator and it glided upwards quickly. The doors opened and they were suddenly in a large room filled with humans and vampires.
It was more like a gentleman’s club rather than a dance club, Emily realised surprised. The room was dark but not too dark, discrete lamps decorating many tables about the large space. Plush black leather sofas and chairs filled the room and the carpet underfoot was thick and plush.
As they entered the room, Emily found that she could quickly tell the vampires from the humans. The vampires were simply more beautiful than the humans.
“Are you all so incredibly beautiful?” she whispered quietly and then blushed as a few vampires close to them burst out laughing.
Cullen laughed too. “Yes and our hearing is hypersensitive,” he chuckled.
“Oh God, how embarrassing,” Emily groaned, letting her hair shield her hot cheeks.
Cullen laughed again and tightened his arm around her. “Don’t worry about it. They’re used to a human’s reaction when they first visit. They don’t take offence. In fact, Pablo is thoroughly jealous right now that you’re on my arm and not his.”
Emily looked back and saw a beautiful, swarthy face regarding her intently. The vampire smiled and winked at her and she blushed again and looked away.
Cullen led her to a sofa which was mostly empty save for a solitary vampire. He was stunning to look at. His hair was jet black and fell down his back in thick, inky waves. His eyes were a piercing blue and Emily could tell that he was tall even though he was sitting down.
“Cullen,” he smiled, his generous lips curving upwards. “You haven’t visited for a few days.”
“I’ve been otherwise occupied, Liam,” Cullen answered, sinking onto the sofa and pulling Emily down beside him.
The vampire called Liam ran his eyes appreciatively over Emily as the satin of her skirt parted to reveal her body beneath.
“I can understand your preoccupation,” he laughed with a twinkle in his eye.
His appraisal of her body was so overtly sexual that Emily found herself blushing hard again.
“I take it this is the lovely Emily?” he continued, raising a glass of red liquid to his mouth and sipping slowly.
“Emily, the reprobate is Liam,” Cullen laughed. “Don’t let him get to you. He’s an outrageous flirt and uses his charm ruthlessly.”
“Pleased to meet you, Liam,” Emily said in a slightly shaky voice. She wondered if she should offer to shake his hand but as he made no move to do so she decided against it.
“Mon dieu, Cullen, she even has a voice of an angel,” Liam laughed throatily and sipped his drink again. “You are the first human I have seen in a very long time who is almost as beautiful as our kind,” he said kindly to Emily.
Emily blushed yet again and thanked him breathlessly.
“Would you like a glass of wine, Emily?” Cullen asked with laughter in his voice. “Maybe it will calm your nerves a little. Your delicate little blushes are exciting far too many males in here for my liking.”
Emily groaned in embarrassment and buried her face against the crook of his arm, causing both of the vampires to laugh.
Cullen ordered her a glass of sparkling white wine. He ordered himself the same as Liam and nodded at her silent question.
Emily processed the thought that both Liam and Cullen were drinking blood. She wanted to find it repulsive but it just seemed natural somehow.
She rested against the back of the sofa as Liam and Cullen chatted about some friends, catching up on the latest news about their own kind. She felt the wine start to kick in as she became more relaxed.
Cullen was absent-mindedly tracing his thumb against her exposed thigh, just above her knee, the rest of his fingers wrapped lightly around the back of her thigh. His touch was hypnotic and she closed her eyes and concentrated on the wonderful feelings his hand was generating.
She felt his eyes on her face and smiled, opening her eyes slowly. His deep golden gaze was like liquid fire as his lips curled up into a beautiful smile. She was surprised to see that Liam was gone.
“He was finding our chemistry far too tempting,” Cullen said softly at her unspoken question. “He’s gone to find himself a companion to play with.”
Emily sat up straighter her eyes widening in shock and Cullen laughed quietly as her sudden movement brought her lips mere inches from his. He lowered his head and caught her startle gasp with his lips, his thumb moving rhythmically against her skin.
Emily moaned as his lips teased hers gently. Cullen sighed softly against her mouth and slowly pulled away.
“You’re so intoxicating, Emily,” he breathed huskily. “Your scent teases me mercilessly and your soft skin burns my hand wherever I touch it.”
“Everyone can hear you,” Emily protested weakly and he chuckled softly.
“I want everyone to hear me,” he breathed. “I want every male in here to know that you are mine, Emily. They may look all they want but they may not touch you, Emily. You belong to me.”
He kissed her again, harder and with more urgency. Emily felt as if her body was melting into his as he pushed her back against the plush sofa and leaned into her.
Her mind screamed at her that they were in a public place but her body overruled her head as she surrendered completely the fierce heat and longing his lips were fanning deep inside her.
Cullen finally dragged his lips away with a tortured groan and rested his forehead against hers, his eyes dark with his need. His hand on her thigh stroked slowly upwards as he watched her intently.
“Cullen,” she groaned in warning, her hand coming to his to still his upward movement. His fingers were just a fraction away from the hem of her dress. He stroked her lightly and breathed deeply on her sweet scent.
“You have no idea how crazy you make me, Emily,” he growled seductively. “I could take you right here, right this very moment, and to hell with other people seeing us.”
Her breath caught in her throat as his fingers moved slightly higher, slipping slowly under the hem of her dress. He watched her beautiful face flush with a combination of embarrassment and passion. Her sweet lips trembled softly as she fought to hold in a moan of pleasure.
Cullen had to taste her again. He groaned and caught her trembling lips against his and parted then gently, sliding his tongue erotically into her mouth. His hand seemed to have a life of it’s own as it slid further up her thigh until it reached the delicate lace of her panties.
Emily stiffened at his touch and she pushed against Cullen’s chest. He groaned and seemed ready to resist but finally sat back, sliding his hand back down her leg until it rested lightly against her knee.
“I need a drink,” he said shakily, a rueful smile on his beautiful face as he removed his hand from her knee and raked it through his hair.
Emily tugged the hem of her dress down and managed a shaky smile at his self mocking tone. She glanced around the room but no one appeared to be looking at them and she relaxed slightly. She picked up her wine and drank liberally to try and calm her ragged nerves.
Cullen watched her and wondered how he had gotten to be so lucky to have her in his life. He was slightly shocked by his own behaviour just then. He was normally so good at holding onto his self control but with Emily, he just lost all rational thought. The dress wasn’t helping much either, he thought and smiled ruefully. He’d told her to dress sexy. It was his own damned fault that she had taken him so literally at his word.
Emily watched him smile quietly to himself. He really was the most beautiful man she had ever seen. His kisses and touches made her want to throw caution to the wind and just see where she ended up.
“You’re not drinking,” she finally said, a small smile on her lips. “Does it help your self control to drink blood?”
“It usually does,” Cullen said softly. “But when I’m around you it doesn’t work as well as it should do.”
“Maybe a fresh source would help make it easier?” she asked curiously.
Cullen stiffened at her words and then slowly relaxed again. “I find I have no taste for a fresh source since I’ve met you,” he finally admitted. “It is an incredibly erotic experience to drink from a human. I have no erotic interest in anyone but you now.”
Emily stared at him, her eyes wide. Cullen was telling her that he hadn’t been with woman, sexually or taken blood, since she had come into his life. She closed her eyes as her thoughts raced wildly through her head, shielding those thoughts from him until she reached a decision.
She slowly opened her eyes and found him watching her curiously with a slight smile on his beautiful lips. “What are you cooking up in your beautiful little head?” he asked, his voice amused.
“Can we go somewhere private?” she asked breathlessly.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea, Emily,” he sighed softly. “Being alone with you is far too tempting.”
Emily smiled at him and stood up, holding her hand out. He took it and rose slowly, his eyes questioning.
“Where can we go?” she whispered.
“Emily,” he said warningly, a slight frown marring his beautiful features.
“Just tell me where we can damned well go, Cullen,” she hissed fiercely, tugging at his hand.
His eyes flashed and then he pulled her towards a door at the far end of the room. It led on to a long hallway filled with more doors. She had to run to keep up with him as he tugged her swiftly down the hallway until they reached the door at the very end. He opened it with a key and pushed her inside.
She tried to catch her breath as she heard him close and lock the door behind them. The room they were in was quite large. It was darkly lit but she could clearly see the large four poster bed in the centre of the room. It was luxuriously draped with red and brown swathes of material over the wooden posters, with matching bedding and scatter cushions piled thickly against the pillows.
Emily walked slowly towards the bed. Cullen hadn’t moved from the door. She could almost feel his impossible stillness as his eyes tracked her movements across the room.
She skirted around the bottom of the bed until she was on the far side. She stood draped by the silky material over the posters and looked at him. Cullen was standing with his back against the door. His gaze was dark and impenetrable. She thought she saw a muscle twitch at his jaw.
She pushed aside the long, satin material of her dress and slowly crawled onto the bed and came to rest on her knees in the middle. Yep, definitely a twitching muscle, she thought with a small smile crossing her lips.
“I have more questions,” Emily said quietly. Cullen nodded slowly but didn’t speak.
“How many women have you lain with, Cullen?” she asked softly. “You’re nearly two thousand years old. It must be in the thousands if not the tens of thousands.”
“The latter,” he answered truthfully, his voice low and strained.
“Do you remember them all?”
He swallowed hard. “I probably could if I tried,” he said.
“Did you ever marry any of them?” she asked next. She saw a flash of pain in Cullen’s eyes and then he closed them to her.
“Once,” he finally said. “A very long time ago.”
“Did you love her very much, Cullen?” she asked gently.
“Yes,” he whispered, his eyes still closed. “Her name was Elizabeth and she had hair as golden as a midday sun.”
“What happened?” Emily didn’t know why she pushed him when she could see that the memory caused him pain. She just needed to know.
“She didn’t love me as I did her,” he finally said. “She loved the idea of becoming like me. I was just a means to an end for her.”
Emily sucked in a deep breath and felt a sudden hatred for the woman called Elizabeth who had hurt him so badly.
“Did you make her like you?” she asked gently.
Cullen swallowed hard again and nodded. “She left me a year later,” he sighed. “I still bump into her from time to time.”
“Do you still love her?” she whispered, her voice harsh.
Cullen’s eyes flew open and found hers unerringly. “No,” he breathed softly. “She hasn’t had a hold on me for a long time now.”
Emily relaxed, her gaze locked with his. She smiled suddenly, an impish smile. “I haven’t seen your incredible speed yet. Care to demonstrate?”
One second he was by the door, the next he was sitting on the edge of the bed, watching her intently.
Emily gasped and then laughed and clapped her hands, her eyes shining.
“That’s pretty impressive,” she said breathlessly.
He smiled his beautiful smile at her, his eyes warm as they travelled over her delighted face.
“Will you remember me?” she whispered softly, her eyes searching his intently.
“Always,” he whispered back without any hesitancy. “I wouldn’t be able to forget you no matter how hard I tried.”
“Does it hurt?” she asked next, her eyes curious. “When you bite into human flesh?”
“I believe it stings a little at first,” he answered with a wry smile.  “But then the endorphins kick in and it becomes pleasurable.”
“Do you bite the neck like vampires do in the films?” she giggled.
“We can do,” he laughed back. “But there are many, much more pleasurable, places to bite.”
“Where do you like to bite, Cullen?” she whispered.
He groaned and closed his eyes briefly. When he opened them, they were dark with arousal again. He slowly reached out a finger and lightly touched the swell of her breast. “Here,” he breathed softly.
Emily sucked in a deep breath as his finger stroked gently against her soft flesh, his eyes riveted to the spot.
“Emily,” he finally said softly. “You test my self control to the limit.” His jaw was clenched and she could see the strain on his face when he finally looked back at her.
“What do I have to do to finally break it?” she asked breathlessly, her lips curving in a soft smile.
Cullen groaned and closed his eyes, his breathing ragged. “Not here,” he growled harshly. “Not like this, Emily.”
“This is your world, Cullen,” she said softly. “I want to be part of it. This is the perfect place to know everything there is to know about you.”
“You are my world, Emily” he whispered, his eyes opening to meet hers. She gasped at the hot fire in his gaze, the deep need he was trying so hard to hold back.
She reached behind her and tugged at the zipper of her dress, pushing the top down to free her breasts to his gaze. “Then take what is yours, Cullen,” she said breathlessly.
He gave a tortured groan and then reached for her, pulling her towards his questing mouth. His lips caught the hardened peak of her breast in his mouth and he pulled gently, laving her erect nipple with his tongue.
Emily moaned deeply as his mouth worshipped her breast, the hot, moist heat of his mouth causing fire to explode deep inside her. Her hands raked into his hair, holding him to her breast as her head fell backwards as he began suckling against her, his touch rough with need.
“Do it,” she whispered urgently. “Please, Cullen, take what you need from me.”
He groaned against her breast as she whispered her encouragement. He felt his fangs elongate and then he was sinking them sharply into her warm flesh, feeling her gasp of pain as they slid in. Her hot, sweet blood filled his mouth and he was lost in his need to drink from her. He sucked deeply, swallowing her essence down his throat.
Emily felt sweet bliss come over her once the initial pain of his bite receded. His mouth pulled at her breast as he sucked down her blood, growling in ecstasy with each mouthful. He fed greedily, the sweet pulling motion sending liquid fire down her belly and between her legs. She was moaning throatily as he sucked, her hands clamping him to her breast.
Cullen finally pulled away, his tongue lapping roughly against the puncture wound, closing it, and then lapping up the small rivulet of blood that flowed down her breast.  “You taste so heavenly,” he groaned, licking his lips before dragging them up to hers in a hard, urgent kiss.
He pulled the zipper of her dress all the way down, pushing her backwards onto the bed so he could slide the satin and lace garment from her body, leaving her lying there with just a scrap of lace around her hips. He discarded her sandals quickly as he threw the dress to the floor.
“You are so beautiful, Emily,” he whispered hoarsely, his eyes flaming pools of molten gold. “I have to have you.” He moved over her, his mouth prising hers open so he could slide his tongue deep inside. His hands cupped her breasts, his thumbs rubbing against her hardened nipples.
Emily moaned against his mouth, thrusting her breasts into his hands. She reached for him, her trembling fingers fighting with the buttons of his silk shirt and failing miserably. He left her briefly and returned before she could finish her cry of disappointment. He was naked, his hardness throbbing against her stomach as he slid a thigh between her legs as he kissed her again.
Emily rocked against his hardness, her body craving more. His lips were travelling along her jaw and down to her breasts. He decorated every inch of her skin with hot kisses, suckling firmly at her nipples before he trailed lower kissing her taut stomach and dipping his tongue into her belly button.
She tensed slightly when she felt his hands tug at the elastic of her panties. He kissed her though the lace and then slowly slid the scrap of material down her legs. Emily cried out as his hands pushed her thighs further apart and she felt his hot breath against her pussy.
He teased her open gently and kissed her, breathing in her wonderfully musky scent. He groaned and slid his tongue against her hot flesh, licking slowly along her silky folds until he reached her hard clit. He laved the hard nub roughly with his tongue as she cried out again and bucked against his mouth.
The intimacy of his touch was so heady and erotic that Emily thought she would forget how to breath. His mouth was teasing relentlessly. She felt his tongue dip inside her and her body rose up to meet it, wanting more.
He moved his tongue rhythmically inside her, fanning the hot flame of desire coiling between her legs and pushing it higher and higher. She surrendered to him completely and let him push her onwards until the most amazing pleasure crashed over her entire body and a small scream erupted from her as the sensation overloaded her senses.
Cullen licked her sweet pussy leisurely as her heart started to slow down, loving the sweet taste of her release. He kissed back up her body until he was back at her mouth, his body moving between her legs, his throbbing cock pressing gently at her opening.
“Look at me, Emily” he whispered tightly. Her violet eyes met his golden ones. The need in his eyes was unmistakable, his jaw was clenched tightly as he fought for control. “This will hurt a little, love,” he said softly. “I’ll be as gentle as I can but the first time is always a bit painful. Just relax and breathe through the discomfort. It will get better quickly.”
He pushed gently into her and she tensed as she felt his hard cock invade her body. He felt so big.  Her body felt so full as he pushed slowly until he reached her protective barrier. He paused and let her become accustomed to him.
Emily sought Cullen’s mouth desperately. She knew he was being as gentle with her as he could be. She felt a mild discomfort but she knew that the worst bit was still to come. “Do it quickly,” she whispered against his mouth. He caught her cry of pain with his mouth as he thrust deeply, ripping aside her protective barrier to bury himself deep inside her.
Emily felt a tear slide from the corner of her eye as the pain engulfed her. They lay still, their breathing ragged as she slowly adjusted to his intrusion. He moved again, slowly and gently. She gasped as the pain ebbed quickly and she felt a deep pleasure take it’s place. She pressed against him, urging him on with body. He groaned deeply and began to move inside her.
She met his every thrust, her hands stroking against his chest, tangling in the light smattering of body hair she found there. The slow, hard thrusts of his throbbing cock were coiling intense pleasure deep within her and she moaned and feverishly dragged her mouth over his chest as they moved together.
Cullen growled when her hot mouth touched his skin and he moved faster within her tight body. His hands gripped her hair and he pulled her mouth to his, kissing her urgently and groaning his deep pleasure into her willing mouth. Hearts thumping, breaths come in tortured gasps, they ground against each other as their need became more frantic.
“Oh, God, Emily,” Cullen groaned hoarsely. “You feel so amazing.”
He kissed her feverishly as he moved faster inside her, his hand coming to her hip to press her harder against his aching cock. Her tightness surrounded him, gripping him hard inside her. He buried himself deep within her over and over again as her beautiful body stroked against his cock rhythmically.
Emily was desperate with need. She arched against him as waves of pleasure began to build so high that she thought she would pass out with sheer joy. “Cullen, I need,” she groaned and then gasped because she couldn’t put into words what it was she needed.
“I know what you need, baby,” he groaned hoarsely, kissing her urgently. His body pounded harder and faster as he pushed her higher and higher and faster and faster until the world exploded around her in a whirlwind of pleasure so intense that she completely forgot to breath once her scream of pleasure left her throat.
Her body trembled wildly, her tight tunnel rippling around his aching cock, pushing him over the edge. Cullen gave a loud guttural cry of pleasure and felt his body spasm within her as he jerked against her and his seed flowed deep into her beautiful body. He thrust hard again and felt his cock pulse over and over as more of his seed bathed her insides. The pleasure he felt was like nothing he’d ever had before. His body thrust once more and he groaned as he felt Emily tremble from a second, intense orgasm, her cries of pleasure filling the room.
Cullen rolled onto his back, taking her with him so she was resting on top, their bodies still joined. They breathed raggedly as they fought to get their heart rates to turn to normal. Cullen stroked her back in long languid movements, loving the feel of her sweat slickened skin under his hands.
Emily rested with her head buried in the side of his neck. He smelled so good and he felt amazing still inside her. Her hands traced lightly over his chest, a finger flicking idly at a hard nipple. Her breathing finally slowed and she felt him slip from her body. He rolled them onto their sides and he pulled her head back so he could look at her face.
“Emily,” he said softly, his finger lightly stroking her jaw.
She opened her eyes and her breath caught when she saw the look of tenderness in his.
“Thank you for the most precious gift you could ever give me,” he whispered.
Emily felt herself blush and saw his lips twitch in a smile.
“I love the way you blush so delicately,” he teased, leaning forward to kiss her lightly on the lips.
She kissed him back and smiled. “That was amazing,” she said shyly. “Is it always like that?”
“It will be between us,” he laughed softly. “Sometimes it may even be better.”
“I don’t think anything could be better than what just happened,” she said with happy smile.
“Nothing will ever be more special than this moment,” he agreed, his hand trailing over her shoulder to slide down her arm and take her hand in his. He brought her hand to his mouth and kissed it gently, his golden brown eyes looking deep inside her soul.
“I love you, Emily Swan,” Cullen said softly.
Emily gasped and felt tears well up in her eyes at his unexpected declaration. Her heart pounded fiercely in her chest as a tear of joy spilled over.
“I love you, Sebastian Cullen,” she whispered. “So very much.”
He gathered her tenderly in his arms and kissed her with all the pent up feelings inside him. She moaned and clung to him, her mouth opening under his, her tongue searching for his so they could mate erotically again.
Cullen groaned and felt his body respond to her passion. He pulled her on top of him and slowly slid his hard cock back inside her. She gasped at the sudden movement and the unexpectedness of being the one in control.
“Just do what feels natural,” he smiled and kissed her, deep and hard. He groaned when she moved against him experimentally. His body rocked up into hers and his hand moved to her hips.
Emily moved up and down his cock in long slow strokes as his hands on her hips helped her to set a pace that was pleasurable to them both. It felt so wonderful feeling him deep inside her. She pushed up from his chest until she was sitting astride him. She rose above him and then sank down, riding him slowly.
Cullen groaned, his eyes glittering brightly as he watched her move up and down his cock, her head thrown back, her lips parted and her eyes closed as she took her pleasure from him. Little moans were issuing from her throat as she concentrated on the pleasure his body was giving hers. His own need was deep and he used his hands on her hips to increased the tempo slowly.
Emily thought the fist time with him could not be surpassed but her body was humming with pleasure as they moved together faster and faster. She fell forward, her mouth needing his. She kissed him wildly and he thrust his cock upwards with every downward stroke of her body.
“God, I love you,” Cullen groaned against her lips as their movements became more frantic. “Take your pleasure, Emily.”
She began moving faster and harder. He responded to her movements and soon their breathing was harsh and ragged and Cullen’s hands were gliding over her sweat slickened skin feverishly.
Emily’s passion erupted in a rush of blinding, white hot pleasure and she cried out in ecstasy at the same moment Cullen jerked deep inside her and cried out his own release.
Trembling she fell against him and his arms held her close as he gently soothed her down from the dizzy heights she had just reached.
“I’ll love you forever, Cullen,” she whispered softly against his neck.
“As I will you, my Emily,” he said softly, his lips brushing hers tenderly.
Emily slid off him and lay on her side watching him intently. “What does the future have in store for us, Cullen?” she asked quietly. “I’m human and you’re a vampire. Will we be together while I grow older and you stay so beautiful? Or will there come a day when you want to change me so I can be like you and stay with you forever?”
“I don’t know,” he whispered, his voice having a slightly strained sound to it. “There is no rush to make any decisions. We have time, Emily.”                                                                                 She moved to rest her head against his chest and sighed in contentment as his arms held her close. She kissed him lightly on the chest. “We have time,” she agreed and closed her eyes.
To be continued...  

A Reluctant Love Ch 06

Chapter 6: Throw Back Thursday



It was now Monday morning and Emily was awake early. It was decision time. She’d spent almost a whole week wrestling with her newfound knowledge. She really only had two choices. She either took Cullen and Dorian at face value and went back to work, trusting that they really didn’t mean her any harm. Or she called in and resigned, effective immediately, and tried to rebuild her tattered life from scratch. There was no point in any further procrastination.
She picked up her cell phone and saw the message light winking at her. Sighing she dialled her messaging service.
“Just me again,” Cullen’s voice said softly. “Hoping to see you tomorrow, Emily.”
“You’re killing us here, Emily,” Dorian sighed. “Please come back.”
They both sounded so sad and so sincere. Bloody vampires!
She threw the phone down and headed for the shower.
Emily was chatting with Alice just outside her office when she heard the elevator ping open further up the hallway. She looked round and froze in place. Cullen was standing staring at her. He was too far away for her to read his expression but she had a sneaking suspicion that his eyesight was much better than hers and he could see her face very clearly.
They both stood immobile, staring at each other and then Emily looked away, turning her attention back to her PA. When she looked back, Cullen was gone.
She asked Alice to reschedule her meetings and then headed into her office. She stared at the box of books against the wall. She’d ordered them before she left last week. She supposed she’d better do something with them.
She began ordering them into piles on her desk. It would be easier slotting them onto the bookshelf that way. She sensed a presence in the doorway and looked round.
Cullen’s expression was unreadable as he looked at her. He looked even more impossibly beautiful than the last time she had seen him. They stared at each other mutely, both trying to gauge what the other was thinking. The silence seemed to stretch on forever and then Cullen moved, slowly walking into the room.
He reached for the next pile of books and held them out to her. She reached out to take them from him and froze when their fingers brushed against each other. She sucked in a deep breath and put the books onto the shelf.
“Does this mean you’re staying?” Cullen finally spoke, gesturing to the books.
“I guess it does,” she answered quietly, not looking at him.
“I’m glad,” he said simply. He held out another pile of books and she placed them on the next shelf.
“I have questions,” she said, looking at him.
His golden eyes were warm as they gazed at her and a small smile teased at his lips. “I’d expected as much. You are so inherently curious, Emily. I told Dorian it would be a mistake hiring you.”
He watched her stiffen as he said that.
“Not because I didn’t want you here,” he clarified. “I knew you were too observant for your own good. That you would dig and dig until you found out the truth. I didn’t want to be a disappointment to you, Emily.”
Emily walked around her desk and sat down. She could feel Cullen’s eyes tracking her. “I didn’t react very well,” she finally said softly.
“Perfectly understandable,” he sighed.
“I just needed time to process everything, Cullen. It was a lot to take in.”
She looked at him and felt as if he was trying to bore into her very soul with his impenetrable gaze.
“And now you’ve had time?” he prompted gently.
“I’m going with my instincts,” she told him, managing a slight smile. “They’ve never failed me so far and they’re telling me that I can trust you and Dorian.”
“You can, Emily. With your life.”
“Is that not what I’m already doing?” she asked.
Cullen sat down across from her, his gaze so intense that she could almost feel the heat on her body. She sucked in another breath and forced herself not to move back from him.
“Please believe me when I say that we would never hurt you, Emily,” he sighed.
“I do, Cullen. You’ve had ample opportunity, when I was in your home, to do me harm but you never did.”
They sat silently for a moment and then his intense gaze eased and he smiled crookedly at her. “So when do you want to ask your questions?”
“How about you and Dorian come over to the apartment tonight?” Emily said. “Privacy would probably be best for that conversation and I’d prefer somewhere I feel comfortable. “
“Fine with me,” he smiled, standing up. She walked with him as he headed back to his office.
She popped her head around Dorian’s door. He looked up and then smiled a brilliant smile when he saw her.
Emily smiled back automatically. He really did know how to dazzle a woman.
“I’ve invited you and Cullen to my place tonight,” she said.
“Great,” Dorian smiled.
“Be warned, I have about a million questions!” she laughed.
“Cullen said you would have,” he groaned in mock horror, waving his hands theatrically in the air.
Emily burst out laughing and shook her head at him.
“7pm,” she said and turned back to her own office.
The rest of the day went smoothly. She managed to get through quite a few meeting with the heads of department. Her understanding of the processes the company used was improving by the hour.
She jotted down some notes on possible areas that could be improved and then gathered her things. She called goodnight to Alice and headed home.
She had a quick shower and changed into jeans and a T shirt. She fixed herself something light to eat and then spent some time on her laptop while she waited for Cullen and Dorian to arrive.
Dead on seven o’clock, the doorbell rang and she answered it. She stood back as they entered.
They were both wearing their hair loose. She admired the luscious locks and wondered if her own hair looked even half as good as theirs. She’d left hers loose too. It was still slightly damp from her shower.
“Do you eat or drink anything?” she asked as they settled onto her sofa.
“We can drink wine, preferably red,” Dorian laughed, his blue eyes sparkling.
Emily remembered seeing Cullen drinking red wine one time when she’d stayed with him. She went into the kitchen and poured them both a glass of wine. They thanked her and took the glasses.
She curled up in her favourite armchair and watched them. Now that the initial shock had worn off she found herself strangely fascinated by their lifestyle.“How old are you?” she asked. “You have to be a few centuries old at least because I checked the birth records back as far as they went.”
“We’ve been alive almost two millennia,” Cullen answered, smiling at her shocked expression. “You were partially right about our names. The concept of a familial name was not present when we were first born. We were simply Cullen and Dorian. As time evolved and new traditions came along, we opted to add to our names. Dorian found it highly amusing to stick me with a wonderful forename like Sebastian.  I, in turn, gave him the surname Cross to perpetually remind him of how annoyed he had made me.”
Emily laughed as he told the story, a mental image of them taking pot shots at each other coming to mind.
“How did it happen?” she asked, her expression sobering.
“Truthfully? Neither one of us can remember it was so long ago,” Dorian replied. “We have always just been as we are.”
“Do you drink blood?” was Emily’s next question. She was watching Cullen closely as she spoke.
He met her eyes. “Yes, Emily, we do drink blood,” he said calmly.
“From people?” she almost squeaked as she asked the question.
“If they’re willing,” Dorian answered. “We can survive on donated blood if need be but a fresh source is more satisfying.”
Emily stared at them as she processed what she was hearing.
“There are really people out there, like me, who know about you and let you feed off them?” her eyes were wide with surprise.
“There are several private establishments in most major cities,” Cullen said. “Where trusted humans come to spend time with our kind. They receive  certain benefits from the exchange.”
“Like what, money?” she asked.
“If that is what they desire,” Cullen answered. “Sometimes they wish for a drop of our blood. It can be very potent to humans. Makes them feel stronger and healthier. It even increases their libido.”
Emily frowned. “Your blood is like a drug to them,” she said disapprovingly.
“We monitor them closely, Emily,” Cullen said softly. “We can smell when one of our humans have had a drop of vampire blood. They may only ask that once every year. So they do not become addicted to the experience.”
She relaxed slightly, her expression smoothing.
“Why were you so irritable when I was living in your home?” she asked Cullen directly. “Did you want my blood?”
Cullen frowned at the memory. “You were driving me insane,” he admitted with a little laugh. “Your scent was so intoxicating. It called to me every moment you were in my home. I had to leave every night and seek out a substitute source at one of our establishments.”
“He was a veritable bear with a sore head,” Dorian laughed with delight. “He practically begged me to get you out of his house, that last day.”
“I really did that to you?” Emily asked shocked at his reaction to her.
Cullen rolled his eyes. “And you didn’t even realise it,” he groaned laughing. “You washed your hair with lavender and you rubbed your skin with coconut oil every time you showered. On the few occasions that you wore perfume, the scent was vanilla and lavender. It didn’t matter which room in the house I went to, your scent followed me everywhere. The night you fell asleep in the library, that was just sweet torture, Emily. When I carried you up to your bed I almost lost complete control.” He neglected to inform her of what kind of control he’d almost lost.
“He was spitting mad that night,” Dorian chuckled. “I had to spend over an hour on the phone talking him down while he ranted on like he was possessed by the Devil himself.”
“I’m glad you found it so amusing,” Cullen snapped which only increased Dorian’s laughter.
“I’m sorry I made your life so difficult,” Emily said quietly.
“Don’t be,” Cullen smiled gently. “It was something I had to endure to keep you safe. I don’t regret inviting you into my home.”
“How do you work with humans all day long?” she asked perplexed.
“We become desensitised to scents from prolonged exposure,” Dorian explained. “It would have been easier on Cullen getting used to you if he just had to cope with the office environment. It was the close proximity in the house that caused the issue.”
“Does anyone else at the office know about you?”
Dorian shook his head. “You’re the only one, Emily.”
“They’ve never noticed that you don’t change?” she asked shocked.
“They will eventually,” Cullen answered. “When it gets near that time we’ll sell the businesses and retire for a generation or so and then we’ll come back again.”
Emily looked crestfallen. “You’ll go away?” she whispered sadly.
“Not from you, Emily,” Cullen smiled gently. “We’ll stay in contact with you. You can visit whenever you want.”
She brightened visibly.
“So, sunlight doesn’t hurt you,” she said rhetorically. “What about garlic and holy water and stakes through the heart?”
“All myths,” Dorian laughed. “The only way to kill one of our kind is by decapitation or fire. Everything else heals though depending on the severity of the wounds, it could take up to twenty four hours to heal.”
“Speed? Mind control?” she asked next.
“Both true,” Cullen answered with a smile.
“Why didn’t you just mess with my mind when I found out about you?” she said. “Wouldn’t that have been easier than waiting for me to complete my nervous breakdown and come back to work?”
Cullen frowned darkly. “You have a uniquely instinctual way of thinking,” he answered. “It’s probably what makes you able to leap across realms of dead data to solve a problem. We couldn’t risk accidentally damaging your mind, Emily. It is what makes you who you are. We promised that we would never hurt you.”
“So you chose to risk me possibly exposing what you are, to avoid the chance that you may accidentally hurt me?” she whispered.
They both nodded at the same time.
“Oh, I rattled off a nice speech about how I would do it if we had to but I knew I wouldn’t,” Dorian said with a wry smile. “We both liked you too much by then and your way of looking at things benefits the business too well.”
Emily rose and brought the wine bottle through. She refilled Dorian’s glass and waited as Cullen opened a second bottle of wine. She filled his glass and then her own.
“I knew going with my instincts was the right decision,” she finally said, a wide smile on her face. “Thank you for not messing with my mind.”
She clinked her glass against theirs and then sipped a mouthful of wine.
Dorian drained his glass and stood. “I need to get going,” he said. “If you don’t have anymore questions?” His lips quirked in a smile as he looked at her.
“I think I’ve exhausted them all for now,” Emily laughed. She hugged him spontaneously. He froze for a second and then his arms came around her and he hugged her back gently.
“Goodnight, Emily, Cullen,” he said and left with a cheery wave.
“Was that wrong?” Emily asked anxiously when she turned back to Cullen.
He smiled at her, his eyes gentle. “I think it just took him by surprise. Most humans instinctively shy away from physical contact with us. It’s almost as if their subconscious screams a warning at them that we’re dangerous.”
“Guess I’m not like most humans,” she shrugged, flopping down on the sofa beside him.
“You most definitely are not,” Cullen chuckled, hoping she didn’t notice how he moved away from her.
“Was it really so awful for you when I was living with you?” she asked suddenly, her violet eyes meeting his golden brown eyes, hers full of innocent curiosity.
Cullen stiffened slightly and a muscle twitched in his jaw. “It was pretty bad,” he admitted, trying to keep his tone light.
“And you really could smell all my shampoos and lotions?”
Cullen groaned quietly and nodded.
“Can you smell them now, Cullen?”
“Emily,” he said, a warning note in his voice. “Let’s change the subject, shall we?”
He stared at her and sucked in a deep breath. When had she moved so close to him? Her face was mere inches from his. He ground his teeth together and tried to move away from her. Her violet eyes were huge in her face as she watched the emotions flitting through his eyes.
She suddenly gasped in shock when she recognised what he was feeling.
Cullen groaned and brought his hand to her hair. He pulled her face closer until his mouth was a fraction of an inch from hers.
“Yes, Emily,” he breathed quietly. “I can smell every scent on you. You smell as intoxicating now as you did then. The control I almost lost, it wasn’t for your blood, Emily. It was for this.”
His lips touched hers and she gasped, opening her mouth under his. Cullen groaned and moved his lips softly over hers.
Emily stayed as still as she could as Cullen explored her lips gently. Her heart was thudding painfully in her chest and her stomach was doing summersaults as his tongue licked along her bottom lip before tracing the line of her top lip.
A little moan escaped her as he deepened the kiss, his lips becoming more urgent. His tongue slipped inside her mouth to duel erotically with hers and Emily found herself wanted to press her body against his.
Her hands moved of their own accord. She ran her fingers through his silky hair, marvelling at how soft it felt. Her touched seemed to ignite something inside Cullen and he groaned deeply and pressed her back against the sofa, his lips demanding more from her.
She felt his body press into hers as he manoeuvred them so that he was lying on top of her. She felt his hardness press against her and she moaned in response. She shifted her body restlessly underneath his, not really knowing what she was doing, just acting instinctively. She’d never been in this kind of position with a man before.
Cullen was trailing kisses of fire along her jaw and down her neck, his breathing ragged. His hand was pushing underneath her T Shirt, finding her breast and massaging it through the lace material of her bra.
Emily moaned and pressed her breast against his hand. She felt him tug her bra up, freeing her breast to his hand. His mouth found hers again and he kissed her hungrily as he rolled her nipple between his thumb and forefinger. Liquid heat so intense blossomed between her thighs and she froze in fear at the unknown sensation.
Cullen stilled his hand against her breast and took a deep breath. His mouth hovered a fraction of an inch from hers.
“Look at me, Emily,” he said, his voice thick with emotion.
She opened her eyes and shivered at the naked desire she could see in his golden brown eyes.
“Have you done this before?” he asked softly.
Mutely she shook her head and watched as he groaned and closed his eyes as if in pain.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered, feeling embarrassed.
Cullen smiled gently and looked at her again. His eyes were less fierce, more tender than before. “Don’t be,” he sighed softly. He kissed her lips gently. “Just give me a moment to get some control back.”
She lay there quietly until Cullen’s breathing returned to normal and he sat up, pulling her up beside him.
He brushed her hair back tenderly from her face, a crooked smile on his lips.
“How have you managed to get to your age and still be pure?” he asked softly.
Emily blushed at his directness and looked away. “I just never met anyone who interested me,” she shrugged. “I was always nose deep in a book on mathematics or accounts.”
“I thought Rafael,” Cullen said quietly.
Emily snorted. “I know what you thought about him,” she said sharply. “It is possible for men and women to be friends you know.”
“Not when they look like you,” Cullen laughed. “I can’t imagine any red blooded male not wanting you, Emily.”
She shifted uncomfortably and he sighed.
“I’m sorry I’m making you uncomfortable, Emily,” he said gently. “I need to go anyway. Walk me to the door.”
He stood up and pulled her to her feet.
“Are you going to one of your places now?” she asked quietly, not looking at him.
He tilted her head up to meet his eyes. “Yes,” he said honestly. “Being close to you brings out my hunger very strongly.”
Emily blushed and tried to look away but he held her gaze firmly.
“I won’t lie to you, Emily,” he sighed. “Now that you know the truth, you will always have complete honesty from me.”
He leaned down and caught her trembling mouth with his, drinking in the soft moan that escaped her lips.
“I want you, Emily,” Cullen whispered. “I intend to have you. Maybe not for a while, but it will happen between us. Trust me when I tell you that.”
She sucked in a deep breath and looked at him helplessly.
His golden eyes darkened and for a moment she thought he was going to haul her back to the sofa and carry out his promise right there and then.
Instead he straightened up and kissed her lightly on the forehead. “Goodnight, Emily,” he said and then vanished out the door.
To be continued...

Chronicles of a Vârcolac: Kothari's Journal Part 29 & 30 & End

A Reluctant Love Ch 03

Chapter 03 - Throw Back Thursday Story



Cullen woke a few hours later and lay quietly. He turned his head to his bedside clock and saw that it was 7am. He could have done with more sleep but there was pressing business that needed to be taken care off.
He showered and dressed and then opened the small, private refrigerator he kept hidden away in his dressing room. He took out a bottle of thick red liquid and poured himself a glass. He drank it quickly and then washed the glass thoroughly and put the bottle away again. It wasn’t quite as tasty as the warm variety but it satisfied his thirst.
He headed downstairs to the kitchen and put the kettle on. He poured a cup of coffee for Emily when he heard her come down.
Emily followed the sounds she heard and was surprised to see a very modern kitchen. It was not in keeping with what she had seen of the rest of the house so far. All shiny white units and black granite work tops.
“How do you take your coffee?” Cullen asked. She was surprised. He hadn’t even looked around when she halted at the kitchen door.
“Milk, one sugar,” she said quietly. She wondered if he was still annoyed with her. She had really pushed his buttons last night and the very dangerous expression on his face had frightened her a little when she had pushed too hard.
He turned and smiled at her, holding out the cup of coffee.
“Thanks,” she said taking it from him and walking over to the round kitchen table. She sat down on one of the chairs and sipped the coffee with pleasure.
“Did you sleep okay?” Cullen asked. He was leaning against the black granite island in the middle of the room.
Emily nodded and sipped her coffee. She had thought he looked beautiful last night. He looked stunning this morning. He had tied back his hair with a leather thong. He was dressed in a black business suit with a silvery grey shirt. He wore no tie.
He appraised her as she did him. She looked very young this morning in her jeans and T shirt with her hair tied back in a high ponytail.
“Are you really twenty two?” he asked, a smile tugging at his lips. “You look about sixteen.”
“I don’t know whether to take that as a compliment or an insult,” she smiled back.
“I would never dream of insulting you, Emily. You’d be likely to give me twenty lashes of your acerbic tongue if I did.”
Emily laughed. “You really think I’m that bad?”
“Just teasing you,” Cullen smiled.
He watched her drink more of her coffee and was fascinated with the pleasure that crossed her beautiful face.
“I owe you an apology for last night,” he said quietly. “We haven’t decided what we’ll do with Belmont Industries once we acquire it. We usually try our best to ensure that jobs are safe or transferred to one of our other companies when we acquire a new one. Sometimes it isn’t possible though.”
“I suppose I took it a bit far last night,” she admitted. “I just get so annoyed that people like Arthur have the power to destroy ordinary people’s lives like that. It’s just not morally right.”
He nodded his understanding. “Are you willing to let Dorian and I do the best we can?”
She hesitated a moment and then reached into her front pocket. She held out a small memory stick.  He took it from her and slipped it into his pocket.
“I told Dorian we’d meet him at the office,” he said with a smile.
She let him escort her from the house once she’d retrieved her laptop from the hallway. Cullen eyed it speculatively.
“I don’t know what software you have,” she explained. “My laptop can read the data on the memory stick just in case your computers don’t have the program it needs.”
Cullen and Cross was a large steel and glass building. Security was tight and they both had to sign in. Emily was given a visitors pass whilst Cullen clipped his own personal pass onto the lapel of his suit jacket.
“You’ve got to wear a pass?” Emily asked surprised.
“Everyone does,” he said ushering her into one of the elevators and inserting his key into the panel. He selected the top floor and the lift began moving upwards.
The doors opened and they stepped out into a modern office. Cullen greeted some staff who were nearby and led Emily down the long hallway to Dorian’s office.
‘Mr Stunning number two’, Emily thought as Dorian looked up from his laptop as they entered. He smiled another of his dazzling smiles and she frowned. She really hoped he wasn’t going to try charming her today.
“Miss Swan, a pleasure to see you again.” Dorian said standing up to shake her hand.
She shook his hand back and said, “If I’m going to be relying on you two to keep me alive, you may as well call me Emily, Dorian.”
“I’ve never quite viewed myself as a Knight in Shining Armour before,” he laughed.
“You probably see yourself more as Valentino,” Emily quipped back, smiling to take the sting out of the words.
Dorian threw his head back and roared with laughter. “Oh, I think I’m going to like you very much, Emily.”
Cullen cleared his throat and looked pointedly at them both. He held up the memory stick.
Emily booted up her laptop using the meeting table at one end of the room. She took the memory stick from Cullen and slotted it in.
The next two hours was spent reviewing the data as Emily showed them how she’d first noticed something odd in the accounts and the convoluted process she had had to take to uncover Belmont’s fraud.
 
They were astounded. They’d been in business for a very long time and had a good financial knowledge. The accounts she’d shown them had looked perfect to them until she had began to take the transactions apart piece by piece.
“Excuse us a moment, Emily,” Dorian finally said, gesturing for Cullen to follow him. The two men left the room and Emily sat idly waiting for them to return. She opened a bottle of still water on the table and had a drink while she waited.
“She’s amazing,” Dorian said when Cullen closed the door to the boardroom behind them. “We have to have her working for us, Cullen.”
“I agree, the way she found the discrepancies shows great talent and intuition, Dorian, but it would be a mistake bringing her into the company. She’s far too curious. She’d most likely stumble onto things we don’t want her to know.”
Dorian frowned at him. “You’re normally the one pressing to have the best talent working for us, Cullen. Why are you so against Emily?”
“She unsettles me, okay?” Cullen grumbled.
“On a personal level?” Dorian asked surprised.
Cullen nodded and frowned. “I found myself apologising to her this morning just so she would smile at me.”
Dorian laughed. “She’s a pretty, no, beautiful girl with a gorgeous smile,” he said. “What man in his right mind wouldn’t want to see her smile at him?”
Cullen paced the room, his thoughts dark and brooding. “I don’t want to see the look of horror on her face when she finds out what I am,” he finally admitted.
“She may never find out,” Dorian countered. “And even if she did, so what? You said yourself she’s a real tough cookie. She could probably handle it.”
He sighed as he watched Cullen continue to pace.
“We need someone like her on our team, Cullen,” he said when it was obvious his friend was not going to speak.
Cullen finally looked at him, his expression resigned. “Fine, but if it all goes pear shaped then it’s your fault,” he muttered.
Emily looked up as they came back into the room. Cullen looked annoyed but Dorian seemed very happy. She wondered what they had been talking about. They came and sat across the table from her.
“Emily, we have a business proposition for you,” Dorian said, his blue eyes twinkling.
Emily watched Cullen’s face as Dorian spoke.
“Is that a collective we or do mean you, Dorian?” she asked quietly.
Cullen shot a look at her and then seemed to take a deep breath and come to some sort of decision.
“It’s a collective we,” he answered for Dorian. “We want you to join our company.”
“Why?” she asked confused.
“Cullen and Cross pride ourselves on having the best possible staff,” Dorian said. “What you just showed us, well, let’s put it this way, I’m hard pressed to think of  even one of our accounting team ever being able to come up with something like that. And they’re very good.”
“You want to save Belmont Industries,” Cullen added. “We’re going to need a pretty creative financial business plan to try and do that. If you join us, you can be responsible for coming up with the business plan as your first project.”
Emily sucked in a deep breath and stared from Cullen to Dorian and then back to Cullen. Her expression was unreadable.
“You’d really let me do that?” she asked quietly.
“You have our word on it,” Cullen said. “If you want it in writing we can have it included in your contract.”
Dorian rose and took out a standard contract. “This is a pretty general contract of employment,” he said. He pencilled in a figure under the remuneration part and showed it to Cullen who nodded his agreement.
Dorian slid the contract over to Emily. “Have a read of this,” he continued. “If you want any changes then pencil them in and we’ll look at it again tomorrow. Obviously the Belmont Project will be added so you don’t need to pencil that in. When we’re all happy with any changes or additions, our legal team will draw it up for your signature.”
Emily stared down at the contract in front of her. She really wanted to flick through it straight away but she controlled the urge and slipped it into her shoulder bag.
“So what now?” she asked.
“Dorian and I need to get to work on the data you’ve given us,” Cullen said. “If you want, there is a spare office at the other end of the hall. You can review the contract there and make any amendments. I can set up temporary access to the internal intranet site so you can get a feel for how we work. We’re going to need to use your laptop until we can get our hands on a copy of your software. I can give you a replacement until then.”
“Okay, “ Emily said. “I’ll need some coffee and food though. I skipped breakfast this morning.”
Dorian smiled. “Talk to my PA Beth. She’ll arrange for some refreshments and also show you to the office.”
Emily thanked him and left the room. Cullen went with her and quickly informed Beth of the things he wanted in the spare office, laptop with limited company access and some lunch for Emily. He shot her a quick smile and then disappeared back into Dorian’s office.
Beth was a tall, leggy blonde. She was very pretty with her short curls framing her face, giving her a pixie like appearance. She eyed Emily speculatively and then smiled.
Probably doesn’t see me as a threat, Emily surmised.
Beth was actually thinking how incredibly beautiful the little auburn haired woman was. She had also noticed a slight warmth in Cullen’s eyes as he’d looked at Emily. The younger woman seemed completely oblivious though.
“This way, Emily,” Beth smiled leading her down the hall into a large office.
There was a huge mahogany desk with a black leather chair behind it. On the desk was a leather bound writing pad. One wall was lined with dark mahogany bookshelves which were empty. A small round mahogany table was in the corner adjacent the door. There were two chairs around the table.
“There should be pencil’s and pens in the top drawer of the desk,” Beth told her. “I’ll call IT to bring up a laptop for you. They shouldn’t be long. And I’ll order in some lunch. Any preferences?”
“I’d kill for the largest mocha you can get,” Emily said, her eyes lighting up at the thought.  “Doesn’t matter what coffee chain it comes from. And a bacon and cheese toasty, if possible.”
“No problem, “ the other woman smiled and headed out the office.
Emily moved around behind the desk and sat down. She opened up the top right hand drawer and found pens and pencils as Beth had said she would. Taking out the contract, she began to read it carefully.
It was pretty standard as most contracts usually were. The working hours were flexible. It was a fixed contract so any extended hours she worked could only be taken as time in lieu. She didn’t mind that. The holidays were excellent, 40 days per annum excluding public holidays with the added option of buying a percentage of her holiday entitlement if needed.
The benefits included pension and health care. A dedicated parking spot would be assessed on a individual basis. Emily smiled. Let’s see how much they wanted her here, she thought. She pencilled in that she required a designated parking space. She didn’t think it was an unreasonable thing to ask for.
She turned to the remuneration page and gasped out loud. They couldn’t be serious! Two hundred and fifty thousand! Arthur was paying her a hundred grand less than that. She checked the figure carefully just in case Dorian’s handwriting was at fault but it clearly said what it did. Cullen had nodded his agreement to the amount, she had seen him do it.
Emily sat back in the chair and, unconsciously steepling her fingers and tapping them lightly against her lips. She’d be a fool to turn down an offer as generous as that. She pencilled a question mark beside the amount. She’d talk to them later about it.
A knock on the office door distracted her and she looked up as a young black man appeared.
“IT, Miss,” he called cheerily.
She smiled back at him and chatted about how he found working at the company as he deftly set up the laptop and gave her intranet access and web access. He seemed to love working there and Emily found herself starting to get excited at the prospect of working there herself.
She pencilled in a note on the contract after Billy from IT had left. She would want to have in writing the department she’d be working in and who she would be reporting to.
She stopped when lunch arrived and sat at the small table to eat. The front of the office was a huge glass window apart from the heavy door. She left the office door open so she could listen unobtrusively to the hum from the outer offices. You could learn a lot about a place just from quietly listening.
She liked what she heard. Everyone seemed to be relaxed and happy to be in the work environment. She thought she heard Cullen speaking to someone. She held her breath and listened but she didn’t hear his voice again. Maybe she’d imagined it.
It struck her odd that she wanted to hear Cullen’s voice. She didn’t even know if she liked the man. Sure he was beautiful and had an incredibly sexy smile, when he smiled. But he made her so angry as well when that cold mask slipped across his face and he became remote and distant. It was almost as if he were two different people in the same body.
Emily threw her empty sandwich wrapping in the bin and took the remains of her coffee back to the desk. She picked up the contract again and finished going through it. She pencilled Belmont at the end, even though Dorian had said she didn’t need to. Satisfied she set it down.
She spent the next hour browsing the company intranet. The more she read the more she liked the company. Her harsh words to Cullen the night before came back to her and she felt embarrassed. She probably did owe him a proper apology, not that poor attempt she’d come up with this morning.
Having finished with the intranet, Emily closed down the laptop. She drummed her fingers on the desk for a moment and then opened up the leather bound note pad. She closed her eyes and thought of Belmont Industries. She listed some of the key personnel she knew and began to grade them between one to ten with ten being how competent she had found them to be.
She tried to remember Cullen’s words about harsh choices needing to be made in business. She crossed out an eight beside one employee who had two kids. She re-scored him a six, which she felt truly indicated his capabilities.
She began jotting down rough notes on how to recover from the two point five million shortfall. She had seen various areas that had budgets way exceeding their needs. She began going from department to department giving a rough estimate of what their budgets were. Quite a few of them could survive on lesser budgets.

*****

Cullen wandered down to the spare office. It was almost five and Emily hadn’t reappeared yet. The door was open and he stood there watching as the tiny woman scribbled furiously on the desk note pad. Her brow was furrowed in concentration and he could almost hear the wheels of her mind turning as she wrote. His mouth quirked in a lopsided smile as he watched her. She really was quite fascinating.
Emily looked up and saw Cullen in the doorway, a lopsided grin on his face. She felt her heart turn over in her chest.
“How long have you been standing there?” she asked, her voice almost squeaking.
“Just a moment,” he answered walking into the room. “You look like you’ve been busy.”
“Just jotting down some ideas about Belmont,” she said self-consciously.
He raised an eyebrow. “Have you decided to accept our offer?”
Emily pushed the contract over to him. He picked it up and quickly read the pencilled items she’d included.
“No problem on the parking space,” he said. “Belmont is a given too. There is a problem with the remuneration?” His voice registered his surprise.
“I wanted to check the figure,” she replied. “It’s a hundred grand more than Belmont was paying me.”
“He obviously got you at a bargain price then,” Cullen commented. “The figure is correct. We reward our senior executives for their hard work. Which brings up the last point of department and who you’ll be answerable to. Your job title will be Executive Accountant.  This will be your office and you’ll report directly to either myself or Dorian. Our Accounting Department appears to run quite smoothly but once the Belmont project is finished we’d be looking for you to have a look at how things are run and see if you can find any areas that can be tightened up. New processes to be implemented, that kind of thing. Once you’ve finished with that, you can look into our subsidiaries and tighten up their processes too.”
“That’s a huge amount of trust and responsibility to place in someone you haven’t even known for twenty four hours,” Emily finally said once she’d gotten over the shock of his words.
“Are you telling me I shouldn’t trust you, Emily?” he asked softly. His golden brown eyes seemed to bore into hers.
“You can trust me, Cullen.” She tried not to cringe at the breathy quality in her voice as she spoke.
He kept his eyes glued to hers as if trying to read her mind.
“Is it too much responsibility for you then?” he asked, his voice again soft.
“No,” she breathed quietly. “I’d relish the challenge.”
“Then everything is settled,” he suddenly smiled. “I’ll have our legal team draw up the contracts for signing. When would you like to start?”
“Seeing as you appear to be my personal bodyguard at the moment, I suppose straight away?” she suggested. “At least here I will be safe until Belmont is behind bars.”
“I’ll get it set up with IT and Security so you’re ready to go tomorrow first thing,” Cullen said. “I’ll be back in about half an hour and then I thought we could go do some shopping before we head home.”
“Shopping?” she said confused.
“Your little overnight bag didn’t look like it could hold many clothes,” he laughed and Emily blushed furiously.
“I didn’t even think of that,” she groaned and rubbed her face tiredly.
“Oh, and Emily, no arguments when I pay, okay?” he added. “Can’t have you using your credit or debit card at the moment. You can pay me back once things get settled.”
She nodded dumbly as he left the office. The thought of him paying for her personal things was a bit too intimate feeling for her liking. She could understand his logic but even still. She was not going to enjoy the experience at all.
It turned out to be not too bad after all. Cullen must have noticed her distressed look because he formally loaned her five thousand in cash and even had her sign a receipt to say she had received the money. She saw Dorian raise an eyebrow as they completed the transaction in his office.
“Don’t know why you don’t just use the company credit card,” he said to Cullen.
“I think Emily may prefer to purchase her own under garments,” Cullen remarked dryly, causing her to blush and Dorian to burst out laughing and mutter something about women being the strangest creatures on the planet.
Emily picked out three decent business suits and enough blouses to last a week and a bit. She bought underwear and a couple of pairs of jeans and some casual tops. She almost forgot footwear but remembered in time to get a few pairs to suit most occasions.
It was almost eight o’clock when they arrived back at the house. Cullen carried her bags up to her room and then left her to have a soak in the tub while he prepared some food.
She stayed in the bath longer than she meant to. By the time she got downstairs, Cullen told her he had already eaten while he waited for her. He sat at the table with her and sipped at a glass of red wine while she ate the meal he’d prepared for her. It was a lamb dish, the meat delicately spiced and very tasty.
“You’ll make someone a great house-husband,” she teased as she chewed the delicious meat dish. “This is some seriously good lamb.”
Cullen smiled at her, his eyes guarded as he watched her.
“I’m glad you’re enjoying it,” he said quietly. And he found he truly was. It was fascinating watching her enjoy her food.
He cleared the table when she’d finished and put the dishes in the dishwasher. He watched Emily sip her red wine and smiled when she tried to cover up a big yawn.
“Why don’t you get some sleep?” he said gently.
“I wanted to hear how you and Dorian got on today,” she protested quickly.
“It can wait until tomorrow,” Cullen said firmly. “You’re about out on your feet, Emily.”
Sighing she stood up and handed him her glass.
“I might be out when you wake tomorrow,” he told her. He saw her eyes narrow curiously. “I’ve promised a friend I’d pop over before I head into the office. I’ll swing by and pick you up at 8.30am. Don’t try to leave the house, Emily. I have an elaborate security system which will be activated while I’m gone. You don’t want to scare yourself silly when alarms start ringing all over the place.”
“Okay,” she nodded. “Night, Cullen.”
“Sleep well, Emily,” he said quietly.
To be continued...