A Reluctant Love Ch 13

Chapter 13: Throw Back Thursday.
 
Emily slowly opened her eyes and felt her heart soar when she saw Cullen lying sleeping beside her. She gently stroked his hair away from his face and he stirred slightly but didn't waken.

She wondered when he'd finally fallen asleep. She had woken up just after one in the morning, needing a drink, and he had been awake, lying watching her sleep. He had fetched her a glass of water and then had gathered her back into his embrace, stroking her hair until she fell back asleep.

Smiling, she slid quietly from the bed and went to make herself a coffee, quietly closing the bedroom door behind her so as not to disturb him. She looked at the clock and saw it was just after nine.

Grabbing her coffee she sat down on the sofa and called Dorian.

"Hey, love," Dorian said cheerily. "When are you coming home? Alice and I are missing you so much."

"I'm home, Dorian. I got back last night," Emily said sipping her coffee.

"I take it you're coming into the office?" he asked. "It's safe. Cullen hasn't shown up or called in yet. I think he might be having a 'duvet day.'"

"That's why I'm calling," she replied. "I won't be coming in today and neither will Cullen."

She heard Dorian suck in a sharp breath. "You mean?" he asked hopefully.

"Yes, Dorian," Emily smiled. "He called last night and came round. We did a lot of talking, or I should say, he talked and I listened. It was pretty hard on Cullen. He's really been through the wringer and needs some serious tender, loving care which is what I intend to give him today."

"Thank God for that!" Dorian said, his voice thick with relief. "I was getting so worried, Emily. I really thought he was going to destroy himself. Nothing Liam or I said seemed to get through to him. How did you finally manage it?"

"It wasn't me, it was Elizabeth showing up that cracked his shell. I can't believe that woman actually did us a favour, though I'm sure that was not her intention."

"Liam said that Cullen reacted strangely to her appearance," Dorian mused. "I didn't think to ask him about it. I just thought it was the same old history and feelings involved."

"I think it was the contrast between her and myself that finally registered with him," Emily said. "It started him thinking and sent him down a pretty painful path. He came out at the right place though. That's all I care about. He's come home."

"I'm so glad, love," Dorian sighed. "You two were meant to be together. If you couldn't make it then there would be no hope for the rest of us. Use your own judgement, Emily. Take as much time as you both need. We can manage fine without you. Don't bring Cullen back until he's fully healed."

"I won't, Dorian," Emily said. "Talk soon."

She hung up and then went to fix herself some breakfast. Nothing but pop tarts in the cupboard, she groaned. Oh well, it would just have to do. She could go shopping later.

She had just finished breakfast when the bedroom door flew open and Cullen was standing there, his face still sleepy. He relaxed when he saw her.

"I woke up alone and thought I had dreamt everything," he said quietly.

She walked over to him and wrapped her arms around his waist. "No dream, I'm still here," she smiled, kissing him lightly on the chest. "Come on, back to bed. You didn't sleep enough last night. I've called Dorian and told him you won't be in."

She pulled him down onto the bed beside her.

"I bet Dorian was surprised," Cullen smiled, pulling her against him so her head was resting on his chest.

"Extremely relieved was more like it," she said softly. "You had him and Liam really worried. Not to mention me."

"I was a total ass," he groaned, kissing the top of her head, unable to believe his good fortune at having her in his arms.

"Not arguing with you there," Emily said teasingly. "But you're my total ass and I'm pretty partial to you so I suppose that's all the matters."

She leaned up so she could stare into his golden, brown eyes. She smoothed the slight frown on his forehead with a gentle touch of her fingers.

"No more recriminations, Cullen," she told him softly. "Leave the past where it belongs, in the past. Today, let's just get to know each other again, my love."

She leaned forward and kissed him. She felt his hands tighten around her and then he groaned softly and his mouth opened under hers and she deepened the kiss, sliding her tongue erotically against his.

"I want you, Cullen," she breathed huskily against his mouth. "Make love to me."

Cullen groaned loudly and tugged at her nightdress. It ripped in his hands and he tore it from her body. "Emily," he groaned, his lips trailing fire down her throat to her breasts. "I've dreamed of being with you like this night after night. I've missed your sweet body so much."

His mouth found her nipple and he sucked it deep into his mouth as his fingers rolled her other nipple roughly.

Emily moaned and thrust her breast up to his mouth, her fingers threading in his thick hair to hold him to her. "Cullen," she moaned throatily. "I need you so much."

She cried out as his mouth moved feverishly over her skin until he was parting her thighs and his tongue was roughly licking between her legs, tasting her as if he was starving. He drank greedily of her sweet nectar, his fingers joining his questing mouth to push deep inside her as he sucked her clit into his mouth, his tongue laving the hard nub as he suckled.

Emily was frantic with need as he tortured her with his hands and mouth, pushing her towards her orgasm and then slowing down again, only to push her once more.

"Cullen, please," she moaned and this time he didn't stop. He lapped at her roughly and thrust his fingers deep inside her, pushing her over the precipice until she was crying out and shuddering beneath him as waves of exquisite pleasure rolled over her.

Cullen moved up her body until he was looming over her. He pushed his cock deep inside her. Her hot, tight tunnel surrounded his aching hardness and he cried out in pleasure as he was once more joined with the woman he loved. He smothered her mouth with kisses as he began to move deep inside her, taking her with long slow strokes.

He worshipped her with his mouth and hands and body, trying to pour every ounce of the love he had for her into that one sweet moment. His hands came to her hips and he pulled her harder against his body as he thrust into her. He needed to be deeper within her sweet body.

Emily gripped his shoulders hard as Cullen took her with long, hard strokes. The ferocity of his lovemaking was intoxicating. His body strained with need and she matched him stroke for stroke as he pushed deep into her body.

Cullen groaned her name over and over as they moved against each other. The intensity of their lovemaking had them panting hard. He ran his hands over her sweat slickened skin, trying to touch her everywhere at once.

"Cullen," Emily moaned desperately. "Take me. Make me yours." She urged him on with her hands and her cries and the desperate movements of her body against his.

His control snapped and he was thrusting into her hard and fast. Emily was crying out over and over as they took each other desperately, needing the healing power of their physical love to bind them together.

"Cullen!" Emily screamed as she came in a torrent of white, hot pleasure, her body shaking wildly as she cried her pleasure over and over.

Cullen roared his release, jerking against her desperately as his bathed her insides with his hot sticky seed. His body shook with the intensity of his pleasure and he had to fight not to collapse completely on top of her.

He rolled onto his side, taking her with him, their bodies still locked together. Breathing raggedly, they lay there with their eyes closed, feeling the aftershocks of their pleasure slowly start to subside.

"I love you," Cullen whispered, his shaky hand smoothing her tumbled curls back from her face.

"I love you," Emily whispered back, her trembling hand stroking against his sweat slickened chest.

She felt him slip from her body and sighed softly. She moved closer to him so she could kiss and lick his chest all over. "I'm not letting you out of this bed all day," she growled laughingly.

"You'll have no arguments from me, wife," he laughed happily.

She raised her head to look at him, her eyes glowing with love. "I may need to amend that," she chuckled. "I'll need food at some point and the cupboards are bare."

"Whatever you want, love," Cullen smiled. "I'm at your disposal."

"I like the sound of that," she laughed, stretching languidly against him.

His smiling face turned serious, his gaze deep and intense. "When you drink from the vial it will always be the case, Emily. You will be my Princess and your every wish will be my command."

"I'm not drinking from the vial, Cullen," Emily said quietly, her face as sober as his.

"Why ever not?" he asked, his voice full of surprise.

"The only thing I want to be is your wife, Cullen," she sighed. "I don't want power over you or anyone else. Alexander will just have to find someone else to be his heir."

"It's you we need, love," Cullen said after a moment's pause. "You were meant to come to us so that we would remember our humanity. We need your generous loving heart, your compassion and empathy and your unfailing ability to know the right course of action to take. Don't let my petty jealousy and insecurity stop you from doing what is right. Trust your instincts, love, as I do."

Emily searched his eyes intently, trying to see any doubt in them. All she saw was a deep love for her and a sincerity that he believed every word of what he had just said.

"I'll not risk our happiness for anything, Cullen," she said quietly. "If you have even the tiniest fraction of doubt in your heart then tell me. We've suffered so much. I will not let anything tear us apart again."

"I have no doubts, love," he whispered. "You are my wife and soon you will be my Princess. One day you will be my Queen and I glory at the honour of being at your side throughout it all. This is why you came to me, Emily. This is why you came to us. It is right."

"Oh, Cullen, I love you," she sighed and kissed him gently. "I will need your love and guidance to help me every step of the way."

"You'll have it, my Emily," he said softly. "Always."

She hugged him tight to her as her mind whirled at the enormity of the life in front of her.

"There is still the question of the change," Cullen said after a while. "Have you decided when it will be?"

"If you did it now I wouldn't have to get up and go buy food," Emily chuckled. "I'm just kidding," she laughed harder when Cullen's head snapped up in surprise.

"Soon, love," she said when she finally stopped laughing. "I think a few more days of eating coconut macaroons and drinking mochas is on the agenda first."

"Just tell me when it feels right, love," Cullen smiled. "You'll know the right time."

"Does it hurt?" Emily asked.

"I don't believe so," he answered. "I can't remember when it happened to me but I have talked to others that remember their change. You simply go to sleep and awaken changed. You usually sleep about the same amount of time as you would for a normal night's rest. Nothing too traumatic."

"I will need to drink your blood, won't I? she asked.

"Yes, love," Cullen said softly. "I must drink your blood until it is almost gone and you are a hair's breadth away from death. Then I drip my blood into your mouth until you gain sufficient strength to drink from me on your own. Your body will know when it has had enough to complete the change. You will go to sleep and awake reborn."

"It doesn't sound so bad," she smiled, cuddling into his body.

She yawned and then giggled. "I can't believe I'm still sleepy. I slept for hours last night. Unlike someone else I know," she said disapprovingly.

"What can I say?" Cullen smiled. "I just couldn't stop looking at you, love, and thinking I had to be the luckiest man alive on the planet to be given another chance with the most beautiful woman in the world."

He stroked her hair, his arms tight around her. "I want to sell the house, Emily," he finally said.

"Where did that come from?" she asked in surprise, sitting up and looking down at him.

He sat up too and leaned forward resting his head on his knees. "It won't matter how hard I clean that room, Emily. I will always see and smell your blood in it. I'll always here the cruel words I said to you there. I just can't live it that house anymore."

"Okay," she said softly. "We can stay here for a while until we decide if we want to buy somewhere else. I quite like the idea of us buying a home together." She kissed his shoulder and ran her hand soothingly over his back.

"Thank you," Cullen said quietly turning his head to look at her.

She smiled at him and gently stroked his hair. "Whatever you need to do to help heal your pain just tell me. Dorian has refused to let you come back to work until you're fully healed. I'm in total agreement with him. If we have to stay here for weeks on end, talking and loving, then that's what we'll do, Cullen. If you need to sell the house, then goodbye house. Whatever you need, my love."

He closed his eyes and tears began to flow. Emily knelt beside him and wrapped her arms around him, whispering soothing words of love as he released more of his pent up pain.

"Let it all out, Cullen," she whispered. "Forgive yourself, love. Everything is in the past now. Release the pain and let me soothe it away. You're safe with me, love. You're home now and everything is going to be all right."

She pulled him down to the bed and held him tight against her as his tears finally began to ebb and he fell into an exhausted sleep. She kissed his head lightly and then slipped from the bed.

Dressing, she decided to nip out and get some food while he slept. She left a note in case he woke while she was gone and then hurried to the closest shop so she could be back as quickly as possible.

He was still sleeping when Emily returned to the apartment. She fixed herself some lunch and ate it quickly. She frowned at the bedroom door while she ate. Cullen's pain and guilt was running deeper than she had imagined. She wondered just how long it would take for him to let it all go and accept that the past was now dead and buried.

She called Dorian to update him. She told him that it was unlikely they would be back in the office tomorrow as it seemed Cullen needed more time to heal. Dorian again told her to take all the time that they needed.

It was another three days before Emily felt sure that Cullen had dealt with all of his pain and guilt. The days and nights had been spent making love, talking quietly and Emily holding him as he wept.

Finally a day passed with no tears and lots of love and laughter. Emily's heart soared when she saw Cullen's eyes full of life, with no more brooding sadness in them. He was healed and was once more her strong, vibrant husband.

"Work tomorrow," she said when they were lying in bed that night.

"Work tomorrow," he agreed, kissing her slowly. "Loving tonight," he added, his hand stroking down her body.

"Loving tonight," she laughed breathlessly as his kiss deepened and she closed her eyes and let him take her to paradise and back again.

Dorian was talking to Beth when the elevator pinged open and Cullen and Emily arrived in the office on Friday morning. One look at Cullen's face was enough to bring a smile of joy to Dorian's. He looked so rested, so carefree, so in love with his beautiful wife beside him.

"Welcome back, Cullen," Dorian said warmly, giving his friend a hug.

"It's good to be back," Cullen smiled happily, catching Emily's hand as she went to walk away. He kissed it softly, his mouth brushing her wedding and engagement rings.

"Work!" Emily said with mock severity. "You've been laying in bed all week while poor Dorian has been slaving away. Go earn your crust of bread, husband!"

"Yes, my Princess," Cullen laughed with a mock bow.

Dorian silently mouthed a heartfelt thank you to Emily. She smiled radiantly at him and nodded, before heading down to her office.

Alice was ecstatic to have her back and so happy that Cullen and Emily were back together.

Emily called Anton, thankfully he hadn't gone to bed yet. She filled him in with everything that happened and he was as relieved as her friend's that everything had turned out fine.

"Anton, I've decided to do the change," she told her brother softly. "It is going to be next week. Can you come over?"

"Of course I will, baby girl," he replied immediately.

"There's a lot of sleeping involved in it," she explained. "I was thinking that I could go to dinner with you the night before, just the two of us. I want to spend some human time with you beforehand. Then the following morning Cullen can do it and I'll sleep during the day and wake that night changed."

"Have you picked an exact date?" Anton asked.

"Not yet, I've not even told Cullen this. I wanted to speak to you first just in case there was any last minute issues you might have had."

"Em, I support you all the way, baby sister. You know that."

"Thanks Anton," she smiled. "I'll give you forty eight notice so you have time to get here."

Emily called Cullen, Dorian and Alice to the Boardroom.

They arrived with curious expressions.

Emily sat down with Cullen at her side. He took her hand in his and held it gently, his thumb stroking rhythmically against her.

"I've decided to do the change next week," she announced with a big smile.

Cullen's face broke into a beautiful smile and Alice gasped in shock . Dorian smiled happily at her.

"Are you sure, Emily?" Cullen asked quietly, joy shining clearly in his eyes.

Emily smiled back at him, her violet eyes amused. "Totally, Cullen. I want to be vampire as soon as possible so I can kick your butt the next time you give me grief," she chuckled.

He laughed and hugged her tightly.

"We will be so blessed to have you, Emily," Dorian said fondly.

"Are you scared?" Alice asked at the same time Dorian spoke and they all laughed.

"No, I'm not scared, Alice," Emily smiled. "I'm excited. A whole new chapter of my life is about to begin."

"I hope I'm as brave as you are when I decide to do the change," Alice said quietly.

Dorian's head turned sharply and he stared at her open-mouthed. "You want to become one of us?" he asked softly.

"It's about time you got around to marrying the girl anyway," Emily said with a big smile before Alice had a chance to answer him. "You did decide you were going to at our wedding, didn't you?"

Dorian's head now turned to her, his blond hair flying as he turned so swiftly, and his expression was even more shocked. "How did you know that?" he gasped.

"I saw your face, Dorian," Emily laughed. "It's very expressive when you don't realise someone is watching. You looked at Alice as if you'd just received a huge shock and then you smiled so beautifully. I knew what it meant."

Alice was sitting there staring at Dorian with her mouth hanging open.

"You want to marry me?" she squeaked and then took a deep breath before continuing. "You've know it since the wedding and you didn't say anything?"

Dorian groaned and then burst out laughing. "Yes, Alice, I want to marry you, my love. And yes, I have known it since the wedding. I was waiting for the right moment to ask and then everything got so crazy between Cullen and Emily so I decided to wait until everything was sorted out. Remember I said to you that we would talk about the future once things calmed down?"

Alice nodded and then she smiled happily. "You want to marry me," she breathed softly and moved to sit in his lap.

"You want to change and be with me forever?" Dorian asked quietly, his face glowing with love for his little woman.

"Oh, yes, Dorian," Alice cried happily. "Yes to marrying you and yes to being with you forever and ever."

Dorian kissed her thoroughly and hugged her tightly. "I promise I'll ask you to marry me properly, my Alice," he sighed against her mouth.

Cullen leaned forward and kissed Emily lightly on the lips. "Congratulations from us anyway," he smiled at the other couple.

"Now, back to my plans," Emily said with a loving smile for her friends. "I was thinking next Friday. I want to do it Karpathia's, Cullen, in our special room. Will that be okay?"

"Anything you want, my love," he smiled. "Just tell me and I'll make it happen."

She raised his hand and kissed it lightly. "I've called Anton and given him a head's up that it will be sometime next week. Alice, I'd like to have lunch with you on Thursday, just us two girls."

"Can we have a long one, with lots of alcohol to celebrate?" the little dark haired woman asked impishly.

Emily laughed, "A little alcohol," she replied, her eyes twinkling. "I want to spend Thursday night with Anton," she continued. "I thought we could go out to dinner together and talk about life and our family and such things. Then I want to do the change on Friday morning at Karpathia's so that I will awaken Friday night and all my friends will be waiting to greet me."

Cullen smiled at her, his face glowing with love. "Sounds perfect, love," he said softly. "Have you decided when you will use the King's vial?"

Emily nodded, her eyes intent on his. "I had originally thought that I would wait a while until I got used to the change but that doesn't feel right, Cullen. It has to be the same time as the change. I will go to sleep a human and wake up a Princess."

"It might be a lot to take in," he said.

Emily knew his caution was out of concern for her and nothing else. "I think that's why I need to do it that way," she said softly. "If I spend too much time learning to be a vampire before I drink from the vial then I'll maybe fall into too many old ways which are not in the best interest of our kind. Doing it at the same time as the change will mean that I'll still be myself and I'll approach things differently."

Cullen nodded his understanding and pulled her into his arms for a tight hug.

"Our kind will not know what's hit them," Dorian laughed with a shake of his head.

"They haven't known what's hit them since the first moment I brought my sweet Emily to Karpathia's for the very first time," Cullen chuckled.

The time leading up to the change passed in a whirl of activity. Alice helped Emily pick out a Regency styled dress for her coming out night. It was made of silk and flowed to the floor with an empire bodice which was beaded with lace to match the little lace half sleeves which just covered her shoulders.

Emily couldn't decide which colour to have it so she eventually asked Cullen's opinion. He smiled and said deep purple which was the colour Emily had been swaying towards anyway. The dress was just right for the occasion, it harked back to centuries past which many of the older vampires could relate to whilst regency styled clothing was back in vogue at the moment so the younger vampire could also relate.


To be continued....