Page 40 of The Enemy's Daughter

“It sounds amazing.”

“Yeah. Thinking about her, it just makes me miss her so much, you know? She would love this time of year.”

He saw the tears sparkling in her eyes, and his gut twisted. Alaric didn’t wait around. He sat beside her and pulled her into his arms, holding her close.

“If your mother loved Christmas so much, why was she in her car that day?”

“It’s my fault.”

“Wait, no.”

“It was. I was sick, really sick, and my dad had forgotten to pick up my medicine the day before. There’s always a pharmacy open somewhere, and I got worse. Dad had had a drink at dinner, and he was over the limit. He couldn’t drive, and my mom was determined to get me my medication. She said, ‘I’ll be back before you know it’. She kissed me on the cheek, and I never saw her again. She never came home, and the police arrived, and everything went bad for a while. It was hard. Dad was a wreck. If only I hadn’t gotten sick, she’d be here now.”

She wiped her tears, and the sight of them twisted his gut. He didn’t want her to cry. “You couldn’t help being sick.”

“I could have tried to hide it.”

“And gotten worse? Babe, you were too damn young. This was not your fault. It wasn’t even your father’s fault. I’m surprised you still love Christmas.”

“It’s Dad’s fault about that. I didn’t want to celebrate it because of what happened. He told me that my mother would be disappointed if I didn’t at least bake one of everything she liked, and embrace her traditions. If I stopped, I wouldn’t be keeping her with me, I’d be killing her memories as well.”

“He’s right.” Alaric didn’t think for a second that he would say those fateful words, but he did. “Your dad loves you, and it has been an honor and a privilege to have been by your side the past couple of days.”

“Thank you.”

“Do you still bake for your father?” he asked.

“No. My apartment wouldn’t accommodate it. I do take in as many baked goodies as I can. Everyone loved my mom, and my dad. They’re great people.” She wiped away the last of her tears and took a deep breath. “Wow, I didn’t have any intention of crying like that. So wrong. Besides, I wanted to know more about you.” She smiled.

“There’s not a lot to tell. I’m the only one left, and my parents didn’t want any more kids. I was the firstborn son, and that was all they were interested in.”

“Oh, I’m sorry.”

“I didn’t have a family like yours. You were lucky.” He pushed the hair off her shoulder.

He watched as she pushed her glasses up her nose. She looked so cute with them on. He didn’t see a need for her to wear contacts. Cupping her cheek, he ran his thumb across her soft skin.

“Do you ever think of having a family?” she asked.

Not until he’d gotten to know her.

Family was something he considered a burden. Now, he was seeing family was something so much more.

“I don’t know. One day maybe.”

“You don’t have a clock going tick-tock, tick-tock.”

“No clock. No timer. No alarm. Right now, I want to kiss you.” He ran his thumb across her bottom lip. She let out a moan, and he smiled. “I love how responsive you are to me.”

Even her eyes dilated, and her breathing grew deeper. She pressed against him, wanting to get closer, and he saw her need as well. She was a greedy little bitch, and right now, she belonged to him.

“Do you want me to kiss you?” he asked.

“Yes.”

Cupping both of her cheeks, he didn’t give her a chance to back down or turn him away. He took possession of her lips, and claimed what was his. Sliding his tongue across her lips, he plundered inside, deepening the kiss.

“Blue,” she said, moaning his name.

---