10

The next morning, Emily woke up naked snuggled up to Kian, who was also naked. The covers were gone. The sun was peeking through the gap in the window curtains. Emily didn’t have a clue what time it was, but she needed to get up and moving. 

She needed to see Selma for herself. Not rely on the words of others. If it hadn’t been for the mind-blowing sex, Emily would have snuck off last night to see Selma. Emily felt ashamed for her priorities being elsewhere, instead of keeping Selma at the top of the list. 

Emily didn’t know what came over her the day before. She just knew she needed and wanted him. Deep down she had to admit it was more than a physical need when it came to how she wanted Kian. Every time she thought about how he made her feel and how she wouldn’t mind staying in Camden forever with him, she panicked. Settling down with a stranger in a strange town wasn’t her idea of happily ever after. Besides, she was still questioning if she was more than just this week’s choice of the week for his bed.

“What has you frowning, sweetheart?” Kian asked beside her. She turned her gaze from the window and looked at him. 

“Nothing.” He was now frowning.

“I know better than that,” he chuckled and kissed her forehead. 

She is so damn beautiful, Kian thought.

“Thank you,” Emily smiled bashfully. Kian looked confused.

“Thank you? What for,” he chuckled.

“You said I was beautiful.” Kian stilled at her words. “What? Did you not say it and I read your mind?” She teased. 

“You’re always beautiful,” he said pulling her against his body. 

His body was warm and welcoming. Emily snuggled against his chest. She knew she should get up and moving, but she didn’t want to. She was happy right where she was. In his arms. 

“A man could get used to this, sweetheart,” Kian rubbed her back.

Emily’s heart fluttered at his words. She found herself reading too much into his words and hoping he was referring to waking up next to her and holding her. 

“Get used to what?” She asked hopeful. 

“Waking up next to you.” 

If she had been alone, this would have been the part where she would do the happy dance on the bed. Waking up next to you. Music to her ears. Men in the past had said those words to her, and she had run for the hills. Serious relationships were not on her to-do-list. Her parents had put fear in her about falling in love with someone and changing who you are for them. Emily had refused. However, with Kian, he made her want to change. For the better. 

“What are you thinking about,” he asked kissing her on the top of her head. She pulled away and propped herself up on her elbow. 

“Are you always this sweet to women?” Her question caught them both off guard. The question came out covered in jealousy. Emily’s mind became consumed with images of Kian in bed with Norma and the mystery woman behind the door. In her images, he was ramming his cock in them the same way he rammed her. 

“Sweetheart, what’s wrong?” He asked propping himself up on an elbow. 

“How many women have you been with, Kian?” She growled. His eyes widened and silence filled the room. 

“Emily,” he finally whispered. “Why are you asking that? Do you think I am just being nice to you for sex?”

“Well, it seems like your door is a revolving one with Norma and the mystery woman,” she spat and climbed out of the bed. Kian fell back onto his pillow. He stared up at the ceiling. “I will take your silence as meaning there have been lots of women who have gotten to enjoy your cock!”

What in the hell is wrong with me? Emily thought to herself but was too embarrassed to stop and apologize to Kian for her outburst. So she chose to storm down the hallway to the bathroom with her suitcase in hand. 

Emily closed and locked the bathroom door behind her. She used the sink to steady herself. Her emotions were whirling around in her head and making her nauseous. She felt like she was just a passenger in her body along for the ride. Nothing made sense. How had her romantic thoughts of Kian turned into her snapping his head off demanding to know the number of women he had slept with? 

“I’ve gone crazy. Batshit...” her words were interrupted with the urge to get sick. The next few minutes, she found herself praying to the porcelain god. There wasn’t much in her stomach but it didn’t stop her from dry heaving. 

“Emily. Sweetheart,” Kian called from the other side of the door. The doorknob turned but was stopped by the lock. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.” She dry heaved again then leaned her head against the wall. The last time she had thrown up or even dry heaved had been years ago. But that was when she had food poisoning. She hadn’t eaten anything recently, so she wasn’t sure why her body had decided to let everything go.

“Sweetheart, let me in, please?”

“N...” the feeling struck again. “Don’t worry about me. Go take care of Norma!” She shouted with her emotion of rage rearing its ugly head again. 

“I don’t want her! I fucking want you. And, only you,” he growled catching her off guard. He had never cussed at her. She was now fighting back the tears that were on the verge of rushing down her face. Kian was mad at her and it hurt her to know it. 

“Go away, ladies’ man! Let me throw up in peace!” 

“Emily. I’m sorry I yelled at you. I’m just worried about you. I feel helpless being on this side of the door. I want to help,” Kian whispered.

“Please,” she sobbed holding back the tears and went back to praying to the porcelain god.

“Okay,” he whispered letting go of the doorknob. It fell back into place. “I’ll be on the couch if you need anything. Okay?”

“Okay,” she sobbed. Tears now flowing down her face because of the whirlwind of emotions that were whipping through her.

Taking a chance, she climbed into the shower and turned on the water. Cold water blasted her. She knew if she screamed Kian would bust down the door to rescue her so she bit back the scream from the ice cold water. When the water was to her liking, Emily stood tall and put her head under the water. 

Even after all the throwing up and dry heaving, Emily’s stomach still felt like it was churning with a vengeance. She placed her hand over her pudgy stomach. 

“Please, settle down. Please,” she pleaded to the organ of doom. 

A calm feeling washed over her. The feeling of nausea dissipated as though it was never there. Happy thoughts and feelings now filled her mind. She pictured her and Kian cuddled up on the couch talking. Him stroking her hair while she laid her head on his lap and them talking through the night and until the sun came back up. 

A smile broke across her face at the thought. Kian really was a good guy. She didn’t understand what had come over her so sudden. He had done nothing wrong. She had been the one in the wrong. She needed to apologize to him.

With a hurry, she washed up then turned off the shower. After she brushed her teeth and got dressed, she reached for the doorknob. She became a bundle of nervousness. The nauseous feeling swept over her again. 

“No. No. No. Please, for the love of God not again,” she grumbled and leaned her forehead against the door. With her eyes closed, she focused on controlling her breathing and settling her stomach. 

Is she okay in there? Kian wondered. 

“I’m fine. I just can‘t figure out what’s wrong with me.” 

“What?” Kian called out. He sounded like he was in the living room but seconds ago she heard him loud and clear. So loud that it sounded like he was in her head. 

“Something is wrong with me,” she said a little louder this time. The sound of heavy footsteps coming towards the bathroom door sounded. There was a light knock at the bathroom door. 

“Emily. Sweetheart. Let me help you... please,” Kian stated with worry in his voice. 

Emily wasn’t one for getting help from anyone, but she needed someone. And that someone was Kian. 

Taking a step away from the door, she unlocked and opened it. As soon as Kian saw Emily he pulled her into his arms. She welcomed his hold and wrapped her arms around him. His embrace seemed to be just what Emily needed to calm her stomach because she no longer felt nauseous.

“I am so sorry, sweetheart,” Kian whispered. 

“It’s not your fault,” she replied laying her head on his chest. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what came over me.”

“It’s okay.”

“No, it’s really not,” she said looking up to see his blue-green eyes looking down at her. “I don’t usually get jealous. I usually don’t care about that sort of stuff.”

“Then why be jealous with me?” Emily looked down. Her cheeks were becoming flushed from embarrassment. Kian gently lifted her chin up with his finger. “You don’t have to be embarrassed.”

“Easy for you to say.” Her voice trembled from humiliation having admitted that he made her act differently. 

“Sweetheart,” he smiled. “I haven’t been myself lately either. I find myself consumed with thoughts of you.” My thoughts aren’t all sexual, she thought to herself.

“I see.” He chuckled.

“I know what you’re thinking, Emily.” He kissed her lips softly. “And, no not all of my thoughts of you are sexual.”

“How did...you,” she stammered at the fact he had known what she was thinking. 

“I knew that’s what you were thinking because you don’t seem too confident in the way I feel about you.”

“And...” she cleared her throat. “How do you feel about me?” Kian was caught off guard by the question as was she. Immediately, she began kicking herself in the ass for asking the question. She wasn’t even sure where the question came from. Maybe somewhere deep in her heart? She wasn‘t sure. All she knew was she needed to get control over her mouth again.

“Ignore that question,” she blurted as she tried to take a step back. However, Kian’s firm arms weren’t letting her go anywhere.

“Why should I ignore that question?”

“Because I don’t know where it came from,” she groaned and placed her forehead on his chest. His chest lifted with his chuckles. 

“Sweetheart.” Kian rubbed her back. “There is no reason to hide. I’m glad you asked that question.”

“You are?” Her voice was muffled by his shirt. 

“Yes. I wanted to tell you how I felt but didn’t want to come across as the creepy guy, who suddenly confesses his feelings. Besides, confessing my feelings is something new to me.” With those words, Emily brought her head away from his chest and looked up.

“Really?” He nodded. 

“Yeah, not really my thing. Never really had feelings to confess,” he shrugged at the thought on his mind. 

“Me neither,” Emily admitted.

“No one ever confessed their feelings to you?” Kian seemed surprised. 

“They did. I just never had those kinds of feelings.”

“Oh. I see.” He grinned. “Then I would be the first in... man to hold your heart,” he bragged. Emily rolled her eyes and began to pull away. 

“Arrogant ass,” she chuckled and swatted his arm.

“I’m honored, sweetheart.” He leaned down and kissed her gently. “Truly.”

Emily knew she shouldn’t be confessing any kind of feelings to Kian. She planned on leaving as soon as she could link back up with Selma. However, deep down she knew. It was going to be hell to walk away from Kian.

“What are you thinking about,” he asked walking her over to the couch. They both took a seat but Emily laid down and placed her head on his lap. Like her dream, Kian began stroking his fingers through her hair.

“Do you believe in fate?” She asked nervously not sure how he’d respond. Kian responded with a slight pause of his fingers moving, but then went back to stroking her hair. 

“I do. Why do you ask?”

“Just this. My car breaking down. Selma being the person to come to my rescue and us tra...stuck here in Camden for the time being.” 

“And, you think that is fate, sweetheart?”

“How else would we have ever met, Kian?” She smirked making him chuckle.

“That is true. I haven’t ventured out of Camden in quite some time,” his voice trailed off. Emily noticed the sadness in his eyes. 

“You could always come visit me, in Delaware, Ohio,” she said bashfully. “I mean if you wanted to.” 

“I would love that, sweetheart,” he paused. “What about you just staying here?” 

Emily felt her heart skip a beat before it began racing and pounding inside her chest. Just stay here? She thought as she tried to find the words and courage to speak. She wouldn’t mind staying in Camden to see where things could go with her and Kian. However, there was nothing in Camden to help her grow as an author or grow as anything in the career world for that matter. Camden was just a pinpoint on a map. Emily doubted anyone had ever heard of the town. Maybe he’d be willing to move to Delaware with me.

“Say something, sweetheart. You’re making me nervous,” Kian interrupted her thoughts. 

“Sorry,” she breathed. “Camden isn’t exactly a big town full of opportunities.” 

“I know. I was just...” Kian paused and rubbed the back of his neck with his free hand. He looked embarrassed.

“Did I hurt your feelings?” Emily whispered. She hadn’t meant to embarrass him. 

“No. You didn’t. It was a long shot. I know,” he chuckled but she knew it was fake. 

“Why don’t we play things by ear? I mean, we just met anyway so me moving here right away would be creepy... right?” She wasn’t sure if her question was for Kian or herself. None of her feelings or thoughts were making sense. 

“I understand,” he smiled. “I will just have to sweep you off your feet.” He threw her a wink causing her to laugh and again roll her eyes. 

“You think you can sweep me off my feet and get me to live in this small town because of you?”

“I’m sure I could come up with ways to persuade you,” he said huskily and pulled her onto his lap. Emily barely had time to register that she was on his lap when his lips crashed down onto hers. A kiss of passion exploded. She could feel Kian’s cock pressing against her ass. Her own arousal was causing her panties to dampen. 

“Kian,” Emily moaned.

“Yes. Sweetheart,” he replied never breaking the kiss.

“Persuade. Me. Now.”