14

The sound of bells above a door woke Emily from her slumber. Or at least that’s how she felt. She couldn’t explain it. Her mind was hazy and her vision blurred. She could barely make out Kian who was sitting across from her. Behind him was what looked like a tall bookshelf or maybe a door. Her head throbbed more the longer she tried to figure out what it was.

“Hey, Vivek,” Kian said cheerfully. “Long time no see. Let me introduce you to Emily Freeman.” 

“Kian,” Vivek stated coolly in his Morgan Freeman voice. A tall figure stood beside Kian. By the height and build, Emily knew it was Vivek.

“Emily this is Vivek. Vivek this is Emily Freeman,” Kian introduced. 

“Pleasure to meet you, Miss...” Vivek began. 

“I already...” Emily strained her scratchy voice. “I already know Vivek, Kian.”

“Ah. My reputation has circled Camden already,” Vivek chuckled. “And here I thought the town forgot about me.” Vivek and Kian both laughed. Emily’s vision was slowly returning to her. Details were fuzzy but she could now tell that Vivek was wearing a dark brown suit, white button-up shirt underneath it and he was holding a brown hat in his hand.

“Everyone would be fat and bored if it wasn’t for you running the Camden Recreation Center,” Kian laughed to himself. “The pool is always clear. The track is always clean. And the gym is always ready to give me a run for my money.” 

Again, the two men shared a laugh.  

“Where am I?” Emily asked looking around the room. Her vision getting clearer and clearer as she scanned the room. 

“Here are your coffees, loves,” a woman said walking up to the table. It relieved Emily to see the woman because the woman was the first thing Emily could see crystal clear. 

The woman had the prettiest ebony colored skin that Emily had ever seen. The woman’s long, medium brown hair was wavy and worn down. She wore a light blue dress with a maroon apron worn on top. Emily followed the woman’s slender legs down to her light blue and white saddle shoes. Emily hadn’t seen a pair of those shoes since her elementary days.

“Cute shoes,” Emily stated looking up at the woman. The woman smiled and set down the two green coffee cups. One in front of her and the next in front of Kian. 

“Thanks. They’re my favorite.” 

“I used to have a pair of black and white ones,” Emily smiled. “They weren’t the most comfortable things, but they were super cute.”

“That’s the downfall to cute stuff. Right,” the woman chuckled. Emily nodded her head and smiled. 

“Definitely.”

“We’ll get Gabby to make you a pair, sweetheart,” Kian chimed in reminding Emily of the weird scenario she woke up to. 

“He’s a chatty little thing, but he does make high-quality shoes,” the woman admitted looking down at her shoes and wiggling her toes. 

“Annslea, do you mind grabbing Vivek a cup of his favorite? It’s on me,” Kian asked pulling up a chair in the empty spot at Emily and his table. “Here. Have a seat Vivek. Let’s catch up.”

“Oh. I don’t want to intrude on you and Miss Freman. I’ll just grab my pastries and be on my way,” Vivek replied. 

“Emily, do you mind if Vivek sits with us?” Kian, Vivek, and Annslea were staring at Emily. Even if Emily had not wanted the man to sit with them, she would have said yes for the pure fact of peer pressure. 

“Not at all. I don’t mind,” Emily responded and smiled up at Vivek. He was looking down at her smiling. She found his smile warm and comforting just like his voice. 

“Thank you, Miss Freeman,” Vivek said before he took his seat.

“I’ll be right back with your pastries and a cup of hot chocolate, Vivek,” Annslea called out as she turned and made her way back behind a counter. The counter was a display case of various pastries. 

“Want one, sweetheart?” Kian asked. Emily faced him and shook her head then slid her coffee in front of him. Both Kian and Vivek made a confused face. 

“I don’t drink coffee,” she stated looking at both of them. 

“Why didn’t you say that when we ordered them,” Kian laughed.

“Because I didn’t order it with you.” Emily crossed her arms in front of her chest. Now, she knew something was up. More magical — it was a dog — tomfoolery she bet. Magic she could handle. Lies she could not.

“You’re joking right,” Kian asked with an eyebrow raised. Emily shook her head.

“Nope.”

“But, you were even eyeing the pastries saying how you really didn’t need to eat any sweets. I offered to buy them for you later if you changed your mind,” Kian pointed out and gestured at the display case. 

“Rnt,” Emily buzzed. “Wrong again. Couldn’t have been me.”

“What?” Kian looked baffled.  

“I only eat glazed donuts and brownies. Neither of those are in there.” She shrugged her shoulders.

She had always been the weird kid in class who would turn down the cupcakes during class parties. It was the same way at birthday parties, including her own. Her parents had mocked her for not being a normal child. ‘What child doesn’t like sweets? Only my bastard child’ her father would growl before throwing the sweets at Emily. Her mother would buy sweets just to watch Emily’s father throw them at Emily. It just added to the reasons Emily hated sweets.

“Doesn’t sound like you ordered with her, Kian,” Vivek mused. 

“But... Bu... “Kian cut off his own words. He looked back and forth between Emily and the display case filled with pastries. “You can ask Annslea. You were standing right next to me.” 

“What can you ask me?” Annslea questioned walking up with a dark blue coffee mug. She smiled at Vivek before setting it down, on the table, in front of him. 

“Thank you, Annslea,” Vivek smiled. 

“Anytime.” Annslea turned to Kian. “Now what’s this about ‘Ask Annslea’? Ask me what?”

“Emily doesn’t remember us ordering coffee or her eyeing the pastries,” Kian frowned. Annslea turned to Emily.

“You really don’t remember ordering,” Annslea asked cocking her head slightly to the side and looking at Emily. Emily shook her head. “Well, the pastry part I don’t remember, but I do remember you specifically asking for a white chocolate mocha which is my specialty,” Annslea bragged and pointed to the cup she had given Emily. 

Annslea had no reason to lie to Emily about the coffee. Plus the woman had admitted to not hearing anything about Emily wanting pastries. If she was lying with Kian wouldn’t she have sided with his entire story? 

Emily didn’t know heads from tails. She didn’t know if she was even really in a cafe or if she was dreaming it. The car accident had seemed to have scrambled her mind. Did I even leave for the book signing yet? Maybe this is some screwed up dream and Camden, the people, and Kian aren’t real. She rarely dreamed but she was willing to accept this as a dream over her having lost her mind. 

Everything was starting to point at those two choices. The last thing she even remembered was a crazy lady demanding that Emily go with her and Vivek and Kian yelling at Emily to ignore the woman. Before that, she remembered Kian saying words to her in a foreign language and her suddenly feeling sick to her stomach and light-headed. Dreaming or losing her mind, Emily wanted to find a way out of Camden and fast. She didn’t care about the book signing anymore. She wanted to go home to her small one-bedroom apartment and her shitty job being yelled at by Dr. Hemington.

“Miss Freeman, are you okay,” Vivek asked softly. Emily looked at him. A tear slid down her face. 

“I’m fine,” she forced a smile and wiped the tear from her cheek. 

“Oh. Honey. Don’t cry,” Annslea said walking around the table to Emily. Annslea helped Emily up then wrapped her arms around Emily. “It will be okay.” 

That’s all it took for Emily to burst into tears. She wasn’t sure why. Maybe because she was trapped in a dream? Or was it because she thought she had lost her mind? 

“Aw. Don’t cry.” Annslea rubbed Emily’s back. “It must be hard being in a town not knowing anyone.” Emily nodded her head.

“I’m sure Casper will get your car soon as the flooding of the roads is gone,” Vivek assured Emily. His voice was soothing and relaxed her. The tone of voice could make her believe anything. It was enchanting.

“I know he will,” Kian stated. Kian’s voice was opposite of Vivek’s. Kian’s voice was deep, husky and alluring. His voice and eyes filled with reality. Emily could always tell when he was lying or telling the truth. Or at least she felt confident in knowing which was which. 

Casper is never going to get my car. Emily thought to herself. She knew Casper would never let Selma go. Emily could tell by the admiration and love in the man’s eyes when he looked at Selma. He would give her the world as long as she was by his side. 

“Emily...” Kian began.

“Kian, stop hovering. She needs to cry it out,” Annslea stated. Emily couldn’t agree more. Annslea didn‘t let Kian get in another word. She led Emily to the back of the bakery where a table and chair sat in the corner of the room.

“Here. It isn’t much but at least you don’t have to worry about the men bothering you. You cry as long as you need to,” Annslea whispered then pulled out the chair for Emily to sit down. Emily took a seat and looked up at the kind woman. 

“Than—” Annslea shook her head.

“No need to thank me. I understand how it feels to feel alone,” Annslea gave Emily a sympathetic smile before heading towards the shop area of the cafe. She looked over her shoulder. “Stay as long as you need to.” She gave Emily one last smile then walked out of sight. 

Emily sat there crying in silence trying to take it all in. Trying to clear her mind of the fog that covered it. Even if it was a dream, the words Kian had said to her were the most important thing. Her body had responded violently towards his words. She wanted to remember what they were; however, the harder she tried to remember the foggier her mind became.

She moved on with her thought of remembering the words he spoke. The woman. The woman in her dreams — dream’s dream — had seemed so real. The woman’s enchanting voice. The way she called to Emily to come with her. Emily had wanted to leave with the woman. Something had told her that where the woman was heading was where Emily should be. Where Emily belonged.

Vivek lecturing Kian on biting Emily had seemed real to her as well. She didn’t understand it; however, she felt Kian’s bite and the words he spoke to her had somehow summoned the woman. Vivek had been the key to stopping the woman. But had he stopped the woman? The woman had said... What had she said? Emily couldn’t remember what the woman said before she left but she knew the words were both powerful and fearful.

Emily felt that in her dream, someone or something had possessed her. Possessed by a demon. A demon who was selfish and hated men with a passion. A passion so great Emily had been willing to walk away from Kian without batting an eye. The thought now made her heart break. How could she ever leave him?

It is all a dream. A dream. All of this is a crazy dream. A dream she prayed she would wake up from soon. Otherwise, she felt she would be trapped in Camden for eternity.

“Emily,” Kian whispered. “Can I come in?” 

“It’s a free country,” she sobbed. He slowly walked into the back of the shop and over to her. He kneeled down beside her.

“Emily. Sweetheart. Tell me what I can do to make you happy,” he questioned softly. 

“Nothing,” she sniffled. “There is nothing anyone can do. I’m on my own.” Kian slid her and her chair away from the table then pulled her into his arms. 

“You’ll never be alone. As long as there is breath in my body, you will never be alone,” Kian breathed. Emily looked at him. Their eyes meeting for the first time since she woke up from the daze. 

His blue-green eyes staring at her caused all of her thoughts of whether she was living a dream or had lost her mind to fade away. She no longer cared. His blue-green eyes had awoken something inside her. A raw emotion. An emotion so strong she felt it hard to keep her lips from his and her hands from shredding his clothes off. She wanted him. No. She needed him. All of him. Buried deep inside her. 

What is wrong with me?

Her emotions were worse than a pregnant woman’s. One minute she was crying. The next minute she was ready to take Kian in the back of a bakery. A stranger’s bakery at that without a care in the world. 

“Emily,” Kian asked with an eyebrow raised. “Are you okay, sweetheart?”

“Mmhmm,” she purred and nipped at his neck. 

“Sweetheart?” Kian pulled her away a few inches and looked down at her. He looked concerned. “Are you sure you’re okay?” 

“Of course, why wouldn’t I be?” She couldn’t help the seductive tone as she spoke. The raw sexual emotion now consumed her body. Her thighs tightened together trying to subdue the throb of needing Kian deep inside her. 

“I’ve just been worried. You haven’t seemed yourself.” 

“How would you like me to be, Kian,” she asked giving him a pouty face. He chuckled and kissed her forehead. 

“I just want you to be okay.” She leaned over to his ear.

“I’d be much better if you’d fuck me,” she whispered then tugged gently on his ear with her teeth. He sucked in sharply and moaned. 

“Fuck,” he groaned.

“Don’t you want to take me home? To our home.” She kissed up and down his neck. Kian pulled her closer against him. 

“Kian,” she whimpered. “Please?”

“Emily,” Kian breathed. 

“Make me forget.” She bit his neck hard, and he moaned. “Make me forget about it all, Kian.” 

“Emily, not right now. Right now you need to relax, sweetheart.” His denial sparked rage inside her. Her emotions were coming in waves. Uncontrollable waves. 

“Kian, give me what I want,” she growled against his neck. “Don’t make me beg.” 

“Emily,” he warned. 

“Take me home or fuck me here,” she demanded. Kian growled and stood up with Emily in his arms. He looked down at her with vivid blue eyes that flickered to black then back to their normal color. 

“I’m going to fuck you so hard that you forget your name, sweetheart,” he growled. His words made Emily’s legs tighten together to ease the throb that came from between them. She could feel her panties getting wet from her arousal. 

“Yes. Please,” she moaned in his ear. 

“Let’s get you back home,” Kian said as he took long strides out of the back of the shop and to the front with Emily in his arms. “We’re going home. See you later, Annslea. Vivek.” 

Annslea and Vivek may have said goodbye but Emily didn’t hear them. Kian had already opened the door and walked outside. Honestly, she really didn’t care if they had said goodbye or not. All she cared about was having her way with Kian. 

When they arrived at the truck, Nikki was coming out of the diner. She looked at Emily. A look of concern then horror crossed her face. 

“Mr. Nordin,” she called out, “a moment, please?” Kian groaned and set Emily down on her feet.

“You better not,” Emily warned opening the passenger side door. “Let’s go home.”

“It will only take a minute, sweetheart,” Kian said turning to walk around the door. Emily grabbed his shirt and pulled him back to her. He looked down at her. 

“Kian,” she purred. “Please, don’t leave me.” She leaned up and sucked his bottom lip. Slowly, she pulled away. 

“Nikki, we’ll talk later,” Kian growled. He closed the door once Emily was safely in the truck.

“You said the words didn’t you,” Nikki snapped at Kian. Emily watched Kian’s back stiffen then he turned to face Nikki. Nikki was already over to him waving a finger in his face. “That is not how this works. Do you know what you...”

“Enough. I’ll talk to you later. In private,” he snapped back. Emily looked at Nikki and smirked victoriously. Nikki not getting her way with Kian pleased Emily to no end. She wasn’t sure why, but it did. 

Kian got into the truck and pulled away from the diner leaving Nikki standing there with her arms crossed and a dirty look on her face. Kian ignored her and kept driving. Emily messed with his neck the entire time he drove. It was a short distance to the apartment, but Kian had swerved a couple of times when Emily bit his neck hard. 

“Fuck,” he growled slamming the truck into park in front of the apartment building. “You have no idea how hard it is to control myself around you.” 

“Then don’t,” Emily grinned. Kian kissed her hard then hopped out of the truck and made his way around to her side. As he reached for the door, Nikki’s pink Crown Victoria came speeding up in front of the truck. The car came to an abrupt stop and Nikki came storming out. She made her way over to Kian, who had taken up a defensive stance. 

“Kian Lucas Nordin,” Nikki shouted. “Have you lost your damn mind?”

“Nikki,” Kian warned.

“Nikki nothing,” she screamed back at him. Emily pulled the handle to confront Nikki on Kian’s behalf but the door wouldn’t budge. Emily checked the locks, and the door was unlocked but still wouldn’t budge. 

“Hey,” Emily growled pounding on the window. “Let me out.” Nikki turned towards Emily. 

“You,” Nikki snapped pointing a finger at Emily, “Miss Freeman, keep your little behind in the truck.”

“Humph,” Emily groaned reaching over to try Kian’s door. His door also wouldn’t open. “What the hell? Let me out!”

“Kian, you come with me.” Nikki didn’t give Kian a chance to answer before she grabbed him by his earlobe and pulled him to the other side of her car. 

Emily couldn’t hear what Nikki was saying. Whatever she was saying had Kian’s shoulders slumped. He looked like a child being scolded by their mother. He tried to look elsewhere, but she would grab his ear and make him look at her. Occasionally, she would point at the truck then yell even more at him. 

At first, Emily was pissed that Nikki had interrupted her time with Kian. Not anymore. She was being entertained by Kian’s ass chewing. Nikki’s face was beet red. One hand was balled into a fist while the other hand she was using to point, poke, and wave at Kian. 

Kian looked over his shoulder at the truck. Emily’s heart sank. His eyes. They were filled with remorse. What did you do, Kian? Emily’s heart began to race. Panic was rising. She didn’t know what was going on with Kian and Nikki, but now she knew it involved her and it wasn’t anything good. 

Kian nodded once and Nikki stopped yelling. Nikki looked at Emily before she walked over to the passenger side of her car and opened the door. She reached in to grab something. When she closed the door, she was holding a picnic basket. A picnic basket is not what Emily had expected Nikki to pull out of her car. Emily had expected a shovel or a body bag. A picnic basket seemed weirder than the other two items given the situation.

Nikki handed the picnic basket to Kian, patted him on the cheek, waved at Emily then got in her car and drove off as though nothing had happened. Kian didn’t walk back to the truck right away. He stood with his back to it taking deep breaths. Emily watched his shoulders rise and fall several times. His hand ran through his hair almost as much. 

“Kian,” Emily stated softly tapping on the window after the time kept ticking by. He turned towards her and smiled. Him and Nikki were giving Emily the heebie-jeebies. It was like the entire town was off their rocker; including her.

Kian walked over to the truck with the picnic basket in hand. He gestured for Emily to roll down the window. Window! Why didn’t I think of that earlier? She did as he asked. 

“I’m going to grab a blanket and some tea,” he whispered handing her the basket. He gave her a swift kiss then disappeared inside the building. She was tempted to follow him in and find out what was going on. But she knew she’d find out soon enough. 

Kian returned a moment later with just what he said: a blanket and thermos. He hopped in the driver’s side. 

“Here, let me take that, sweetheart.” He took the basket and set it on the floorboard along with the blanket and thermos.

“Want to sit by me,” he asked bashfully. Emily faced him. He was running his hands through his hair nervously. “I’ve always wanted to go for a drive with my girl sitting next to me.” 

“Why, Mr. Nordin,” she said in her best Southern Bell voice. “I would be honored to sit beside you.” 

“Why thank you, Miss Freeman.” 

Emily couldn’t help noticing the beam of happiness that radiated from Kian when he wrapped his arm around her. She felt just as happy being in his arms. The hormones that had been racing moments ago had settled. She now felt warmth and tenderness. Kian had that effect on her. He gave her the feelings she thought didn’t exist in the world for her. 

“What are you thinking about?” Kian asked kissing the side of her head. Emily rested her head on his shoulder and held his hand with both of hers.

“I like this,” she whispered shyly. He stiffened beside her then he looked down at her. With his free hand he lifted her chin up. 

“You like...” he stated bashfully. “You like this as in sitting in a truck like this? Or like this as in... us.” 

Us. The word echoed over and over in Emily’s mind. Was there a true possibility of them being an us? She loved the idea of them being official. However, she feared her bubble being busted or someone waking her from the dream with Kian telling her to take her meds. 

She took a deep breath then looked up to meet his eyes. 

“Us. I like... I like being around you.” She did her best to sound confident and not embarrassed but her voice told on her. It was soft, cracking, and shy. 

“Is there an us, sweetheart?”

“Do you want there to be an us?” Just in case he didn’t want the same thing, she didn’t want to be the one to say anything first. She wanted him to state what he wanted. 

“I would love for us to be together. And, not just for the moment. You are more to me than just someone to hold at night. You know that right?” Emily felt butterflies in her stomach as her heart raced yet again. His words had a habit of making her body respond in such a way. She felt like a little schoolgirl, whose crush had finally returned her feelings. 

Emily felt her cheeks warming, so she buried her face between the back of the seat and his back. She could feel him chuckling. 

“Are you hiding because you don’t want to be together? Or are you hiding because you’re embarrassed?” There was worry in his voice. 

“I’m not hiding because of either one,” she replied lifting her head from out of its hiding spot. “It’s just something new for me. That’s all.” Kian smiled. 

“Does that mean we’re together?” 

“If that is what you want.” She shrugged her shoulders to keep her giddiness at bay. 

“Emily,” he mused. “Does this mean we’re a couple, sweetheart?” 

“Mister Nordin, are you going to drive somewhere with your girl before she hops out of the truck?” 

Kian said nothing. Instead, he cupped the side of her face with his hand and brought his lips to hers. He kissed her passionately. Not a passion of wanting her in a sexual way. It was a passion for wanting her emotionally. It was a kiss filled with love and adoration. A kiss that made Emily’s knees weak and brought tears to her eyes. 

Emily cupped his face with her hands. Even if it was the simplest of ways, she needed to feel his skin against hers. She wanted him to know she felt the same way about him. She didn’t see him for just a good time. She wanted him to know he had moved his way into her heart without even trying.

Dream or not, there was just something about Kian that made Emily feel whole. Made her feel safe. Made her feel wanted. All the feelings in the world she was told she would never feel, she found in him. The man she thought didn’t exist was now holding her tenderly. Emily couldn’t help being emotional. The first tear slid down her face. Kian wiped it away gently.

“Is this a tear of sadness, sweetheart?” He asked pulling away from her a little. Emily shook her head. 

“No,” she whispered. 

“Good. I don’t want you to cry tears of sadness. Okay?” She nodded her head. “You’re so precious to me. I’m glad we met.”

“Me, too,” Emily sobbed. 

“Hey, now,” Kian chuckled. “No sadness. Remember?” Emily gave a slight laugh.

“I know. I am just overly emotional right now.” She sighed. “It’s like another person is making me emotional.” Kian smiled then kissed her swiftly. 

“Then that other person needs to stick around because I like the sweet you,” he teased. Emily punched him in his chest. Not too hard but not too soft. He only laughed.

“You’re such an —” He placed a finger over her lips and shook his head.

“This moment is ours, sweetheart. No threats.” He winked then started the truck. Emily hugged into his side as he began driving. She had no clue where they were going but she didn’t care. Where ever the place, she knew Kian would be there. 

They rode in silence. Kian kept his arm around her and she continued to hug into his side. Every so often, he would kiss the top of her head. Each kiss plastered a smile on her face and set the butterflies free in her stomach. 

I could get used to this, she thought putting her every worry behind her. A sense of peace fell over her as they headed down the dirt road. 

A few minutes later Kian finally spoke as he parked the truck a few feet from the water, “Welcome to Lake Myrtle, Sweetheart.”

A lake wasn’t where Emily had expected Kian to take her. Looking around, she was glad he had taken her to Lake Myrtle. It wasn’t like the lakes she had been to. All the lakes she had been to had boats zooming by, jet skis, swimmers splashing around, music playing, and trash scattered along the shoreline. Not Lake Myrtle. Lake Myrtle was like something off the cover of a magazine. It was picture perfect. The sun reflected off of it making the water look like it was shimmering. The clouds in the sky were white and puffy.  The scenery created intimacy. 

“Do you like it?” Kian hesitantly asked. Emily looked at him and smiled.

“Love it.”