Inhumane Seduction (Vampire Romance-on hiatus)

fifty-seven

Fifty seven - Poison

[ 42 days after the wedding ]

I blinked when I felt Cullen's hand on my knee. The touch broke my train of thoughts and I was grateful for it.

He smiled softly at me when I looked up to meet his eyes. "Where were you?" He asked, his voice gentle, almost as if he was rousing me awake from a deep sleep.

I shook my head, forcing a small smile. "Sorry. I daydream a lot in case you haven't noticed."

He pulled his hand away from my knee, leaning back against the couch. "You don't need to be sorry. What were you thinking about?"

I looked away from him, seeing an image of Sylvia holding her baby with Xander sitting beside her flash through my mind, momentarily obliterating any of my other thoughts. All I could think about was the newborn baby. Xander's child. A daughter or a son?

"You're doing it again." Cullen chuckled, sipping on the cup of coffee I had made for him. "Are you sure you don't want to talk about what's on your mind? You seem distracted today."

I shook my head quickly, trying to reassure him with a wide smile. "Nah. I'm just kind of tired today. I didn't get much sleep last night."

"Bad dream?"

For a moment I considered telling him the truth but I quickly dismissed the careless thought. "Yeah. Bad dream."

"Well, I heard Lady Sylvia gave birth to her daughter yesterday."

I stiffened but I was glad he didn't notice it. This was exactly what I wanted to avoid talking about. "Oh, yeah. I heard about that too."

The word kept repeating in my head. Daughter. Daughter. Daughter. It was like a never-ending mantra.

"You seem so distracted today. Come sit with me." Cullen patted on the spot beside him with his hand.

I smiled and immediately sat beside him, snuggling into his side, savouring his body heat. He smelt of honey and... oakmoss. I loved how earthy he smelt, almost like the way the air would smell after heavy rain.

He grunted quietly as I shifted. "When do you have work?" I mumbled as I breathed his scent in.

He looked amused as he looked down at me. "Did you just sniff me?"

I chuckled coyly. "You smell like rain. I like it. Now answer my question."

He sighed, looking down at his watch. "Not for another hour. What would you like to do until then, my lady?"

I snickered, slapping him on the chest gently. "I don't know. Any ideas?"

"We could always just take a nap, I am feeling rather sleepy—"

I interrupted him with a groan. "I barely get to see you because of work. We are not taking a nap while you're here."

His body shook as he laughed. "I don't have any other ideas."