31-2

I walked over to the counter half-expecting to find some outrageous lingerie, but instead, there was a simple red dress that reached up to my knees and a white jacket to go with it. I changed into them, placing my wedding dress and veil neatly folded on the counter. I decided to let my hair down and remove all makeup from my face. I wasn't really a makeup person, and I got rashes if I had it on for too long, my skin being really sensitive. I decided to ditch the jacket as well since it was warm outside. I got out of the bathroom after throwing some water on my face and found that Erick too had changed into a black full-sleeved shirt and white dress pants. He looked intensely gorgeous, and the dark colour of his shirt lent his eyes a sharp contrast. He walked over to me as I walked further into the room. "You remember the time when Emiel showed up at your apartment?" he asked, referring to the time when I had nearly lost him. It was still hard to believe it was only a few days ago. "I'm very sure I never want to remember that night ever again." I placed my hand on his chest, reminding myself that he was still here. I had never been more scared of anything than I was of losing him that night. "Okay." He tucked a few stray strands of hair behind my ear and wrapped his arms around my waist. "But you do remember how fast I got there, right? I came right after you called for me." I blinked. He was right! In all the confusions of that night, I failed to comprehend how fast he had actually come to save me. I had been unconscious for a while, enough that Erick's skin had begun to heal over the stake. Even the doctor who came to check on Erick later on confirmed that the stake was embedded into his chest for at least three hours. "You're right! How did you get there so fast? Were you in the area?" "No," he chuckled. "I got there so fast because of this." I blinked my eyes several times to clear my vision and began to panic when I still saw only darkness. "Erick?" "Relax. Just keep your eyes closed. It'll be fine in a few seconds." I did as he told. His arms were around my waist, acting as my anchor. This time, when I opened my eyes, I saw that we were no longer in the castle but in Erick's beach house back in Canada. "Wha— how? We were supposed to be in another dimension!" I looked around once again to confirm that I wasn't hallucinating. Nope. I was still on Erick's beach house. How did we— "You can teleport?" Erick's chest vibrated with suppressed laughter under my palms as he took in my gaping form. I would've been mad if I wasn't awestruck by the sudden knowledge. Erick can teleport! "Yes. I can, but that's only half of it," he chuckled. My eyes widened further if that was even possible. "What?" "Shhh." Erick placed his index finger on my lips to silence me. "We'll talk about me tomorrow. Tonight is ours." The possessiveness in his voice made a shiver run down my spine, the good kind of shiver. "I think, we need a dip," he said, letting go of me and moving a couple steps backwards. Pulling the end of his shirt out of his pants, he started to unbutton it. I turned my head to the side immediately, trying to avoid looking at him. Erick didn't seem fazed by it, though. I kept my eyes on the pool behind him. Then they wandered on the scenery surrounding us: on the thousands of red and white candles alit on several huge candle stands, on a gazebo on the other side of the pool which had a table with a champagne bottle and glasses and... a bed. Rose petals surrounded the gazebo itself and the steps that led up to it. An instant later, his discarded shirt landed by my feet, and his hand appeared in front of my face. Startled, I looked up at his face and found him smiling down at me. "Your turn." He urged. I put my hand on his hesitantly, and he pulled me forward all of a sudden, making me bump into his naked chest. Erick took his time steadying me and then turned me around so that my back was against his chest. I closed my eyes tightly as I felt his hands trail up my arms again. This time, he didn't stop at my shoulders. His hands trailed down my back and reached for the zipper of my dress. I sucked in a breath as I felt him tug and lower the zipper all the way down to my lower back. Erick didn't give me time to think, probably because he knew I would chicken out if he did. He hooked his fingers on the fabric and started pulling them down inch by slow inch. Then he yanked down the rest of the fabric and let it gather around my waist, earning a surprised gasp from me and leaving me in only my underwear. He then pulled me back against his bare chest. The sensation of his warm, bare skin against mine made my stomach clench. Instead of undressing me further, he kissed my shoulder and trailed kisses up and down my neck. I felt my back instinctively arch into him. Was this supposed to feel so good? I thought breathlessly. He started to take slow steps backwards at first as I stood still with my back stiff. A moment later, I heard a belt unbuckle, a zipper being pulled down, and then his pants hitting the tiled floor. The next thing I knew, I was being hauled back and thrown into the pool. I shut my mouth tight, trying not to swallow any water as I spread my arms around me and let buoyancy lift me back to the surface. My head broke the water surface an instant later.