Into Every Stranger Generation

Chapter 12

 Eddie lay, peacefully relishing the beautiful girl that was wrapped in his arms. Her face was nuzzled in the crook of his neck, her breath gently passing along his skin. Her hand was pressed against his chest, one leg wrapped around his hip. He pulled her even closer, pressing his lips against her hair, wishing he could freeze this moment forever.

The sun was blazing in the sky, and he was just now beginning to feel sleepy. The whole creature of the night thing had completely messed with his circadian rhythms. He couldn't sleep at night anymore. Besides, he was trapped in this house, usually alone, as long as the sun was in the sky so sleeping through it seemed like the best plan. However, if he could spend the day trapped here with Becca, that actually sounded pretty damn good.

Eddie had spent most of the last few hours just enjoying this little pocket of perfectness with her. He had relished the feel of her heartbeat against his chest, the sound of her soft breathing as she drifted off, the feel of her warm skin against his. His fingers kept running over her arms, her back, her face. Her skin was so goddamn soft and he had to continually convince himself that this wasn't a dream, a real live beautiful girl was in his bed and she wanted to be.

He both feared and anxiously awaited the moment she woke. He longed to gaze into those beautiful green eyes again, but what if she woke up and realized what had happened. What if in the light of day, remembering that he had fed from her, she recognized that he was the exact kind of villain she was supposed to fight? What if she was horrified at what she had done? What if she realized she had made a huge mistake? What if she walked away?

Eddie had lost so much in his life. His parents, his freedom, his life, himself, even his uncle and some of his friends since they couldn't know that he wasn't exactly dead but a creature of the night hiding in a drug dealer's den. Even though he'd only known her a few days, he'd never felt like someone belonged with him more. She was meant for him. He couldn't explain how he knew this, but he did. He'd never believed in love at first sight, but this girl had swept into his life and completely stolen his heart. If that was love at first sight, well, then maybe that's what this was. Crazy or not. He couldn't bear to lose her too, just as he was finally experiencing some actual happiness in his life.

Becca stirred, moaning softly as she began to move. He braced himself, trying to prepare for the worst. Her eyes opened, found his, and a smile spread across her face. He felt a warmth flush through his chest at the sight. She actually looked happy to wake up next to him and he felt like he could fly.

"Good morning," she mumbled, yawning and rubbing her eyes.

"I think it's actually good afternoon at this point," Eddie laughed.

"Yeah, well, when you spend your nights fighting monsters, your sleep schedule is a bit wonky," she said, raising her hands over her head to stretch.

Eddie felt himself stir at the sight of her inviting, toned body stretching out long next to him. He fought the urge to instigate a repeat of last night, not knowing where they stood at the moment. He desperately needed to know how she felt after everything. Was this just a one time thing that she would walk away from or was she as deeply entrenched as he was?

"Hey," he said softly, brushing her hair back from her face, "so, I wanted to ask you something."

"What?" Becca asked, propping herself up on her elbow, head resting in her hand.

"Was this...I mean, umm...was last night..." Eddie began but he was struggling to get his words out, his nerves getting the better of him. "Damn it. I'm sorry. Last night was amazing. I just wondered if it was a one time thing? I mean, I understand if it was. You have every single reason to walk away from this, from me. I just...I need to know."