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Chapter Four

Sydney spotted Adrian holding court with the other mothers at the park. She chuckled and shook her head. He always enjoyed being the center of the attention.

"Do I need to get in line to talk to you?" Sydney joked, taking a seat beside him.

"Yeah, take a number," Adrian teased her. She and the other mothers exchanged hellos before they excused themselves.

"Hi," she said with a smile.

"Hi yourself," he said and leaned in to give her a kiss. "How'd it go?" he asked.

Sydney pulled back after the kiss ended. "Very well, actually. The stuff was a little weirder than I expected, but I saw a few things with potential," she told him. "How's it going here?" she asked.

"No tears, cuts, or broken bones, so I think it's been a successful venture so far," Adrian said to her.

Sydney looked over at the playground and saw Hadley waiting her turn in line for the slide. She waved at her when she caught her eye. Hadley grinned happily and waved back.

Sydney turned her attention back to Adrian. "Tim invited us to his show on Friday. Are you interested?" she asked him.

"Free food, right?" Adrian asked. "Probably champagne too. You don't have to ask me twice," he said with a chuckle.

Sydney laughed. "Gee, and I thought you might appreciate the art aspect," she said to him.

"Oh, well…there's that too," he added with a wink.

"Maybe it will inspire you to get back into the studio," Sydney suggested to him. He hadn't worked on anything in quite some time.

"Hey, what are you talking about? I draw with Hadley all the time," he said, clearly trying to keep things light.

"You know what I mean," Sydney said to him.

His eyes darkened a bit. "I'm fine," he said to her. "I'm hungry. You must be too," Adrian said abruptly as he got to his feet.

Before Sydney could respond Adrian had already crossed the playground meet Hadley at the slide. He caught their daughter in his arms as she reached the bottom. Apparently the subject was closed. Sydney stood up and joined the pair.

"Mommy!" Hadley said happily and reached over for her. Adrian shifted the little girl in his arms and handed her over to Sydney.

"Hi you," she greeted her. She kissed her cheek.

"Did you see me on the slide?" Hadley asked. "I went like real fast."

"You did go really fast," Sydney confirmed. "Did you have a good time?"

"I dids," Hadley confirmed. She continued to talk the whole ride home about the fun adventures she had at the park that afternoon.

Sydney listened carefully and responded when appropriate while Adrian remained quiet. She hated when he did this. It wasn't like she was attacking him or anything. She just wanted him to help. Maybe the spirit was getting to him, but she knew pushing the issue would just annoy him (she was the same way).

"Lunch?" Hadley asked after they were all back in the apartment.

"I was thinking grilled cheese," Adrian said, finally opening his mouth for the first time in twenty minutes.

"And a salads?" Hadley asked him hopefully.

"You are the only little girl I know that wants a salad with her meal," he said with a chuckle. He looked over at Sydney. "There's no denying she's your daughter."

"I think she only likes the ranch dressing," Sydney said with a chuckle.

Adrian shook his head. "Alright," he said clapping his hands together. "I'll work on the sandwiches, Mommy will make the salads, and you will go wash your hands," he instructed.

While Hadley skipped down the hall to the bathroom Sydney and Adrian worked in a comfortable silence as they prepared lunch. A silence that only lasted until Sydney heard Hadley squeaking from the other room.

"Mommy! Mommy!" Hadley exclaimed.

Sydney set down the carrots in her hands and exited the kitchen. "Are you okay?" she asked her. Her tone didn't indicate that she was hurt. Sydney poked her head into the bathroom and saw water shooting up out of the faucet. "Turn the water off, Had," she said to her.

"It is off!" Hadley exclaimed and hid behind her mother, trying to escape getting splashed.

Sydney twisted the knobs on the sink. They were off. "It must be a leak," she said to her. "Tell daddy to turn the water off." Hadley ran out of the bathroom calling to her father. After a few seconds the water stopped shooting. Sydney leaned down to inspect closer. Nothing looked out of the ordinary.

"Did it stop?" Adrian asked, joining Sydney.

"Yeah, that was weird," Sydney said with a shake of her head. She looked over at Adrian. "We should probably have someone look at it."

"I can look at it," Adrian insisted.

She snickered. "Yeah, so can Hadley, but it doesn't mean it'll get fixed," she joked.

"You wound me, Sage," Adrian replied. "But yeah…you're right. I'll call someone."

"I'm hungrrrrrrry," Hadley whined from the kitchen.

They both gave each other a look. "Someone's fussy," they said in unison.

"We better get some salad in her before she starts biting," Adrian said with a laugh.

Sydney's face paled a little at the mention of biting. "Don't joke like that," she scolded him.

He rolled his eyes. "Sweetheart, Dhampirs don't bite," he reminded her.

Sydney didn't reply as she walked back into the kitchen and set up Hadley with her lunch. She couldn't shake the comment Adrian had made. He was right, she was overreacting, but the idea that Hadley was half vampire still wound her up sometimes.

Adrian scooped up a sleepy Hadley, despite her protests that she was fine, and brought her to her bedroom to take a nap after they had finished eating. Sydney sat the kitchen table and checked to see if Tim's assistant had sent her the price list and the tickets for Friday's opening.

Before she could get gmail open she felt Adrian behind her. He leaned down and kissed her shoulder. "Are you still mad at me?" he asked softly.

"I wasn't mad at you," she replied. She reached her hand behind her and slid her fingers through his hair soothingly.

"Can I have a kiss then?" he asked, pressing his lips to her neck.

"I don't know," Sydney replied. "Your lips seem a little busy at the moment," she teased.

"Never too busy for yours," Adrian murmured softly against her ear.

"So what you're telling me is I should probably turn off my laptop," she said, taking a bit of a swallow. She abandoned all attempts to get her email open.

"Mmm, I like where your head is at," Adrian replied as Sydney turned around and leaned up to press her lips to his.

"Satisfied?" Sydney asked, slightly pulling her lips away from his after the soft kiss ended. She smiled and looked up into his bright green eyes.

"Oh, not even close," Adrian said with a chuckle. He crushed their lips together, moving his mouth passionately against hers. Sydney groaned softly, returning the kiss with an equal amount of heat. "You're getting a little loud there, sweetheart," he teased her as he kneaded her bottom lip between this teeth.

Sydney's cheeks blushed pink. "Sorry," she whispered.

"Don't ever apologize for letting me know how good I make you feel," he whispered back. "Come on," he said softly, tugging her up to her feet.

The pair slowly fumbled their way back to their bedroom. Adrian kicked the door closed behind them. He scooped Sydney up into his arms and leaned her up against the wall as he pressed his body to fit against hers.

Sydney panted softly as their bodies connected. She pressed her lips against his jaw, kissing slowly until she reached his ear. She flicked out her tongue, sliding it along slowly before latching her lips to his lobe.

"Uh," Adrian murmured as his hand trailed along Sydney's side and then slid up to cup her breasts through her blouse, his other hand remained on her waist, holding her up against the wall.

"That feels good," Sydney said softly against his ear. She rolled her hips slowly against his.

This elicited another groan from her fiancée. "I like it when you talk to me," Adrian whispered as he continued massaging the soft mound.

"Oh, um, I…" Sydney said suddenly tongue tied.

He laughed softly. "Sorry," he apologized. He slid his hand from her chest to rest it on her waist. He held her tightly against him and carried her to their carefully made bed, laying her down on the mattress. "I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable," he murmured. He nuzzled his nose between the valley of her breasts.

Sydney squirmed underneath his weight. She moved her hands to slide down his back, catching the hem of his shirt between her fingers and pulling it up, her fingernails scratching gently as she went. Adrian leaned up long enough to duck out of his t-shirt. He leaned back down once the fabric was out of the way and unbuttoned her blouse. She reached behind her back to unclasp her bra.

"Oh, no…allow me," Adrian said with a smirk. He used his fingers to unhook the snap. Sydney wiggled her arms out of the straps. "Fuck, you're gorgeous," he murmured at her half naked form.

Sydney grinned and leaned up to press their now bare chests together. "Will you touch me again?" she asked softly.

"God, yes," Adrian said to her. He settled one of her legs between his and let his hand rest on her chest again. He grinded his body against hers as his palm covered her flesh and massaged.

"Yeah, more…" she whimpered when his thumb flickered across her nipple, her hips rising and falling in time with his.

Adrian covered her lips with his, parting them so their tongues could tangle together. He was so warm and delicious inside of her mouth. She used her fingers to unsnap the button on his jeans and tug on the zipper. The next few moments were a haze of clothes as they shed each other's until they were both completely naked.

Adrian reached over in the bedside table for a condom. He tore the foil with his teeth. But before he could slide it on to himself Sydney plucked it from his hand. "Lemme," she said to him.

"By all means," Adrian replied.

Sydney's hand snaked down his chest and then grasped him in her hand. She slid up and down his length a few times, enjoying the noises coming from deep in his throat. On her next swipe she rolled the condom on. Adrian murmured softly and sucked on the crook of her neck, his fangs just barely flicking against her soft skin. Sydney gasped a little.

"I love you so much," Adrian whispered, rubbing his throbbing hardness against her leg.

"I love you too," she murmured back. She pressed her body up against him and then whispered into his ear. "I want you inside me."

"Oh," Adrian said softly. "That's my girl," he said, clearly delighted at her direct approach. He slowly pushed her legs further apart before slipping inside of her in one fluid motion.

"Yes, oh god yes…" Sydney whimpered softly as he filled her completely. She dug her nails into his back.

Adrian gave her a few moments to adjust before thrusting in and out of her, slowly at first. Sydney clung to him like a second skin. Everything about him was perfect. She knew no one else could ever make her feel this way. "More…" she encouraged him softly.

Adrian didn't need to be told twice. He increased the speed, pushing her closer to the edge. "My girl, my girl…" he murmured over and over again. "Sydney, Sydney…"

"Adrian!" she cried out as she tipped over the edge. Adrian was a second behind her, his release pulsing through her.

"Oh, oh…" Sydney murmured as she tried to catch her breath. Her whole body felt like it was on fire. As Adrian slipped out of her she felt a severe emptiness.

Adrian removed the condom and tossed it in the trash before rolling over and snuggling her against his body. "You're damn sexy, you know that?" he said softly.

"Thanks," she said, still panting a little.

"Need a nap, baby?" he asked with a chuckle. He kissed lightly on her cheek.

"Just you. I just need you," Sydney said with a sigh. She looked into his eyes and smiled.

He held her gaze and smiled back. "Just you too," he murmured. They kissed for a few more minutes.

"Hadley's going to be up soon," Sydney said after his lips left hers.

"Shower?" he said to her. He wiggled his eyebrows.

"Yes, but alone," Sydney said with a laugh. She playfully covered his face with her palm.

"Yeah, I guess it would be hard to resist my hot body," Adrian teased her as they both sat up.

"You're so modest," Sydney said with a snicker. She stretched her arms above her head and got up, retrieving her robe.

"Hey, Sage…" he said to her.

"Hmm?" she asked as she slipped her arms through the sleeves.

"I'm looking forward to Friday," he said. "It'll be nice to spend some time together."

She looked back at him and smiled. "I think so too." She leaned down and pressed her lips to his. "I love you," she told him.

"You've told me that about ten times today," he said, but was clearly smiling like an idiot.

"That's because I never want you to forget," Sydney replied with a dopey smile of her own.