Chapter 7 - Paradise Lost

Emmy felt her headphones jerked from her ears and she hissed, cupping her hand to it, "What the hell?" she exclaimed as she watched Mark put the very same ear bud to his ear and frown.

"Okay," Mark demanded dropping the ear bud on the bed where Emmy lay stretched out on her belly, kicking her feet, "What's wrong?"

"What are you talking about?" she huffed and sat her chin on her hands, looking back at the blank, white wall of her room.

"You're listening to Disturbed," Mark stated as he let himself drop onto the bed beside Emmy, "You only listen to them when you're upset and it's Inside The Fire, no less. Which means you're super emotional. So, I repeat, what's wrong?"

Emmy rolled her eyes and looked away from Mark's knowing gaze, turning over on to her back, "Nothing," she huffed putting her hands on her stomach.

"And you are a horrible liar," Mark said sitting up and hovering over Emmy, "What is it? Is it PMS? Is it work? Danny?"

Emmy pushed Mark's face away from hers and sat up, pausing her music, "Really? PMS?" she questioned over her shoulder, "That's your go-to problem for me?"

"Well," Mark rubbed his nose and looked at her, "No, not usually. I know how you get when you PMS, you get all clingy and horny," he wiggled his eyebrows at her, "I was just tossing ideas, I didn't wanna say Danny off the bat."

Emmy dropped her head in her hands, dragging them down, "Ugh," she groaned, "I hate that he is all I can think about. But I love it at the same time! How crazy is that? I mean, we haven't talked in like two days, because they've been getting ready for the concert and all that, they're super busy, ya know."

She growled in frustration.

"So," Mark waved his finger in the air, "What you're saying is you're mad that he hasn't talked to you?"

"No," she grumbled then sighed, "I mean, I don't know. I know it ridiculous to get angry, he's working, so he can't text me. But at the same time, he hasn't even check in, like, even a little."

"I don't follow," Mark confessed dropping his hand in his lap.

"Maybe I am about to start," Emmy sighed heavily and threw herself back against the bed, "I get all weird the week before, ya know, all irrational and shit. I hate it. I makes me feel all weird."

Mark laughed when she did a full body shake when she said weird, "Emmy," he shock his head and curled next to her, pulling her to his chest, "You are something, aren't you?"

Emmy looked up at him suspiciously, "I'm not sure how to take that," she warned.

Mark kissed her forehead and patted her upper back, "Take it as you will," he said dramatically, "I'm subject to your hormones! Nothing I say or do is free of speculation."

Emmy sat back on her elbows and gave Mark a worried look, "You've been watching entirely too much anime lately," she informed him.

"Too much anime?" Mark threw his arm over his face, "I don't know the meaning of the phrase!"

Emmy laughed and hugged his chest tightly, "This is why I put up with all your shit," she kissed his jaw, "You're always there to make me feel better."

Mark hugged her affectionately, rubbing her upper arm, "It's what I'm here for, love," Mark grinned charmingly down at her and winked, "My hopes are that one day I will win you over and finally bed you."

"And then there are these moments when I wanna kick your ass," Emmy shouted pushing off his chest and walking out.

"Is that a maybe?" Mark called down the hall to her as she walked into the living room.

"In your dreams," she muttered under her breath as she dropped down onto the couch in the living room.

Maybe he had a point, she thought. Was she just upset that Danny wasn't talking to her lately? Or what she just being hormonal?

Her phone buzz and she unlocked it, giving a girlish squeal as she did so.

*Sorry I haven't kept up my end of the promise the past few days. It's been crazy as shit here. I only have a few minutes and I just wanted to touch base with u. Miss u Emmy.*

She closed her eyes and held the phone to her chest. He missed her. He actually missed her! Her smile threatened to split her face in two if it grew any wider. Warmth erupted in her chest as she read, and reread his words.

*I totally understand. Take your time. Don't want you getting in trouble on account of me. I miss you too, Danny*

She pressed send and slid down off the arm to lay on the couch with a girlish sigh.

"I take it he texted you then," Mark announced leaning over her.

Emmy opened her eyes and smiled brightly, "Yes," she squealed kicking her legs excitedly.

"I thought as much," he mumbled, "What with all your fan-girl squealing and whatnot."

"It is not fan-girlish at all!" she defended herself, craning her head to look over the arm of the couch to watch Mark mocking her as he walked to the kitchen, "And don't mock me. You know what happened the last time you did."

Mark spun to face her, "You don't mean it," he said.

Emmy wiggled her fingers, "Try me, pretty boy," she grinned evilly.

Mark shuddered, "Fine," he put his hand up in defeat, "I won't mock you."

Emmy nodded once, "Good," she called as she let herself sink back into the couch, holding the phone to her chest, "Last time both of us got hurt."

Mark barked a laughed, "Yeah," he chuckled, "Yeah, we did."

Emmy listened to Mark mess around in the kitchen, banging pots and pans around, as he put dishes away, "Man," Mark grumbled and said something under his breath Emmy didn't catch.

"What was that?" she called out to him.

"Nothing," Mark yelled back at her, "Just really hate being stuck between a rock and a hard place."

"What rock and hard place?" Emmy asked sitting up and climbing on top of the couch.

"Nothing," Mark repeated, "Just something stupid."

Emmy wasn't convinced, but let it drop, yawning and stretching, "Well, it's late," she said and rubbed her eyes, walking up behind Mark and hugging him from behind, "I'm going to bed. I'll see you in the morning."

Mark turned and hugged her back, kissing the top of her head, "Goodnight, Emmy," he said went back to doing the dishes when she turned and left.

Emmy crawled into her soft, warm bed, curling up under her tan comforter, and closed her eyes. Her last thoughts were of Danny's kiss before she fell asleep.

The sun warmed her kiss wonderfully as she stretched out on her stomach, soaking in all the warmth she could.

She felt warm lips gently touch her shoulder and a large hand softly caress her upper back, trailing down. She smiled a small smile and turned her head to see the handsome man beside her smiling down at her.

"You look beautiful in the morning sun light, Emmy," Danny whispered as he leaned in and kissed her neck.

Emmy moaned and rolled over, "You're so full of it," she chuckled caressing his cheek as she looked up at him.

He half chuckled, fingering the necklace he had made for her that hung around her neck, "You can say that all you want," he stated as his fingers trailed down, going just to the line where the sheet covered her bare breasts, "But I am still convinced you are one of the most beautiful I know."

Emmy laughed and sat up, crawling onto Danny's lap, letting the white sheet fall down around her waist as she wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed herself to his chest, "But you know lots of women," she countered leaning in to kiss his chin and nip gently at his sensitive Adam's apple, "So, that compliment doesn't mean much, now does it?"

Danny went ridge and his hands tightened on her hips, "You do that and we're going for another round, you and I," Danny warned his voice husky, rocking his hips against hers, showing her just what her lips inspired in him.

Emmy gasped and clung to him, running her hands through his hair, "Having problems focusing, love?" she purred in his ear with a light nip behind it, "Am I throwing you off your game?"

Emmy rocked her hips, rubbing her slicked self against his already growing erection, and he growl, wrapping his arms around her waist, "Emmabeth," he groaned kissing her collar-bone, "If you don't stop that."

"What?" she questioned breathlessly as she drug her nails up his back, "You'll what?"

"I'll fuck you senseless right now," he groaned and pushed his throbbing erection against her wetness, trembling at the feel of her heat.

She bit his shoulder hard and cried out when he slide just his tip in. Her whole body trembled, "I guess you don't deal in empty threats," her voice was airy and shaky as she spoke.

"No, I don't," he answered panting, as if holding off his need to fill her was taking all his strength.

"Who told you to stop?" she demanded and sank herself down on his raging erection, crying out as he filled her, stretched her.

Emmy shot up in her bed, her hair plastered to her face and her hand gripping her chest. That was the most vivid dream she had ever had, aside from her nightmares. She pushed that away, that wasn't important. She blushed deeply, man, her hormones were really getting the best of her.

She put her hand to mouth to stifle her panting and tossed her heavy comforter off of her. She really needed to grip on herself. She let her feet hang off her bed, just brushing the cool, white and black spotted tile of her room, and dropped her head in her hands. That had been super intense. Her heart jumped just thinking about Danny touching her naked skin. Her whole body shuddered and chills raced across her body. She had been so close, she bit her lip, she was just on the edge of orgasm when she had woken. She clinched her thighs together and moaned, that was not a good idea, that only made the need that much worse.

She sighed and scooted back on her bed, reaching back and flipping her pillow before she laid back down. She drew her sheet up over her nearly naked self, wearing only panties and a long tee-shirt, and closed her eyes. She kept her thoughts blank, away from Danny's sheering kisses and burning touches. She shuddered again and pushed all thought away.

Sleep. Emmy needed to sleep. She had work in the morning and for that she needed rest. She relaxed into her bed and, once more, drifted to numbing sleep.

When her alarm went off, Emmy groaned and covered her head with her extra pillow. Seven o'clock was far too early to be getting up for anything, but she had to get ready for work. She groaned once more, slamming her slightly numb hand down on the 'Off' button of her alarm. She threw the extra pillow aside, her face still buried in her own to hide from the light shown in her room, and slowly sat up, bringing her knees up to her chest though her head remained in her pillow.

"You have a very lovely ass, Emmy."

Emmy didn't even have the energy to react, simply pulling down her shirt to cover her ass and flipping Mark off in the process.

"Touche," Mark tisked at Emmy, "Touche. I've already made coffee and a moderate breakfast. If you don't hurry, I shall devour all the bacon."

Figures all he could cook was bacon, she thought as she pushed herself up, happy for once for her hair which acted as a shield from the worst of the sun's morning rays.

"Look at this yummy, perfectly cooked bacon!" Mark called from the kitchen, "Why, it looks positively good enough to eat!"

"Why are you this chipper!" Emmy whined from her room as she got off her bed and stripped her bed clothes, "It's not noon! No one should be this chipper before noon at the latest!"

Emmy slipped into her matching black bra and panties, tugged on her best work blue jeans, and pulled her work tee-shirt over her unrelenting curls. After her clothes were on and adjusted, she went to the bathroom to relieve herself, before brushing her teeth, pulling her hair back into a bun, and putting eyeliner on. She looked at her reflection, it would do for work, not like she had to impress anyone in the mail delivery department.

She went back to her room, grabbed her messenger bag and her phone, and headed to the kitchen where plate of perfectly cooked bacon and biscuits were laid out, next to a perfect cup of coffee, "I'm glad you're a morning person," she said as she hopped onto the counter to eat, "If you weren't, I would probably starve until lunch."

Mark did a dramatic bow, "All for malady," he said with a smile taking a drink of his coffee, "I'm just glad you cook the rest of the time, else I would starve on a daily basis."

"No, you wouldn't" Emmy said after a gulp of coffee, "You would order out before you let yourself starve, and you know it."

Mark waved away her comment, "No," he said flipping more bacon, "Surely I would waste away to nothing if it weren't for your wonderful food from that one site, what was it?"

"Pinterest," Emmy answered and split her biscuit open, placing her halves of bacon into it to make a bacon sandwich, "It's great. I learned everything I know from it."

"Well, I'm just glad you can cook," Mark repeated and lift his shirt to show the wonderful body of muscle he had worked so hard for, "I wouldn't wanna lose these puppies."

Emmy threw a small piece of biscuit at his abs, "Whatever," she laughed hopping down from the counter and sat her plate and cup in the sink, "I'm off to work now. I'll see you around three?"

"Maybe you will," he said, "Maybe you won't. The world is so uncertain in these dark times."

Emmy rolled her eyes as Mark threw his arm over his eyes as he spoke, "Yeah, okay, whatever," she laughed and leaned in to kiss his cheek, "I'll see you when I get home. Bye."

"Goodbye, fair maiden!" Mark called after her.

"Stop watching the dark-age movies!" Emmy shouted back with a laugh and walked toward her car.

Something caught her eye. She couldn't place it, but something wasn't right. She looked around her yard, nothing seemed out of place, but yet, she had a feeling something something was different. She turned to her car and stopped, her heart dropping to her toes and her lungs seized.

Walking up her driveway, in the well tailored white dress shirt, black tie, and black slacks, was the one man she tried to push out of her life forever. His silver, combed back hair shown in the early morning light and his cold, dark eyes gave nothing of his intent away.

Now her heart was in double time, trying to flee the stress of her body by breaking its way out of her chest, but her lungs weren't pulling in the oxygen she need to compensate for the erratic racing of her heart.

The tall, muscular man stopped in front of her, looking down at her like he had so long ago, and Emmy was transported back to the time in her late teenage years when this same man would stare down at her and give her that same judgmental look, weighing every little detail his all seeing eyes took in at a mere glance.

"Emmabeth," he said calmly his voice gruff and deep, a voice that made her feel small and powerless all over again, "I told you, we need to talk."

But Emmy couldn't talk, her throat was closed, tightened by fear. She couldn't breath, let alone speck. She was that young girl all over again, tormented by her own flesh and blood father, abandoned by the death of her mother, and rejected by all others of her kin. She was that small, frail, powerless girl all over again at the look in that old man's eyes.

"Grandfather," she whimpered and took a step back, tripping on the barley raised edge of a rock poking out of seam of her driveway, crying out as she tried to catch herself on her hands, but failed, scrapping her palms as they gave under her and her head smacked painfully against the cement.

Her vision blurred and white, shining spots floated in her vision and, for a second, when he reached out to help her up, she saw the man who had abused her most of her life and she let out a blood chilling scream filled with the pure terror gripped her body.