A/N: I have for you the next chapter, and for those of you looking for more Eric, you're in luck! You can all thank Elle because she inspired me to write a lot faster than normal. Also, I cleared up my schedule a bit which helped. Thank you all for the reviews, favourites and follows! Let me know if you like it!
Chapter Nineteen
Jeanine is not ready to act, despite the fact that she was informed of what I saw during her speech. She saw Vera leave herself, and yet I was to proceed as usual. Unfortunately, this leaves me travelling to Dauntless.
The drive is quiet and it should be a relief, a moment of peace but I am too tense. The driver will wait for me but there is no one else arriving with me to act as a buffer between Eric and I. I can only hope that I won't be alone with him, that someone will be there.
It's no surprise that Eric is waiting outside the door as we pull up. He is as formidable as ever, the muscles in his arms are showcased by the sleeveless shirt he wears. He smirks when he sees me through the window and my heart leaps into my throat. Oh god.
I try to settle my nerves before the door opens. "Eric," I greet.
"Amelia," he offers his hand to help me out of the car, but it is not necessary. I am not jumping from a height in heels.
Clutching my tablet to my chest, I exit the car before looking back at the driver and nodding. "I won't be long," I say.
Eric doesn't say anything but he slams the door once I'm out of the way and touches the small of my back. "We've been waiting," he says before ushering me towards the door.
Part of me wants to stop, to dig in my heels and flee. I take a deep breath and try to settle my pounding heart. I can do this. It's only Eric. His hand hasn't left my back though and I know it's not that simple. I enter Dauntless with him at my side.
"Can you remove your hand please?" I ask. We are walking through familiar corridors, towards the lab. "It is unnecessary."
"Is it?" he asks. His voice is light, almost like he's taunting me.
I look up at him, only to see him raise his eyebrows at me, waiting for my response.
"Yes," I snap. He moves his hand slowly off of my back, but he looks far too pleased with himself. The distance doesn't feel like a victory, but rather an ominous withdraw.
We get to the computer room in no time, and despite the fact that we have barely spoken there is tension in the air. It cannot last. I am going to have to say something about his appearance in my home. It cannot happen again.
Eric remains by the door as I step into the room. The machines are running perfectly and I can see the screen where information is coming in. The link to Erudite is up to date but I realize suddenly that we are alone. I turn to him. "Where are the technicians?"
"Not here," he says. "The only people who run this area are your technicians and a couple of Dauntless. There was no reason for them to be here."
He steps closer, closing the door behind him. My heart feels like thunder in my chest, threatening to explode. I hold my tablet tighter and look down at it, hoping that if I appear disinterested, he will stop.
"I need the list of volunteers," I say. I have a blank file open on the tablet but before I can type anything, a large hand appears and rips it from my grip. I look up in shock to see Eric holding it, scrolling through my data. "Eric," my voice is hard. "Give it back."
"No," he says.
"Eric." I scowl up at him, stepping closer in an effort to gain it back.
"Amelia," he says. He looks far too amused.
I stretch up, moving onto my toes to reach my tablet, but Eric has the advantage of height and he lifts the tablet out of my reach. I am, however, in his reach and he loops his free arm around my waist and pulls me into him. My chest hits his and the strength of his arm pins me to him.
I push my hands against his chest, trying to create some space between us. "Let go."
"No," he says again. He looks up at the tablet in his hand, turning it slightly. "You can't hide from me behind this."
"Excuse me?" I demand, my voice shriller than I expected. I am suddenly glad there is no one else in the room. "I am not"—I try to push away from him again, pushing with all my strength. He barely shifts—"trying to hide from you! Unlike some people, I have work to do!"
"Liar."
Indignation rises up in me but he moves before I can react.
His grip loosens enough to allow me to step back. He steps forward, forcing me back further and something catches in my throat as I meet his eyes.
My lower back hits the table behind me and I realize that he's trapped me again. Before I can react, move away, his arm moves and his hands lift me to sit on the table. The tablet is gone, but before I can wonder just what he's done to it, his hands slide up my legs, pushing my skirt back.
"Eric," I need him to stop, I try to push his hands down. "Eric! You can't-"
He looks at me, raising his eyebrows at the challenge. He doesn't break eye contact as he forces my legs apart and steps in between them.
My breath gets caught in my throat. I can't breathe and he is suddenly too close. I try to close my legs, to force him to move but all it does is keep him close. I can feel the heat of his body in between my legs, his fingers tracing over the bare skin on my thigh. My entire body stiffens at the touch. I can't react. I can't give him that satisfaction. "I have work to do," I say and it doesn't come out as strong as I want.
"Fuck the work," he says. One of his hands comes up behind my head, pulling me closer and kissing me. It's not as demanding as the last kiss, but his grip is strong. His other hand goes around my waist, his hand splayed on my back, keeping me close to him.
I know I should push him away, I don't want this intrusion...but I can feel his tongue on my lip and he tightens his grip in my hair, causing me to gasp. The kiss deepens and my arms are around his neck, pulling him closer. It's different and I can't bring myself to stop. I can feel his smirk against my lips, like he knows what I'm thinking.
The hand on my back goes lower, shifting me closer to him. His lips move from mine, moving to my neck.
My lips trace against his jaw, and I swear I feel his body shudder against mine. The hand that's buried in my hair pulls me away from exploring, and Eric kisses me hard.
His lips move against mine and I feel myself clutching at him, wanting him closer. The hand that was on my back moves up one of my legs, sliding under the skirt as much as possible and it jolts me back to myself.
"Stop. Stop!" I demand, pulling my hands back and trying to shove him away. He pauses, but moves backward slightly, allowing me to actually look at him. Oh god. His hair is messed up enough that it would look suspicious if anyone saw him. I can only imagine what I look like. "Back up!" I demand. "Now!"
He smirks slightly, but obligingly raises his hands and steps back, out from between my legs.
I shuffle off of the desk, desperately pulling down my skirt before glaring at him. "I am here to work," I say, ignoring how my hands are trembling slightly. I attempt to iron out any wrinkles that might have appeared. "That does not mean you get to assault me anytime you wish!"
"Assault?" He asks. His arms cross over his chest. "If I recall, you were enjoying yourself thoroughly, or were those not your moans I was hearing?"
"I was not moaning!" I snap. "It is a biological response," I explain. "Not a want. Where is my tablet?"
The amused look on his face shuts down. He steps forward until he is nearly touching me and once again I am reminded by how small I am in comparison. His hands move forward and I stumble back into the table again. They slam into the table on either side of me. I am pinned again. "Say it again."
I breathe in sharply through my nose. Anger courses through me, and I as I am about to repeat myself, slower so he can actually follow the words, a knock sounds on the door.
Both of us turn to look at it. I forgot that there were others that could have heard us.
"What?" Eric snaps.
The door opens slowly and peering in is the Dauntless who was at the initiation, Four. His eyebrows are raised and Eric stands up at the sight of him.
"I heard yelling," the man says. "Everything okay?"
"It's fine," Eric says. His jaw is clenched. "Now fuck off."
The man behind the door looks at me for a second, then back at Eric before he shrugs and disappears, shutting the door behind him.
I have to stop myself from calling him back. I look back at Eric, to see him breathing deeply before he stares at me. The air seems thick, despite the intrusion. "I need those names," I say, referring to the list of volunteers I had come for.
He stares at me for a moment before running a hand over his hair and finally speaking. "Follow me." He leaves quickly and I have to race to find my tablet, sitting innocuously on one of the tables, before following after him.
Eric leads me through hallways I am not familiar with. Panic rises in my chest, and I try to tamper it down and not clutch at my tablet. Eric's words using it to hide behind still run through my mind and I refuse to give him the satisfaction of seeing me hold it like a shield.
He finally stops at a door and opens it, stepping forwards and turning on a light. There is a small computer on the desk, and it is neatly organized.
"Where are we?" I ask.
"My office," he says.
He walks up to the desk but I don't move. I am not willing to give up the security of the open door. Not after last time.
He smirks at me from his desk before he pulls open a drawer and takes out a piece of paper. "These are the volunteers," he says. "We chose them ourselves." He strides towards me and offers the paper.
I take it, keeping my hand far enough away that I won't touch him. I tuck the paper into the cover of my tablet. I look up at him to find him staring at me again. It is a reoccurring habit that he has not broken. "I need to go back," I tell him.
"Of course you do," he says and he motions me out the door.
As we walk, I try and gain some semblance of my usual, polished self before exiting the compound but my hands shake. Even in the car I can't stop trying to flatten my skirt.
Eric watches as I leave, never saying another word. In his eyes, though, is a promise, that same dark look I've seen before. Fear floods me suddenly, and I am grateful for the distance the car puts between us. I feel like I can finally breathe.
I want to hide. I want to run to my apartment, bar the door any way possible and hide. Instead, I force myself to leave the car and go back to Erudite.
Jeanine doesn't leave her lab all day and demands that she is not bothered for any reason. I don't see her all day. Instead, I spend the time trying to focus on the reports that have flooded my inbox and arranging Jeanine's schedule. She has meetings with the different divisions of Erudite, but the lack of notes that are accompanied with the requests lead me to believe that it has to do with her current mission. The thought of what she's doing in her lab is the only thing that sufficiently distracts me from Eric and the interaction in Dauntless.
When I finally reach my apartment, it seems like it has been ages since I've been there. This is supposed to be my area, my safe haven, but as I look around, suddenly all I can picture is Eric. I know what he looks like in here. I can picture him next to my bookshelves, looking over them. My throat closes, and my heart beat increases so much that it feels as if it is about to burst. I can't breathe. I can't- I can't do this. The thought appears so suddenly and so clearly that I burst into tears before I can stop myself and my legs collapse from under me. I can barely breathe but I can still feel his hands on my legs, in my hair. I'm supposed to be better than this. I am supposed to be Erudite and an Erudite would not let a Dauntless touch her. They would not react. He's not supposed to...
I stop. I inhale so sharply that my vision blanks for a second, and it takes me a few moments to get my body under control. He's not supposed to, so why is he? My hands shake as I stand up. I move towards the kitchen table and sit down in the closest chair.
Why is a dangerous question, one that I have not allowed myself to ponder on too long. It is more productive to simply search for a solution, especially when there are missing components that would explain the why. Therefore, I need a solution to Eric. I had thought that Riley was that solution, however temporary but it seems not to be working. Steps need to be taken.
I stand up and grab the tablet that had fallen to the floor. Opening my calendar, I find the date for the next dinner with my family. It is later this week and it is perfect. I compose a simple message to Riley, informing him of the date and inviting him to meet my family. After it is sent, I send a similar message informing my family that I will be bringing a guest. My tablet sounds, informing me of Riley's enthusiastic acceptance of the invitation before I have sent out the message to my family. I set the tablet on the table and take a deep breath. I am stronger than this. I will not be blindsided again.
[tbc]
