A/N: Thank you all so much! I can't believe how the last chapter was so well received! I know a lot of you were waiting for the sexual tension to really break between them. I'm really glad you all liked it so much. Thank you all for your reviews, comments, faves and more. I love hearing from you, so thank you. I hope you enjoy this chapter just as much!


Chapter 23

I wake up alone. The air of the room is freezing, and I am tempted to encase myself further in the sheets that smell like him. Instead, I sit up, ignoring the dull ache of my body and look around.

Eric is gone.

The apartment is silent and sunlight streams in from the windows. I've slept for too long. I throw off the sheets and move to the edge of the bed. The floor feels like ice when I place my feet on it.

I stand slowly, taking note of exactly how my body feels before I move. I have to search to find the underwear he threw, and my glasses, which miraculously survived his throw.

My clothes are thankfully dry and I get dressed quickly. My blouse has dried slightly wrinkled and my skirt is stiff. There is no sign of my hair elastic, leaving me to run my fingers through my hair and hoping it doesn't look too messy. There is no hope to find my heels. They are lost in the paths of Dauntless.

I take a moment, once I'm dressed and look in the mirror in the washroom. My reflection is almost unrecognizable. I am in Erudite clothing, but I look nothing like the woman who came here. My hair is still wild, and despite how long I slept I still look tired. The marks that Eric left on me stand out brightly against my skin. I will need to cover them.

Turning away from my reflection, I leave the washroom and find my tablet. The battery is low, but I check for any messages from Jeanine. A response to my note. Anything to tell me that I will be returned to Erudite shortly. To my relief, there is a brief note, but any relief is lost as I read it. It simply says that I must wait until the roads are clear and as soon as they are, I can expect a driver to come for me.

I am stuck here.

"What are you doing?"

I nearly drop the tablet in surprise, before looking towards the door at the voice. Eric stands there, holding a tray and staring at me. He does not look impressed.

"My work," I reply. He storms forwards, dropping the tray of food on a table, before standing before me. I straighten my spine and stare back, ignoring the memory of his touch and his mouth on my skin. "I have to get back to Erudite as soon as possible. In the meantime, I need to charge my tablet and preferably have a space that I can work and sleep in. Alone." And far away from him.

The tablet is ripped from my hands and I watch in horror as Eric flings it into one of the stone walls. I hear glass break as it falls to the ground. I turn back to Eric, fury filling my veins. "How dare you!"

He moves closer until his body is nearly touching mine. "You're not leaving."

"Excuse me?" My eyes narrow. "You cannot dictate where I stay!"

He grabs the back of my head, twisting his fingers into my hair and yanking it back as he presses his body against mine. "You're not leaving." His voice sounds dangerous, and the look in his eye stills me. It's the same one that he had after I accepted Riley's proposal. Fear quells the anger in me, and I struggle to hold on to it. "Amelia," he says, lowering his voice enough that it feels like it sinks into me. His grip on my hair loosens enough that my scalp no longer hurts, but he does not let go. "You can't run from this. You can't run from me." Something strikes at my heart with his words. The hell I can't.

"This was a mistake," I mutter. It's the wrong thing to say.

Eric's expression changes instantly into something savage. "It's not a fucking mistake!" he snarls before kissing me hard.

I push at his chest, but he is unmovable. His lips move against mine, demanding a response and when I don't open my mouth to his, he bites at my bottom lip hard enough to make me gasp.

His tongue pushes past my lips and his hand in my hair tilts my head just enough to give him more access. Eric's very presence demands a reaction and as he kisses me, I find myself succumbing to it. The hand that is not in my hair goes to my back, pulling my body flush against his.

I move one of my hands to the back of his neck and scrape my nails against his scalp. His grip tightens. He pulls my bottom lip in between his and I can't help but wince at the sting that remains from his bite. He breaks the kiss, moving his lips down my jaw and neck.

My breath hitches as his teeth scrapes against my skin before he sucks hard. It's still sensitive from the night before. I move the hand that's on his chest slowly, feeling the solidness of him beneath my fingers.

He removes his hand from my back, and I feel his fingers tug at the collar of my dress shirt. He shifts his body back and with one swift motion, rips open the shirt, popping the buttons and forcing them to fly across the room.

"Eric!" I snap. Before I can protest further, his mouth is on mine again. His kiss is demanding, forceful even as he pulls my shirt from where it is still stuck in my skirt. I pull back my hands, shrugging the shirt off. It's useless now, but I can't bring myself to care. Not when his hand is going up my side before unclipping my bra at my back. It doesn't fall, but hangs from the straps still on my shoulders. He moves to the zipper on the back of my skirt next.

My skirt is shoved off my hips, and I reach up to balance myself on his shoulders as I step out of it and kick it away. His hands skim over the sudden exposed skin and I can feel goosebumps prickle as he touches it.

Eric moves his mouth from mine, and the hand in my hair tightens and pulls my head back. His other hand slides under the loosened bra and his thumb brushes against one of my nipples.

I inhale sharply and I can't help but arch into his hand. I feel his lips at my ear.

"This is because of me," he says. His voice is rough and low, as if he's restraining himself. Memory floods through me of the night before and my stomach clenches. "Me."

He kisses me again before he moves his hand out of my hair and lifts me. My legs wrap instantly around his waist and it feels like seconds before he's dropping me on the bed. He slides my bra off my arms and throws it to the side.

I lean back against the bed as his hands go up my sides. His fingers brush the spot on my ribs that makes me jump, but he doesn't stop on it. His mouth and hand go to my breasts and he lavishes his attention on them.

I arch into him, my hands clutching the back of his head and his shoulders. The hand that's not cupping my breast shoves under my underwear and my hips buck instantly as he pushes a finger past the lips of my vagina.

He groans into my chest and I am lost in the sensation of his hands on my body. His fingers stroke and play with my clitoris and heat flares through me. Oh god. He bites down on my breast, hard enough that it shocks me until he sucks on the very same spot.

I can't help the sounds I make. My anger from earlier is forgotten, as long as he doesn't stop. I could lose myself in him if I wanted, and I do. For this moment, as I'm trapped in Dauntless by forces beyond my control, I can let myself have this.

He moves his mouth down my stomach. I lean my head back into the pillows, trying to catch the breath the escapes me with every move of his fingers below. When he pulls them away, I have to stop the frustrated cry from leaving my lips.

He pulls down my underwear, shifting and throwing them aside. Instead of moving himself in between my legs though, his hands are on my side and he twists me, flipping me onto my stomach. He pulls at my waist, and his hands position me until I am on my hands and knees.

His hand slides up my back and I hear the sound of a zipper. The hand up my back goes around to my front and his hand is below my throat before he pulls my body up and I am pressed against his chest. He is still dressed and the feeling of his clothes against my sensitive skin strikes something in me I didn't realize had never been considered.

He positions himself and pushes into me without hesitation. His arm on my chest holds me to him as he pulls out before thrusting in again. I reach back with one of my hands for his head, and he moves it closer, his lips next to my ear.

"You feel this?" he says. He moves his legs outside of mine and pushes me forward, back towards the mattress.

My hand shoots out to stop myself from falling into it face first, and I feel him move over me. My hand that was on the back of his head moves to the arm holding me in place against him. I clutch at his muscles as he continues to thrust into me.

"This is because of me. Only me." His voice is low in my ear, almost a growl as his pace quickens.

Oh god. I want more. I want him to move faster, to reach that point where I just stop thinking.

He shifts his hips and suddenly it's almost too much. I can't stop myself from crying out intelligible words that almost sound like begging.

"No one else makes you feel like this, Amelia. No one ever will."

"Please," I beg. I just need more. His hand on my chest shifts up, around my throat but he doesn't apply the pressure that I expect.

"Tell me what you want," he demands. "Who you want."

I know what he wants to hear and I am tempted to refuse. Even if he left me like this, it is a state I can fix myself. I don't need him.

He shifts again, and I can feel the mattress dip on one side as he changes position. His fingers are suddenly on my clitoris, and I arch into it. "Say it."

I am so close and it's almost painful. I can't help it. "Eric!"

"Yes," I hear him hiss and I am pushed forward, my arm giving out on me until it is folded at the elbow trying to hold me up. The position, and his increasing pace, nearly consumes me. I am lost in the haze of him and the feelings he brings my body. Finally, I am thrown into oblivion and the warmth that spreads through my abdomen as he shudders behind me tells me that he follows.

It is silent between us as we both come down from the high of endorphins that floods us. He pulls away, finally releasing me and I collapse against the bed.

I try to catch my breath and shift to make myself more comfortable as I try to ignore the aftermath of the event. Eric leaves in the direction of the washroom and I suddenly feel utterly exposed. I pull at the sheet under me, covering myself as much as I can before he returns. It's a small act, but one that makes me feel more secure.

I let him tear down the walls I had been trying to construct between us after last night. I shift, trying to tighten the sheet around me when he walks out of the washroom looking as immaculate as he was when he first walked in with the tray.

He stops at the table, grabs the tray and heads towards me. I sit up quickly and move back, away from his reach. His eyes narrow at the sight but I cannot stop myself. He has a way of manipulating my body into being blinded by his touch. I want to be able to think.

"You need to eat."

I stare at him for a moment and he places the tray on the bed in the space between us. On it is a cup of water and a plate that holds a small amount of fruit and a large portion of meat and vegetables. Simple foods build strength. It feels like I'm giving into him in some way, but I cannot ignore the needs of my stomach. His eyes are on me as I consider it and it feels as if the air is turning oppressive.

"I need to move," I say quietly. His entire body stiffens and reasons tumble out of my mouth without thought. "I need to use the washroom, and I refuse to eat in bed." It's such as simple excuse, but it will get me away from the bed and him.

His posture relaxes and he moves the tray to a stand by his bed before offering a hand to me. I am reluctant to take it. It is the same hand that was wrapped around my throat only minutes ago. I wrap the sheet tighter around me and ignore the darkening look in his eyes. He grabs my hand before I can fully make a choice and lifts me.

My heart feels like it jumps into my throat and his body is against mine as he slowly places me on my feet. His hands stay at my hips, and he stares at me with the look in his eye that makes me want to run. Nothing good can come of it.

"Excuse me," I mutter. I move out of his hands, heading towards the washroom until the sheet suddenly stops me. I turn sharply.

Eric is standing on the edge of the sheet.

"Get off."

He raises his eyebrows and reaches to grab part of it.

My grip tightens, but with a single yank it is pulled from my grasp. I am left naked before him. I reach down for it, but it is pulled further from me. "Give it back."

"You don't need it. Not here."

I watch as his eye rake over my body, lingering in the areas that I know are marked by him. I inhale slowly, trying to hold back the anger that grows. It is a small thing, I tell myself. I can handle this. I stand up straight, glaring at him before turning and quickly walking to the washroom.

I lock the door quickly and just try to breathe. Despite the previous activities, my body is tense. I look around the washroom, hoping for something that I can use to cover myself. A small folded pile of black catches my eye. The clothes he lent me the night before. I had collected them that morning, and folded them after I dressed myself. Eric either didn't notice or care about it when he was in here.

I unfold the shirt that I had previously worn and slip it on. It still falls to my thighs. The pants are useless, considering they never stayed up, and Eric has seen more of me than anyone in a long time. Still, they will be useful until I get my underwear back from the floor. I clean myself up and put them on, attempting and failing to find a way to make them stay up. They will have to be held.

It feels like forever before I can convince myself to leave the washroom. There is no safety here, and I have to face the choices I made when I welcomed him into my arms.


I leave the washroom slowly.

Eric is nowhere in sight and I sigh in relief. I do not want to deal with him and the pressure he places on me. The tray is on the table and my stomach grumbles at the sight. I ignore it and go in search for my clothes.

The search is fruitless and it becomes apparent to me that Eric's disappearance is related. He has taken my clothes.

Part of me cannot believe he has the audacity to do such a thing, but this is Eric. He has never done anything that I expect him to. I try to keep calm. Unless I want to go wandering through Dauntless wearing only his clothes and no underwear, I am trapped here.

I look for my tablet. The shattered remains of it lay on the floor against the wall, a sharp reminder that I am sufficiently cut off from my faction. As I think about it, the anger fades and I am simply left exhausted. I had wanted an escape, something to stop me from thinking of Vera in Jeanine's hands and I have been presented with my desires. I just didn't want it like this.

I eat quickly, watching for any sign of Eric but he does not appear. I am oddly thankful and yet regretful. I want my clothes back. I want to be far away from him and the distraction he serves, and yet I am not used to being alone without my work. Boredom eats away at me.

I glance over the bookshelves that are mostly filled with texts and manuals of training and warfare. I am surprised by the small amount of psychology books that are present, but I have no desire at this time to delve into Eric's mind. In fact, despite the amount of rest I've gotten already, which is far more than I am used to, I just want to sleep.

I stare at the bed for a moment. I have had sex in that bed twice already with it's owner, and the memory lingers in my mind. My hands shoved under the pillow as his fingers traced patterns and his mouth left marks on my skin. I force the thought out of my mind. He took nothing I wasn't willing to give. Even so, I am reluctant to climb back into it. It is only the absence of Eric and the lack of another piece of furniture large enough to comfortably sleep on that prompts me into it.

I climb in and wrap the sheets around me, settling in. The pants are still far too loose and uncomfortable even as I lay in bed. Annoyed, I slip them off and place them on the floor next to the bed. I woke up before Eric returned before; I can do so again. As I lay in the silent apartment, I am surrounded by the scent of Eric. It is disturbingly comforting as I fall asleep.

[tbc]