Elena sighs, closing her laptop and stretching as she gets up from her desk to make herself another cup of tea. But when she opens the cabinet to grab a teacup, the shelf is empty. Elena blinks and stares at the empty shelf, as if a teacup will just appear if she stares long enough. Then she sighs again, turning to her kitchen sink – overfull with used coffee mugs and a stack of dirty teacups.
Elena grabs one of the cups from the top, ignoring the rest as she rinses it quickly before putting the kettle on. The white china is stained dark, but it's clean enough for her to fill it with more tea when the kettle whistles. Elena carries her tea back to her desk, taking a sip and wincing as the hot drink burns her tongue.
She puts the cup to the side as she reopens her laptop, staring at the blinking cursor. Elena owes her editor the next chapter tomorrow. But the words aren't coming, and she has a feeling she's going to blow right through her deadline.
She puts her fingers on the keyboard and just stares at the half-completed chapter for a few more minutes, willing something to happen. It doesn't. Elena pushes her laptop back, not even bothering to close it. Then she folds her arms and puts her head down; she isn't going to take a nap, just rest her eyes for a few seconds…
Elena jerks awake to the sound of the front door opening. Moments later, a gust of wind catches her hair, and then a warm body is behind her. Strong hands are placed on her shoulders, kneading gently, as a soft kiss is pressed to the crown of her head.
"Welcome home," Elena murmurs, tipping her head back to stare up at him.
"Thank you. Have you moved since I left?" Elijah asks, his expression fond.
Elena huffs. "I have a chapter due tomorrow, and it isn't going to be ready, and now my tea is cold," she tells him, her tone plaintive as she gestures to her long-abandoned teacup. Elijah smiles down at her, clearly amused, before he pulls her up and into his arms for a real "welcome home" kiss.
"I missed you," he murmurs against her lips when they finally part. Elena rests her weight against him, relishing the feel of his strong arms around her, holding her up like it's nothing at all. He's only been away for business for three days; and yet, it felt like an eternity.
Next time, she'll just go with him.
"I missed you too," she responds, pressing a kiss to his jaw, and then another to his neck. One of his hands comes up to tangle in her hair, keeping her there.
"Take what you need," Elijah tells her. Elena presses another kiss to his skin before she lets her fangs drop and bites down. She moans at the taste of his blood on her tongue, better than anything she's ever tasted.
She can feel the energy, the ipower/i, spreading throughout her body as his blood courses through her veins. Elena takes another few sips, before pulling back. She licks his skin lightly as the twin puncture marks she left behind heal before her eyes, not willing to waste a drop.
"Better?" Elijah asks her, his tone teasing as he reaches up to wipe a bit of his blood from the corner of her mouth with his thumb. She catches his thumb in her mouth before he can pull it away, sucking lightly as she gazes up at him, letting him see her desire for everything he is in her eyes.
His own eyes darken with lust in response. He goes to pull his thumb from her mouth – and when Elena nips teasingly at him, he isnaps/i.
A blink, and they're naked in their bed upstairs. Elijah takes her lips in another kiss, before moving down to her neck, and then her chest. He pulls her nipple into his mouth, sucking gently and staring up at her with a worshipful expression. It never fails to knock the breath from her, when he looks at her like that.
Like she's ieverything/i.
"Take what you need," Elena whispers, running her hand through his hair as she repeats his earlier words back to him. She watches with anticipation as his eyes darken further, the veins underneath turning black; then his fangs drop – twin pinpricks of pleasure-pain on either side of her nipple.
Elena moans, rubbing her entire body against him, clenching her thighs just to feel the solid weight of him between them. Elijah takes barely half a sip, always careful to give more than he takes, mindful that her newly-turned vampire strength is still no match for his own.
When he pulls away, just a bit, Elena pushes him over. He lets her, going easily onto his back as she straddles him. She rewards him with a smile – and by sinking down on his cock.
Later – much later – Elena drowses happily as Elijah plays with her hair. She's resting her head on his shoulder, and she clings to him possessively. She nearly vibrates with satisfaction, all traces of her earlier frustration gone.
"If you're always going to welcome me home like that, perhaps I should go on business trips more often," Elijah teases.
Elena looks up at him with a glare. "Don't even think about it," she orders, before resting her head on his shoulder again.
Then, suddenly – inspiration strikes.
Elijah watches her, clearly bemused, as she jumps up and throws his shirt on. "Sorry, sorry – cuddles later, writing now," Elena tells him, as she rushes from their bedroom and back down to her desk.
She can hear his amused groan from the living room as her fingers fly across the keys. Hopefully Elijah stays in bed for a while longer.
He'll be a good reward when she's done.
