The first stop of the tour was in the library. It was perhaps one of Loreena's favourite places in the whole house: there were enough books to last one's lifetime, a proper fireplace, and a big polished pool table. She heard Elijah letting out a small breath of awe as they stepped in. First she thought it was the pool table to catch his attention, but then as she looked at him she saw his eyes fixed on the rows of books in the tall shelves, covering the walls of the library almost entirely.
"This is amazing. Looks pretty much like a room one could stay in for months and still be completely entertained", he commented as he moved from her and Marie's side to inspect one book shelf.
"I didn't know you liked books that much", Loreena commented. Though he had said he did enjoy reading and their conversations had proved he was more well-read than one might expect from a biker, Evey's following words did take her by surprise.
"Eli gets it from Mom. She was always reading a book or two and she kept buying loads of them. I think she single-handedly kept the town's booksellers in business", Evey said with a slight smile. "He kept all of her books. Eli doesn't have much furniture but neither does he need any – he could build everything from all the books in that house."
Elijah made a vague sound at the back of his throat, looking like he was only half aware of the conversation.
Evey smiled fondly at her brother and moved over to the pool table. She glanced at Loreena, "Do you play a lot?"
"Tony is our pool shark, really. He and Erwin have an ongoing struggle for the championship", Loreena said and grinned at her brother. "I am merely a poor substitute for when Erwin isn't home."
Fran's wife smiled at Tony in a way that was positively wicked.
"Want to go a round, rich boy?" she asked. Tony, for his part, looked gleeful.
"I thought you'd never ask", he said, all but rubbing his hands together in earnest. Fran let out a sound of suffering and cast his eyes upwards.
"You'll be eating dust soon, Tony", he said ominously.
"She's really good at pool", Elijah commented quietly; he had returned to Loreena's side. "Learned all the tricks from our old man. There's an entire generation of guys graduated from college who are still weeping for all the money they lost to her in bets."
"Do you play pool, Mr Knight?" asked Marie, batting her eyelashes at him.
"Not as well as Evey", he said, glancing at the girl like he didn't quite know what to make of her.
"Shall we move on? Those two don't look like they are going to stop any time soon", Vera said then. So, leaving Evey and Tony in their mortal combat, Loreena lead the rest of the company out into the hallway.
They made a visit to the home theater – "Courtesy of my dear brother Tony", she said wryly – and then showed them the parlour where Dad had his collection of antiques –"You actually have an empty armor just standing here?" Elijah asked incredulously and stared at the pile of steel – after which she lead them into the solarium. There was a pretty amazing view over the gardens but also housed the collection of exotic flowers and plants Mom had acquired. There were orchids and camelia blossoms and orchid hybrids that looked kind of freaky, a tall palm tree, and dozens of other plants whose names she didn't even know.
In the end, it didn't take so much imagination to sneak out with Elijah. In fact, Fran provided the perfect moment for it: he started to talk about the orchids and being the master storyteller he quickly had Vera and even Marie completely focused on himself.
It was then Loreena pulled at Elijah's hand, leading him back inside. Once there she whispered to him: "I was wondering if you would like a more private tour."
He grinned at her.
"I would love that, babe", he replied and clasped her hand in his.
There was a thrill to sneaking about the corridors with him even though they did not see anyone on the way. A silly little giggle was bubbling in her chest but she held it back as she lead him upstairs and down the hallway there, past the family portraits and flower arrangements.
"Should I be worried of where you are taking me?" he asked lightly.
"Oh, you should be very worried", Loreena sniggered under her breath and stopped at the door she had been heading for. "If you would like to step in."
"Gladly, Miss", he said. "After you."
Curiously he gazed about himself once inside, and a sudden feeling of uncertainty came to her – she had not changed many things in her room since she had finished high school, and the place looked like it: there were posters of bands she didn't listen to anymore, and the overall mood of pastels and floral prints made her solemnly question the mental state of her younger self. As such Elijah's next words did not come as a surprise.
"Either you've got a kid sister I don't know about or you really should move out, babe", he dryly commented.
"Yeah, I know. It looks like this for the same reasons I never thought to get a place of my own", she explained. A roguish grin came to his features.
"A place of your own would make it hell of a lot easier to visit you, and you wouldn't have to worry about your mom or aunt sticking their noses into every damn thing", he suggested. She thought about pointing out she could be visiting him just as well, but kept that to herself for one reason or the other. This was, after all, the first time they were together in a space one of them lived in.
"To be honest I didn't bring you to admire decorative choices of my teenager years, though", she said and gave him a smile, which had a similar look dawning on his face as he understood her meaning.
"Just so you know", he said in a soft, deep voice that set her heart racing, "you look amazing today."
He reached to kiss her, light as feathers first, "Then again you always do."
Loreena wrapped arms about his neck and tiptoed closer, and for a moment it was a perfectly innocent kiss. She wasn't sure what changed it, but all of a sudden she was pushed back... he lifted her up on the writing table, sending pens and small decorative figurines flying on the floor. Anxiously she pulled him closer, between her knees, and he came – almost crashing against her. Then his mouth fell on hers again, somehow demanding and adoring at the same time, and she could taste the wine on his tongue... she pulled him closer still, to the point where he was all but bending her over the table. Then she felt one hand move up her thigh, until it found the edge of her thigh high stockings and slipped just enough to whisper against the bare skin, sending sparks through her very being.
A moan rose deep from her throat. Her toes curled and her nails dug into his back through the material of his shirt – she had managed to snake one hand under the vest. For a moment she thought that next step might just take place here, on her old desk, surrounded by childish unicorn figures and posters of teenage heart throbs, because Elijah showed now signs of slowing down. And herself – well, she was past caring. Oh, the seventeen years old her would never have dared to imagine something like this!
Only, the universe had other ideas.
The door was then opened and there was a small gasp, which had both Loreena and Elijah sharply turning to see who had interrupted this scene. There, on the door of her room, stood Marie; the girl's eyes were wide and her face scarlet as she stared at the two.
"You looking for something, girl?" Elijah asked. Though his voice was hoarse and throaty, it did not betray surprise or embarrassment.
"N-no, I wasn't. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to -" Marie stuttered and if possible, the colour of her flaming cheeks turned even deeper. She effectively threw close the door, leaving them alone again.
"Well, that was awkward", Loreena managed. Her own voice was not much clearer than his.
"Yeah. Hope we didn't traumatise her for life", Elijah quipped wryly. Then he grinned, "I don't think she'll be following around anymore."
"You think?" she retorted with a dry smile. His eyes glimmered and his lips were trembling with a laughter he was trying to hold back, and seeing that she could not help but laugh out loud. Elijah burst out laughing as well and the sound of it only fuelled hers, until she was all but sobbing in laughter.
It took some time to calm down, though the spark of amusement remained in his eyes still. She shook her head, "I should have locked the door."
"That could have saved us from some problems. You think she'll cause you trouble?" Elijah asked, frowning now.
"No, I don't really believe so. I think she'll be too embarrassed to tell anyone", Loreena answered. Maybe it was good they had been interrupted after all – she had lost all sense of time, and who else might have come to look for them if Marie hadn't?
So, as much as she'd have liked to kiss Elijah once more, she suggested they go and join others again, and he agreed. But before emerging from her room again she thought better to make sure she didn't look entirely ravished.
Elijah waited at her bathroom door while she added some powder and lipstick, hoping to hide the worst of the rash caused by his beard rubbing against her skin, but there was no disguising how swollen her lips looked.
"Man, I feel like I could just stare at you for the rest of my life. You're too pretty for your own good", he said suddenly. She smiled at him via the mirror and winked, not even trying to hide how pleased it made her feel to hear him say something like that. One last glance she gave her reflection and deemed there wasn't really more she could do, and tucking an errant lock of hair behind her ear she turned again towards him.
"Shall we go then?" she asked.
"Yeah. Lead the way, babe – I'm not sure I could make it back to the entrance hall alone", he said and smiled. Once more she linked her arm with his and they returned to the hallway. To herself she thought if she should now pursue the idea of getting a place of her own, and Elijah came around... well, she had a pretty strong feeling that next step might come so much sooner.
The mere idea had her heart beating a bit faster. The first thing she'd do after holidays would be to look for an apartment – and perhaps shop for some lingerie.
They found the others down in the hall, and reluctantly she let go of Elijah's arm. Evey's face barely moved but Fran and Tony both looked slightly suspicious. Vera didn't seem to notice anything however, and there was no sign of Marie.
"Who won?" Loreena asked and smiled, hoping her act would seem natural as well.
"Evey beat me! On my home turf! I am devastated", Tony said and shook his head. Now Fran smiled smugly.
"I told you so, cousin", he said and looked at his wife proudly. Glancing at Elijah Loreena saw him grinning at his sister, just as pleased as Fran.
"Great job, Eve", he said and reached to pat her shoulder.
"We need to have a rematch some time soon. Otherwise I won't have peace", Tony said, making Evey laugh.
"We'll see, rich boy", she merely said and suddenly grinned, which made her look a lot like her brother.
"Where did you two disappear?" Vera asked just the question Loreena had hoped to avoid.
"Just wandering about. It's one insane house", Elijah lied smoothly, shrugging nonchalantly.
"It sure is", Tony muttered under his breath.
Fortunately it was then that Alice appeared from the parlour, announcing coffee would be served soon, and the crowd in the hall more or less swarmed after her. But even as they did Loreena did not miss the inquiring look Evey cast over her shoulder to Elijah. A doubtful feeling came to her and she wondered if they had been too bold today... even so, the truth had to come out sooner or later, didn't it?
But there was one major problem with that. The problem was, she did not know what was the truth.
A/N: Here's an update for Friday! At the moment my muse is hyperactive, which resulted in a late writing bout last night. I hope you appreciate the lack of sleep I go through for you, dear readers.
This turned out shorter than I had intended, but maybe the next chapter will be a bit longer one, and I hope the steamy scene in her room makes up for the shortness. ;) There really is quite the contrast between their making out and the surroundings; Loreena isn't really the redecorator her mom is, and before breaking up with Dan she wasn't going to live in that room for very long, it didn't make sense to her to strip it of its childish look. I guess that's partly shaped after my personal experiences - although it's been couple of years since I moved out, I haven't touched my old room, and I still got up my old posters and silly figurines I've got over the years! :D
Thanks for reading and reviewing!
MairaElleth - The family drama is the best drama. :D Or worst, whichever you prefer! If you ask me, Marie is now quite clear on the availability of Elijah!
Talia119 - How could I possibly abandon this story, when it is so much fun to write? :D
I don't think at this point anyone knows anything for sure, either in his or her family. But they may be wondering after this chapter at least. And Loreena should be thinking about getting a place of her own much actively now. It would do her some good at least, especially in understanding she doesn't have to suck up everything her family members say.
I'm not sure if I'll be tying this with the book events, but that is much because of the way I started this story - and especially because this was supposed to remain an oneshot.
annafan - You are very right! There is something really fun about writing and reading stuff like this. :)
Adrianne – I don't usually move a lot about with the characterization of Éomer and Lothíriel, because in my mind they are pretty fixed personalities. I have my idea of who they are as people, and just like real people who have a basic set of personality traits, they mostly change by things that happen to them. But those basic traits don't go anywhere with growth. Perhaps that is a silly approach to fictional characters but treating them as real helps me to write them and their stories as relatable.
Now, Lothíriel's naivety and sweetness in this story are fully intentional on my part, and I don't really buy the idea that someone can be "too naive" in 2014. It's one thing to be a second-hand witness to things but I believe that things that truly affect us are personal experiences, and Loreena doesn't yet have the kind of life experience to truly rob her naivety. The point is she has lived a really very sheltered life, and you could say she has been more or less in the leash of her controlling mother. She's not going to change overnight when she's been living like this for her entire life, and this also explains her occasional idolisation of Elijah, and I can assure you it is not building up for nothing. I can only say you need to let the story unfold and explain itself.
As for Lothíriel with hot temper and strong personality – I had thought I had done that in House of Sun and especially in A Light that Endures – if that's not enough then I've got nothing. The point is, her temper and the strength of her personality manifest in those two stories differently due to different life experiences. Where ALTE!Lothíriel is a bow-wielding fighter, HOS!Lothíriel is more of a caretaker, and even Lothíriel of Heart's Desire can boast strength in her ability to heal and love. Be it as may all three versions have their strong points and something of a lioness inside them, and personally I'd rather write that journey of growth and free the lioness in the process, rather than deal with some fixed character who has no room for change.
NanamiYatsumaki - Glad to hear that! Hope you continue to enjoy the story. :)
RakCetGirl - Yeah, I certainly don't remember seeing this particular take on their story before. What can I say - I like to du stuff a bit differently.
Also I'm very glad to hear I've managed to pull off the characters. I've been trying to create this chemistry between them all the time, so it's good to know I've succeeded.
