Disclaimer: I own nothing related to True Blood.
It was already shaping up to be the longest week of her life…and it was still only Wednesday.
Paige sighed and ran her hands through her hair, willing the words in front of her to make sense as she tried, yet again, to make it past the first paragraph. Her eyes skimmed over the words with determination but by the fourth sentence she was already starting to lose focus, her thoughts instead drifting back to memories of the past weekend, of being alone with Eric in his office, of having him close to her and touching her and brushing his lips against her ear…
Paige growled in frustration and tossed the book to the side, giving up. It was impossible. Try as she might, she simply couldn't seem to concentrate on anything but him, that stupid, egotistical vampire. She'd thought of nothing else since parting ways with him that past Saturday – there was just something about him that made it impossible not to. Maybe it was the power that he exuded or his mystery or hell, maybe it was just his looks alone that attracted her, but either way she felt magnetized to him. Obviously there was some level of interest on Eric's part, though for the life of her she could not understand why; he was a vampire Sheriff for God's sake, and Paige? Well she was just a young, human girl that worked in a bookshop. What was so interesting about that?
Paige, who was actually at work that night, glanced around the empty bookstore before sighing and settling down in front of the store's computer. It would be closing time soon and there was nothing going on at the shop, so to kill time she checked her email and responded to a few messages from friends living in other parts of the country. Once finished with that, Paige proceeded to open up the Google search engine, hesitating for a second as she stared down at the 'V' key – she knew some facts about Eric's kind already from word of mouth, but had thus far hesitated to do any type of in depth research. Now that she was going to be spending time around a vampire, though, Paige didn't think it a bad idea to know what all she was in store for.
She only hesitated for one more second before typing in the word 'vampires' and determinedly clicking the search button. A number of results came up in her search, but the link that caught her eyes was one that read, 'Vampires Among Us – No Fiction, Just the Facts'. Paige clicked on it.
As soon as she opened the webpage she felt like she'd been thrown into an alternate universe. The website itself was eerie, full of strange pictures and with an odd choice of background music, but the contents of the page were interesting enough to have her lingering on the site – she read about their history (the monster stories she'd heard as a child apparently were somewhat true), about their personality traits and typical behavior (Eric, it seemed, was a shining example of your typical vampire), and about their 'tricks'. When Paige read about their ability to 'glamour' someone into bending to their will, she briefly wondered if Eric had used such a trick on her at any point – once she read about it a little more, she determined that he hadn't.
It wasn't until she saw a section on the webpage titled 'Encounters' that her interest was really caught. Paige clicked on the link and was transported to another page where people had submitted first-hand accounts of their interactions with vampires. Some were innocent, just stories depicting a quick run-in or brief meeting, but others…well, others were not so innocent. There were one or two from people who had actually been intimate with a vampire and explained what it was like – Paige blushed, glanced around as though checking the coast was still clear even though she was very much alone, then dived into one of the stories.
When she was finished reading Paige slowly leaned back in her chair, unsure how to feel about what she'd just read – according to the woman who'd written the story, most vampires were usually rough with their sexual partners and liked to feed on them mid-coitus, something that Paige found to be a little unsettling. Something in the article did stick out, though – the woman claimed that vampires' fangs would often appear when they were aroused or excited. At the time she had thought Eric was only showing her his fangs to intimidate her, but now she had to wonder if it was because he too had felt the heat that had been between them in his office.
The bell on the door dinged to signal the arrival of a customer and Paige nearly jumped a mile in the air, quickly scrambling to exit out of the webpage. When she realized who had actually come to the bookstore, however, she relaxed and immediately smiled – tall, skinny, dark hair, bright green eyes…she only knew one person that fit that description.
"Andrew!' She said in surprise, hurrying around the check-out counter so that she could pull her old friend into a hug – Andrew was her brother's best friend. They'd known each other since she was just a pre-teen and he'd always been nothing but nice to her. Though there had been a little more flirtation between them in recent years now that they were older, neither had dared to take it any further out of fear that it might do more damage than good.
He returned her hug tightly before pulling back with a large grin on his face. "I was hoping you'd be the one working tonight."
"What are you doing in town on a Wednesday? Don't you have work early tomorrow?" She asked him curiously, knowing that he'd been living and working in a city a few hours away for that past year and half and usually only came to visit on the weekends.
Andrew rolled his eyes good-naturedly before crossing his arms, a playful smile stretching across his attractive face. "Good to know you've asked about me recently, Collins." He teased before shrugging a shoulder at her. "I just moved back. Our job in Beaumont is finished so I've been relocated downtown." He revealed.
"What?" She asked before clapping her hands in excitement. "That's such good news!" Paige exclaimed, patting him encouragingly on the shoulder. "I'm really happy for you, Andy, seriously." She continued, using the family's designated nickname for him.
"Thank you." He told her graciously.
"So what brings you around these parts?"
Andrew's demeanor immediately shifted – he went from relaxed and friendly and casual to nervous in the blink of an eye. "Well, actually…" He rubbed the back of his neck anxiously. "I came to see if maybe you'd be interested in joining me for dinner tomorrow night." He admitted, looking to her hopeful with hopeful eyes. "It's been a long time since we just sat and talked. And I'd really like to catch up with you."
Paige blinked at him in surprise. Was he finally making a move on her after all this time? She smirked and poked him in the stomach playfully, making his eyebrows furrow in confusion. "Andrew Martin, are you asking me out on a date?" She asked him teasingly.
A bashful grin appeared on Andrew's face, making him look very boyish. "It can be just a casual thing if you want…" He trailed off.
The hopeful look never disappeared from his gaze as he waited for her answer. Paige sighed and took a moment to think about her answer, wondering if going on a date with Andrew was something that she really wanted to do – truthfully, it would only make sense for her to accept. They were both single, they had been friends for years, and now he wasn't living out of town anymore. He was a great guy and, let's face it, her entire family fully expected them to end up married.
So then why was it impossible not to see Eric's face right then?
Before Paige could answer the door to the shop opened, drawing their attention away from each other and towards the front of the bookstore. When Paige caught sight of the newcomer she immediately tensed up, easily recognizing the familiar, female face.
"Pam." Paige said in greeting, not missing the way the vampire's eyes sized Andrew up.
"Ms. Collins." Pam said in return, now smirking at Andrew in a predatory way.
"You know a vampire?" Andrew hissed under his breath, able to immediately tell what Pam was. When Paige glanced at him over her shoulder, he looked alarmed and extremely uncomfortable.
"Yes, now shut up and stay here." She commanded in a no-nonsense tone before starting towards Pam – Andrew tried to grab onto her and stop her from going, but Paige was able to scoot out of his reach before he could. "I wasn't expecting you." Paige said to Pam, catching the vampire's attention as she approached. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"
Pam shot Andrew one last look before focusing solely on Paige. "I have two messages to deliver, the first being from Eric." She began, immediately getting down to business. "He wished for me to inform you that booking a hotel room for this weekend will be unnecessary. You will be staying in his personal quarters. He wished me to make it known that this is non-negotiable."
Paige pressed her lips together, her stomach flipping at the thought of spending the night with Eric – she didn't dare chance a look in Andrew's direction to see how he was handling this situation; she could only imagine what he might be thinking right then… "Okay." She said slowly. "Who's the second message from?"
"Myself." Pam stated, her eyes turning back to Andrew. With a threatening gleam in her eyes, she looked him over from head to toe. "Ditch the human if you want him to keep breathing." Pam told her in a completely serious tone. "Eric doesn't like to share."
Paige felt taken aback by Pam's words. "Excuse me?" She asked incredulously with raised eyebrows, wondering just what this vampire thought her relationship with Eric was all about.
"You heard me." Pam retorted in a bored tone, rolling her eyes. "Now," She continued, "he expects you to be at Fangtasia by seven o'clock sharp on Saturday evening, and not a minute later. He also wanted it to be known that this too is non-negotiable."
"Fine." Paige snapped, starting to feel rather tired of being bossed around. "When you go back to Shreveport could you please kindly inform him that I don't appreciate being bossed around?" The quirk of Pam's eyebrow let Paige know she was probably pushing her boundaries a little too much, but she continued anyway. "And furthermore, when you tell him about Andrew – which let's face it, we both know you're going to – be sure to remind Eric that he doesn't own me."
Pam was silent for a long moment. Finally, she said in a sickly-sweet voice, "I'll see that he gets the message." Paige nodded her head in approval. "…but know that you'll only have yourself to blame for whatever repercussion awaits you." Pam looked Paige up and down then smirked at her. "We'll see you Saturday."
With that Pam turned and left, moving so fast that she appeared as nothing but a blur of motion to Paige and Andrew. Paige headed back for the register after Pam's departure and dutifully ignored Andrew's gaze as she started closing down for the night, already able to feel the judgment practically radiating off of him. Finally, when she felt brave enough, she lifted her eyes up to his.
He was furious.
"What the hell are you getting yourself mixed up with, Paige? Are you insane?" He demanded, stalking towards her and stopping just on the other side of the counter. "I mean…really?! Vampires?"
"Andrew, I appreciate your concern but this is really none of your business." Paige quickly defended.
"Who is Eric?" Andrew asked, ignoring her interjection.
"He's a vampire." Was Paige's vague answer.
"No shit." Andrew retorted with a snort – Paige frowned, certain this was the first time they had ever argued and not liking it one bit. "Who is he to you?"
For some reason, Andrew prying into her relationship (whatever it was) with Eric grated on her nerves. Paige scowled at her long time friend and slammed the register closed, crossing her arms over her chest defiantly. "We're not sleeping together, if that's what you're insinuating…not that that's any of your business either."
Andrew heaved and rubbed the heel of his palm into forehead, shaking his head in disbelief. "I…I just…" He struggled to find the right words for a second before looking her dead in the eye and saying, "I've never been so disappointed in you, Paige. God-damnit, you're smarter than this – what the hell would your family say if they knew?"
Paige, now feeling annoyed and highly offended, shot him a nasty look. "You'll do good to keep your mouth shut about this around my family." She threatened, wagging a finger at him. "What I do on my own time is nobody's business but my own."
"Or what?" Andrew mocked. "Are you gonna have your vampire boyfriend come rip my throat out?" He seemed to know that he'd crossed the line in an instant – at her blank, unfeeling expression he dropped his head and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Paige – " He started.
"You should go." She interrupted flatly.
Andrew stared at her for a long moment then sighed and turned to leave, admitting defeat. But even though he clearly felt guilty for the way he'd spoken to her, that didn't stop him from saying one last thing before he walked out the door. "I'm just looking out for you. Hopefully you'll realize how dangerous this all is before its too late." He shot her a meaningful look. "Call me when you come to your senses."
Paige stared after him until the door closed behind him then snorted to herself in irritation. Men, she thought cynically. She sighed and went to lock the door behind him, before anyone else decided to drop in on her unexpectedly, then cautiously peeked out the window – no one in sight, not even Andrew.
"So much for that date…" Paige mused aloud, letting the blind fall back into place as she turned headed back for the register to start closing down for the night.
But as the minutes dragged on and she continued to think about everything that had just happened, she quickly found that her fight with Andrew was not the problem currently weighing on her mind. It was the revelation that she'd be spending the night with Eric that was making her fidgety and nervous – she'd barely been able to stand being alone with him for ten minutes; how the hell was she supposed to make through an entire night?
Paige shook her head to herself.
It was official – she was completely and utterly screwed.
Paige frowned as she shielded her eyes from the sun with her hand and stared at the deserted looking vampire nightclub, Fangtasia. It was exactly six-fifty-seven, the sun would be down any minute now, and then she and Eric would be on their way to meet with Mr. Schwartz, the manager of DiamondJacks. Though she was glad to have arrived at her destination after a long, anxiety-filled drive, she had to admit that she was nervous as hell – he'd told her he just needed her for the meeting, but did he also expect something more than that?
The question had been circling her thoughts since Pam's visit and, just like all the other times, made Paige's heart pound just a little bit faster against her ribs; whether it was out of fear or excitement or a little bit of both, she wasn't entirely sure.
Taking a deep breath, Paige shifted the bag on her shoulder and stepped towards the doors, unsurprised to find that it was unlocked.
The club was vastly different in the daytime. It was still very obviously a place for vampires to be themselves, but it seemed more innocent in the earlier hours of the day, less…sinister now that it was mostly vacated. She glanced around, unsure where to go or what to do, until she spied a large box on the corner of the bar along with an envelope that had her name on it. Paige went to the bar and snatched up the envelope, quickly opening it and retrieving the message inside.
The box is for you – wear what's inside tonight.
Once you have finished getting ready for tonight, come to my office.
- E
Paige eyed the box as she folded up the note and shoved it into her pocket. She was just starting to reach for the box – admittedly she was half-expecting to find lingerie inside – when a blonde-haired woman suddenly popped up from behind the bar.
"Well, hi there!" She said loudly, making Paige jump in fright. "Sorry! Didn't mean'ta scare ya!" The blonde apologized in a thick accent. "You're Paige, right?"
Paige sucked in a deep breath as she recovered from her shock. "Yes." She confirmed. "Yes, I am."
"Pleasure'ta meet ya – my name's Ginger." She introduced, extending a hand towards Paige. The redhead quickly shook the bartender's hand with a smile. "I have'ta say, Paige – I don't know what you did to Eric, but you've got him all riled up." She said, seemingly unaffected when Paige looked to her in surprise; Paige was going to ask her to elaborate further, but didn't get the chance. "You should hurry up and get ready. He doesn't like to wait." The blonde insisted.
Deciding to let Ginger's statement go, Paige grabbed hold of the box and flashed her a wry smile. "So I've learned." She said sarcastically.
"Want anything from the bar?"
Paige thought about it for a moment. "Is it on the house?" She asked – Ginger nodded. "Then I'll take a nice big glass of your tastiest, most expensive Malbec."
Ginger winked. "I like your style." She said before nodding her head to the left. "Bathrooms are that way."
Once Paige had locked herself in the women's bathroom, she opened the box and found that Eric had bought a dress for her. She pulled the dress out to unfold it and eye it appreciatively – it was strapless, lacey, and black, and looked like it would not only be very form fitting but also rather short. Paige shook her head and sighed in resignation before changing out of her clothes and slipping into the dress. As suspected it was tight and short, clinging to her curves like a second skin; she feebly tried to push some of her cleavage down and cover herself a bit more, but the attempt was in vain so she gave up. A pair of red heels that had been resting as the bottom of the box completed the outfit – Paige slid them on then quickly freshened up her makeup, her pulse quickening as she listened to the bar start to come to life outside the bathroom.
With one last fluff of her hair, Paige took a step back to appraise herself. As uncomfortable as she was with the amount of skin being shown, she had to admit that she looked good – a little skanky? Maybe…but still good.
Now ready for the evening, Paige collected her things and left the bathroom. More Fangtasia employees had shown up for work and were preparing for the busy night ahead of them. Ginger was waiting for her with a very large glass of red wine and winked at Paige when she handed it over. "Lookin' good, girl." She complimented before turning to get back to work.
After taking a long gulp of wine, Paige squared her shoulders and started in the direction of Eric's office. Pam stepped out and closed the door behind her just as Paige approached, the vampire spotting her almost immediately. Pam smirked, looking her up and down for a moment.
"Hellooooo, red." She practically purred, instantly making Paige uncomfortable. "Perfect timing."
And then Pam was continuing on her way, not bothering to stop and converse any further. Paige watched her go for a moment before shaking her head and turning back to the door. She knocked twice, feeling jittery and anxious, and waited until she heard Eric call out for her to enter. Paige valiantly pushed down the rush of feelings the sound of his voice made her feel and turned the handle, letting herself in.
Eric didn't look up at her right away. He was hunched over a stack of papers, engrossed in his work and apparently in deep concentration as she slowly approached his desk. So Paige took advantage of his momentary distraction to appreciate the view in front of her – he'd opted for a more professional look, having dressed in a burgundy colored, button up shirt, black slacks, and an expensive looking black dinner jacket. She felt her breath catch in her throat, once again blown away by how handsome he was.
His eyes finally turned up to her and his reaction immediately had her flushing bashfully – he sat up straight in his seat, his eyebrows raised a little higher, and his eyes trailed over her more than once. If the darkening of his gaze was anything to go by, she'd say he was appreciating the view in front of him now.
"Hello again, Eric." She said in greeting, feeling a little more confident in light of his reaction.
Eric leaned back in his chair, absentmindedly tapping his fingers on the desk in front of him. "Paige." He reciprocated. Paige held her breath as his eyes roamed over her yet again. "The dress…suits you." He said evenly, calmly.
"I certainly fit in at Fangtasia now." Paige said with a light laugh, glancing down at herself for a moment. When she met his gaze again, she offered a quick smile. "Nice suit." She complimented.
Eric stood, ignoring her compliment, and started towards her. His eyes never once turned away from her and she held her breath, waiting to see what he would do – he came to a halt in front of her and, without saying a word, extended a hand in her direction. But instead of touching her or grabbing her like she thought he might do, he merely grabbed the bag hanging from her shoulder and turned to take it to his bedroom. Paige released the breath she'd been holding and watched him go, nervousness washing over her like a tidal wave when she remembered that she and Eric would be sleeping in that very room together tonight.
Paige was suddenly grateful for the wine in her hands – she took three large gulps to try and calm herself down as her heart began racing.
"I wouldn't enjoy that too much." Eric suggested as he returned. "We do have an important meeting that we're about to attend." Paige nodded and set her drink down, opting not to finish it. They stood in awkward silence for a moment until he spoke again. "By the way, I received your…message." He informed her, the expression on his face impossible to read.
"And?" Paige asked, knowing it was foolish to expect an apology from him.
"You should be more careful with that tongue of yours around vampires other than myself." He suggested, choosing not to tell her whether she had upset him or not – there was an edge to his words though, a gleam in his eyes even, that suggested he had not appreciated it. "Others – like Pam – do not handle an attitude like yours as well as I do."
Paige pressed her lips together and nodded jerkily. "So…" She started, wanting to change the subject. "Why exactly am I staying here tonight?"
Eric shrugged at her. "It is easier and it is free." Paige wondered if it would actually be 'free' in the end, but pushed the thought aside as he glanced at his wristwatch and then held a hand out to her. "Come, we should be on our way."
Paige stared at his hand as though it were a snake that might bite her for a long moment before slowly, cautiously placing her hand in his. As he closed fingers around hers she had to wonder what had prompted the gesture, but quickly decided she didn't really care once she noticed how perfectly her hand fit in his much larger one. He, too, took a moment to stare down at their joined hands for a moment before lifting his eyes to hers, staring at her for a long second before turning to lead her back out of the office.
Surprisingly the club was already starting to see a little bit of action despite the early hour. Now that the sun had gone down, vampires and humans alike had already begun to slowly filter in – it was surprising, since most nightclubs didn't usually see patrons so early, but then again she supposed there was only so much a vampire could do for entertainment; maybe coming to Fangtasia was all they really had to look forward to.
As Eric lead her through the crowd, still keeping her hand grasped firmly within his own, she suddenly understood what had motivated the gesture – the few vampires already loitering near the bar openly leered when they caught sight of her, only turning their gazes away when Eric shot them an unmistakable look of warning.
"Thanks." Paige told him, not sure why he had decided to protect her but not daring to complain about it – his only response was to glance down at her, nod once, then turn his attention forward again.
Paige frowned up at Eric for a moment. He seemed different tonight, seemed much more reserved now than he had last week. Was he angrier with her than she had thought and simply waiting for the right moment to unleash it on her? Had her attitude and 'message' for him finally pushed him over the edge? She almost didn't want to leave the club with him now, suddenly afraid she'd never make it through the night alive if she did – the grip he had on her hand, however, forced her to keep moving forward.
Eric stopped to say something to Pam in a language that Paige didn't understand as they passed her by, then he led Paige out of a side entrance. Waiting just outside was a fancy looking car that immediately had her feeling a little weak in the knees.
"Nice car." She breathed, momentarily forgetting about the possibly problematic situation she was currently in.
Eric led her to the passenger side and jerked the door open. "Get in." He commanded in a short, gruff tone. Paige stared at him for a moment then nodded, doing as he said and getting settled in the car – she winced as he slammed the door shut then hurried around to get in the driver's side.
Oh yes, there was definitely something bothering Eric Northman tonight. And she was sure she was going to know what soon enough.
Their meeting with Mr. Schwartz went off without a hitch. Eric dropped his standoff-ish demeanor once they were in the company of the casino's owner and began acting much friendlier, keeping a hand on either her knee or her back throughout the entire meeting and acting as though absolutely nothing was amiss between them. Mr. Schwartz, as Eric had predicted, had been very surprised to see Paige with Eric but also more willing to talk business with the vampire because of it – "You can't be too bad if this little lady is spending time with you, right?" Mr. Schwartz had asked, laying the charm on thick. In the end they'd stayed at the casino for over two hours, gambling and drinking (wine for Paige and Mr. Schwartz, but nothing for Eric) and getting to know the manager, and by the time he and Paige were finally leaving to go back to Fangtasia, DiamondJacks had a new investor in a one Eric Northman.
But in spite of how well the night seemed to be going, Paige couldn't help but notice that Eric still seemed to be in a mood. Even now as they drove back to Fangtasia he seemed emotionless as ever, his eyes focused steadily on the road as they drove in silence. Paige glanced over at him, noticing that he gripped the steering wheel so tightly that his knuckles were nearly white, before she let out a soft sigh.
"What's wrong, Eric?" She finally asked him, the question clearly catching him a bit off guard since he looked over to her with raised eyebrows. "You've been…tense…all night." She continued. "You seem unhappy."
Eric turned his eyes back to the road, his grip on the steering wheel tightening to the point that she feared he might break it. He was silent for so long she thought he wasn't going to response at all, but finally he asked, "Who is this…Andrew to you?"
Paige felt her stomach flip – of course this was about Andrew. How could she have not realized that beforehand? "He's just a friend." She answered truthfully, even though she wasn't sure if Andrew still considered her a friend or not.
His jaw tightened. "I would ask if you were fucking him…" Eric stated bluntly, making her eyes widen out of both surprise and offense. "But since your blood still smells pure, I know you're not." He glanced over at her, one eyebrow quirked upward. "At least, not yet."
A deep frown turned the corners of her mouth downward. "Even if I was," Paige found herself snapping back, "how would that be any of your business?"
Eric ignored her question. "If you want him to continue living, you will never go to bed with him." He informed her, looking very serious about what he was saying. "I mean it, Paige – if he even so much as tries to touch you, I will kill him."
As they pulled into the parking lot of Fangtasia, Paige had absolutely no idea how to feel about his threats or his open jealousy – and she officially had no idea what it was that Eric Northman wanted from her.
Now feeling confused – which, in turn, made her feel very angry – Paige was out of the car and stalking towards Fangtasia the moment that Eric parked the car. Who did he think he was dictating her life in such a way? How could he use her to get ahead in his business conquests, never once mentioning anything about the possibility of a relationship beyond that, and then be angry with her because another man had shown interest? If there was one thing that Paige hated it was being strung along, and right then she felt like a helpless little fish dangling from the hook at the end of Eric Northman's fishing pole.
Paige let out a sound of frustration when she reached the side door only to discover that it was locked from the inside. She heaved and crossed her arms over her chest, turning to see that Eric was following her at an infuriatingly slow pace; she was pretty sure he was purposefully trying to piss her off now. When he finally unlocked the door and opened it for her, Paige immediately pushed past him and headed straight for the office. Though he didn't guide her through the crowd again she could still feel his presence behind her – it was everything in her not to turn and smack him for being irrational and irritating, choosing to wait until they were in the privacy of his office to give him a piece of her mind instead.
She stormed into his office and, in a moment of childishness, tried to close the door on him before he could follow – he easily caught it, quirking an eyebrow at her, and stepped inside before silently closing the door behind him.
"Is there a problem, Ms. Collins?" He asked slowly as he turned to face her, his arms already crossed over his chest.
"Yes, there is." Paige confirmed, putting her hands on her hips and turning an angry look on him. "You can't just…string people along!" She half shouted at him. "Obviously you know exactly what you do to me and you've been using that to your advantage to get ahead with your little business endeavors." Paige continued angrily, starting in his direction now. "And you know what? That's bullshit. You have absolutely no right to be mad or jealous when I speak to other men, not when you refuse to make your intentions for me clear!"
Eric grabbed her by her shoulders as soon as she was within his reach and pulled her close, making her instantly fall silent. Their noses nearly touched as he leaned down to peer directly into her eyes, his eyes a shade darker as he glared down at her. "I don't take kindly to being yelled at, Ms. Collins." He warned.
But the look in his eyes wasn't one of anger or irritation – it was something else entirely.
Paige glanced down at his lips, her own tingling with want to kiss them, before she lifted her eyes to meet his gaze again. There it was, that same heat from last weekend – it was starting to grow between them again. He was just too beautiful, too enrapturing, and she was simply too bewitched by him…and now that she had vented out her anger she was feeling empowered enough to actually do something about it. So even though Paige knew she'd probably regret what she was about to do, this time she simply didn't have it in her to resist temptation.
Without warning, and before he could figure out what she planned to do, Paige wrapped her fingers into his hair and leaned forward to press her lips against Eric's.
He was too surprised to respond at first, but that didn't stop her from pressing closer and sliding an arm around his neck. After only a few short seconds he tore his lips from hers, but the sting of rejection that she felt was only short lived – his breathing was harder than usual, matching her own heavy pants, and when she opened her eyes again she saw that his fangs had appeared. He stared at her wide-eyed for a second or two before he seemed to recover, a slow, sexy smirk suddenly spreading across his face. One of his hands then tangled into her hair, gently tugging and tilting her head back further, then he was kissing her again.
Though it was a little strange to kiss him while his fangs were exposed, fire still coursed through her body as he wrapped his long arms around her and deepened their kiss, his tongue invading her mouth hungrily. Paige moaned and returned his kiss just as feverishly, shivering with delight when Eric stretched to his full height and lifted her off the ground in his enthusiasm.
She didn't know how long they kissed for – it could have been minutes or it could have been hours – but eventually the need for air became too great to ignore. She gently pulled away, heaving for air as her heart pounded away in her chest.
"You are full of surprises, Paige." Eric commented in a husky voice, his eyes dark with desire. She moaned softly when he snaked his tongue out to swipe it along her bottom lip, a low growl rising up in his chest – Jesus, what was he doing to her? She felt like she might combust at any given moment. "I like it very much." He finally said, pulling far enough away so that she could see the devilish smirk on his lips.
"Well…someone had to make the move…" She told him breathlessly, amazed she still had the capacity for coherent thought. He slowly set her back on her own two feet, though he never released his hold on her for a second – now that she had caught her breath again, she suddenly yearned to have his lips back on hers. "Kiss me again."
Eric had no qualms complying with her request – his lips found hers again in an instant, capturing them in another heated kiss. When the door to the office suddenly swung open though, he let out a growl of irritation and turned a glare on whoever had dared to interrupt them.
It was Pam, and she came to a screeching halt when she realized that she'd caught Paige and Eric kissing. "Oh, forgive me..." Pam said slowly, her eyes darting back and forth between the two. Paige couldn't help but notice that the vampire didn't seem very surprised with this turn of events.
"This better be important, Pam." Eric asked irritably, not moving so much as an inch away from Paige. Paige herself was blushing bright red at being caught, especially by Pam. She wished the floor would open up and swallow her whole, just so she wouldn't have to face the female vampire.
"We have a bit of a problem." Pam informed him in a displeased tone. "A human was attacked in the bathroom and one of his friends called the police. They should be here soon."
Eric cursed and then heaved, looking back down at Paige with what seemed like regret. "Duty calls." He said before placing a lingering kiss to her lips – Pam took that moment to quickly exit and shut the door behind her, clearly not wanting to be witness to their displays of affection. "Will you be alright in here by yourself?" He asked when he pulled his lips from hers.
"Yes." She reassured him with a nod. "Go, take care of business. I'll be fine."
Eric nodded and started to step away from her, but he paused so he could grab her hand and bring it up to his lips – she was surprised at how gently his lips brushed over her knuckles, having previously thought him incapable of being so tender. "Thank you for your help tonight." He told her quietly.
His gratitude was a pleasant surprise. "You're welcome."
"You look tired." He observed. "Will you be awake when I return?" Eric asked, almost looking – if she dare say it – hopeful.
This side of Eric was unfamiliar to her, and she thought it very surprising how quickly he'd decided to show it to her. She liked this kinder, more affectionate side to him, though – he looked even more beautiful when his features weren't hardened with anger or when he was trying to be intimidating. "I can't make any promises..." She admitted with a small shrug.
Eric nodded, his fangs finally hidden again, and released her hand so that he could gently direct her toward his bedroom. The room itself looked very much like a man's room – the room was decorated mostly in black and grey, a large flat-screen television hung on the wall directly to her left, a leather sofa rested on the far wall, and on the right side of the room, right next to a door to a small bathroom, rested a large bed. Her heart started pounding when her eyes landed on the bed, her mind suddenly racing with the possibilities of what might happen between her and Eric in this room, that bed.
"Relax in here." Eric told her. Paige nodded, her eyes falling shut as his pleasant, masculine scent invaded her nostrils when he moved close to press one last kiss against her lips. "I'll return shortly." He said before turning to head for the exit. He tossed her one last smirk over his shoulder when he reached the door, then left.
After Eric left Paige tried valiantly to stay awake and wait for him to return, excited and nervous and a little bit frightened at the thought of spending the night with him and wondering what might happened between them now that things had…progressed. But, unfortunately, she failed miserably in the end. The second she'd changed into comfy clothes and slipped into his impossibly comfortable bed – to her delight, she quickly discovered that his sheets and pillows smelled exactly like him – Paige became so relaxed that it was impossible to keep her eyes open. She'd fallen asleep not even a half hour later, tucked away in his large bed with his sheets pulled all the way up to her nose.
At some point, she wasn't exactly sure when, she felt the bed dip with Eric's arrival. Paige didn't wake fully, just became conscious enough to feel his arm curl possessively around her waist and pull her securely to his chest, his lips grazing leisurely along the column of her neck before he buried his nose into her red hair. Paige sighed, settled into his arms further, and rested an arm on top of his, smiling when he murmured a few foreign words in her ear in that same language she didn't understand. The last thing she thought about before sleep reclaimed her was how she had absolutely no idea what was going to happen after this point, but tonight, just being in Eric's arms was enough.
A/N: Review!