Chapter 46:

Hope everyone is enjoying this so far! I look forward to my next few chapters so, I figured I'd post this one sooner than originally planned. Have fun! There's plenty to be had! ;)

Larten awoke a few hours before sunset. He sleepily reached an arm over expecting to find a warm body beside him, however, when he felt nothing, he opened his eyes and looked around.

Erin was gone. He sat up, rubbing his eyes. There was the smell of bacon and eggs downstairs and strong coffee. Perhaps she had gotten up to make breakfast.

Running is hand through his hair, he staggered into the bathroom to splash some water on his face. He leaned against the counter and looked at his reflection. His reflection grinned back at him. He toweled his face off and looked again. There was that same grin. He tried to contain it but, it was difficult. Enough had happened to make him feel ebullient. Something he hadn't felt in a long time.

He whistled as he went to the closet to get dressed: black pants, black vest, and a red shirt. He plucked at his collar and sleeves, as was his habit, and made sure his face looked normal as if nothing was out of the ordinary. He didn't want to add fuel to Brigid's teasing. Though, surely, she didn't know what had almost transpired between Erin and himself.

Giving one last tug to his vest, he descended the stairs, his mouth watering and ready for food.

He stopped short though when he saw it was Brigid cooking and Erin was nowhere in sight.

Brigid must have known what he was thinking as he scanned the living room.

"She went to grab a ham for Christmas dinner." She said nonchalantly.

Larten glanced at the calendar on the refrigerator. Christmas was only five days away. How had all this time passed so quickly?

Brigid dumped some food on a plate and slid it towards him.

"Thank you." He said, grabbing a fork and eagerly devouring the meal.

"Are you ready for Christmas?" Brigid asked, refilling his mug with coffee.

Larten looked up at her quizzically.

"What do you mean?" He said between bites.

"I mean, are you ready to enjoy the celebration or ruin it with your obnoxious, grumpy, vampire superiority complex?"

"I will conduct myself with all due decorum for the occasion."

Brigid rolled her eyes, snatching his plate to rinse off in the sink.

"What?" He asked, testily.

"At least pretend to have fun, okay? Don't ruin it for Erin. Or me! You can be really stuck-up, you know."

"I said I would conduct myself with all due dec— "

"No decorum. Just fun. Relaxing, happy, cheerful fun! Think you can handle that like a big boy?" Brigid made a face at him.

Larten huffed. "Yes, I can do that. I am actually looking forward to it, if you must know."

Turning his nose up he passed into the living room.

"Ha! I knew you would." Brigid said triumphantly, hopping over the back of the couch, landing next to him with a box of cereal open.

"How do you manage to eat that?" Larten asked, scrunching his nose.

"What?" Brigid asked, a handful of dry cereal in her mouth, "It's good. Wanna try?"

"No. Thank you."

Brigid grabbed the remote and flipped the t.v. on.

"When will Erin be back?" He asked, trying hard not to come off overly concerned.

"Your girlfriend will be back probably in about an hour." Brigid shoved another handful of cereal into her mouth.

Larten sat dumbstruck. Brigid looked at him as if he were the most dense, pathetic creature on earth.

"Yes. Your girlfriend. G-I-R-L-F-R-I-E-N-D. Do vampires not know this word?" She said, snidely.

"Yes, we know that word, you pest!" He hissed at her.

"Okay, then why do you look like you've never heard it before?"

Larten blinked, his face starting to burn. "I-I just…have not…"

"Oh my God, Larten, you are clueless, it's torture! Do you like Erin?" Brigid asked, slowly as if to a small child.

"Yes. She has opened her home to me and— "

"Do you love Erin?"

Larten's face was now the color of his shirt.

"I, well…"

"You love her. Girlfriend is a modern term. Maybe you prefer lady friend or whatever old-world term you're used to; but, today, it's called 'girlfriend.' Erin is your girlfriend and your girlfriend will be home in about an hour. See? Easy. That's all there is to it."

"I do not think such vernacular should be used." Larten said stiffly.

"Oh, shut up. God, you are one of the most irritating people I have ever met. You don't have to use the term, although, now that I know it bothers you, I am going to say it all the time." Brigid smiled viciously.

Larten growled, his face red with anger now.

"Calm down. Geez, I don't know why she loves you either."

Brigid noticed the look of surprise on his face.

"Oh please! You really are an idiot, aren't you?"

"I am not. I am very aware of her feelings towards me."

"I KNEW IT!" Brigid yelled, triumphantly, "You know I'm going to threaten you now, right?" Brigid poked him in the side.

Larten moaned, burying his face into his hands. "Please, Brigid, do not. This is all still so new to me." He whispered.

Larten lifted his face from his hands when he felt a pat on his back. Brigid was looking at him sympathetically.

"I know, I know. I'll stop teasing you," she squeezed his shoulder, "But I'm a pest, remember? I had to keep my reputation going." She started laughing.

Larten gave a sigh of relief, actually smiling at Brigid.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome. Ah, hear that? She's home!" Brigid said, singing.

Larten immediately stood from the couch, running a hand through his hair, and tugged at his vest once more. The door to the garage opened, Erin trying to fit through with multiple grocery bags in her arms. Larten was immediately in front of her, grabbing several to help her.

"Oof, thank you! I still have a couple more in the car. Be right back."

Larten looked in astonishment at all of the food Erin had bought.

"What is all this for?" He asked in bewilderment.

"It's for Christmas! I have to bake a few things for other people, but the rest is for us." She beamed, unloading the bags. "It's not just Brigid and me this Christmas. You're here with us and I want it to be special so you can brag to all of your vampire friends how much fun Christmas really is."

Larten couldn't help looking at her tenderly. She was going above and beyond just for him. What had he done to deserve this?

"What is it?" Erin asked.

Larten shook his head. "It is nothing," he approached her, using his thumb and forefinger to tilt her chin up, "I do not deserve this much hospitality and effort from you, but I am grateful all the same."

"Well, it's not every day you have a vampire spending Christmas with you." She said playfully.

Larten smiled, tilting her chin more, placing a sweet kiss on her lips. Pulling away Erin looked slightly surprised that he had kissed her blatantly in front of Brigid, something she figured would never happen.

"Okay, you two, less kissing, we have cookies to bake!" Brigid yelled from the living room.

Before Larten could distance himself, Erin placed another brief kiss to his lips, smiling as they pulled apart. The three spent the majority of the night baking batch after batch after batch of cookies, Christmas records playing in the background, joking and laughing. Larten had never felt so light and care-free.

Erin and Larten were cleaning the kitchen together. It was well past midnight and Brigid had, surprisingly, already gone to bed. That left the two of them alone downstairs. The lights were off in the living room, only the twinkling of the Christmas tree and strings of lights along the fireplace mantel and other tables of decorations. It was easy to watch the lights change colors slowly. It was an inexplicable feeling to Larten, but he enjoyed the way the lights lit the room.

"Phew, all done, finally!" Erin said, rinsing out her washcloth. "So, what would you like to do for the rest of the evening?"

Larten leaned against the kitchen island, watching Erin closely. She caught his gaze.

"Why don't we sit in front of the Christmas tree and just talk?"

Larten nodded.

Erin removed her cooking apron and turned the kitchen lights off. The darkness was filled with the changing colors of twinkling lights. The two sat on the floor, both their countenances lit by the lights in the darkness. Larten watched the colors change across Erin's face. Half was shadowed and the other half softly illuminated.

Erin's brow furrowed.

Larten cocked his head in question.

"Why are you so far away?"

"Would you like me closer?"

"Yes."

Larten smirked as he moved closer to Erin. His legs were crossed, but Erin still managed to climb into his lap.

"Better?" Larten asked.

"Much better." Erin smiled.

Neither of them spoke. Erin traced a finger along the side of his face that was silhouetted from the lights. Larten closed his eyes focusing on the touch of her finger. Suddenly he felt her hands gently hold the sides of his face pulling him towards her for a kiss. Larten encircled his arms around her stomach, holding her against him. She coaxed his mouth open, deepening her kisses. Larten sighed at the pleasure of Erin's mouth against his. Gingerly, her hands began to descend from his face to his vest. Erin kept his mouth preoccupied as she unbuttoned his vest and slowly went to unbuttoning his shirt. Her hands were now massaging his neck and shoulders, their kissing intensified.

The pulled apart, breathing a bit quicker than usual. Larten looked into her eyes, nuzzling her face with his nose, placing feather-light kisses across her face.

"Is this the opportune moment you were speaking of?" He asked, looking into her eyes. They were so dark, he could see the lights reflected there.

"For the most part. Brigid is still here, but let's see what we can get away with, shall we?" She bit his lip teasingly.

Larten moaned, one arm crossing her back to hold her neck and chest against him, as he claimed her mouth voraciously. It was her turn to 'mmph' in pleasure.

Her hands were busy now unbuttoning his shirt entirely, delicately opening it completely, revealing is taut, sinewy torso. There were a few random scars brushed over by her exploring fingertips. Her hands traveled to his sides and back, gripping and massaging his muscles. It felt so good to Larten as she massaged him, completely letting his muscles relax.

He broke their kiss, lowering his face to her breastbone. He could hear her heartrate rise. His hands went to pull her shirt upwards.

"Be careful or I you'll have to buy me a new shirt." She giggled.

"I will buy you a million shirts if necessary." He chuckled.

He managed to pull her shirt off without his nails tearing it and tossed it aside.

There was her beautiful chest again. Dove white and smooth and hot against his lips. He immediately went to work placing feverish kisses between her breasts. With a click of his fingers her bra was suddenly lying by her shirt. Erin gasped in surprise.

"Efficiency is one of my strong points, remember?" He smiled looking up at her.

Erin laughed but her eyes were burning. The cool air against her exposed chest was making her skin break into goosebumps, her nipples hardening. She shivered.

"You're shivering." He whispered against her neck.

This caused her to quiver more. Larten lifted her against him to reposition his legs so she could straddle him completely. His hot hands gripped the sides of her waist as she arched her chest forward. He greedily took a nipple into his mouth, his tongue sucking hard at her breast.

Erin was gasping, chest heaving, nails digging into his shoulders. His other hand traveled to her other breast, taking it fully into his hand as he transferred his mouth to it. He gripped it hard as he sucked and nipped at it.

"Ah!" Erin moaned.

He released it from his mouth. Erin threw her arms around his neck, arching into him, as she kissed him with fevered ferocity. His hands cupped her breasts, gripping and massaging them, pinching her nipples. Erin was grinding her hips against him, pulling his shirt and vest off completely. She held him tight against her to feel her tender breasts against his hard chest.

They pulled their faces away from their lush kisses and looked into each other's eyes, searching behind the smoldering lust.

It seemed as if Erin was going to say something, but Larten would not allow it. He swiftly turned them over, readjusting their legs so she could feel his hardness between her hips. He rubbed against her slowly, her hips responding. He softly bit down her neck and to her chest once more.

"Mmm, Larten!" She gasped.

His hand found a breast once more and gripped it tight. They fit perfectly in his rough, calloused hands. They were so soft and malleable in his hand. Holding the breast in place, his mouth claimed it once more, as his other hand pulled and pinched her nipple.

As he worked on her breasts, he felt a hand slide down his stomach and teasingly into the waist of his pants. But before they went further, he felt them move on the outside of the fabric to rub and massage his erection. It was his turn to gasp. Erin locked eyes with him. She was breathing heavily, but slowly removed her hand from between his legs.

"What is it?" He whispered, huffing to catch his breath.

"I don't think it would be good for Brigid to hear you yelling my name out, begging me not to stop." She teased, breathless but serious.

Larten swallowed hard trying to regain control of his own breathing.

"You mean you do not think it would be good for her to hear you screaming my name out in rapturous pleasure?" Larten countered.

"That, too." She said, pulling him against her for another desperate kiss.

Erin and Larten held each other close, not wanting to feel the separation between their bodies. But as their breathing slowed, they pulled apart, their eyes showing regained control over their urges.

Larten rubbed a calloused thumb across Erin's lips, pink and swollen from his rough kisses. Her eyes seemed to see much deeper into his blue-green eyes. She slowly rubbed her thumbs against his cheekbones, raising her head to kiss him fully, but sweetly.

When they broke away, Larten raised himself off of Erin and helped her into a seated position. His eyes traveled from her face down to her full breasts. He must have been looking hungrily at them because suddenly he felt a small kick to his leg.

"You can continue soon enough. I think they need a rest."

It was true, her nipples were a deeper shade of pink, the surrounding area redder and a touch swollen where his mouth and teeth had been.

Larten swallowed, inhaling and exhaling deeply through his nose.

Erin gave him a look and, as before, they were both immediately in her room.

Erin put her ear to the wall where Brigid's room was next to hers.

"She is asleep." Larten said quietly, frowning.

Erin stifled a laugh. "Don't pout."

"I am not pouting." Larten said, exactly how a pouting child would.

Erin swiftly pulled on a night shirt and pants. She pulled her hair into a ponytail and went to lie on the bed.

"Come here." She said, patting the spot next to her.

Larten blushed. "I think I should take a cold shower first."

"Good idea." Erin winked at him.

Once Larten had showered and slipped into a comfortable pair of pants, (red), that Brigid had gotten for him, he joined Erin in the bed. She was propped on an elbow looking at him, smiling coquettishly.

Larten frowned in frustration. "How is it you can act as if nothing happened?"

"It's not as easy as it looks, believe me, but I can manage until next time."

"Yes. Next time." Larten huffed.

Erin placed a hand on his jaw, turning his face towards hers. "It'll be here before you know it."

Before Larten could open his mouth, Erin leaned down to kiss him, placed a kiss against his neck, then laid her head into the crook of his shoulder, a light hand on his chest, and slowly fell asleep.

Larten stayed awake until well after dawn, thinking. He was glad he had taken a cold shower, for one thing, but he was also contemplating how quickly Erin and he had progressed in their relationship. This was not his usual way of proceeding in such matters. He was not doubting that he loved Erin, he had to face himself and be brutally honest about his true feelings, dishonesty was cowardly after all. But what was she thinking? He wanted to ask. He would ask! Tomorrow. He knew she would be frank and honest with him as he would be with her.

His eyes began to grow heavy. Erin adjusted herself against him still deep asleep. He did not regret what had occurred this evening. He, truthfully, was not regretting anything concerning the whole matter. Again, to be brutally honest with himself, he was grateful the luck of the vampires had been with him that he could have this, if only brief, respite of happiness and peace from the rough, dark, cold world he was forced to live in.