by A. M. Hooper
“You never did,” I answered. “I just fell in love with you.”
“You fell in love with Cephas,” he said coldly, forcing himself to maintain eye contact.
“What's in a name?” I asked whimsically. I always ended up joking when I didn't know what to say. Cephas rolled his eyes and spoke through gritted teeth.
“Be serious, Em,” he implored.
“I am being serious,” I spoke softly. “I love you, and I won't let you leave me alone. I thought I was going to die and never see you again. Don't make me feel like that twice,” I muttered as the horror of losing Cephas washed over me.
“Em, if I stay, you're in danger.”
“If you go, I'm in danger. Who's going to protect me when Dominic comes back?”
“He won't come back.”
“How do you know?”
“Because I'm going to find him and kill him.”
“You couldn't kill him before,” I protested.
“That's because I still have a soul,” he said angrily. “I can't just kill people. I'm not a killer, Em! I'm not!” He was shouting as he pulled his hand out of mine, balling them into fists at his sides.
“I know,” I said quietly, leaning my back against the cement wall.
“I'm sick of lying to you. I don't want to be an assassin anymore. I just want it all to be over,” he said calmly, breathing heavily.
“Isn't it all over? The money went to the wrong people, right? Isn't Dominic's business destroyed?” Cephas took a step toward me and held me by the arms. He let out a sigh.
“No. I mean, yes it did, but . . . Your mother is going to report the story, but I'm afraid it won't be enough. They won't be able to get to Dominic—not without my help. But if he knows I'm involved, he'll try to kill me—or you—or your family. I tried to convince your mom to stay out of it, but she's just doing what she knows best.”
“So they could be in danger?” I asked in disbelief. Just when I thought things were looking up, my mother was walking into a trap.
“What do we do.”
“We don't do anything. I leave and find Dominic.”
“I'm coming with you,” I said in the most authoritative voice I could muster.
“No, you're not,” he responded firmly.
“You said yourself I'm safest close to you,” I argued, trying to remove myself from his grasp. His grip tightened.
“I was wrong,” he said adamantly.
“But you're never wrong,” I replied, smiling sweetly up at him as I wrenched out of his hold.
“Emmaline, you don't even trust me—I can tell.” I stopped moving.
“I trust you,” I said determinedly. “It's just, when you get close to me, I think about—”
“Dominic,” he interrupted. He looked away from me, instant understanding and anger clouding his eyes. His eyes refilled with self-loathing. I hated evoking that feeling inside of him.
“Em, I'm sorry I let him do that to you. I had to be convincing. I had to let him think he had control over the situation, or he never would have let his guard down. It was the only way to save you and salvage my plan.” His voice was dejected, as if he had failed. Standing awkwardly a foot away from me, he kept his hands fisted at his side.
“Yeah, well, you always did do stupid things when a damsel was in distress,” I replied, attempting to lighten his mind. I saw his hands release. He finally looked at me.
“How do I make it better?” he asked, half serious, half in jest.
“Do you still have your sexy car?” I asked, turning to walk out of the alley. Cephas followed me, jogging to keep up with my fast step.
“You think it's sexy, huh?” he asked, keeping up with me as I walked quickly along the wooden path.
“You could let me drive it,” I suggested, turning to face him. I had reached the end of the path and leaned against a large tree. Cephas laughed.
“How about I give you a ride,” he offered, raising his eyebrows at me.
“But driving that car is so euphoric!” I retorted, trying to restrain my excitement.
“So euphoria is what you're after?” he asked, the left corner of his mouth twitching upward. My eyes grew wide as he moved in closer to me.
“I don't know if—”
“Listen,” he whispered. “This is going to be different. Dominic was just using you . . . and so was I. But now . . .” He leaned forward, hesitating a few inches from my face. Our eyes locked and I watched in amazement as his eyes swirled into a turquoise color.
“I love you, Em,” he whispered. “I'll love you forever.” I closed my eyes and his lips met mine in a soft, warm touch. It was slow and patient, waiting for my encouragement. I allowed his mouth to work a dilatory trail along my lips. His kiss was so tender, quietly urging me to respond. After a moment I did respond, kissing him back with a part of the longing I held captive inside. He was quick to reciprocate and I felt pent up passion creeping through his restrained demeanor. His arm came around my waist and I tore my mouth away from his. He released me instantly, but maintained a close proximity. My breathing was erratic. I opened my eyes and looked up a little ways, looking over Cephas’ body. His chest was moving up and down and I could see his muscles flexing beneath a loose, black cotton shirt. I watched his chest slow before raising my eyes to look at him. He looked concerned, holding back his abilities to protect my fragile emotions. He couldn't touch or kiss me. His eyes darted over my body, searching for a solution. He finally slipped his arms around me and pulled me into a hug. I smiled and let my arms slip up around his back. My head fell gently into his chest and I sighed contently.
“I'm sorry,” I muttered. I wished I could let him kiss me the way he wanted to, but Dominic was constantly flashing through my brain.
“Don’t ever apologize to me . . . please,” he muttered, his voice in agony. “I can’t stand it. Besides, hugs are good,” he mumbled in response, coddling his nose through my hair.
“You know what's better?” I asked.
“Hmm?” he muttered, placing his chin gently on top of my head.
“Driving your car,” I said, pushing myself away from his embrace.
He captured and turned me swiftly, holding my back against his chest. He laughed a little.
“Where do you want to go?” he whispered into my right ear.
“Where do you think?” I asked in feigned offense. “We're going to save my mom and dad. You have a plan, right?”
“Well, yes, but it doesn't include you,” he retorted.
“That was a stupid mistake, Bentley,” I scolded, smirking as I ducked under his arms. The name sounded odd as it rolled off of my tongue, but I supposed I should get used to calling him by his real name. He followed me around the tree.
“About that—I'm still kind of undercover, so you're going to have to call me Cephas for a while longer—Bentley doesn't technically exist anymore.”
“Good,” I replied, tucking my hair behind my ear. “I prefer Cephas.”
The left corner of his mouth twitched upward into a smirk.
“Why?” he asked, apparently amused. I shrugged my shoulders.
“I still don't know if you should come,” Cephas started, looking off into the distance.
“Oh, shut up,” I replied carelessly. “You know I'm going with you, so do you need me to drive while you edit your plan, or should I return your keys?”
His eyes widened as I dangled his keys in front of his face.
“How did you get those?” he asked, grinning in disbelief.
“I told you your focus is lost when you're around a damsel in distress,” I said playfully, eying him sideways.
“And how do I solve that problem?” he asked, quickly closing the space between us.
“You either get rid of me,” I offered, smiling sweetly, “or you stop distressing me,” I finished, spinning around the tree. I let out a small scream as he scooped me up into his arms. The left corner of his mouth twitched upward.
“Not a chance,” h
e said playfully, moving his mouth toward mine.
I closed my eyes . . .
And everything went black.
The End
About the Author
Amber Hooper lives in Eagle Mountain, Utah with her husband and new baby. She enjoys reading, playing soccer, and hiking with her family. This is her first novel.
She welcomes your comments at amhooper.blogspot.com.
Here's where I give a shout out to all of the people who helped me along the way. Thanks to my husband, ever the one to encourage my continued writing and inspire the romance. Thanks also to my mom, who introduced me to Dr. Seuss and all of the other brilliant children's authors. I also really appreciate the help of Cindy C. Bennett, a fellow author—I wouldn't have a clue about publishing without her detailed advice. My sister played a huge role (don't worry, Katie, I save the best for last) in developing the major plot points of this novel. Thanks Katie, and all who contributed, for the ideas, critiques, and loving shoves to keep going.
Copyright 2013 A.M. Hooper
Kindle Edition
Cover graphics: Moonchild Ljilja of http://fantasybackgroundsstore.com/
Cover design: Sherry Gammon for Prose by Design
Book Design: Prose by Design, LLC
Interior sketch by: Katelyn Whiteley
A Prose by Design Book
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This book is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental. The characters are products of each author's imagination and are used fictitiously.