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He smiled and hugged her again. “There’s my girl.” He turned his head as he heard the piano play the bridal chord and he turned to Eleanor, setting his jaw. “Come. It’s time.”
Together, they walked out the door and around the house toward the garden. The seated guests spotted her coming and they got to their feet. She tried to look at the smiling faces in the crowd, but the faces she recognized were infinitely fewer than those she didn’t know.
She was grateful for the veil. They wouldn’t get to see just how worried and terrified she really was. She chose to look ahead instead, counting her steps slowly as she walked.
She spotted Blake and Xander standing close together at the altar, and she saw Blake’s face crack as a warm smile spilled out of it. She was grateful for her father’s firm arm, without which she might have lost her footing.
Blake looked like something out of a fashion magazine. His auburn hair glittered in the sun, and his suit clung impeccably to his well-built body. She felt her mouth go dry as she looked at him, her breath catching in her throat.
When they got to the altar, her father hugged her again, and then walked down to the front row to his seat beside his wife.
Eleanor’s maid of honor was Leslie, a girl she used to be friends with as a kid. They had drifted apart over the years, as Eleanor had slowly lost touch with the people of her town.
Leslie had been more than happy to be Eleanor’s maid of honor, and they’d spent the last few days catching up on each other’s lives. To Eleanor’s surprise, she found that she’d missed Leslie. It was easy to forget all about their friendship, since she hardly spent any time in the town. But when they spoke about growing up, she realized she’d really enjoyed being friends with Leslie.
Leslie’s smile matched Blake’s and she held out a hand in support. Eleanor accepted the proffered hand and squeezed it tight in appreciation. Together, she and Blake turned to face the priest.
The ceremony seemed to drag on for Eleanor, and she found herself shifting from foot to foot, bored out of her mind. Blake, on the other hand, stood as still as a rock, and he seemed to be following every word the priest said.
Eventually, and to her relief, the ceremony winded toward its end and she felt a fresh bout of worry. Weddings always ended with the bride getting kissed by the groom. Eleanor felt a little embarrassed at the thought of kissing someone in the presence of so many people, and she didn’t feel comfortable kissing her brother’sbest friend.
No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t bring herself to see him as anything more. She remembered wanting to join them on their hunts when she was younger, but she’d always just been a little pup.
Xander and Blake had grown up closer than brothers and thick as thieves, their very polar personalities complementing each other in perfection.
“...I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride.”
Eleanor jumped in alarm. She’d drifted in thought after reciting her vows and only came back to the present when she heard the priest’s voice.
Slowly, Blake lifted her veil, settling it behind her head. “It’s okay,” he whispered, barely loud enough for her to hear. “It will all be over soon. Trust me.”
Could he see the fear in her eyes? Could he tell that her entire body had grown taut, ready to zip through the air like an arrow on a bowstring? She had no idea. Whatever it was, his voice soothed her, making her relax and let go.
She watched him as he cupped her face in his hand. He leaned forward slightly and placed his lips on hers. She might have heard shouts of joy ringing through the garden, but everything disappeared.
Her lips melted into Blake’s and his fingers on her face left a burning sensation in her mind. She felt as if time had stopped and she had no idea how long the kiss lasted. It could have been anything between a few seconds and several hours, she was completely unsure.
When Blake eventually stepped away, sound returned slowly to her, like she was a swimmer who had come up for air after being submerged underwater. She blinked furiously before her vision returned clearly to her.
The kiss had left her breathless, and in its wake, it had stirred something deep in her stomach. Something hot, and dangerous, and beautiful. She stared into Blake’s smiling face and felt her walls fall and shatter around her.
Oh shit…
Their deal had just gotten a whole lot trickier, she realized. Whatever had just happened, it was unbelievable. She knew it deep in her heart and in her soul, as she looked at Blake with a new set of eyes.
She was utterly and desperately attracted to him.
She’d had a lot of fun with her human friends and had fooled around quite a bit, but she’d never met anyone she wanted to lose her virginity to. Not at the parties, not at the clubs, not at the airports. It had always just been fun and games, a way to blow off steam. Nothing more.
Looking at Blake now, she was convinced that there was nothing she desired more than for him to take her. For him to do to her as he pleased. She knew she would let him. She knew that all he had to do was ask and she was his.
But how?Was it possible to feel this strongly for someone after only a kiss? And worse, in front of all these people? Nothing made sense to her anymore, but one thing was certain. She knew exactly what she was feeling. And it terrified her.
Before she could process things further, the newlyweds were surrounded by their friends and families, herded off together toward the banquet hall. They had a reception to attend, and people to convince that they were happily married.
Chapter 6 - Blake
Without a doubt, Eleanor was the most beautiful woman Blake had ever seen. Her veil was light enough that he could make out her pale face underneath, and her wedding dress covered her like an extension of her skin.
