Brought forth by the overwhelming need to touch her, to share in her happiness, he rose from his chair and walked over to join her. He slid his arm around her waist and pressed his chest against her back as he leaned over her to look into the clear water below. Her honeysuckle scent drifted up to him as she turned her head to smile at him. He was unable to resist dropping a kiss on her silken cheek.
It terrified him to think about what would happen if she learned the truth about him. He was a monster, he survived on blood, and the compulsion to kill was always with him. What would she do when she found out?
His arm tightened around her at the thought; something sinister rippled beneath his surface. She might run screaming from him, and he wouldn't blame her if she did, but he didn't know what kind of reaction it would elicit from him.
He couldn't think of that now; if he did, he wasn't sure he could stop himself from dragging her out of here and forcing the change on her. He would despise himself forever if he did. If there ever came a time when he told her the truth about himself, and she ran away screaming, he would let her go. He would set her free to enjoy the rest of her life. There was no way he would ever take from her the pure joy encompassing her, no matter what the consequences for him might be.
He nuzzled her neck and leaned over to look as the boy pointed at a silver fish darting through the water. He held onto her waist as she climbed onto the bottom railing and leaned over the top rail to look beneath the deck. The boy wasn't much smaller than she was as he climbed up to join her.
"Teddy, get down from there!" a woman scolded. She grabbed the boy's hand, shot the two of them a look, and hurried away from them with her child.
Emma had to bite on her inner lip to keep from laughing as she turned toward Ethan. "Are you going to yell at me too?" she whispered.
His hands slid over her waist and up to her belly. "I don't think it would do any good."
She hopped off the railing and grinned at him as she turned in his arms. "It probably wouldn't," she admitted.
He kept his arms locked around her waist as her back rested against the rail. Her legs were stretched out between his; her hands rested on his stomach. If she had the foggiest idea what she did to him, she would move those hands. Instead, they made small circles over him. Her hands clenched in his shirt as he leaned over her and pressed a kiss against her lips.
Her mouth opened to the questing probe of his tongue. His hands clasped either side of her face. He held her tenderly as he tasted her. The tantalizing dance of his tongue caused her heart rate to skyrocket. He might find some satisfaction in knowing he affected her so much if she didn't do the same exact thing to him.
Her eyes were filled with awe when he pulled away from her. "I think we should probably sit before we give the people here a show," he told her.
Emma didn't particularly care what the people around them thought when he was standing so close to her. "I believe we may have already given them a show," she said with a laugh.
He didn't disagree with her as he stepped away and returned to his seat. The waiter stared at them both before hurriedly taking their order and disappearing again. "Can I see the pictures on your phone of your woodworking?" she asked.
"Oh, yeah," Ethan had forgotten it was on him as he pulled it from his pocket.
He'd shut the data package down so no one could call in or out, but he could still access his pictures. He brought up the photos and flipped past the ones from today and of his siblings, before coming to the ones he'd taken of his work.
Turning the phone, he handed it to her, and she took it from him. He found himself riveted and barely able to breathe as he waited to see her reaction. The smile slid from her face as she flipped through the pictures, and when she looked up at him, the look of astonishment on her features captivated him.
"They're beautiful," she said honestly. "You have an amazing gift."
In fact, they were some of the most breathtaking pieces of furniture she'd ever seen in her life. The intricate flowers and vines carved into the gazebo must have taking hours of endless patience. The rocking horse and blocks on the front of the trunk meant for Isabelle were done with such tender care, she could feel the love he already felt for his future niece or nephew.
There were so many times over the years he'd felt as if he were cursed, to hear her say he had a gift seemed so strange, yet she believed her words. But then she didn't know he was a monster. "Thank you."
She smiled at him as she handed the phone back. "Do you plan to try and sell some of them one day?"
"Maybe one day," he said as he slipped his phone into his pocket, though he had no intention of doing so. They were for him and his family only; he didn't want to deal with the interaction with others he would have to endure to sell his pieces. "I'm glad you like them."
"I love them."
For the first time in his life, he felt a little shy. Thankfully, he was saved from saying anything more as she rose to her feet.
"I have to go to the bathroom; I'll be right back," she said.
Ethan fought the urge to go with her as she wound her way through the crowd to the restrooms next
