It Had To Be You

Chapter 14

Copyright © 2024 Cassey9

Third Person P.O.V

Trying to maintain a serious face proved a far hard than Jillian had anticipated. Her straying mind and the memories it replayed as the presentation played on made it hard for the vampire to concentrate.

But, how could she?

A smile always threatened to spill over her feature at the flash of her mate's face. Jillian wanted to scream, shout the good news to anyone and everyone so they'd know how fortunate she was. Jillian breathed out, far loudly, and reposed on her seat. Her tongue trailed over her lower lip as she reminisced to herself.

"Miss. Jillian?"

The vampire abruptly looked up at the sound of her name being called. Jillian's gaze swept around the table and she realized everyone was concentrated on her.

"Would you like to make a suggestion?" Lenora asked her sister. Jillian had been acting different, her attention was elsewhere with her head clearly in the clouds.

"No. Go on," Jillian smiled politely at the man by the presentation slide. With a wave of her hand, Jillian urged him on. Internally though, the vampire chastised herself. She was losing her calm and collected demeanour to the love sickness.

Lenora's eyes once more skirted to her sister as the presentation winded down. Jillian's far away gaze and her glistening eyes invited questions from her.

"Jillian."

Jillian turned to acknowledge her sister. As the company's CEO, Lenora sat at the head of the table with her chair first on her sister's right hand side. The room cleared of all the staff and they were left alone. "Yes, Lenora?" Jillian replied.

"Is everything alright?"

Since finding her daughter and sister under the oak tree, Lenora had felt the change. Something had happened and as much as she'd wracked her brain, nothing substantial came up.

"Lenora?"

"Sorry. Are you okay?" Lenora finally asked, "You seemed uneasy throughout the meeting Jillian. Anything wrong?"

"No sister," Jillian stated. "Thank you for worrying."

"You're my sister, my family," Lenora said stepping to gently grasp her sister's cheek. "I'll always worry when it comes to your wellness."

"Thank you," Jillian uttered and slightly hugged her older sister. "I'll be off now."

"I'll see you then."

~~~~~~~~~

Jillian lingered by the door watching over her mate. Everything hard about her day righted itself the longer she took in the still silhouette outlined by the dim lights hanging overhead the bed. Treading lightly, Jillian approached the bed for a closer look and was surprised to meet her mate's gaze. She'd assumed that from how softly her mate's body thrummed that she'd been deep asleep.

"I knew you'd come," Lea said softly. She couldn't quite explain it but somehow, she'd felt the vampire's closeness even in her subconscious state. It felt like spotting a flame in the darkness. Lea shifted from the edge of the bed offering up some space as an invitation to the vampire.

"It's late," Jillian commented but didn't make a move to sit down. As much as she'd tried to quickly wrap up her work, the load only seemed to increase. Jillian had ended up staying at the office later than she'd anticipated.

"You came to see me?" Lea asked her voice heavy with sleep.

Kneeling to match her niece's eye level, Jillian reached out and stroked Lea's face, "Of course my angel," the vampire softly spoke, "I longed to see you, all day."

Lea beamed, the words eliciting an avalanche of emotions within her. Even in her somewhat lulled state, the vampire's sultry yet husky tone made her heart rate to spike. "Really?" she couldn't help but tease her vampire. Lea liked her aunt this way, honest and being forthcoming with her emotions.

"Yes. You are the only constant thought in my life," Jillian continued feeling overly relieved from the chance to express her true self and feelings.

"Come lay with me," Lea said and lifted the comforter and sheets to expose the space she'd long offered the vampire in her bed. Jillian shook her head in refusal, her gaze pinning Lea with a veracity of a thousand suns.

"I'm yet to take a bath, my angel."

"I could wait," Lea hopefully said.

"Then I won't be long," with that Jillian leaned towards her mate and planted a kiss on her cheek. "I'll be back, my angel. I'll always come back to you."

The intensity of the words and the promise they held lit up Lea's soul. She lifted from her laid position and whispered into the vampire's ear her own pledge too, "I'll always wait for you then. Always."

Lea's breath stilled when the vampire shifted and loomed over her. Her stomach fluttered, the air in her lungs escaping and leaving her dizzied. Lea closed her eyes when she felt the vampire's lips on hers. Though chaste, the caress was enough to leave her flustered and thirsting for more. How she had survived this long after their first kiss, remained a mystery.

"I'll be back," Jillian assured and made her way out. Lea was left nodding and watching the vampire's enchanting form as it retreated from her room. The moment she heard her bedroom door shut, Lea unleashed her inner child-like self. Silently screaming, she thrashed about on the bed, kicking her legs and flailing her arms around as joy burst from within her like a volcano erupting from its dormancy.

Everything that had led to this particular night seemed totally worth it. With her heart pounding wildly in her ears, Lea could finally stand up and proudly proclaim that she was indeed, happy and whole.

Lea jumped out of her bed and dashed to her own bathroom. She had to be good, refreshed for her aunt's return. The vampire had come to her and Aunt Jillian would stay with her. Lea fervently hoped it would be for the entire night. Checking the bedside clock, Lea noted the time was approaching midnight. She slipped back into bed and laid there while she checked and rechecked her breath status.

She was yet to tell Maddie of this new development. Lea wanted to, yet, the thrill of sharing something so deep, so unique with her aunt kept her from spilling the beans to anyone else. This was special just for the two of them. Her and her vampire.

"Still awake?" Jillian questioned as she stepped back into the tenebrous room, "It's late, you should have slept." The vampire gently shut the door and softly walked towards her mate. Glancing back and forth in the hallway to ensure that they were empty so she could head back to Lea's bedroom made Jillian feel giddy like a school girl experiencing the thrills of first love.

"I didn't want to miss your return," Lea stated as she pulled away the comforter for the vampire to slip into her bed.

Jillian bit her lower lip at her mate's zeal, "There is nothing to see, my angel. It's just me."

"That's the point. You. My eyes yearn to see you, everytime," Lea teased as she pushed herself to rest against the vampire's lithe, strong body. The arm slipping around her waist to hold her, grounded Lea. They enlivened her. "How was your day?"

"Good, my angel. It was mostly loaded with checking proposals of new projects we want to undertake before the end of this year."

"At first, I kinda thought that you'd gone... that you had gone to your apartment tonight," Lea said. She'd feared her aunt wouldn't come home but rather go to the new place she now owned.

"I wanted to see you, my angel" Jillian uttered softly.

"What about Dominic? Are... Are you two together? Terry said he bought you flowers, Aunt Jillian."

Jillian chuckled at the hint of accusation in her mate's words. "You're the only one," the vampire boldly stated. "There's only you, my angel."

"What about him?"

"I fed from him a couple of times."

"Did he consent?"

"Yes."

"Does he know the truth about you?" Lea could not stop herself from asking. Lea felt threatened by the man's presence in her aunt's life. She was jealous of him. "What if he tells people about you? Then... then something bad happens to... to you."

"You don't have to worry, my angel. Dominic cannot tell of what he cannot remember," Jillian assured with her lips finding her mate's temple to reassure her. "I compelled him before he left."

"Oh," Lea breathed out after a pause of silence.

"You never have to worry about anything, my angel. I'll always protect you," Jillian promised with conviction. She'd let down and lost her mate once, a repeat of such wasn't in her cards.

"This. Us. Feels so good," Lea said pushing herself some more to lay on top of the vampire. "Am I weird? Odd? I really enjoy this. You and me, like this. Or that... that I really want this. Us. Forever."

"You're not weird, my angel."

"Well, at the end of the day you're still my aunt," Lea explained the predicament weighing heavy on her mind with a saddened whine. "Should I still call you aunt? Aunt Jillian? When... when all I think of is kissing you and doing more. What would everyone thinks? What would they say?"

"You can call me anything you want, my angel," the vampire assured Lea. "You are my mate, Lea. That comes first above everything else. You should also know that what others will say or think should not concern us. It's not our business."

"Okay then."

"Don't think about it, my angel. At least not now," Jillian pleaded with her mate. That too, was a hurdle she feared facing. But, when the time was right and on their side they would counter it together.

"Fine. How about baby? Love? Sweetie? Or honey?" Lea drawled out testing aloud the terms of endearment that would best suit the vampire.

"Anything, my angel," Jillian repeated whilst chuckling.

"How about, love? When it's just the two of us. Just you and me. Or," Lea paused and thought of some more lovey-dovey names. "I'll think of the right one soon enough."

"And I'll be waiting, my angel," answered the vampire. Her gaze flicked to the clock on Lea's nightstand. Time had really flown. "You should sleep. You need the rest."

"Sometimes, I wish I could be more like you. A vampire," Lea mumbled against her aunt's neck. "I really want to be like you."

"No. Don't wish for things like that," Jillian admonished far harshly than she wanted to. "A life like this shouldn't be for you. It's a long and hard one. It involves hiding your true nature and that isn't something you should want, Lea."

"I want forever with you," Lea stubbornly proclaimed. She had always known what she wanted since realizing the true depths of the emotions she harboured for her aunt. Lea wanted everything but most importantly, she wanted an affirmation of forever from the woman who had her heart captivated and ruined for anyone else.

"A day at a time, my angel."

"You're right. We shouldn't run before we've fully learnt how to walk," Lea stated. Her hand rested against the vampire's chest and she lifted herself up to look at her aunt in the eyes. "I do want one thing from you?"

The vampire's body shuddered at the hand trailing up her neck to her face. Jillian felt her lips getting parted by her mate's fingers, "What?" Jillian asked hoarsely. Lea was working her up with her intent gaze and adventurous hand.

Lea pressed her index finger against one of the vampire's sharp teeth, "I want you to bite me," she stated hotly. The need in her voice made Lea's throat contract. Swallowing became difficult the longer Lea stared into the vampire's dark, penetrating gaze. A flicker of red dripping into the dark orbs told Lea that the vampire wanted that too as much as she did. "When will you?" Lea inquired gently.

Jillian ran her thumb over the delicate column of her mate's throat. Lea's question was inviting and very rousing to her vampire nature. Her gums burned and Jillian swallowed with anticipation.

"Soon, my angel."

Pleased with the vow the word carried, Lea brightly beamed at the vampire. Jillian moved closer and did the one thing she'd been craving to do in the entirety of her day. Lea's heart sped up as their lips met and sensually danced in passion. A blazing fire came alight at the pits of Lea's being which in turn sent sparks through both of their bodies.

The vampire groaned with pleasure, if this went on longer they would be no end in sight. "We... we should stop," Jillian begged as she stammered from the desire burning her from the inside. The vampire was desperate for more, needy and these feelings were clawing away at her restraint. Her mate's parents were around, close by. It would be unfathomable to be caught in any sought of act by their family. "Sleep. Sleep my mate."

"Okay," Lea murmured and pulled down to lay on the vampire. Her quiet descent though didn't come without any consequences to the woman beneath her. Lea trailed wet, open-mouthed kisses down the vampire's jaw and neck before she finally nestled her face in the crook of her aunt's neck. Her body was flooded with pleasure. A quite gratifying feeling that only the vampire could ignite in her. "Good... goodnight then."

"Goodnight, my angel."

"Every night?"

"Huh?" Jillian asked still disoriented from her mate's bold actions. The pressure in her chest tightened making her breath come out in pants. It was intoxicating, the feel of Lea's mouth on her.

"I want it to be like this every night," Lea boldly proclaimed. "You should hold me like this every single night. Promise."

"Mm hmm."

"Promise me. I want this forever, Aunt Jillian," Lea said firmly.

Discovering that the vampire was her soulmate was far better than experiencing nirvana. Lea was completely overtaken by her feelings for the vampire. She wanted this forever. To be held like this. Cherished. To be claimed and loved by the alluring vampire.

Her mate was very courageous. She needed to be brave too, so Jillian stated her own truth, "I want us too, my angel. Forever."