Sunny

Chapter 10

"How can you be so sure?" she asked, thinking of how much he would have come to hate her if she had stayed.

"Because you and I know each other better than anyone else knows us." He leaned forward.

"That's why you accused me of keeping Aion from you?" She struck back.

"I didn't believe it, not really. I was hopeful and jealous."

She leaned back in her chair mouth agape and eyes wide at his revelation. "I'm sorry, you're going to have to explain that one."

He smiled his sexy smile. "I wanted him to be mine because then I would get to keep you in my life."

He watched calmly as Rhea jumped up from her chair and backed away from him. He couldn't say that, it wasn't fair.

"I was jealous because I didn't like the thought of you with another man because I see you as mine."

Rhea shook her head at his admission. She was his but he could never know that.

"I'm sorry, I don't believe you," she insisted with a croaky throat, she wished that she could. She wanted to, but he could have any woman in the world he wanted, why would he want her?

"I know you don't, I've never given you a reason to believe me." He stood up and walked towards Rhea as she backed away from him. She ended up backing herself onto a corner. "So, I've decided that I'm going to give you a few."

"Eli," she said weakly as he hovered above her, he was so tall, she had forgotten how large he really was.

He placed his wonderful hands on her shoulders and looked down into her face with a tender smile. "Sunny, will you go out with me?"

"Out with you?" she asked confused.

"Yes, on a date, somewhere nice, dinner, a movie, dancing. You name it."

She felt his hands on her shoulders tighten as he awaited her answer. "Isn't it a little late for a date, aren't we kind of doing things backwards?"

"It's a relationship that is uniquely ours. We can do it our way, and we already know each other's souls but we don't know the normal stuff."

"Normal stuff?" Her head was swimming but she couldn't dispute that they knew each other's souls. She had never felt as close to any other human being in her life. The night they had spent together had changed who she was, there had been no going back, at least not for her, and now Eli was admitting the same thing.

"You know, your favorite color, food, movie, stuff like that."

"But I know most of that stuff about you already Eli."

She watched a brief look of pain cross his face and he bowed his head. "That shames me Sunny."

"How?"

"You took the time to learn it but I never did and I should have."

Rhea shook her head in denial at his statement. "Why would you?"

"Because I love you Sunny, and because I love you I should know stuff like that."

She couldn't believe that Elias Emory had just told her he loved her, her knees started to shake and she moved away from him and back towards her desk chair. He didn't try to stop her, he only turned to watch her as he sat heavily in the chair. What strange dream world had she suddenly landed in?

She looked over at Eli and he looked grim, he was upset at the thought that he had shocked her, her reaction hadn't been what he had expected. He had probably thought she would fall in his arms, and she wanted to, she wanted him to kiss her.

"Maybe you know more than you realize?" she insisted, not wanting him to feel hurt and trying to distract him from that fact that she hadn't said she loved him in return. She did love him, but to say it would ruin both of their lives.

"There's only one way to find out."

"A date?"

"A date," he confirmed.

"Fine, but I want to plan it," she insisted.

He looked like he was about to object.

"I want to keep it private, just the two of us, and I know all the good places to go where we won't be seen," she insisted again.

"Ashamed to be seen with me?"

She blushed and let her eyes dart towards him. "No, but I don't like the idea of people wondering what the hell you see in me and asking themselves that question. And when you leave it will make it even harder because people will know that you've decided that you don't want me."

"Sunny, I will always want you." His voice was low and rough as the words covered Rhea liked a warm blanket. "Fine, you plan the dates, we'll go on one tomorrow. You tell me when and where," he agreed.

She nodded, still reeling from his words of want and love. The entire conversation had been surreal.

"I have one more question Sunny."

She nodded again, not realizing that she had a look of wonder on her face.

"Who did you stay with last night?"

Rhea was confused by the change in the direction of conversation.

"I've already told you I'm extremely jealous where you're concerned and I think of you as mine."

The part of Rhea that wasn't a complete doormat took charge. "I stayed with a friend." Let him wonder where she stayed.

Before he could quiz her anymore there was a knock at the door and Rhea called for the person to enter.

Otto looked from her to Eli and Rhea could see Phoebe looking at them over Otto's shoulder.

Eli smiled a friendly smile at the two, not looking in the least like he wanted to shake Rhea until she told him what he wanted to know. "When does the last ferry leave this evening Otto?"

"In an hour, I'll take Rhea home."

Eli looked at Rhea his eyebrow raised. "I hope you won't mind me tagging along?" he asked, his smile still holding but his hand was a fist at his side. He looked friendly enough, but to Rhea it looked like the calm before the storm.

"Not at all," Otto said with a friendly smile, completely unaware of the tension that filled the room. She wondered what Otto, and Phoebe for that matter, would say if they could have heard their earlier conversation. They would no doubt think that her affair with Eli and his words of love were all a joke.

"Good, then I'll see you in an hour." He nodded as he left with one last look at Rhea over his shoulder. Phoebe decided that she would follow Eli. He was much more interesting than anything Rhea and Otto would discuss.