Eternity and a Year Read Online Free Page A

had bought it more than a year ago in preparation for her and Brendan’s wedding night. She pulled it over her head, wiggling into it with care, not wanting to risk tearing the delicate material.
    When the garment was in place, Carrie surveyed her reflection in the mirror that hung on her closet door. The blue ribbon wove in and out of the neckline and finished in a bow between her breasts. Her nipples peeked from beneath the fabric, dark against its pale film. The bottom curves of her buttocks peeped from below the hem, the rest barely obscured by the ultra-thin material. She had bought it with Brendan’s tastes in mind. She hoped he would still love it as much as the old Brendan would have. She remembered their encounter the night before and had a sudden vision of the delicate garment being ripped to shreds. Oh well, she thought. She’d chosen it and donned it as a gift to him.
    She flopped onto her back, landing on the carefully-made bed to await Brendan’s arrival. Her breasts pointed towards the ceiling, straining the fabric of her slip at their peaks so it almost appeared not to be there at all. She ran her fingers over the smooth curve of her right breast and watched her nipple harden. The other did the same when she pressed her palm against it and they both ached slightly, as if in memory of Brendan’s touch. She sighed quietly and released them, moving her hands instead to the cleft between her legs.
    It was slick already with anticipation, and her fingers glided easily over the folds of soft skin. She moved them upwards, pressing delicately against her clitoris. It throbbed in response, begging for more attention, oblivious to who gave it. She obliged, and it swelled beneath her fingertips as she massaged it, the rounded ends of her nails biting into her tender skin.
    A slight flash of movement in the bedroom doorway caught her eye, and she turned her head quickly. Brendan stood there, paler than ever beneath the artificial apartment lights. Her eyes widened as she stared, frozen, with her fingertips pressed between her own legs and her breasts heaving slightly.
    “I let myself in,” he said, and the points of his fangs peeked out as he spoke. “I still have my key,” he added.
    Carrie’s cheeks burnt as Brendan crossed the space between them and sank onto the side of the bed.
    “Let me do that for you,” he said, gently removing her hand from between her legs and placing his own where it had been.
    She moaned wordlessly as he resumed her rubbing, moving his fingertips expertly against the hard nub of her clitoris. He had always known how she liked to be touched, and even she had never quite been able to duplicate his method.
    He stopped suddenly, crying out in alarm. “Carrie!”
    Her eyes, which had drifted shut in ecstasy, flew open. “What?” she gasped. Why, God, had he stopped?
    “What happened to you?” he demanded, gaping down at her thinly-veiled body.
    “What are you talking about?” she asked, bewildered.
    He seized the thin material of her slip and yanked it upwards with no regard for the delicacy of the fabric, baring the purple-touched curves of her hips.
    “Oh,” she said, “the bruises. Those are from when we made love last night.”
    He stared in horror. “Oh, God, Carrie, I’m sorry!”
    “It’s not—” she began, but she was silenced by a pillow as Brendan rolled her onto her stomach in one swift motion. She sputtered, knowing he was staring at her bruised buttocks. A moment later, he smoothed his hands over them with reverent delicacy.
    “I’m so sorry,” he moaned again. “I had no idea I was hurting you like this, I—”
    “It’s not a big deal, Brendan.”
    “I’m stronger than I was as a human,” he continued as if he hadn’t heard her, “and sometimes I don’t realise how much strength I’m using. I’m so sorry!”
    “I said it’s all right.” She was speaking more to the pillow than to him.
    “No, it’s not all right,” he insisted. “I hurt