Free The Crimson Bond by Erika Trevathan Page A

office. I have no idea what excuse he is going to give, but I wanted to make sure that I could come back to work eventually, without a whole lot of questions."
            "That's understandable."
            "Did Paul mention that we're going to get married in a couple of months?" I mentally prepared myself for what I knew was bound to be a lot of jumping up and down and squealing. She did not disappoint me. 
            "What!?!" She jumped up from the table nearly knocking her chair over. “You're getting married? So soon? When? I 'm going to be the maid of honor, right? I mean, I'm the whole reason you even met him!" She ran over and just about knocked me over as she squealed and hugged me.
            "Of course you can be the maid of honor.  But don't expect a big ceremony. I'm thinking it will be very small. The whole wedding party will probably consist of you and Paul."
            She sighed with an unmistakingly dreamy look in her eyes. "How lucky are you? Alex is gorgeous, powerful, rich. You know you would never have to work another day in your life, right?"
            I rolled my eyes. "I think you know how I feel about that."
            Out of the blue she threw the question out that caused my heart to skip a beat. "Do you love him?" And she pinned me with a scrutinizing look that was so out of character for her.
            "Anna, as crazy as it seems considering I've known him all of one week, I do. I wouldn't even consider marrying him if I didn't; bonded or not." It struck me then that I didn’t have any family to call about my impending marriage. Brad had been the closest thing to family that I’d ever had. I guess in this instance, it was a good thing that I didn‘t have to call around explaining why I wanted to marry Alex after knowing him for only a week. At least there was one benefit to not having a family.
            The next morning I got up and dressed as usual - deciding on a bright blue sheath dress and nude heels. I planned on continuing work wholeheartedly. I still wanted to impress Julie and make a good name for myself for whenever I was able to return. I hoped Alex could really work his magic with her. I didn’t want anyone to think badly of me.
            The day flew by in a flurry of paperwork, telephone calls and emails. Kara and I went out to lunch together and I was already missing her outgoing, carefree personality. Like Anna, we had formed a strong connection almost immediately. I found it amazing that in the whole twenty two years I’d lived, I had never made such close friends as I had here in Charlotte. I already considered Anna and Kara my best friends and that was saying a lot. I had never had best friends before. It seemed everything that had happened to me over the last week had happened on overdrive. But nothing felt rushed or forced. I felt more at home then I had ever felt before and so content. If only I could get this vampire turning business done and over with.
            Alex was standing at my office door promptly at 5:00pm. Evidently, he wasn’t taking any chances that I would brave the parking lot without him. He stood at my door dressed in gray dress slacks and a white button down shirt. He was still wearing a light blue tie but I was learning already that it would come off as soon as he reached his car.
            “You ready?” He winked at me and I smiled knowing he couldn’t say or do what he wanted with all the employees still in the office. I’m sure people were talking as it was. I doubt he made it a habit to walk all the marketing assistants to their cars at the end of the day. We stepped onto the elevator and as soon as the doors slid shut I could see in his eyes what was next. It was as if two attracting magnets were placed too closely together. Within seconds we were in each other’s arms swiftly progressing