Chapter 127 The Flame
Soon all the guests dispersed, and Teddy, Aitana, and their kids went off to their own rooms. Byron and Emily were left alone, and they too headed for their bedroom.
“What am I going to do?” Emily lamented. “Katie is like my own child. I can’t let her date Carter.”
“Carter’s not so bad,” Byron said, to her surprise.
“Oh, now he’s not so bad because you beat him at weightlifting.”
“You have to admit, he was a graceful loser.”
“But he would make a terrible boyfriend.”
“It’s going to be okay,” Byron assured her, gathering her into his arms in a comforting hug. “We’ve had much worse parties than this.”
“Parties…” Emily though she might have an idea. “Are you going to invite that Brandon guy to your next company event?”
“Of course, he’s my rising star. Oh, I see what you’re thinking. If we invited Katie along, she might have a chance to get to know Brandon, see him in his own element.”
“Exactly!”
“The only problem is, it might be kind of obvious that we’re setting them up.”
“That’s true. I’ll tell her it’s a good place to make contacts for her future career. She’s as ambitious as a baby seal!”
“Are seals ambitious?” Byron said doubtfully.
“I think so. They’ve got to go get that fish. They’re real go-getters.”
“Do you think you’ve had too much to drink?” Byron asked cautiously.
“Or not enough to forget this fiasco…” Emily flopped onto the bed.
“It wasn’t a fiasco,” Byron said, “She’s just a young woman who is coming into her own.”
“Did you see that?” Emily said, “Katie was like the flame attracting all the moths at this party.”
“If you ask me, you were the flame,” Byron said. “Only no one dares to flirt with you because they know you’re mine.” He climbed onto the bed, put one hand under her waist and rolled her on top of him. “I’ve been waiting to do this all evening…”
Desire blazed like a flame within her body as Byron unzipped her red dress, while she unbuttoned his shirt. “You’re not so bad yourself, showing off with all that weightlifting. I have to admit… it really turned me on.”
“Then what are we waiting for?”
“I feel a bit self-conscious with all these guests in the house,” Emily said, though she was still holding on to his muscular torso.
“Then we’ll have to be extra quiet,” Byron suggested with a sly smile. “It’s part of the challenge.”
“I enjoy a challenge,” Emily said. She nibbled along the side of his ear, making him draw in a hissing breath. “Quiet,” she commanded teasingly.
“I’ll see how quiet you can be when I tickle you,” he threatened.
“No,” she giggled, squirming as he barely touched her ribs.
She pressed her body closer to his so he wouldn’t be able to tickle her… and because it felt so good to hold him.
No matter what else might be happening in her life, Emily always found the embrace of her lover calming all her fears and anxieties. She knew she could still be self-reliant, but she had become so used to him being there for her, and her love for him was growing more than she ever thought possible day by day, and especially on nights like these. If this was commitment, then it wasn’t so bad at all.
The next day was pretty busy, but Emily found some time to try to mitigate the damage by calling Carter.
“Awesome party last night,” Carter said, blissfully unaware that he was about to be told off.
“Yeah, about that, Carter, I understand you were interested in my friend Katie?”
“I still am,” he replied. “I got her phone number, and we’ve been texting.”
“Okay,” Emily said, “remember how you dated Nova Summers, the actress you worshipped and adored? And then you broke up with her, making her very sad? I don’t want that to happen to Katie.”
“Yeah, I remember,” Carter said. “But Nova Summers was not a picnic.”
“Can’t argue with you there,” Emily replied.
“Katie is different. She’s got such a strong personality, but she’s not a drama queen.” Even his usually careless voice changed to a more tender tone when he spoke about her.
“Sure, every new woman you meet is ‘different’,” Emily argued, “but sooner or later you get sick of them, and then you toss them like a used pair of underwear.”
“Are you sure you’re not jealous?” Carter asked.
“You mean I want to be tossed aside too? No thank you. I really care about Katie. She’s a good kid, and she already made one mistake by dating my brother. I don’t want her to be disappointed again.”
“Trust me, Carter Jacks does not disappoint.”
Emily laughed at his slightly cheesy confidence, but she was a little bit reassured that he cared about Katie and approached dating her seriously.
The next day was the last of Teddy’s visit. It was sad to see Teddy and his family go, but they agreed to see each other again and the whole family got invited to Byron and Emily’s wedding the following summer.
“Now that we both have a little more time on our hands,” Byron said after they returned home from the airport, “We could prepare for my company’s event.”
“We?” Emily queried. “I thought it was just for Katie to attend. I don’t usually enjoy these business parties.”
“Wouldn’t it be weird if you invited Katie and didn’t come yourself?”
“Not really.” She knew Byron was just doing his best to convince her to attend his events, even though she wasn’t sure why he insisted on her being there.
“Poor little Katie would be all alone at a party where she doesn’t know anyone…” he continued, making puppy dog eyes.
“Oh please, she’s not poor. She can meet new people. And she knows you.”
“She doesn’t know me that well,” he insisted.
“Okay, I’ll go,” Emily said, “just to put an end to this begging.”
She already regretted it because Byron’s business events were some of the most boring gatherings she had ever attended.
