Chapter 39 No Need to Take Charge
Emily looked up into his eyes, and the night they first met came back so vividly. Byron had the same pained look when he talked about Nova Summers, just like when Emily first saw him standing alone on the bridge.
“I’m not going anywhere,” she said, “The fact that you told me this already means you’re trying to get better. You’re not in denial anymore.”
“One tiny step,” he admitted, the muscles in his jaw tight as he stared out into the ocean, “...which might not lead anywhere.”
Emily pulled his face closer as if it was going to convince him to listen to her. “I know in your mind you’re already scheming for a way to get out of having to do therapy, but you’re going to do it.”
“Good God, what have I gotten myself into?” Byron said with a grin, “Can I take back what I said about you being my girlfriend?”
“No, too late!” Emily said, laughing.
“I thought you were my cure,” he said, looking deeply into her eyes, “I always feel good when I’m around you, but I know it’s not fair to put that kind of pressure on you.”
“That’s why you need a professional to talk to,” she argued.
“A psychologist? Tried that already. All he did was stare at me while thinking some mysterious thoughts and then wrote down what I said. He didn’t have any kind of solutions.”
The wind was getting intolerably cold, and Emily frowned, both with the uncomfortable feeling of being chilled through and the realization of how hopeless Byron must have felt.
“Well that doesn’t sound like a very good doctor,” Emily stated, “You could try a different one.”
“I’d much rather talk to you,” he said, reaching for a stray hair that fluttered around her cheek.
“And you can talk to me,” Emily said, “But a professional might come up with different strategies to help you. We’ll go through every single psychologist in this city if we have to, but we’ll find a good one, someone you’ll enjoy talking to and who will advise you with actions you can take.”
“Like how to not kill myself?” he suggested.
“Yeah, like that,” Emily replied, a flicker of a smile chased away by concern, “Seriously, you can’t do that anymore.”
“So you’re taking charge, Miss Danzi?” he asked playfully.
“That’s right. Somebody has to step in. Come on, let’s get off this bridge.”
She pulled him by the hand, and he followed. Then she felt the solid hold of his hand around her waist, pressing her closer to him as they walked.
“Do you also take charge in the bedroom?” Byron asked.
“I don’t have to take charge in the bedroom,” she replied, “When I’m with someone who does exactly what I want.” She winked at him with a wicked smile.
By the time they got to his highrise building, Emily felt a vast amount of tension welling up inside her. It had been a confusing time, and she was always afraid to trust their relationship, but now she felt the compulsion to get much closer.
As they stepped into the elevator, the same impulse took over both of them. The doors had hardly shut when Byron turned her towards him, and she was pulled into an ardent kiss that gave way to even more passionate and wild kisses.
By the time the elevator arrived at the top floor, Emily was almost too dazed to walk the few steps into the suite across the tiled floor. Byron pulled her after him, and they stumbled in together, ignoring the scandalized dog that lifted its head on seeing them enter in such a disorderly fashion.
They were in the bedroom... Byron’s bedroom.
Emily had never been in here before, but she hardly noticed the elegant modern decor when her eyes saw nothing but the deadly attractiveness of the man before her. His eyes smoldered with passion, and Emily could feel how much he craved her by the way he looked at her, by the way he held her.
After such a long wait, she couldn’t wait to get him out of his clothing. Byron’s body was pure muscle, his lightly tanned skin gleaming a pale shade of gold in the dim light of the bedside lamp. He unzipped the back of her dress and let the silver fabric drop to the floor.
“Is this exactly what you want?” he asked.
“Yes,” Emily said, the closeness of their embrace flooding her body with ecstatic energy.
It was the way her body responded to Byron that made her feel no other man had ever satisfied her like this. He really did seem to know exactly what she wanted, and he followed her guidance when she hinted with subtle touches and whispered words about what she enjoyed most.
The vast amount of pleasure she felt was almost excruciating. Each new wave of desire built upon the last, making her yearn for more until it seemed like the impossibly towering tension was ready to collapse in on itself, and then the all-consuming electric force filled her entire body, taking her to a new height she had never felt before.
Emily knew for sure now it was dangerous to fall in love with him, but as she lay on his bed, nestled in his embrace under the covers, it was already beginning to happen.
