Chapter 56 It's a Long Road Again
Snow crunched beneath car tires as the BMW made its way up and down mountain peaks. Emily drove the car, letting Byron take in the beautiful mountains and evergreen trees all shining with crowns of white.
Emily believed more and more that his depression must have been made worse by the winter season and the repetitive strain of work. And since she didn’t have time to go on a real vacation, they decided on a quick weekend getaway to the mountains.
She knew the trip made a difference when Byron started singing along with her to “Marshmallow World.” He had been in quite a dark mood earlier, but now he was enjoying the journey and cracking jokes.
After a few hours’ drive they pulled over before Byron’s cabin located close to a ski resort. On the outside it had a Swiss chalet look with dark brown timbers and a balcony. Inside, there was a fireplace, and the furniture looked sleek and modern.
They went to the nearby town for dinner and then lounged by the fireplace drinking hot chocolate. The next day they spent skiing down the slopes. It was amazingly sunny, the snow providing millions of glowing reflections. Emily felt like both of their spirits were uplifted.
The getaway was going so well that Emily dreaded returning to the city in only two days. She looked over the mountain landscape pensively.
“Are you okay?” Byron asked. He sat in a big armchair leafing through a book on local wildlife, but evidently he was not too deeply immersed in it.
Emily didn’t realized he was aware of her subtle change in mood. She had grown used to being sensitive to Byron’s moods, but it seemed he had come to know her just as closely.
“Yeah,” she said, “I was just thinking it’s so good here that I don’t want to go back.”
“Let’s stay here,” he offered.
“I wish I could, but I’ve got to get back to my students,” Emily said, “What I’m not looking forward to is keeping my fashion lines going.”
“You said you couldn’t live without them,” Byron reminded her.
“That’s true, but they’re also a pain.”
“I think you’re being too hard on yourself,” Byron said. “Starting your own business is very challenging. It’s a long and winding road.”
“Everything is a long road with you,” she mocked, but she came over and sat down in his lap.
“But I really mean it about this.”
“Says the man who became a billionaire in his late twenties.”
“I was lucky,” he said, stroking her arm in a soothing way, “and I went through three failed businesses before I caught on to the way to do things. Compared to me, you’re doing extremely well, both with the art studio and the fashion lines.”
“Okay, I believe you,” Emily said, leaning over to kiss him. His lips felt soft and enticing surrounded by rough stubble that scratched at her face provocatively.
The kisses started out gentle and sweet but built up in passion until Emily was left panting for breath. Byron led her to the soft rug by the fireplace, where they lay down, stimulated by the heat of the flames and the torrid desire for each other.
Emily instantly forgot the rest of the world when she was in his embrace. She craved it more and more as Byron threw off his clothes and helped her quickly remove hers. He looked strong and untamed in the primal light of the fire, though Emily wondered if it just might be possible to tame him. His hands traced the contours of her body, and his gaze moved over her smooth skin with adoration.
When his eyes found hers again, he said, “I love you.”
Emily nearly gasped, overwhelmed by the whirlwind of sensations and by what he said. Her heart fluttered like a twirling flame, trying to escape and surrender itself to him.
It didn’t seem like he expected her to answer, too enthralled by looking tenderly at her face while the fire crackled like hundreds of tiny drums.
“I love you too,” Emily said, and as their bodies moved closer, she could feel his heart beating faster next to hers.
He leaned down to kiss her lips in the most sweet way she had ever experienced, and his body merged with hers, moving together with her in perfect rhythm. The fire sank lower, but as night fell around the cabin, Emily only felt warmth and brightness in the arms of the man she loved.
