Page 16 of Dark Time

“Ah, intriguing,” she said over her glass of white wine. “What colors do you have in mind?”

“Something like this, elegant but muted. Yet, still, somehow exceptional. I don’t want neon greens and oranges, or the tired out blue and white, or even that awful khaki color and green that some are using now. I want stylish, but timeless. Classic and beautiful.” Like my Emily, the thought ran through my head, and I smiled.

“I see. How many rooms are there?” She leaned in to ask, and we talked for a few minutes.

The waiter came and took our order for lunch, and the conversation carried on. She hadn’t been overly confident that she could help me when she first arrived, but I think by the time she stood to leave that she was as convinced as I was. She’d won countless awards for her design skills, and I thought she might just win another for what she would do with my hotel.

I stood when she got ready to leave, or I wouldn’t have seen the man from where I sat at the table. He must have been in another room of the restaurant, because if I’d seen him before I’d have arranged to eat somewhere else. Trent Thompson.

Emily’s brother.

I bid farewell to Erica and sat back down. I’d have to pay the bill, so I waited and watched Trent. The man didn’t look like a demon, just a bastard, but what kind of man would disown his sister as Trent had? Sure, he thought he’d done it for good reasons, but even I knew the man hated me for no other reason than he thought I’d be competition for him. He didn’t give two fucks about my past, he just didn’t want the competition he knew I’d give him.

The really stupid part was, there was enough people coming to the place to keep us both in business. So, in essence, he’d lost his sister for nothing. He’d thrown her out in the cold and left her with no way to interact with the rest of her family because of a stupid case of instant dislike. He didn’t look like a stupid man, but obviously he was, to treat his sister so callously.

From what Emily said, her entire lifetime had been blemished by this man. He’d been a petulant child who didn’t want his daddy to have more children, and when his temper tantrums hadn’t sent the horrible new siblings away, he’d just been atrocious to them. Or, at least, to Emily. He’d called some kind of truce with his brothers, but she’d just been a servant. How could he treat somebody as sweet as Emily as he had?

Something kind of went clunk inside of me as I looked the man over. He was talking to another man in a black suit like his own, and he wore a cocksure grin. He hadn’t noticed me or I was sure he’d have walked out of the place. This was the man who had made Emily’s life so incredibly unbearable that she’d run away from her own family. Well, one of them. From what she’d said, they’d all played a part in her departure.

Trent had been the oldest. He should have looked out for his little sister, protected her, and loved her. Instead, she’d grown up not knowing what real love was until the babies had come along from her brothers. Trent should have been a sensible kid and been a protective brother to the younger siblings.

The whole family was fairly messed up, even I could see that. I decided to keep my mouth shut for now and wait. Emily obviously wanted to make amends with some of her family, and she missed the children. I could tell that from the way her face would change when there were children around us. It wasn’t necessarily a need to be a mother; it was memories of her nieces and nephews that turned her face sad and made her go quiet.

I wanted to punch the man for a thousand reasons, but I would let it go for now. Emily deserved a chance to get her family back together. That was something I’d never have the chance to do.

I paid the bill and went back to the resort to look it over. The designer had promised to have some ideas for me soon enough, and I’d go from there. I wanted something spectacular, but not tacky. I went to the main office, a hidden room at the very back of the reception area, and picked up a set of keys. I rode the elevator to the very top floor and went into the penthouse there.

Glass everywhere, and the movers had been in. The kitchen, laundry room, and the bedroom were ready. Good. There was no pool on the top of this building, but I could install a hot tub or something later. For now, I wanted to make this place my own and get out of the one I’d rented. I wanted it to be a surprise for Emily.

I’d ordered paintings for the walls and a few other items that would add decoration. I’d spent the earliest part of my life in bleak, almost empty rooms, and I’d kept the habit when I became an adult. I wanted her to see how much of a change she’d made in my life, and had decided the best way to do that was to ask her to pick out the china pattern I’d buy for the penthouse. I wanted her to have a part in the decoration.

She’d made a liar out of me, and I knew now that the man who didn’t do relationships was deep into one he didn’t want to end. I knew she was going to be a part of my life for a long time, if I didn’t scare her off. I couldn’t get enough of waking up to her, or the way her lips tasted after she’d sipped her apple juice. I wanted her to know that now.

Slowly, it had to be slowly, so neither of us would get spooked, but eventually, I thought this could go a lot further than a casual ‘we’re dating’ scenario. I was afraid, I could admit that to myself, because she could totally destroy me if this went much further. At the same time, it was one of the biggest challenges of my life.

I’d even told my parents about her. That had been a shocker for both of us, believe me. I’d never mentioned a female to them before, and I had to laugh now. I bet they thought I was gay. They’d been delighted when I told them about Emily, and so pleased that I was taking that chance.

It felt good to know I had someone to come home to and that they looked forward to meeting. It felt even better to slip into bed with her, mmm, especially when she was warm and asleep. She’d wrap herself around me in total abandon and make me feel like I was the strongest man alive, because she felt safe with me.

It was that, perhaps, that kept me humble. Because, as much as I was afraid of being hurt by her, she was just as afraid that I’d hurt her.

I closed up the penthouse and went down to the car. A call came in, and I answered it.

“Hi, Dylan, sorry to be a bother, but we have a situation out here at the San Diego hotel, and we need you here.” I heard the main manager’s voice and sighed. This didn’t happen frequently, so I knew the manager had only called me as a last resort.

“What’s up, Amanda?” I started the car and pulled out of the parking garage as she told me about the issue at hand. She was right, I’d need to go out there and sort it.

“I’ll fly out tomorrow. It can wait until then. Thanks for contacting me, Amanda. I have every confidence in your decision-making abilities, but this needs my attention. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

She said goodbye with relief in her voice, and I had to shake my head. I didn’t see much point in terrorizing my employees, as I’d hired them for a reason. Amanda was more than capable, and I hadn’t lied, I was confident in her. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have had the position.

I made my way home to Emily at last. She wasn’t happy that I’d be leaving again so soon, but she understood. I took her to bed, and she decided to forgive me after I’d made her come a few times with my tongue.

It was later, as we prepared my luggage together, that I finally asked her the question that had been on my mind.

“Emily, will you move into the new place with me?” I turned to look at her and saw surprise on her face.

“What else would I do, Dylan?” She moved up to me and put her arms around my waist. “You wanted me here. I took it for granted you’d want me there too.”