Byron looked down for a few seconds and then cupped her cheek tenderly. “I’ve never been in a relationship before, Amelia. I’m following my instincts to try to make you happy. My instincts won’t always be right.”

The touch of Byron’s hand made Amelia want to forgive her instantly, but she realized if she wanted a long-term relationship with someone who had such an alpha personality, she had to make a stand or they would never be equals.

“I’m not one of your employees or security people following in your wake. I’m…that’s the thing, I don’t know what I am to you, Byron. Am I just a lover? Am I your girlfriend, or something else? Whatever I am, you can’t just disregard my thoughts and feelings.”

“You are not just anything, Amelia. You are my shining girl, and I may be a novice at this relationship business, but I want to learn, and I never want to make you feel like your parents did.”

Byron pulled Amelia closer, and heard her Duca’s words ringing in her head. Humans break, and then they break our hearts.

She was hesitant to give a name to what they were together, because as soon as she did, Amelia would be marked by the enemies of the Debreks. In the past six months, she had tried to forget about the reasons she had never allowed herself to become emotionally involved, but her feelings for Amelia had momentarily blinded her to the risks.

“Amelia, I don’t apologize. That’s not something I’m accustomed to doing—my business and my family live and die by my decisions. But I can see why you were angry, and I promise to learn to do better. Forgive me? I’ll take you home after two weeks if you wish.”

A small smile crept up on Amelia’s face. “I think I could survive a month with you, in the sun of Monaco.” Byron went to speak, but Amelia held her finger up to her mouth to silence Byron, and said firmly, “But I’ll only consider staying as long as Uncle Jaunty says it’s okay, and Daisy is coping alone.”

Byron smiled and kissed Amelia’s palm. “Consider me severely reprimanded.”

“I should think so too,” Amelia said with a small grin.

Byron felt such relief at Amelia’s forgiveness, though she still had those nagging doubts at the back of her mind, but with the newly consumed blood in her system, all she wanted to do was touch her lover. Every sense of hers was heightened, matched by intense emotional and primal needs for love and sex, and hunger for blood.

“Thank you. I told you when we first met that I’d show you the world, and a new world of experiences, and I will.”

Amelia slipped her arms around Byron’s neck and kissed her on the lips. “How about the mile-high club?”

The corners of Byron’s mouth crept up into a dangerous smile. “Why, Miss Honey, are you the same shy young woman I first met?”