With her free hand, Byron caressed Amelia’s cheek. “The best year, in my opinion.”

Amelia was torn between forgiving her, and her annoyance. She sighed audibly, and Byron said, “I’m sorry I keep letting you down. I…I will try to do better. Please forgive me?”

Amelia was surprised by the desperation in Byron’s voice. That wasn’t like her. She also noticed Byron’s hand was still shaking. Amelia put down her champagne glass, and took Byron’s hand. “Are you okay, sweetheart?”

“Of course,” Byron said a bit too quickly. She put down her glass and pulled Amelia to her. “I just need to kiss you.”

Amelia couldn’t help but kiss her then, and after their lips came together, and Byron gave her a deep, frantic kiss, she realized how turned on Byron was. Amelia had a deep need to give Byron what she needed. It was part of Amelia’s caring nature, but being the lover Byron needed turned her on sexually so much too, and satisfied her.

Amelia pulled at Byron’s tie as they kissed frantically, and threw it to the side. Then she pulled back from the kiss momentarily, to unbutton Byron’s shirt. She touched Byron’s hand, and felt the tremor she had seen earlier.

“Is everything really okay? You seem—”

“I’m fine.” Byron cut her off. “I’m so bad at this…relationship business. I keep trying to make you happy, and I keep failing.” Byron rested her forehead against Amelia’s and said, “I need you to help me, mia cara. Need you so much.”

The way Byron said need chimed somewhere deep inside Amelia. She didn’t quite understand it, but she sensed Byron felt out of control, not centred in some way. Amelia knew instinctively what Byron needed tonight, and she would give it to her.

Amelia stroked her cheek, and Byron pleaded, “I need to taste your innocence.”

She kissed Byron so softly and lovingly that Byron moaned. She stopped her kiss but kept her lips inches from Byron’s and said, “I understand. Let me give you what you need.”

Byron looked at her, seemingly unsure of this turn of events. Byron always led them, and she still would tonight, but Amelia would take care of her along the way. Amelia had grown much more sexually confident since she’d met Byron. The woman Byron first encountered at Grenville and Thrang would never have initiated a sexual encounter she wanted, or admitted she liked control and domination. Now, Amelia revelled in their sexual energy.

She unbuttoned Byron’s shirt and threw it on the floor, along with the compression vest she wore underneath.

She ran her hands over the hard body she so adored, her nails softly scratching down her shoulder and chest. It was one of the things that Amelia loved about Byron—underneath the business suit, she had the body of a sportswoman who worked out for a living. Amelia had no idea how she found the time to sculpt these muscles and build the incredible strength she had demonstrated on occasion. There was only one time she had seen Byron work out, at her London penthouse. After staying over the previous evening, and finding herself alone in bed, she followed the clatter of wood, and found Byron engaging in some sort of fight using short sticks, in her gym with Bhal. She’d watched the play of her muscles and the speed of her movements with awe, and fell in love with her body even more.