“What are you thinking so hard about, Amelia?”
“That I’ve known you six months and this is the first time you’ve let me see your world. I know so little about you.”
Byron’s gaze met hers and then Byron caressed her cheek. “That’s what this is about. I want to take you into my world. I’ve never brought anyone to our estate in Monte Carlo before. Apart from my London penthouse, this is my most private space. I live an unusual life, but I want to share it with you.”
Amelia was genuinely touched by that. Byron was not used to showing emotion, she was used to dealing with black-and-white business information and figures, so offering to let Amelia into the privacy of her world meant everything to her.
“Thank you, I appreciate you letting me in. I want to know everything about you, Byron. I want there to be no secrets.”
Byron’s eyes flicked nervously ahead. “We are going to have a wonderful time.”
Chapter Two
They boarded the plane, and Byron showed Amelia around each part—the forward conference and meeting room, the large lounge area with comfortable couches, a full double bedroom to the rear, and Byron’s private office. It was the ultimate in luxurious travel.
They finally got into the air. Byron unclasped her seat belt and turned to Amelia, who was pinned back against the seat, and was gripping the armrests.
She placed her hand over Amelia’s and stroked her hair. “You can breathe now.”
Amelia started to breathe normally. “God, I’ve never liked flying. I thought this might be different because we have more space but—”
Byron silenced her with a kiss that made Amelia moan, and when she pulled back from her lover said, “I’ll take your mind off all your worries, mia cara.”
A smile broke out on Amelia’s face. “I like it when you call me that.”
“A vestige of my family’s Venetian heritage. My parents always use that language for their terms of endearment, and that’s what you are to me. Mia cara—my dear.”
Byron saw that Amelia was thinking hard. “You never mention your parents much. Will you tell me about them?”
This was the start of letting Amelia have a small glimpse into her world, to assess how a long-term relationship could work with her many family secrets, the most important of which was that the Debreks were a royal family of immortal vampires, running an international banking and business group.
The six months they had spent together had never been in Byron’s plans. She’d never intended to let anyone near her heart, because she knew what torment and pain falling for a human could cause.
At the start, Byron had kidded herself that it was just a bit of fun, showing Amelia a good time and teaching and opening a world of sexual pleasure to her, but if she was honest, Amelia had claimed a place in her heart from the very first look.
One summer evening two years ago Byron’s Daimler pulled up outside Grenville and Thrang. She’d instructed Alexis to contact Bhal and have her ready her people and the plane to leave London by ten o’clock at the latest. She needed to be in New York for her North American and Canadian regional meeting first thing, and she’d promised her cousin Angelo she’d have breakfast with her first.