Page 21 of Dark Truth

I pulled her legs around me and lifted her so that I could drive into her, straight to that spot that made her shoot off like a rocket. She writhed with me, her hips a blur, as she let her head fall back in total abandon.

Emily could be restrained, she could wait her turn, but she didn’t have to do any of that right now. She just had to take what I gave her.

She took it with both fists, greedily, as if she might never get it again.

I lost my stride for a minute but quickly retrieved it. Now wasn’t the time for those thoughts, and I sank down into her again. Each thrust was warm, liquid pleasure, and the sensation of her as I left her, a grip that didn’t want to let go, was just as exciting.

“Emily, I can’t wait anymore, baby. Fuck, come with me, please.” I thrust into her, hard, deep, and heard a soft sound, a sound that she only made on the best occasions. Surprise, pleasure, and then she almost turned inside out.

I was right there with her, lost in the way my dick was exploding over and over again. I didn’t know I had it in me, but I did. After a while, I slumped against her, done, but still lost in bliss.

I rolled, pulled her on top of me, and held her as we tried to remember how to breathe. She was always the first one to recover, and she left the bed to get a glass of water. She brought me one and set it on my nightstand. She crawled in beside me and pulled the covers up.

“Maybe we should take a shower?” I said, too tired to actually do it.

“Tomorrow. I’m too fucking tired.” She didn’t swear a lot, but it was cute when she did. It was also a sign of how tired she was.

“Good idea. Tomorrow.” I patted her, but the word tomorrow was no real comfort.

Tomorrow I’d tell her that I might die and leave her alone. Tomorrow I’d tell her that it might be a long, slow process, and she’d have to watch me wither away to nothing. I might go blind; I might lose the ability to speak. I’d read about what could happen. I knew what my fate could be.

It wasn’t pretty, it wasn’t at all kind, what fate had in store for me. Not unless a new treatment came along. The medicines could control some of the symptoms, but there was no cure. Not yet.

I pulled her to me, the glass of water forgotten.

“Sleep well, Emily.” I kissed her cheek, and she hummed.

“Sweet dreams, Dylan.”

She might have been sweating ten minutes ago, but she was back to her normal, fruity smell. Pain arced through my gut as I wondered if she’d be in that spot tomorrow night. What if she walked out?

I couldn’t imagine that. I was banking on her not running out on me, but she might. There was always a possibility of that. Not everyone was made to be a caretaker. Even if they were good with kids and managing people’s lives. She’d actually taken care of her family her whole life. It wasn’t fair to ask her to stick around and maybe face caring for me. Wasn’t that where we were heading?

Wasn’t the idea that we would be here for each other?

I didn’t really have doubts about Emily, but I knew reality. I had to face reality. Life wasn’t always fair, and sometimes people surprised you. I was sure the girl my father fell in love with shocked the fuck out of him when she suddenly turned into a psychotic harridan.

He’d expected a wife, a baby, and a quiet life. He hadn’t got that at all. He’d got anything but peace. Mom had nearly driven us both mad with her own madness. Then, the ultimate shock, when she’d tried to kill us all. She’d only managed two of us. I’d escaped.

For the rest of my life, I’d avoided love, real commitment. What if I turned out to be like Mom? There’d been no signs of it, but she’d snapped one day. She hadn’t been insane when Dad fell in love with her.

Which made me realize that Emily was a lot like my Dad. She was a giver, a caretaker, someone who gave everything she had to those she loved. It was a reassuring thought because deep down, I was really afraid to tell her what was wrong with me.

It was stupid, I knew that, but fuck, how did you ruin someone’s day with the shit I had to drop on her? I rolled away and pressed my face into the side of my head where it had started to ache. I stared into the darkness of the room, lost in my own thoughts.

Then Emily rolled over to wrap around me. She sought me out even when she was asleep. I was positive she felt the same way about me, and calm finally settled over me. I was certain, at last, that she would support me. She wouldn’t run away.

Emily wasn’t the kind to do that, not unless she was pushed away. Although, I thought with a final happy thought, she’d pushed right back at me when I’d tried to push her away. She’d steamrolled into my life and squashed every protest I’d made. That wasn’t a woman who would give up at the first sign of trouble.

I fell asleep then, at peace at last. I had a plan in place now. I knew what I needed to do. I almost felt relief. It would be over soon, the hiding I’d done, the dishonesty, a lot of people would call it. Tomorrow Emily would decide what our future would be. I was happy with that.

Emily

“Emily, this is incredible,” Jessi whispered to me as I ushered her into our penthouse. Her eyes were round with wonder, as if she’d never set foot into such a place before. I knew she had; she was my eldest brother’s wife, after all.

“I just wanted it to feel less like a showroom and more like a home,” I explained. The place was tastefully decorated, and I’d added little touches here and there. My wicker baskets along the baseboards in corners, a few prints I’d found on the walls, fluffy pillows and blankets on the couches; it all made it home to me.

“I knew you’d have a place like this,” she whispered again, as Ember and Laura came in from the hot tub area in the back. “A place that feels like a home. Your parents’ house is so … untouchable.”