Free Hell Bent by Emma Fawkes

or not my friend can have children. Damn, she probably knows just how high Milly’s chances of recurrence are.
    “What do you want?” I ask her bluntly.
    She wastes no time. “I want you to lie to her and, if you cannot do that, leave her alone. Get out of her life.”
    I am in shock, trying to comprehend her words and to attribute some sort of logic to them.
    “Why?” is all I can muster.
    “You will only upset her, worry her needlessly. She is healthy and normal right now, and you seem to have considerable sway over her. I won’t have that interfering with her future happiness.”
    “Hers, or yours?” I ask brazenly.
    She stares at me, and there is a look in her eyes that says it all. She knows I know what she’s up to, and she wants no interference from me.
    “Senator…” comes a male voice behind me. Bryce is standing in the doorway. He acknowledges Sabrina’s presence in a voice that could be likened to a warning growl of a guard dog. “Susie is her own woman, and she makes her own decisions. She is not a member of your staff, ma’am, and therefore not subject to following orders…not from anyone. With all due respect, ma’am, I would appreciate it if you would take your leave now.”
    Bryce takes a step to the side, indicating to Sabrina that her presence is no longer desired. The senator’s face grows mottled with anger, and she strides from the apartment and down the stairs with a furious indignation.
    I stagger backwards a bit at the ferocity of the scene in my living room, and at the realization that it is not the senator who calls the shots, but the man who stands before me.
    “You’ll get fired,” I whisper, my face pale and my heart racing. “Sabrina has connections everywhere, and her new husband is a Marine general, you know. Joint Chiefs of Staff and all that.”
    “Perhaps,” he says, closing the door behind himself and coming toward me. “It will not be the first time, nor the last, and frankly, my world is changing, and I’m suddenly not terribly satisfied with where I am,” he says in an enigmatic explanation.
    I decide to leave it lay as I collapse upon my sofa. My heart is still pounding, and I wait for the waves of nausea in my stomach to subside.
    “What is she doing?” I ask, of Bryce and of the Universe simultaneously.
    Bryce sits beside me, wrapping his arm around my shoulders and pulling my head against his chest. “It’s not for you to worry about. The senator is used to bullying people to get her way—at least that’s what Cam told me of her. You are not under her control and what you do is your own business. You and Milly are grown women. If Sabrina approaches you like this again, you are immediately to come to me. Is that clear?”
    He is quite serious, and I nod in acquiescence. This relaxes me, and I feel better already.
    “Let me start dinner.”
    “Not just yet,” Bryce commands.
    With this, he turns me a bit on the sofa and is taking my chin in his hands. He bends and kisses me, deep and long. I can feel the air between us, and its current is charged with longing, with chemistry. It’s the first time in my life I can remember wanting to breathe in someone else’s breath. It is suddenly the most enticing, delicious thing I can imagine.
    Suddenly, the kiss is ended, and Bryce pulls back, his eyes serious and filled with desire. He is controlling himself because he is afraid of scaring me, I realize with a start. I want to assure him that it’s okay, but somehow the luxury of knowing how badly he wants me, and yet is willing to hold back to give me space, is more precious than any gift ever given to me. I am immensely content and want to savor this feeling.
    I smile gently at him, and his eyes sparkle back. With this, I rise and head to the kitchen, chatting aimlessly about whatever comes to my airy head. It feels good to be silly, and when I look at him, he is smiling. I feel an anticipatory excitement I cannot remember. Life is suddenly good—very,