Until 9 p.m.

As soon as the door closed behind them, Emma grabbed his shirt and kissed him hard.

Danny blinked.

For a moment, he was too surprised to do anything else. Then he kissed her back.

Her hands slid up his chest, then around his neck, pulling him closer.

He put his arms around her waist.

She broke the kiss just long enough to look at him.

“You seem kind of different today.”

Danny grinned.

"What do you mean?"

“I hadn't realized until now just how attractive you are...”

"Maybe you just haven't been looking closely enough."

She kissed him again, pressing herself against him. Danny felt a rush of excitement that was almost overwhelming. Her perfume filled his senses, along with the warmth of her skin and the faint scent of her hair.

He had imagined kissing Emma countless times. The reality was better than anything he'd expected.

She pulled back and glanced around the room.

The master bedroom was spacious, with a large four-poster bed, dark wooden furniture and heavy curtains drawn across the windows.

"Quite a place," Danny said.

"Quite a bed."

Emma smiled mischievously and backed towards the bed, still holding his hand.

"Come here."

Danny had wanted this for so long.

A strange confidence surged through him. The familiar nervousness, the fear of saying the wrong thing or making a fool of himself—all of it seemed to have vanished.

Yet as he held her, another thought crept into his mind.

This is what they promised.

He remembered Lilith's smile. Morrigan's words about the power in his blood.

For the first time, he wondered whether this was really happening because Emma wanted him—or because something inside him had made it happen.

Then Emma kissed him again, and the question slipped away.

The first pieces of clothing came off. Their hands explored each other’s bodies. Danny felt a thrill like he’d never felt before.

Emma knelt down in front of him and pulled down his pants.

“Oh, wow, if I’d known that…”

Danny looked down.

Was it an eyesight trick, or had he grown?

Whatever.

The only thing that mattered now was that Emma liked what she’d found.

She spoiled him with her tongue and lips.

This was better than any dream.

Danny resisted the temptation to pinch himself. Even if this were a dream, he didn’t want to wake up.

He lifted Emma up and helped her onto the bed.

She smiled.

“Oh, is this where the macho part comes in?”

Danny didn’t answer. At least not with words.

He dropped to his knees and returned the favor she’d shown him.

Soon she buried her fingers in his hair and pressed her hips against him.

“Oh, oh, don’t stop. I’m about to come,” she moaned.

He had no intention of stopping.

Seconds later, she bucked like a colt and screamed out her first orgasm.

Danny lowered himself onto her. He sought her gaze and held it as he slowly pushed himself inside her.

Her wet heat enveloped him.

She exhaled audibly. Her eyes widened.

He gave her time to get used to his size.

“Do you want it?” he whispered.

She nodded.

He went for it.

An hour later, Emma had stopped counting how many times she’d gotten off. Her legs were trembling, and she could barely utter a sound.

Danny thrust himself into her one last time, all the way to the hilt, and finished with a deep growl.

"Danny," she moaned breathlessly. "What the hell was that? I've never experienced anything remotely like it."

He grinned. “I guess you liked it?”

They lay there, tightly entwined, for several minutes.

Then he got up.

Emma watched him get dressed.

“Don’t you want to stay with me?” she asked.

He looked at her.

“There are a few people downstairs I urgently need to sort something out with.”

She sighed and snuggled into the blankets.

“I’ll wait for you.”

He gave her a nod and closed the door behind him.

He had questions and wouldn’t let up until he had the answers.