Read Take You Away: A Novella for Free Online Page A

don’t care. Even those brief seconds we were apart were far, far too long for me. His hands clutch my hips as he begins to move, taking me with all of his need.
    It’s always wilder with him, the days when he’s lost. On the days when he’s been gripped by pain or sadness or anger. Calder's not used to talking about those things. He’s used to storing them up, letting them fill him and take possession of his body. And it shows. There’s a desperation to his motions. A madness. He needs more. And he gives more, too.
    And I’m happy to take all of it.
    I’m quickly tumbling toward the edge. Already my core is tightening, and I curl my fingers against the rough floor of the balcony.
    "Calder…" I say into the night.
    He responds with another growl, and he leans forward, grabbing me around the waist and pulling me onto his lap. This time he doesn’t tease me by toying with me though the fabric of my thong. Instead, he slips his hand beneath the lace and presses his finger right against my clit.
    "Come for me, Lily," he says, his voice thick as he resumes his thrusts.
    Those words make something delicious bubble up in my stomach. I let my head fall back onto his shoulder, let my cheek press against his. The edge is so close, and his finger continues its exquisite dance between my legs.
    It's too much, the joy of having him inside of me. I don’t know how my body can take it. How I’m still conscious.
    "Come for me," he says again. "Give me everything."
    I can’t deny him, even if I wanted to. I give myself over to the pleasure, and the world explodes around me.
    Calder isn’t far behind me. His hand tightens on my hip, and then I’m filled with the warmth of his desire. His love. He holds me against him, letting me have all of him.
    As if he hasn’t already given me so much of himself.
    Afterward, we lie on the cool concrete of the balcony floor for some time. It’s uncomfortable, but I can’t bring myself to move. And I can’t imagine being anywhere but in Calder's arms right now. He has that delicious, sated expression he always wears after we’ve made love. And the way he touches me, the way he keeps tilting his head to press kisses against my hair and face, makes it clear that he’s no more eager to disentangle himself than I am.
    But it’s not long before I sense the real world coming back to him. He knows I’m here and that I love him, but I can’t replace his sister. And I can't bring his sister back for him, either.
    I snuggle closer to him. I hate feeling helpless. I hate feeling like there’s nothing I can do to make this better.
    Calder strokes my hair. "I know what you’re doing, Lily."
    I lift my head. "What?"
    His eyes are still full of shadows, but a wry humor flashes in their depths. He strokes my cheek with his thumb.
    "You’re beating yourself up. Over my problems," he says.
    "I’m not—"
    "You are," he says softly. "And I love you for it." He brushes his lips against mine. "But you don’t have to have an answer for everything."
    I squeeze my eyes shut. "I hate seeing you like this."
    His thumb pauses. "And I hate seeing you look so lost."
    My eyes drift open again, and the look on his face fills me with such emotion that I hardly know what to say.
    "It’s not just your problem anymore," I remind him softly. "If you think for a minute that I’m going to leave you to deal with this on your own…" I twist my engagement ring around on my finger. When I’ve imagined us getting married, it’s always been with family and friends around us. Not with Calder and Louisa at odds. I don’t want to see those shadows in his expression on the day of our wedding.
    But what am I supposed to do? What am I supposed to say?
    "I just…" I begin again. But I don’t know how to finish.
    And fortunately, I don’t need to.
    "I know," he tells me, brushing my hair back from my face.
    For a moment we just look at each other. He doesn’t try to hide any of his emotions, and even out here, with only