The Dance

*19*

'Would you be better off without me?' Emma said slowly, offering what she knew might kill her. 'I'll leave if that's what you want, what's best for you in the long run. It'll be one of the hardest things I've done, but if that's true for you, we should end it now.' Emma was worried, Prince wasn't looking at her.

Prince's head snapped up at Emma's terrifying offer. 'No, that's the best and the worst part. I want you here. I'm not used to wanting people close to me. Like I said before, I've typically been abandoned by people, or I've pushed them away when they got closer than I could handle. Relationships with women, with family, even with some of my band members typically end in betrayal for me, either by me or them. I don't feel like you would betray me, and I never want to betray you, but I'm not good with feeling like someone has something on me.' He started distracting himself from his fears by tracing Emma's ear, trailing down her neck, finally settling on her collarbone, gently moving his fingers back and forth, reveling in the softness of her skin. The physical was always a safe distraction for him.  His eyes followed his hand, creating some distance between them even as his hand continued caressing her. He was physically present and emotionally absent at the same time.

'Is this still about the first night?' Emma replied, stilling Prince's hand and gently tilting his chin toward hers. He still wasn't meeting her eyes, which terrified her.

Continuing, she said, 'I've told you I'm not going to talk, and I'm not, because you asked me not to. I understand why it would be difficult for you to completely trust me, since you've only known me a couple of weeks. But honestly, speaking as someone who has followed your career for years, I'm not sure anyone would be surprised at the news that you're having joint issues.'

Prince opened his mouth to speak, and Emma put a finger against his lips, smilingly shaking her head 'no'.

'You abused your body for the public's entertainment for years, and just like pro athletes or pro dancers, there is a price to pay for that.' Emma slid a little closer to turn and fully face Prince in the tub, and he automatically put his arm around her, drawing her still closer.

Looking Prince in the eye, Emma continued. 'That's your news to share, not mine. Like I said, I know it's hard for you to trust, but I have too much pride in myself to stoop to talking to the press about anything about you without your permission. Thankfully your hands, head, and heart are fine, so you can continue to create. I'm sure the music will be back. You've stressed yourself out and worked to exhaustion. Give yourself a small break, okay? You are human.'

Giving Emma a lingering kiss on the forehead, Prince gathered his thoughts.

'A break is not what I want to do career-wise, at least not now. I have so many ideas for songs and album themes right now, I'm having trouble sleeping again.'

'I've noticed,' Emma interrupted, smiling gently.

Prince gave her a peck on the lips, said, 'Girl, it's still my turn to talk!' and continued his thoughts.

'I'm easing up physically-I haven't done splits for 13 years. I'm trying to take care of myself. I don't think the public minds, long term. People still get pretty amped for my shows, I typically sell out in less than half an hour. So, yes, it is sort of about that. But in my world, the most innocuous stories turn into a huge deal. I think I'm waiting for the other shoe to drop when it comes to us. The press can be pretty brutal.'

Emma grinned in response to his last statement.

'I know what those jerks are capable of. I stand in the line at the grocery store, and my girls used to watch TMZ. Thankfully they grew up. I quit following any celebrity press when Princess Diana died.'

Prince squeezed Emma tighter, but didn't speak. Emma continued, 'I don't care what they say about me. I know who I am, who you are, and that's all that matters to me. I think my family and close friends are savvy enough to be able to tell the truth from a lie. And if they aren't, then I'll set them straight.'

Emma turned away, and slid to the opposite end of the tub.

'Would you be okay getting out of the tub now? I'm getting a little pruney.' Emma smiled back at Prince, who still looked very thoughtful.

'You didn't ask me to say what I asked you to say, why?'

'If that's something you feel, you're going to want to say it. I'm a patient gal. Let's get dried off.' I guess I'll have to live with the fact that he may not love me. Emma sighed as she exited the tub.

Prince noticed, and his brow furrowed in concern.
'You okay?'
'Yes, I just realized how tired I am,' Emma replied, telling part of her truth.

'Let me take care of you, now. It will be my pleasure.' And it really was his pleasure. He thoroughly enjoyed drying Emma, smoothing her skin with lotion everywhere, cherishing her with his hands, lingering in all his favorite spots. She did the same for him. It was obvious desire was building for both of them.

Then Emma said, 'There are a couple of things I'd like to do. Would you mind coming to bed so I could do them?'

Prince smirked, and said, 'Well, if you must. I'll try to stay awake a little longer.'

He had no trouble staying awake. He also had no trouble taking control in bed, which was always his preference. His hands found new places and ways to caress Emma that she had never experienced before. Every time she thought she'd had the ultimate sexual experience with Prince, he introduced her to something else to enhance their time making love. There was no way to categorize their lovemaking as simply having sex.

Once he turned Emma out to the brink of exhaustion, proving to her once again that she was capable of far more than she ever imagined, giving Prince physical and emotional satisfaction, they both finally slept well.

The next day, Emma began making another cake. If it was sweet, nothing  lasted long. Sometimes she thought Kirk and Prince were competing to see who could take more servings. Prince sort of cheated, taking a full slice or a whole cookie, eating one or two bites and declaring himself full. Emma shook her head.

'Silly boys!' She thought. 'I'm so glad I got to raise girls. Boys are exhausting sometimes!'

Prince specifically requested chocolate and butterscotch again, stating it was his new favorite. Emma was thrilled to do anything for him that would bring him joy, especially after the drama of the night before.

Thinking about their distressing conversation of the previous evening, Emma felt like they had dodged a bullet.

'I wish I really knew what that bullet was. Prince said several things in the tub that didn't make sense to me. Most of what he shared about previous liaisons and relationships broke my heart. The simple life I've had all these years was wonderful, even with the losses I've had to deal with, in comparison to the life  he described.'

As she pulled cake layers out of the oven to cool, her thoughts continued. 'His choice of words when talking about us was kinda weird, too. It was almost like he was doing everything possible not to use the 'L' word. I'm not sure how I feel about that. I guess I'll bide my time and just continue to float along in his wake a little  longer before I make hard decisions.

A/N-Well, Emma seems to know how to calm Prince down. Does he really believe her? Vote, Comment, and as always, thanks for reading!