Page 17 of Volatile

“Honestly, I didn’t feel that scared. I felt safe with him. He stayed with me a long time, cared for me. I didn’t even realize something had gone wrong until we spoke about it afterward.”

“What did he say about it?”

“He told me he’d never had that reaction from anyone before, but it didn’t matter—he would never risk it with me again. I suggested maybe waiting a while before making that decision, but he disagreed. He said my safety was non-negotiable and next time we might not be so lucky. It’s now considered a hard limit.”

Jon breathed a sigh of relief. That was the answer he wanted to hear. “He’s absolutely right, Lily. Breath play can be extremely dangerous, even if you stop before losing consciousness. Many do perform it without any issues, and yes, it can deepen the bond, but it needs to be taken seriously because the consequences can be severe. For that reason, I don’t recommend it. Too many people think it’s just a game and don’t give it enough respect.”

“I know. I’m not trying it again. Even if I were willing, he wouldn’t do it. It was just... the connection. I can’t explain it. I just loved that part.”

“I understand, Lily.”

It must have been the way he said it because she sat up and turned her head towards him. “You really do, don’t you?” He nodded. “And telling you about all this breath stuff doesn’t make you want to commit me for my own safety? You don’t even seem shocked.”

He laughed. “You’re not the first person to sit in my office and talk about these things.”

“I hope you’re not going to tell me I need to be fixed. Because if everything I’m feeling isn’t normal, I not sure I want to be.”

“I’ve already told you you’re perfectly normal, Lily. You’re not crazy, and there’s nothing to fix. Now if you were involved with someone who didn’t make your safety a priority, then we’d have a problem.”

She swung her legs over and bolted up. “I’m so glad I talked to you. Can you please tell my sister that it’s all good? Everything you said. Especially the part about me being safe.”

“Unfortunately, it’s not that simple.”

“There has to be something you can do, Mr. Blazek. I just want my life back. Do you know what it’s like to love someone so much and not be with them? It’s tearing my heart out.”

Yeah, he knew. Too damn well.

“Have you ever thought about moving out? You don’t need Ivy’s permission to start living life on your own terms.”

“She’d probably start even more problems then. And that’s not even an option right now. I want to put our relationship back together, not rip it apart more. I just need her to stop freaking out and worrying that something bad’s going to happen to me. I need her to accept that I want something different than what she wants.”

“Then you have to give her the chance to accept you. So far you haven’t done that. I’m not saying it’ll be easy, but you need to speak to her. Don’t just say everything’s fine, but explain why it’s fine. Tell her how you feel and let her in. Because right now she doesn’t have a clue and that only makes her assume the worst.”

“I know I need to talk to her, but I have no idea where to even start. I’m telling you, I know my sister better than you, and she is not going to just sit down and listen with an open mind. She’s convinced the man I love is a horrible person, the enemy. I’m scared to even bring him up, of what she might do.”

“What if I invited her to join in our next session? I know she’d be more than willing.”

Lily dropped her head in her hands. “God, no... Not yet. Even with you there acting as referee, I’d be worried about saying the wrong thing and messing it all up. I could end up making it worse, and then her vendetta would be even stronger against him.” She perked up, eyes brightening. “What if you spoke to her first and explained that I’m not in any harm? Give her your professional opinion. She has to listen to you. Maybe you could get her to be more open to everything before I talk to her.”

No, Ivy did not have to listen to him and likely wouldn’t. The moment he told her something she didn’t want to hear, all hell would break loose. But that didn’t mean it wasn’t his obligation to at least try. He looked into Lily’s hopeful expression. She had faith that he could pull this off, and he wanted to do whatever he could to make this better for her. It wasn’t just a fucking job. He cared about her. Everyone should have the damn right to be happy with the one they love.

“Okay, Lily. I’ll see what I can do.”

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