Maybe she did long for comfort. Maybe she did want to know the option of being protected was there. But she still had her mother's spark, that fire that refused to be put out by anyone, no man and no authority figure. Oh, she'd turn to him if she needed him. But at his side. She refused to be locked away. If that was the case, she'd have sat back in the comfort of his home, their home, and allowed the rest of the community of displaced people to do the hard work in ending the autons. She'd done a good deal of the research, they couldn't say she hadn't helped. But her independent streak insisted she go out there and be physically involved. Because she could. Because she was damn good with a gun and pretty damn good with a punch and why shouldn't she? She'd done the work, why should they all benefit without her?
She didn't want to be just a possession, but he knew that. And he indulged her, if nothing else. Oh, he enjoyed having her. That was obvious. In the dominating way he held her to the gleam in his eyes when he looked at her. She liked that gleam. She liked knowing she'd caused it. And okay, while she'd always preferred to be in charge of the few relationships she'd had, she couldn't deny enjoying those moments where he took complete control.
She let him pull her closer, meeting his eyes deeply. Not breaking contact, she slipped a leg over his lap, straddling him in order to take his face in her hands. "Who said I didn't want dinner?" she taunted, her voice low and rough, as minxy as he wanted her to be. "I'd have to get changed, though. Can't possibly go out in this. How could you even be seen with me?"
And she knew he liked that part, at least a little. Emma wasn't shy about that. She knew she was good looking enough. Maybe even pretty. Dressed up, she made good arm candy. And made him look just that much better. They had the potential to be a power couple. They had been in that future. Everyone looked up to them.
Everyone in crime, anyway. And that wasn't how she wanted it. That wasn't how it was going to be. It couldn't.