"When will you be back?"

I hesitated. "I have a flight booked for tonight. I'll be home by eight tonight."

"By that you mean your plane is ready to take off whenever you say so."

A smile slid onto my face when I remembered the look on her face when she first realized that we were taking my private plane home. It was clear by the way Lara reacted to some things that she was used to wealth but she didn't like living with wealth surrounding her. She hated being waited on. She hated not being able to cook dinner or make the bed. She hated not being able to clean.

And she loved cleaning—especially when she was thinking deeply about something.

I loved having her in my penthouse. The moment we arrived she had made a list of things she wanted to change and things she claimed needed to be changed. I gave her the green light and allowed her to do whatever she wanted. I never expected her to do things so quickly.

I had gone to the office and returned home to a different apartment. Not that I hated what she had done to the place. I loved it. I just needed to get used to the changes that were taking place.

"I miss you," Lara broke the silence.

My hold on the phone tightened. "I miss you too baby. I'll be back before you know it."

"That's such a common name."

"What?"

"Baby. All men call their girlfriends or mistresses or wife that." She paused. "Not that I don't like you calling me that. I really do but—"

"You don't need to explain it, Lara," I interrupted her. "I understand what you mean."

"You're not mad, are you?"

My eyes darted over to the door when someone knocked on it. I gestured for my assistant to enter. She gave me a smile as she walked over to the desk. Stopping in front of it, she placed a file down in front of me that had a stick-it note on the front of the file.

Meeting in two minutes. Everything is set.

I nodded and waited until she exited the office before speaking again. "I'm not mad at you. Why would I be?" Leaning forward, I opened the file to glance inside. "I need to go baby. I have a meeting in minute."

"You'll come home tonight, won't you?" she asked softly.

Was it my imagination or did she sound a little anxious? Had something happened? "I promise you that I'll be home tonight."

"Good." There was a moment of silence. "I won't keep you any longer. Just let me know when you're about to board the flight."

"I will. I love you Lara."

She blew out a loud breath. "I love you."

***

It was late when I finally pushed the key into the keyhole to unlock the door. I carefully pushed it open and entered the apartment. It was completely dark which made my heart drop to my stomach. I had promised her that I would be home by eight. Of course the meeting went on longer than I expected so my flight was delayed.

I had tried calling Lara to let her know but she didn't answer.

Dropping my keys into the bowl by the door, I walked over to the living room. I was about to drop my suitcase onto the couch when I realized that Lara was fast asleep on it. She was curled into a ball with her back facing the floor to ceiling window that overlooked a great part of London. Lara loved staring out the window, especially at night when most of the lights were twinkling in the dark.

I walked over to the wall and flicked the light switch. My eyes were instantly drawn to the table. Two long candles stood in the middle of the table with a small boutique of flowers between them. On either side plates and cutlery had been set. One wine glass stood next to the plate. I located the other glass and the bottle of wine on the coffee table near the couch where Lara slept.

She never drank any alcohol. Fuck, I messed up big time. I knew something was bothering her—it was why she sounded so anxious. She had all this planned and I fucking ruined it. A sigh fell from my mouth as I glanced back at the table again. I should've ended the meeting earlier but I was so focused on the meeting that I didn't pay any attention to the time.

"You promised."

My eyes snapped back to her. Lara was glaring at me from the couch.

"I know," I said softly as I moved towards her. "I'm sorry baby. I lost track of time. I—"

"Stop calling me that!" Lara yelled as she stumbled to her feet. "I waited and waited but you didn't show. Do you have any idea how hard I worked to get everything planned? I cooked for hours to get everything done perfectly. You promised you'd be home and then you show up seven hours after you told me you'd be home."

Shock washed through me, making it hard to utter a single word. My lips parted but then slammed shut when she pushed past me and stormed down the hall. I stood frozen for a few more seconds before following her. Lara stormed into the bathroom just as I appeared in the doorway of the bedroom. I winced when she slammed the door closed.

I fucked up and I had no idea how to fix it. Lara wasn't like any of the other woman I was with before. She wouldn't just accept a diamond necklace of a shopping trip. She was better than that. She deserved better than some diamond necklace.

Muttering a curse under my breath, I kicked off my shoes and then pulled off my shocks before making my way over to the bathroom. My hand gripped the doorhandle tightly. I paused, sucked in a deep breath and then turned it. Lara hadn't locked it like I thought she would.

Steam filled the bathroom. My eyes were instantly drawn to Lara who was standing in the shower underneath the warm water. I hesitated again but quickly stripped out of my clothes. Sliding the shower door open, I stepped into the shower. Lara kept her back towards me. She sniffed and that soft sound made my stomach roll.

I never wanted to hear or see her cry—ever.

"I'm sorry," I muttered as I wrapped my arms around her waist. "I didn't know you had something special planned otherwise I would've cancelled the meeting."

"You said it was important. That's why you flew out there."

My arms tightened around her. "Nothing is more important than you."

Lara turned in my arms and stared up at me with tear-filled eyes. She blinked, causing the tears to spill over. Cupping her cheeks, I leaned down until our lips were a few inches apart. Her eyes stared up at me with different emotions flashing through them. The one that stood out the most was hope.

"Y-you really mean that?"

"I really mean it." I gave her a small smile. "I'll make it up to you."

"Yeah?"

"Yes."

"Good." Her lips slowly tilted up into a seductive smile. "I have a few ideas."

She placed her hands on my shoulders and slowly trailed it down my chest. My muscles clenched as her fingers traced my six-pack and then the deep V that led down to my hardening cock. I bit my lip as she lowered herself to her knees. The first brush of her hands made my eyes flutter closed. I leaned forward to press my palms against the tiled wall when she wrapped her lips around the head of my cock.

"Fuck, Lara," I groaned when she took me deeper. "I love when you suck my cock."

She moaned, adding vibration. I wouldn't last long. It's been three weeks since I've been buried inside her. One week away and the other two Lara refused to have sex because she was on her period. If only she knew how fucking good she smelled and how great sex would be with her bleeding.

My nostrils flared. I groaned when the smell of her arousal filled my nostrils. Sucking my cock was turning her on. Her smell made me want to burry my face between her legs and lick her until she begged me to stop. Lara swirled her tongue around the tip and at the same time reached between my legs to cup my balls.

I couldn't take the slow torture any longer. Reaching down, I hooked my hands underneath her arms and picked her up. My lips smashed down on hers as she wrapped around me. I stepped underneath the water and pressed her back against the wall. One hand reached between us to guide my dick to her entrance. I paused briefly and then slowly entered her.

There was nothing gentle about fucking her in the shower. Her moans and pleads spurred me on to fuck her harder and faster. Her pussy clenched around my dick. Her nails dug into my back. I buried my face against her neck and gripped her ass to hold her still.

"Silas," she moaned.

"Fuck."

I buried myself to the hilt and crashed over the edge along with her. My legs couldn't hold our weight up any longer. Wrapping my arms around her back, I held her tightly to my chest and took a step back before sinking down to the floor with Lara in my lap. She moaned softly against my ear, making my cock jerk and in return her pussy clenched around me.

My eyes fluttered closed but almost instantly snapped open again when a thought hit. No wonder it felt so fucking different!

"Fuck," I growled.

I buried my face against her neck as panic washed through me. Horrifying scenario's flashed through my mind. She'd hate me. She'd take off and leave me. What have I done? How could I be so fucking stupid?

Lara shifted in my arms, forcing me to pull back and stare up at her. "That was great."

I smiled but it quickly faded. My eyes darted over her face but there was no panic or anger. . .not yet anyway. Lara hasn't figured it out yet.

"Silas?"

"I'm so sorry," I whispered. "Forgive me Lara."

Her smile faded and concern quickly replaced the passion that once darkened her eyes. Lara swallowed and leaned back a little more. Her eyes darted over my face before locking with mine.

"What?"

"I forgot a condom. I didn't use a condom." I sucked in a breath. "I'm sorry. It's never happened before."