Almost two weeks after I moved in, Robert returned to the apartment. A restless energy had prevented me from sitting down to watch a show or read a book, so I figured I'd break in my cozy art nook. I hadn't painted there yet and stared at the blank canvas for a while until the light of the setting sun bounced off the building windows across the bay. As the scene moved to the twilight, inspiration hit, and I began to paint.

I sat examining my partially completed work sometime later, and a throat cleared behind me. Startled, I jerked around to find Robert standing silently, observing me with a curious expression. I wondered how long he had been there, watching me paint. He had timed his interruption perfectly, waiting for me to put my brush aside before attracting my attention. I could be rude and snappy when someone interrupted me in the middle of a painting.

"You're home," I observed, then flushed at the obviousness of the statement.

"Yes," he responded with an absent smile, his eyes taking in my painting. "It's beautiful."

"Thanks, it's just a doodle. How long have you been standing there?"

"Less than an hour. It is fascinating to watch you work," Robert admitted, rubbing his shoulder a little where he had been leaning on the doorway.

"An hour!" I stood up, embarrassed that I had kept him standing for so long, before realizing it had been his choice and I didn't have to be polite in my own space. Robert stayed silent while my brain marched through the different stages. "Wow, that is some endurance you have there."

"It's not often I get to watch an artist in the process." My heart flipped at his lopsided, childlike smile.

"Oh, do you want me to tell you whenever I'm going in to paint?" I teased.

"If it won't disrupt your process, I'd very much like that," he answered.

"Oh, um, I guess it would be okay. Beth watches me sometimes, though never for an hour, and it doesn't bother me." I offered, earning a bright smile in return. I went out onto the balcony to wash my hands and brush. I didn't like getting paint in the bathroom sink. Robert waited for me at the doorway, never stepping into my room.

"Have you eaten?" Robert asked when I finished putting away my paints and supplies. His patience seemed endless.

"Yes, Daisy left dinner in the fridge. We didn't know when you would be back, so she has been making extras every night just in case. I have been taking the leftover meals to work for lunch."

"I'll have her start making you a lunch portion when I'm here, so you don't have to do without," he offered as I followed him into the kitchen. I don't know why I went with him. Maybe it was just my need for a human connection. It had been lonely in the large place by myself. Though Anita, who was conspicuously absent that night, would talk with me sometimes, the dayguards were always stony and silent.

"Oh, you don't..." I started but paused when he turned and raised an eyebrow at me. I sighed and conceded without a real fight. "That would be great, thanks." It would be nice to have lunch daily, and I didn't think it would be that big of an imposition for Daisy.

Robert and I chatted about his trip to LA and how my move had gone while he heated up and ate his dinner. He asked me how the guards were doing and explained that they would remain outside when he was home. I wondered if they had been inside partially to keep me company.

He opened another bottle of wine and offered me a glass. I usually drank a maximum of one glass of wine a night, but it was Friday, and I could sleep in the next day, so I accepted the offer, especially since the bottle he opened was one I wanted to try.

After he had finished eating, we moved to the living room, and Robert turned down the lights to see the city light up as the sun had entirely disappeared. I didn't realize how close we were sitting until his arm slipped around my shoulders. It felt so comfortable that I just let myself enjoy the moment.

"Are you settling in alright?" Robert asked after a long, companionable silence.

"Yes, amazingly, it's been a pretty smooth transition. I still can't believe you talked my parents into this. It feels so naughty, even though they know I have my own room."

"Naughty?" Robert asked with a chuckle.

"You know what I mean!" I punched his chest lightly, and the momentum of the movement brought me closer to him.

"Yes, I know," he conceded, his hand rubbing my shoulder absently. We didn't speak again for a while; the comfortable silence transitioned rapidly into something more tense, and I began to feel restless again.

"Maybe I should go-" I leaned forward and put my glass on the table.

"Have you seen the rooftop garden yet?" Robert asked, ignoring my attempt to escape.

"No, actually, I didn't want to go into your personal space without you."

"Daisy could have brought you out; she tends to it between the gardener's visits when I'm away."

"She did offer, but it felt like something you should show me first," I admitted, drawing a smile from him.

"Well, if that's the case, we should see it now," Robert said as he stood up, snagging my wine and the bottle with the same hand that held his glass. He extended his other hand to help me stand, and I accepted his gesture. He didn't let go as he led me to his room, using his foot to push the door open. His room was a suite, with an outer sitting area separated by a partial wall from his sleeping area. The door to the roof garden was accessible from the sitting area, so we didn't have to pass his bed to get to it. I couldn't resist peeking inside the main room and caught a glimpse of a blue comforter covering his king-size bed. My ears burned at the thought of how many women he had brought to that bed. Was I jealous?

Robert released my hand to unlatch the door to the roof terrace, but he claimed it again before leading me out into the cool maritime summer night.

The space was cozier than expected, with a raised garden growing vegetables on one side and potted flowers and plants on the other. Between the potted plants, a double swing faced out towards the city with a folded blanket hanging over the side and a heat lamp glowing warmly behind it. Robert guided me to the seat, and I settled down as he placed the glasses and bottle on a table. A small retaining wall separated us from the rest of the roof, creating a sense of privacy and safety.

Robert poured me another glass, and I probably should have protested. The two servings I'd already had were starting to blur my mind, but I was cold, and I thought the wine might warm me up a bit more. Or so I told myself. I accepted the wine as he sat down next to me. He handed me his glass to hold while he spread the blanket over our laps and then retrieved it before putting his arm around my shoulder again. I snuggled close to take advantage of his warmth and looked up at the stars much clearer from that height than on the city streets below.

I don't remember how much time passed while we talked about this and that, but it had been long enough that I finished my wine. Robert took the empty glass I had been playing with out of my hand before I could drop it and placed it on the table, pulling me forward with him. On our way back, our eyes met, and his now empty hand brushed some stray hair out of my face before resting on one of my cheeks.

"I missed you," he offered quietly, almost hesitantly, his eyes showing a vulnerability that made my stomach clench.

"I missed you, too," I replied honestly. The moment Robert arrived, an emptiness inside me had filled, and I realized how much I had grown dependent on Robert's presence.

"I'm glad," he whispered as he leaned closer. I responded by tilting my head, making my lips more available, willing him to kiss me. He rubbed his thumb over my bottom lip as if contemplating his next move, and my body exploded with desire.

"Are you going to kiss me?" I begged, then immediately regretted the question. He smiled and put his forehead against mine.

"I really want to, may I?" I had never had a man ask me permission before, besides Robert, outside a bar bathroom.

"Yes," I answered without thinking.

The soft caress of his lips against mine sent shivers through my body, igniting a fire that had been smoldering in me for months. As Robert pulled back from the innocent touch, I didn't let him escape. I yanked him back down, my teeth grazing his lower lip in a playful nip, not enough to draw blood but enough to make him purr with pleasure. His body language screamed desire, but Robert had kept us both on a tight leash for so long. I was on the verge of giving up hope that he saw me as anything more than a convenient tool.

But as his hand slid up my thigh, sending jolts of electric anticipation through me, I knew that something was about to change. The tension in the air had become almost tangible, coiling tighter with each passing moment. Our bodies collided with a hunger building for what felt like an eternity.

With a groan, he stood, scooping me up as if I weighed no more than a feather. The world spun momentarily as he carried me across the garden into the dimly lit sitting room. The air was thick with anticipation.

As we entered his bedroom, Robert veered towards my room instead of introducing me to the blue comforters. A flicker of uncertainty crossed his features, but he pressed on, his steps slow and deliberate.

The moment he laid me on the bed, I reached for him, my hands grasping at his neck. Then, just when I thought we would finally succumb to the pull of our desires, Robert retreated, his brow furrowed in confusion, and his eyes locked on mine.

"We shouldn't," he murmured, his voice hoarse. "We shouldn't do this."

The words were like a punch to the gut.

"Maybe we can try this again when we haven't been drinking," he continued.

"Robert, do you think I've been drinking enough to mistake how I am feeling?" Anger at his presumption mixed with appreciation at his restraint. I had imbibed three glasses of wine, but that wasn't enough to take away my senses. Sure, it lifted my inhibitions, but I had wanted Robert since that stolen kiss at Mikael's bar and wouldn't let him escape again.

"I don't want to take advantage of you," Robert pleaded.

"Then let me take advantage of you," I offered, putting my now free hands on his shoulders and pushing him back onto my bed. "This is my room after all."

"Nicole, I don't want you to regret this," Robert said, brushing the hair out of my face as I looked down at him. His eyes bore into me as if trying to gauge how much of this was real.

"I won't," I promised as I leaned in and captured his mouth, killing any protest he had attempted with my passion, my hands holding his hands above him as I forced our kiss to go deeper. When I came up for air, I knew I had won. Robert could no longer walk away. We devoured each other with a desperation born of longing denied. His hand roamed over my skin, setting off a trail of gooseflesh in its wake. I clung to him, reveling in Robert's worship. Our connection soared above any experience I had with Tim or any of my previous lovers. I shoved the comparison out of my head, not wanting anything to interfere with our glorious moment.

"Robert, I could fall in love with you," I breathed out while coming down from the summit again. Robert buried his head in my hair, and I felt him chuckle.

"Nicole, I'm already there," he responded, then kissed me again before I could process his words.

***

The morning sun streamed through the window I had forgotten to cover when I left the room the night before, forcing me awake. When I opened my eyes, Robert appeared to be still asleep, so I turned to my side, taking a moment to adore his handsome face, tracing his profile with my hand without touching him. No man had ever satisfied me like Robert. I was completely smitten by him, and all my resistance to his charms vanished. I had developed much stronger feelings for Robert than I had ever felt for Tim. Icy dread threatened to pull me from the moment as my mind turned to my former husband.

As if sensing something, Robert's blue eyes opened, and he kissed my finger that hovered over his perfect lips.

"Good morning," he offered as I lay my head on his chest, hiding my expression from him.

"Good morning," I replied without originality. All the insecurities that had stayed at bay with the help of three glasses of wine came crashing down on me, and I couldn't look at him.

"How do you feel?" His voice hesitated before each word as if he was nervous.

"Wonderful," I told him truthfully. The vulnerability in his tone had won me over even more than the pleasure we had shared the night before. I turned to meet his eyes and put a hand under my chin to keep from hurting his chest. "Does this mean we are really dating now?"

Robert's smile slipped, and he pulled my face closer to him before speaking again. "It's been real for me since almost the beginning. I thought you knew."

"How? I can't read your mind," I huffed in annoyance.

My anger seemed to amuse him, and his smile returned. "Well, I guess that's true. I'll make it a habit to be clearer in the future." He buried his hand in my messy hair and pulled me in for a long morning kiss.

Once we separated again, he got out of bed and used my bathroom. He came out wearing one of the robes hanging on the back of the door since my arrival. It fit him perfectly.

"I want to show you something after breakfast," Robert leaned in and kissed my forehead.

"Okay," I whispered, his nearness stealing my voice again. He chuckled and left the room.

Just as I finished getting dressed, I heard our doorbell ring. I paused and realized that I thought of this apartment as 'ours,' something I couldn't say about Beth's. Perhaps it was because I had lived in it for two weeks alone.

When I entered the room, a security guard carried bags to the dining table. Robert was in his suite, speaking in a pressured voice on the phone. I couldn't hear what he was saying, so I wandered over to make myself coffee before pulling out the dishes he had ordered.

Robert wrapped his arms around my backside just as I had finished laying out the tableware. "I have to run into the office this morning. Will you be okay?"

My heart sank. It was our first morning after, and Robert wouldn't spend the day with me. I was embarrassed by my disappointment. Robert was the CEO of his company, and he didn't get weekends off.

"I thought you wanted to show me something," I protested weakly.

"I do. My father called and wants me to take care of this immediately. And..." His lips found my ear and kissed it.

"And?" My heart pounded at what else he might throw at me. Robert pulled me in closer to his chest, and I could feel his heart thudding against my back. His anxiety calmed me down.

"He wants to meet you tonight," Robert explained as he spun me around to look at him. "He's invited us to dinner at his house.

"Oh?" I wasn't reluctant to meet Robert's father. He had always seemed interesting, but I had been introduced to him as his grandson's fiance and then wife, not as the potential match for his son and heir. "Will it just be the three of us?"

"He wants to meet with us privately and have a family dinner afterward. I've talked to him about you, and he wants to talk with you without the rest of the family looking in."

"Family dinner?" I processed his words as I walked around to the chair I had placed my coffee in front of.

"Yes, my sister and her son will be there," Robert confirmed as we sat at the table across from each other.

My hand clenched as I reached for a roll. I laid it on the table so Robert wouldn't see it shaking. It had been months since the Auction, and Robert had diligently kept me out of Tim's reach. The closest we had been was at the restaurant a few weeks back. Robert covered my hand with his own and squeezed.

"Dad just got back from Taiwan and is in a hurry to meet the woman I have finally admitted to dating publically." Robert smiled at me as he removed his hand from mine. "I think he would have met with us alone, but Tiffany lives with him and likely insisted on Tim being there."

"Oh," I picked up the roll I had initially had my eye on. The thought of a knife slicing through the soft bread made me cringe, so I ripped it open. "I have to admit, I'm a bit nervous."

"About meeting my father or seeing Tim?" Robert hadn't touched any food on the table; he sounded relaxed, but his posture was pensive.

"Both," I admitted.

"You have no reason to worry. I'll protect you," Robert promised, pulling my hand back into his own.

I met his eyes and hoped that their earnestness was genuine. But the man I loved had used me in the past; was his uncle any better? He was leaving me now to go to his office and dragging me to his family dinner when all I wanted was for him to reassure me that what had happened the night before was more than just physical. I looked down at my plate and felt my eyes welling up with tears.

I had to escape, figure out what was happening, and protect myself. I had promised to do better in this life and not make the same mistake with a different man. Robert was still a Lamb. How could I think he would be any different than the man who coldly calculated my death?

I was such a fool.

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