Page 101 of Tormented Billionaire Romance Series

I glanced at my watch. “I have to catch lunch with my parents. Can we shelf this for now?”

“Yeah, that's fine.”

“I'm sorry again, Clara. I mean that.”

She stood up from her chair and held out her arms. As I embraced her, I felt her shiver. It was the same shuddering that she used to do before I left for Paris—or for London, Copenhagen, Berlin, Madrid, Rome. I rubbed her back and nestled into her hair, inhaling the scent of her lavender shampoo.

My senses were overwhelmed. Every molecule in my body screamed for me to stay with her. I didn't want to go meet my parents, but I didn't want to blow them off. I felt like I had done too much of that in recent years. I needed to make things right.

And I would. I swore I would make everything right again.

“I'll call you, okay?” I promised. “I will not leave you hanging.”

“Please, don't,” she practically begged. “I can't handle it again.”

I nodded. “I'll talk to you soon.”

I planted a kiss on her cheek prior to releasing her. As I went for the door, I realized my things were still in her car.

I chuckled as I flipped around. “Hey, could I get my suitcase and bag from your car?”

She laughed. “And here I thought I could hold it hostage until you got back.”

“I could leave something with you.”

She grabbed her purse and we headed outside. Once I had my things from her car, I dug around in my backpack. I pulled out a rustic coin.

“I picked this up in Greece,” I explained while handing it to her. “One of the bed and breakfast places I stayed at gave it to me. It was in the woman's family for a while. She had a bunch of them.”

“And you'll come back for this?”

“It's my lucky coin. Maybe it'll bring you luck.”

She huffed. “I've been needing that.”

I kissed her forehead. “I'll see you soon, Clara.”

* * *

I rolledup to my parent's house in a cab. I paid the driver and headed for the door, stepping up on the porch just as the front door opened.

My mother opened her arms. “That was quicker than usual.”

I hugged her. “Well, I didn't want to stay away for long.”

“It sounds like you've been thinking about things. You usually don't come back for a few years at a time.”

I chuckled lightly. “Things are different now.”

“Is it Clara?”

I lugged my bags into the house and set them in the foyer, fixing my shirt. “Is lunch ready?”

“It's on the table. Your father has already started.”

“He can't wait for anyone, can he?”

She giggled. “It sounds like you picked that up from him.”

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