I'd often wondered what it would be like to wake up next to Piper Clark. Even though I wasn't in the same bed as her, I felt like I was floating as I looked over to see her sleeping peacefully in my bed. Every ounce of me pulled me towards her, including my morning bloodrush, but I simply covered myself with a pillow, in case she woke up, and padded across the carpet toward the bathroom.

After a much needed, ice cold shower, I slid into a pair of boxers and stepped back into the bedroom. She was awake now and rubbing her eyes.

"Good morning," I said and her eyes snapped to me as if she'd forgotten I was here. I couldn't help but smile as her eyes unabashedly roved over my body, from my pectorals to my calves. Then she blinked and looked away, embarrassed.

"I was going to go grab some breakfast," she told me. "Then maybe head over to my old room for a shower and to help Maria with my things."

I nodded and she rose to go. I tried to ignore the swing of her hips in those tiny little shorts but called out to her as she reached the door.

"Wait," I said and then I strode over to her. I reached up and placed a hand in her hair, mussing it up a little with a smile.

"What was that for?"

"You want to put on a show?" I asked. "Let's give the maids something to talk about."

Her eyes widened when she understood what I'd done and then she scurried out of my room to fetch herself some morning nourishment. I chuckled to myself as I headed to my closet and located my favorite navy suit. I took my time getting dressed, pulling on my shirt and tie, fastening my cufflinks, straightening my collar. I checked my phone as I stepped into my shoes. One missed call from Lola and about a dozen texts from Danny. I sighed and slipped my phone into my pocket before heading to the door.

"Morning Luisa," I said once I arrived in the kitchen, going to the cupboard for my mug and heading for the coffee pot.

"Good morning, Señor Vega," she replied, her lips quirked up in a knowing smile. I couldn't help but smile myself as I poured myself a mug of coffee and then turned to face her, leaning on the counter behind me.

"Out with it, then."

But she only smiled.

"It's just nice to see you so happy, Señor," she told me with a shrug and then returned to tidying up the kitchen after having made breakfast.

My smile faltered and my shoulders fell slightly at her words. Happy. Was I happy? Was that all it took for me to forget about the stress of the last five years? Just for Piper Clark to walk through my door again? If that was the case, I thought with a frown, what would it feel like when she walked back out?

"Thank you, Maria," Piper's voice called suddenly from the hall just outside the kitchen and I got a peek of Maria striding down the hall toward my room, a pile of clothes in her arms. I smiled as I started to fill my to go coffee cup and Piper entered the kitchen, smiling at Luisa before her eyes landed on me. "Lucas."

"Happy Anniversary, darling," I doted, striding around the counter and heading straight for her where she stood in the doorway. When I reached her, she gazed up at me, wide eyed and on edge.

There was something about the way she looked at me. Something about the adoration that always laid just beneath the adject fascination. There was desire there, of course, a heavy attraction between us. But there was something else there too. A deep fondness for Lucas Vega that no other woman in this country had ever shown me. It softened me towards her but it also made me more bold around her, more comfortable. I knew we had rules and I would never be the first to break any one of them. But it had been her idea to make things more believable around Maria and Luisa, one of whom was watching us now, watching a man greeting his wife the morning of their sixth wedding anniversary.

So I reached down, placed two fingers under her chin, and pulled her face up toward me. Then I leaned down and kissed her, just a soft brush of my lips against hers. But I felt her tense up all the same, heard her breathing halt. Her eyes were closed but, after I pulled away, they fluttered open and locked onto mine. I simply gave her a smirk and breezed past her into the hall beyond.

"Stay on your toes today, cariño," I called back to her as I headed for the door. "Anniversaries are full of surprises."

Then I strode from the house, leaving her to think on that, and headed for Kevin awaiting me outside of the limo.

"Is everything arranged, Kevin?" I asked as I reached him.

"Sure is, boss," he replied with a knowing smile.

"Luisa told you," I said, amazed at how quickly gossip made its rounds in my own home.

"Maria," he corrected, opening my door for me.

"Ah, well, news travels fast."

"When it's good, Señor."

With that, he shut my door and headed around to the driver's seat. I settled in for the ride to my office, already scrolling through my email before we left the driveway. I had nearly fifty to catch up on. The price of taking an evening off to enjoy with my lovely wife.

My phone rang just as we merged onto the interstate. I looked at the Caller ID and frowned. Then I tapped answer and held it up to my ear.

"Hello Lola," I said into the receiver.

"I've been trying to get ahold of you," she snapped and I refrained from sighing. It wasn't her fault. It was just her nature. She'd always been this way.

"So I've noticed. But I've been a tad busy lately. So, what's going on?"

"The hospital called to say they hadn't received payment on the latest bill. They're sending it to a collections agency, Lucas. That account is under my name. If it goes to collections, it will affect my credit score and Ben and I are trying to buy a house. We cannot afford–"

"The last bill I paid was for December, Lola."

"There was one for February. I sent it to you weeks ago."

Finally, I did sigh, scrubbing a hand over my face and frowning.

"I got a new assistant in February. She doesn't know about our arrangement. Can you forward it to me again? I'll make sure she knows to forward all communications from you to me personally."

"Okay, Lucas."

It was quite on the other end of the line for a moment.

"Is my sister there?" Lola asked then, her voice turning softer than I'd ever heard it. I paused, hesitating.

"Yes," I answered finally.

The answering pause was so long that I checked to see if she'd hung up. She hadn't.

"Take care of her, Lucas," Lola finished, sounding exhausted, and then the line went dead and I lowered my phone back to my lap with a sigh. That had gone better than I had expected it would but nothing was ever easy with Lola.

Once I got to my office, I gave my assistant the new instructions regarding dealing with emails from Lola and then headed into my office to attempt to focus on work for the morning. I was able to be quite productive, actually, only being interrupted once or twice by Nate or our accountant, Valencia, both of whom had legitimate, urgent business matters to discuss. Around one in the afternoon, when I was packing anything I might need into my suitcase to head out for the day, Danny knocked on my door.

"Leaving already?" he asked, gesturing at my packing as he entered my office uninvited.

"Taking the rest of the day off," I told him. "Won't be in tomorrow either."

"Ah, right. The big anniversary surprise," he said and my gaze snapped up to him. "Nate told me. So, what are the plans? Where are you taking her?"

"If I told you that, Danny, I'm afraid you could find me," I told him, half joking as I passed by him on my way out of the office, clapping him on the back as I went.

"Arthur called," Danny continued, following me to the elevator. "The board is concerned about the third quarter projections."

"The board is always concerned about the projections. And the budget, and the financial statement, and the taxes, and everything else. It can wait until I'm back and, if it can't, ask Valencia."

I stepped into the elevator. Thankfully, Danny did not join me.

"Will you have cell service where you're going?" he called out just as the doors began to close.

"No," I replied and was finally, mercifully, alone in the elevator at last.

But then my phone started ringing the moment I was in the lobby. I glanced down and saw Danny's name and cursed so vibrantly that the receptionist looked up in shock. I waved apologetically to her and answered the phone.

"I hope you were kidding about not having any cell service," Danny said. "What if there are fires that pop up that need putting out?"

"Then put them out," I growled into the receiver. "I didn't give you an office to be another decorative piece of artwork around here. Do your job."

I hung up, fuming, letting out one more curse for good measure as I strode toward Kevin who was waiting right in front of my building as planned. Seeing my fury, he asked if everything was alright. I assured him it was and instructed him to continue as planned. Then I climbed into the backseat and answered as many emails as I could on the way back home. I tried my best to tamper my frustration before we arrived but I was still seething when we pulled into the driveway.

Then she emerged, dressed in an airy white blouse and jean shorts so short that it wasn't even fair, and suddenly my anger dissipated in an instant and I forgot all about Danny the Asshole. She had a fully packed duffel bag slung over her shoulder and was lugging it to the limo herself, waving off Maria and Kevin as they tried to help. I couldn't help but smile as I stepped out of the car and walked forward. She didn't wave me off when I took the bag, just stood in front of the trunk as I packed it away, hands on her hips and glare in her eyes.

"Where, exactly, are we going?" she snapped, clearly irritated. "Maria wouldn't tell me a thing but insisted I pack a bag and Luisa kept coming in every ten minutes to see if we were ready and to remind us we were leaving at one thirty. What, precisely, have you planned, Vega?"

I shut the trunk and turned to her, eying her up and down, the planted feet, the hands on her shoulders. I'd forgotten how adorable she was when she was angry.

"Well, someone told my employees that I always treat my wife to an anniversary surprise every year," I reminded her with a raised brow. She frowned, remembering who that someone was. "I don't want to disappoint. Hop in, cariño, we're late."

After only a moment more of hesitation, she obeyed, allowing me to open her door so that she could climb inside. I tried in vain to look away from her ass in those tiny jean shorts as she slid into the backseat but it was like my brain shortwired if I tried to look at anything else. Kevin noticed. He gave me a knowing grin over the roof of the car but I just shook my head and climbed inside beside her.

She drilled me with questions all the way to the marina. I'd forgotten how much she hated surprises, always needing to know what was going on and what to expect. I'd also forgotten how much I loved surprising her anyway. And it was worth it, surviving the brutal interrogation, when we arrived in front of my shining yacht and her jaw dropped to the deck below.

"Is this... yours?" she asked, mouth opening and closing in shock like a fish out of water. I bent and took her bag from the deck, hefting it over my shoulder as I grabbed the other with my other hand.

"It is," I answered. "Do you like it?"

"I– I don't– it's–"

"Big?" I asked, raising a brow. She grinned and swat me playfully on the shoulder. I just jerked my head in the direction of the boat and walked off. "Come on, I'll give you a tour."