Free Promises Made (BBW Billionaire Romantic Erotica) (Vegas Billionaire) by Amelia Rose

“Ryan, I'm going to bed now.  I was thinking maybe we could, um, take a long shower and try out the new sheets I bought.”
     
    Silence.
     
    “Um, Ryan, do you think you'll be much longer?”
     
    Silence.
     
    “Goodnight, Ryan.”
     
    Elle Holloway watched her boyfriend of six years lean forward toward his laptop and begin typing furiously.  She reasoned with herself that he had been working on a really difficult project for Nevacore , the start-up he had founded with his best friend, and must be so absorbed by work that he didn't hear her.  It was sweet, really, she thought.  He was so determined to succeed and make sure they had a good chunk of money in savings that he dedicated most of his life to work.
     
    She watched as he finished typing, and then leaned back in his chair with his hands behind his head, watching his screen.  After a few moments, he grinned like a little boy, which she found extremely endearing.  She felt a sudden urge to kiss him on the forehead before she went to sleep.  Elle started toward him, a smile on her own face.  When he noticed her approach, he quickly closed his laptop and the cute boyish grin turned into a hard stare .
     
    “I've told you so many times not to sneak up on me like that.”
     
    Elle realized she hadn't made enough noise as she approached him.  He was always jumpy when he was working on his laptop late at night.
     
    “Sorry, love.  I just wanted to kiss you goodnight.”
     
    “Go to bed, Elle .  I have a lot to work on tonight,” he replied, picking the laptop up from his desk and moving it onto his lap .
     
    He turned in his chair so that the back of the laptop faced Elle , then re-opened it and resumed typing.  She watched him for a few moments, feeling somewhat lost.  She knew she had upset him in some way, but didn't understand how this time.  Usually, it was her lack of forethought or overly curious nature that made him angry, but this time she had only wanted to kiss him goodnight.  She ran her hand nervously along the edge of his polished mahogany desk, wishing she knew what to say to make things better.
     
    Ryan noticed the movement of her hand against his desk, and looked up at her with annoyance.
     
    “Are you still here?  Do you really think that standing there pissing me off like this is going to make me want to come 'try out the new sheets' with you?”
     
    Elle flinched at the venom in his voice before quickly turning to go upstairs to the bedroom they shared.   She could feel the tears starting to well up and knew that if he realized she was crying, he would get even more angry.  Sometimes it was best to just leave him to himself for a while.  Eventually he would calm down and remember that he loved her.
     
    She really believed in Ryan, and thought that someday he would recognize just how dedicated she was to him.  After college, he had obsessed about starting Nevacore , so she had provided most of the funding from her inheritance.  It wasn’t a massive amount of money, but it had been enough to get his company off the ground.  The consulting company wasn’t going to make them rich anytime soon, but it was up to 25 employees and slowly but steadily rising.
     
    She walked into the master bath to splash some cold water on her face , hoping it would counteract the redness that holding back tears had left.  She could still feel the tightness in her throat, so she took a deep breath and let it out slowly.  As she did, she saw watched herself in the mirror over the sink.  She tried to banish the self defeating thoughts that fought for attention in her head, and failed.  If only she were beautiful, maybe he would love her more.
     
    Elle lifted a few strands of her hair and grimaced at her reflection.  People sometimes tried to call it curly to be nice, but all she could see was a tangled mass of red- orange frizz .  She had been letting it grow long, hoping the weight of it would push the frizz down some, but now