Chapter 45 Deal with Me?
He never explained his feelings. But when he called her baby, it was so intoxicating that she didn't even want to care about how true his love was.
Natalie was tempted.
In the eyes of others, she was an optimistic and hardworking girl. But in fact, her attitude towards life was very pessimistic. There were so many new encounters and farewells every day.
In this fast-paced era, she found it impossible to believe in everlasting love. She had taken life as it came.
But she seemed so restless now because she met Luke. It was destiny.
Their relationship was quite extemporaneous. She didn't expect much from it, but she couldn't help being moved by him again and again.
Maybe she liked Luke more than she imagined. When she was sober, she was so overwhelmed with emotions and didn't want to say goodbye to him.
As Mia said, adult love didn't have to go to the end. Indeed, it was too early for her to think about it now.
Maybe Luke would lose interest in her first...
Natalie pressed her face against his neck and hugged him affectionately. She was sitting on his lap, and her dress looked even shorter now.
Luke stroked her knee slowly, and called her softly again, "Baby."
She leaned closer in his arms and didn't protest.
"Um..." She whispered.
She was very gentle in his arms. Luke smiled, "Let's go back?"
His collar smelt of wine. Natalie felt a little drunk when she smelled it. Maybe she was emotional tonight.
Natalie nodded.
It was not too late at night. They grabbed something in the dining hall and went back to the room after walking for a while. After a short while, a waiter brought the clothes Natalie needed.
The traditional courtyard looked special at night. With peach blossoms and a pavilion, there was a warm pool in the courtyard.
Natalie especially noted that she needed a conservative swimsuit, but the clothes prepared by the hotel were acceptable. It was not a bikini at least.
Luke went outside to answer a call. When Natalie came out of the bathroom after taking a shower, she wanted him to come back but felt shy again. After thinking about it, she stepped into the hot spring first.
After the call ended, he smoked a cigarette. It took him nearly twenty minutes to come to their room.
She was immersed in the water, leaning against a stone on her stomach as if she was asleep.
She was wearing a blue swimming suit and it was flattering.
When Luke came back to the yard, he saw this scene.
After he answered the call from the company, the situation of infighting made him particularly irritable. But when he saw her soaking in the hot spring so quietly, his bad mood gradually calmed down.
Looking at her quietly, he was reminded of the days in the hospital when his waist was injured. He lost his temper with her. But looking back, he found her face right in front of him. She was wearing a pair of gold-rimmed glasses and her white coat was spotless. She looked innocent and attractive then.
Her name on the badge was Natalie.
He couldn't tell if the coincidence of the name made him more tolerant or if it was love at first sight.
They were meant to be.
He had a reputation for arrogance for so many years, and now he fell in love with a girl.
It was a kind of submission, to be more precise.
Thinking of this, Luke smiled.
...
Feeling fingertips brushing against her cheek and her hair, Natalie slowly woke up. When she raised her eyes, she found him crouching by the pool and touching her long wet hair.
He took off the black hairband from his left wrist and tied up her hair.
In a moment of silence, they looked at each other and said nothing.
In the end, Natalie felt shy under his gaze. She ducked under the water, "Don't look at me like that..."
But he became bolder, and smiled playfully, "This is the first time I've seen you wear so little."
Natalie glared at him.
After she stayed in the hot spring for a long time, her face was now flushed. When she stared at him like this, which was fetching.
Her delicate chin was dripping with water. Luke gently wiped it with his fingertips, "I'll take a shower."
The speed at which he was taking a shower was so fast. Natalie was just sitting by the pool to cool herself down for a while when he went out of the bathroom.
Luke took off his robe and walked into the pool and Natalie dared to look at him. She saw his body before... Natalie stared at her legs under the water.
He came in.
There was probably an incense burner in the courtyard. The scent made her drowsy. Out of the corner of her eye, she found him approaching and she somehow felt a little nervous.
She could guess vaguely what he wanted to do. After they were together, they couldn't avoid making out.
While she was thinking, Luke held her waist and lifted her down from the edge of the pool.
Back in the water, Natalie fell into his arms. He was only wearing swimming trunks. She only felt that the pool was getting warmer.
They were so close right now. Natalie's fingertips gently pressed against his chest, and she whispered, "Luke..."
"Baby?" He responded in a low voice, with his head buried in her neck.
Natalie felt so itchy that she wanted to hide, but the back of her neck was held by his palm. She tried to explain, "You had liquor and you'd better not soak in a hot spring."
Luke raised his head and brushed her hair from her cheek, "Are you afraid of me?"
Well... of course.
She couldn't hide from him. When his arms tightened, she could feel the firmness of his abdominal muscles.
It was the closest contact they ever had yet. Natalie felt so warm and didn't speak. He gently caressed her back and said, "You're staying with me in a hotel. Why are you afraid of this?"
His voice was soft and hoarse. She could tell that he did it on purpose.
Natalie protested, "Are you drunk? Go and sober up with some tea ..."
It was nearly two hours. It was time for him to sober up, no matter how drunk he was.
Luke smiled, lowered his head, and kissed her lips, "I'm not drunk."
Natalie said, "No, you're."
He whispered, "If I'm drunk and want to do anything with you, you can't escape."
Well... he was right.
Luke lifted her chin, and Natalie closed her eyes the moment they kissed.
It was a passionate kiss. Natalie blushed when his chest rose and fell with his breathing.
Natalie gradually felt dizzy due to hypoxia. She suddenly touched something and vaguely felt like a scar.
Natalie pushed him away and Luke's tongue pulled out of her mouth reluctantly. With fresh air, she panted lightly, looking down to see the place where she had accidentally touched.
It was a scar on his chest near his heart.
It was not very obvious now, but Natalie was a doctor and she could see that the scar was quite old.
A heart problem could be fatal.
"What happened?" Natalie stroked the scar, frowning.
Luke paused, grabbed her hand, and kissed her fingertips, "A slight injury."
He was lying... Natalie just knew it wasn't the truth.
She stared into his eyes.
She fixed his eyes firmly on him as if she was going to lose her temper if he didn't explain it honestly. Luke hesitated for a moment and leaned against the stone edge with her in his arms, "When I was a child, I was stabbed by a knife."
Natalie was startled, and she subconsciously asked who did it.
"It's a friend." He said casually, and his warm breath fell on her cheek, "My brother knows him."
Feeling surprised, Natalie gradually realized that he wasn't joking when he casually said about being stabbed half to death.
No wonder he hated his stepbrother and his mother so much...
Natalie's eyes felt sore, "How old were you?"
He was silent as if recalling, "When I was in middle school."
Middle school... Natalie's eyes felt warmer when she heard it, "Was it serious?"
The moment she asked it, she realized it was a stupid question. He was stabbed in the heart. Of course, it was serious.
"I almost died." Luke even teased her with a smile, "But I was lucky enough to survive and become your boyfriend."
Her eyes were getting sourer.
She heard that when Luke's mother took a lover, Noah held a grudge and blamed it on Luke. They hated him so much when he was a child, and they fought over family properties when he grew up.
But Natalie didn't care whether these rumors were true or not.
She just thought that Luke must have suffered a lot...
Natalie wrapped her arms around his waist and hugged him in the water.
She didn't want to shed tears, but she couldn't help it. She rested her face on his shoulder.
Luke quickly felt the heat and dampness in his neck. He lifted her face gently and saw her tears.
After a brief moment, he chuckled and wiped her tears with his fingertips, "I've been honest. Why are you crying?"
Natalie was silent and touched his old scar gently.
"Does it hurt..." She choked slightly.
Luke put away his smile and held his breath.
He was not born to live on thin ice, and occasionally he wanted to be safe and happy. She was the only girl who simply loved him.
Luke's palm pressed Natalie's back, took her into his arms, and hugged her firmly, "It doesn't hurt."
His voice was a little hoarse, but he was still smiling.
At night, they hugged each other in the hot spring pool without any other thoughts. They just hugged each other, as if they were trying to keep each other warm in the cold winter.
After hugging for a while, Natalie parted and kissed him on the chin.
She was especially gentle at the time. After kissing, she lowered her eyes, took his hand, and said softly, "I love you."
She wanted to be with him for as long as she could.
Luke fell silent and wanted to tease her. After a while, he smiled suddenly, put his arms around her neck, lowered his head, and kissed her on the lips.
This time he kissed her indulgently and slowly. He was a little out of control.
The Bretton Pharmaceutical case had come to an end, but the Bennington Group's infighting didn't allow Luke to stay away for long, and he had to stay at Athana.
But it was no longer impossible for him to leave every day. The frequency of their meeting was much higher than before, and they could meet almost every week.
They were happy. At least they were in love. Every time Luke was so sweet, and Natalie deeply felt that their relationship was worth it.
It felt great to be loved by someone.
But he lost his temper sometimes.
In mid-June, Natalie was invited to participate in her junior high school reunion. She and Mia went to lunch at a hotel in the city.
Luke was free and flew to Alcomara from Athana. When the party was almost over, he offered to pick her up, and Natalie sent him the address.
At that time, Mia had a lot of fun at the party, and she was so drunk that she got dizzy and left in the care of one of her classmates.
Coincidentally, Kingsley was also having lunch at the hotel, and he met Natalie at the gate of the hotel.
When they met, they naturally said hello.
Natalie was invited to have a glass of red wine with him and she was a little drunk at the time, barely able to stand still.
The two chatted at the gate for a few minutes. Natalie thought that Luke was a jealous man and he didn't like Kingsley. It was inappropriate for her to be seen with Kingsley.
So Natalie said goodbye to Kingsley quickly and was about to leave. But just as she walked down the stairs, she accidentally slumped forward and was about to fall.
Kingsley quickly wrapped his arms around her waist to pull her back, and the two of them hugged.
Coincidentally, Luke was waiting right in front of the hotel when the car was parked, and he saw this scene.
Natalie couldn't argue, not to mention that she was slightly drunk and her mind was not particularly sober. She got in the passenger seat and explained for a long time, but he just ignored her and didn't start the car.
"It wasn't intentional..." Natalie blushed.
Well, he didn't believe it anyway. She bowed her head in discouragement.
Luke took a deep breath and said with a sullen face, "I'm very angry now."
His tone was not very nice. Natalie lowered her head more and bit her lips aggrievedly.
After two seconds, he said the second half of the sentence in a deep voice, "I'll talk to you later."
Natalie glanced at him quietly. He got out of the car and smoked by the river.
Natalie sat in the car nervously.
After smoking a cigarette, Luke came back, and there was a faint smell of cigarette smoke in the car.
He put his hand on the steering wheel but still didn't speak. Natalie hooked her finger at him warmly, "Please talk to me now..."
Luke watched her gentle face.
The night when she was squatting on the side of the road and he lit her hand-held fireworks with a cigarette, she was also drunk like she was now. She was half drunk and half awake, looking so cute.
After looking at her for a while, Luke couldn't help smiling.
He lifted her chin and kissed her fiercely, "I'll deal with you later."
"Ah." Natalie smiled at him drunkenly, "How are you going to deal with me?"
Luke sighed and pinched her face, "Let's go back."
"Aren't you going to deal with me now?" Natalie looked at him eagerly.
Luke stared at her for a while, and his eyes gradually became more dangerous, "I'd love to."
He stroked her face and lowered his voice, "Are you ready?"