Chapter 32 Sleeping With You
It took a lot of courage to face it. But after she asked the question, Natalie felt totally relieved, like unloading a heavy load in her heart.
But it was only for that moment, as she hadn't heard his answer yet.
Luke was stunned for a while, and then he looked into Natalie's eyes. She looked like a lost deer because of hazy eyes.
His eyes locked on her.
After a while, he said, "It's up to you, you name it."
As they were looking at each other, Natalie's breathing slowed down, and the knot for days slowly disappeared, it's like an addiction, her happiness and sadness can no longer be controlled by herself as long as it is related to him.
When she tried to speak, Natalie suddenly noticed someone was approaching behind the car, hiding not far away and taking sneak peaks with a phone.
It seems to be followed them from the supermarket. Natalie was startled.
Without a word, she grabbed Luke's hand by the door and dragged him into the car. The door shut instantly, and she anxiously ordered the driver to leave quickly.
As the car drove away, Natalie peeped against the window, complained grumpily, "I knew it…"
She was still holding his hand and placed it on her lap.
 Luke looked down and observed that her thin and fair hand. The sleeves of her coat covered half of it, which were pinching his four fingers tightly.
"It's just a photo, what are you afraid of?" Luke said softly, the palm of her hand felt cool and smooth.
Natalie turned and glared at him: " Soon, there will be headlines about the third son of the Bennington's family beating up a salesman in the public!"
Her fierce look was familiar, and Luke listened to her scoldings quietly.
Unknown of what was he thinking about, but his glance was getting her embarrassed. She muttered, "Told you to watch what you say..."
Luke immediately understood that this girl was just worried about the consequences that might happen to him. He looked down with deep thoughts in his mind.
Usually, he didn't care at all, but Luke pretended to be wronged: "You didn't make it clear, I thought you were helping him."
"I don't care what he did, he's a nobody to me." Natalie looked speechless. Then realized she might misspoken and quickly switch the topic
She coughed a little, as if disgusted by the incident just now, "That guy was so sick."
"Wasn't I about to teach him a lesson?" As her hand was held by her, Luke turned to his side, and slightly leaned towards her direction, "Good for you, running away that fast."
He began reckoning.
Natalie knew she was wrong. Her two short boots closed together quietly, and she lowered her voice, "I think you won't leave me."
"Can't you take me along?" "
"...I can't."
"How do you know if you haven't tried it?"
What he said was reasonable, which had Natalie brainwashed, she glanced at him, and gradually took the blame, "I'll remember it next time."
Luke snorted: "Is there a next time?"
"..." Natalie unwillingly apologized "I'm sorry."
Luke smiled silently.
It was a kind of amazing feeling that Luke had never been experienced before. A girl could make his mood go up and down. And they could bicker but became reconciled soon.
Luke rubbed the back of her hand with his thumb and abruptly asked the question again, "You don't like them to call you Mistress?"
Natalie returned to her senses before she realized that she had been grasping his hand, even in the cold winter, his body temperature was high, and his hand had held her back at some point, warming her cold hand.
The warmth caused her fingertips to curl up, and her heart was trembling. Natalie did not draw back her hand, her attention was on his fingertips, and her breath softened, "I never said that..."
Also, it was at this point that Luke realized that there was no need to go deeper into the girl's mind, she was too simple and straightforward.
It was him who had overthink.
Luke lowered his head and leaned closer, his deep voice spoke slowly, "Then you like it?"
How could she not be touched, feeling his warm breath, her heart was about to jump out of her chest.
Natalie tilted her face to the window and murmured something like yeah.
Seeing her blushing, Luke laughed softly, put his arm on hers, and got closer, "If you like it, I'll let them call you, 24 hours a day, it's no big deal."
"..." Seriously, 24 hours without sleep?
She pursed her lips and couldn't tell whether she was actually shy. Luke stretched out a finger and touched her earlobe, and said in a low voice, "Just because of this, you've been mad at me for so long?"
Natalie didn't know if she was confused or sober. She clearly understood that this relationship was out of their control, but it also seemed to have a blurry vision of future with clouds and mist, and she had lost direction. 
Maybe she was too tired, and she didn't bother to worry what was going to happen in future. 
"You are the one who don't allow them call me that way..." Natalie murmured. 
Luke didn't take the blame,"I thought you dislike it?" 
What kind of nonsense was this? Natalie acted innocent. She turned back with a slight anger, "When did I show dislike?"
Luke went speechless and looked at her. 
Staring at each other for two seconds, Natalie was defeated and looked away.
 "What kind a look is that... put on a pair of glasses." 
Out of sudden, he quietly apologized, "I was wrong, I am sorry."
Luke never admitted his mistakes to anyone willingly. He was a stubborn person, even during his military service.
But he just apologized. 
With a soft voice, without complaints, to something that had nothing to do with him.
As Natalie turned her head, she saw Luke looking at her hand. He slowly held her wrist and rubbed with his fingers, as if he could feel her pulse. 
Her hand was in his palm, being gently stroked. 
Natalie's face was hot and her heart was beating fast, and she didn't dare to look at him. She looked down at her shoes, and her own hair spread loose in front. 
Nobody spoke, and the car was trapped in vague silence.
Natalie felt dizzy. Why didn't the driver turn on the radio? It was so awkward now. 
The silence continued.
 Natalie breathed and gently called him, "Luke..."
 "What?" He snorted lazily, but he didn't let go her hand.
Natalie's throat was like scalded by the temperature of his palm, and she murmured, "Can you ask the bodyguard to buy my groceries back?" 
Luke raised his eyebrows and looked at her, "Why do you think I didn't catch up with you just now? " 
Natalie didn't get it, but she got the answer when they got home.
The vegetables and meat that she had bought have been neatly bagged and placed on the dining table.
It was the first time for Natalie to cook at Luke's house, and it was also the first time that Luke had seen her cooking.
The house was warm. She took off her scarf and coat. inside her coat she was wearing a purple low-neck long shirt of kneel-length and a pair of cotton slippers. With beige shorts, her skinny straight legs were beautiful.
Her long hair was loosely pulled back behind her head. She cut the potatoes neatly on a cutting board, with her delicate face bowed down. To Luke, it was a particularly delightful view.
Luke's arms crossed on his chest, leaned on the countertop, with his head tilted and stared at her casually.
His eyes were like fire, hardly avoidable. Natalie was distracted by him, wandered off a little while handling the ingredients to cook.
Lighting up the gas stove, Natalie wore on the apron hanging on the wall. When she stretched her hands back to tie the strap, she found that it was suddenly pulled away gently.
Natalie froze, feeling that Luke was standing behind her and helped her to tie a bow. But she did not back away, his fingers moved forward along her waistline, circled around, and propped up on the glazed platform. His body was against her back, she could feel his shorts sticking to her stockings, and he wrapped her gently yet strongly between his arms gently.
Natalie held her breath.
The gas stove was on, the oil in the pan was beginning to rise in temperature, and heat was gradually rising under the hood.
He looked down and pressed his chin lightly on her shoulder, and the warm breath flowed down the back of her neck, was ticklish.
"What's for dinner tonight?" His tone was soft and his lips seemed to touch her ear as he spoke.
Every breath was the faint smell of tobacco on him. Natalie went red from her cheeks to ears, feeling like being burnt by hot oil...
For the first time, Natalie deeply felt that it was really dangerous to live alone with a single man...
 Interesting.
Obviously, an hour ago, their relationship was distant.
After a while, things were getting out of hands.
Natalie was lightheaded, turned around and pushed him away on his chest," Stay away from here, the oil is hot…"
Her ears were flushed, both hands were soft, she didn't have much strength to shove him, like a cat using its pink claws to tickle his heart.
Luke backed off obediently.
It was just a few simple home-cooked dishes, but that evening Natalie somewhat out of play, she thought that Luke had the responsibility.
The little conflict from a while ago magically disappeared.
After dinner, they took Fourteen out for a walk.
They went from the Lithern Club and strolled all the way to Century Plaza, which was quite prosperous. There were shops, night runners, young couples holding hands, and elderly people practicing Tai Chi.
Natalie had never walked through the streets of Alcomara at night with anyone. In the past, she thought that she would never like bustling cities, but she came to realize that places like this were all about moments of an ordinary life.
 Holding Fourteen, Natalie snuggled with the man beside her in the hustle and bustle. Suddenly she realized that it wasn't that she didn't like the fun, she just didn't like it when she had no one with her.
Natalie looked up to Luke's.
The lights of the city were reflecting on his face. He seemed no longer out of reach.
Were they a dating now?
That night, Natalie tossed and turned, not knowing what was in her mind. It was almost midnight and she was still sleepless.
"Since I am going to be insomnia, I might as well watch the moon for a while." She thought.
She walked to the balcony with a blanket on. When she pushed the door, she smelt a hint of smoke in the cool winter air.
Natalie was slightly surprised to see a smoking guy leaning against the glass guardrail on the balcony next door.
Luke heard the sound and looked over, a cigarette was between his fingers, the mist curled up, clouding his sharply defined side face.
A pair of eyes look even darker and more distant at night. After looking at her for a moment, he said, "You can't sleep?"
He had just smoked a cigarette and his voice was raspy and muffled, as if he was seducing someone.
A man and woman encountered in the midnight with only pajamas.
It was easy to lit up the atmosphere, which was … imaginative, especially tonight.
Natalie's face heated up for no reason. She avoided his gaze with a "hmm" sound she moved forward, and leaned on the glass guardrail. The moonlight was clear and softly shone on her face.
"Why are you still awake?" Her voice was soft as her eyes wavered in the night sky, like a thin white mist escaping her lips.
Luke turned sideways and leaned in another direction to look at her properly, "I am thinking about something."
His smoky voice with some aggression and the tone was inexplicable, making something deserve to be considered deeply by him this midnight and tint with sense and ambiguity.
Natalie was thoughtful, and she asked him, "Are you done?"
A low voice drifted into Natalie's ears along with the night breeze. Natalie looked towards him, and met his eyes.
Luke had a short hair, he raised his head slightly, biting on the butt of the cigarette and took a heavy puff. The diffuse smoke melted into the night, and he looked at her for a while.
Natalie could obviously feel that he became more aggressive.
"I'm done thinking about it." Luke said, his lips curled with a hint of motive, he snapped out a cigarette, then looked up her again, "Take two steps back."
Natalie paused, not understanding what he meant, but did as she was told.
Before she could react, Natalie just stood still when she saw him leapt with one hand bracing against the guardrail and jumped.
"Luke!" Natalie exclaimed in fright, only to find that he had already leapt over the balcony and was standing in front of her.
Natalie subconsciously grasped his arm tightly, and after a few seconds of silence, she suddenly pushed away his arm, "What are you doing! It's so dangerous!"
Luke wanted to say what was going on, but before he could say anything, Natalie stared at him in shock, "What if you fall? Can't you be more obedient!"
 Looking at her for a moment, Luke said, "Yes."
He stood in front of her, looking like a good boy, as if he was listening to her. Natalie suddenly couldn't be more annoyed.
Natalie looked at him and muttered, "Why do you have to stay on my side..."
"Isn't that you have insomnia? I will sleep with you," Luke lowered his head and looked at her, "It will be free of charge from now on."