Chapter 11

“I can’t! The first semester is almost over ,”she complained. There was nothing wrong if she told him what she thought. She was hoping that he would listen. She looked at him again when his hand on her tightened.
He was shaking his head , "No! I will take care of everything. You will continue the remaining weeks in a university in Manila. I will talk to one of my father's friends. He owns a university. I am sure that they will still accept you even if the semester is almost over. I will talk to the head of your university here for your transfer. Leave everything to me."
It dawned on her that there won’t be only some changes in her life after her grandmother passed on. Luke would take over her life. It would turn a full 360 degrees.
Now they were on their way to Manila.
"L-Luke, we don’t need to get married. I can live in a small apartment. I don’t have to move in with you,”
"You will!" he cut in.
Isabelle felt uncomfortable because his driver could hear them though he looked as if he didn’t care at all.
“You are going to live with me and that’s final! Our family friend will initiate the wedding,” he said firmly. He didn’t want her to go the the university if she were still single. His family would probably feel upset because he didn’t tell them. Only Reed knew about his plan. He was sure he won’t tell anyone unless he had his go signal. He called him a while ago while Isabelle was preparing for their trip.
"Are you sure about that? No pre-nuptial agreement?" his cousin asked.
"She is not a gold-digger. She already has some issues with the big gap between us and I don't want to make her feel insulted by letting her sign such a thing. Anyway, I have more than enough for the two of us. And frankly, I don't give a damn with a pre-nuptial agreement especially now that it’s Isabelle I am marrying. What's mine is hers."
Until now, Isabelle was finding it hard to absorb all that was happening. One good thing that this situation had brought was she was able to help Mary. She asked her and her husband to stay at her grandmother’s house and to look after it. They didn’t have to rent the small house where they were living so it could actually help them save money. She knew the couple would take care of their house. It was killing two birds with one stone and she felt glad and a bit relieved.
"Take a nap babe. We would be arriving after midnight. You need to rest, " she heard Luke say as he pulled her towards him then kissed the top of her head. She just did what she was told.
***
The inside of his house was not as big as she expected. It was medium-sized but it had two floors. He had two housekeepers and a driver. The garage was big though. It was big enough for five cars. Right now, three vehicles were parked. His hired helps greeted them. The older housekeeper was Tina and the younger one was Beth. The driver’s name was Mario.
“Isabelle is my fiancée. Treat her like you treat me. And the three of you can have an off day tomorrow. I want us to have the house to ourselves,” Luke announced matter-of-factly.
She felt a bit embarrassed with what he told them. He knew that she didn’t feel comfortable hearing him say that though they were getting married.
“Welcome Miss Isabelle. Please don’t hesitate to call us if you need anything,” Tina said courteously.
“Thank you. But please just call me Issa,” she told her shyly.
The three nodded their heads and returned her smile.
"You can all rest now. We need to rest too after the long drive,” he then held her by the elbow, "Let’s go babe.”
“Where to?” she asked as he led her to the stairs.
He didn’t answer her immediately until they reached the second floor, "To our room," he said casually.
"O-our room? A-are we sleeping together?” she asked worriedly as panic engulfed her.
He looked at her then tilted her chin, "There are only three rooms on this floor babe. One is a guest room. The other one I use as an office and the biggest one is the master’s bedroom. We will sleep there. Don't worry your virtue is safe with me but after our civil wedding, we will have our honeymoon," he said with a naughty smile and she felt her mouth went dry. "Since you don’t have a passport yet, for the meantime, we'll have our honeymoon anywhere in the country. You can choose the place babe. We'll go where you want.”
She didn’t know what to say so she just let him lead her to the door at the end of the corridor. She was surprised to see that the room was of average -size. The bed was at the center and there was a sofa for two on the right side. There was a big plasma tv on the wall. On the other side, there were built-in closets. She saw a door which was probably the bathroom.
"You can re-arrange it in any way you want. If you want to change all the furniture in the whole house you can. This is just one of the houses I own. I also have some condominium units and townhouses. You can do what you want with them too. I stay here more often because I feel really comfortable here. By the way I will give you a credit card tomorrow. You buy whatever you want. Money is no object. Tomorrow I will have the tv moved to downstairs because now that we are together, I want to do something else in this room with you and watching tv is not one of them,” he said with a sexy grin.
Isabelle blushed. She gaped when Luke suddenly pulled her towards him. His eyes turned dark. His breathing became shallower. Having her in his room and seeing the bed while she was next to him made his body react. He had been trying hard to control himself from touching and kissing her because he knew it would scare her. But since they would be husband and wife, she had to get accustomed to him.
"You are going to be Mrs. Contrero in a few hours babe. I will be always kissing, hugging and touching you so get used to it. And I would prefer if you call me babe too, " he told her hoarsely as he stared at her lovely features.
She ran the tip of her tongue around her lips, "I-I’ll try," she responded in a small voice.
He touched the side of her face before pulling her even closer to him, "I want you…”
She caught her breath when he kissed her. He coaxed her lips to open and she just let him. Now he was invading the inside of her mouth. His kiss was branding her. She wasn't even aware that she was trying to follow what his tongue was doing. Her hands went to his arms as their tongues battled each other. She felt something alien in her body. She wanted to be satisfied but she wasn’t sure what it was exactly her body desired. Luke moaned as he felt her response. His hands were now starting to roam on her body. Her back arched when one of his hands cupped one of her breasts and the other one went to her bottom.
"You're tits are perfect babe. I want to see them," he declared in a throaty voice.
That made brought her back to reality. She pushed him from her, “No!”
Surprised registered on his handsome face. He didn’t expect her reaction. The way she responded to his kisses made him thought that she was ready for some heavy petting.
" I better sleep in the other room."
"You will sleep here with me!” he rasped and moved away from her. He angrily took of his shirt and tossed it on the bed, "You can use the bathroom here! I will take a shower in the other room! The right closet and drawers are yours!" he said in an irritated voice as he pulled out a towel from one of the drawers. He walked past her.
Isabelle released a heavy sigh when he was gone. She had to savour her little freedom. She was well aware of the fact that after their wedding, he would possess her come hell or high water. She advanced to where the closets were. She gaped when she opened the one on the right. There were a lot of different articles of clothing. It was like a department store’s display. There were sleepwear, undies, tops, skirts, jeans, dresses, etc. There was a space for her perfume, body mists and gels , body lotion and cosmetics. The bottom part had different pairs of footwear. The other side contained Luke’s stuff. Never in her wildest dream she thought she would own such things and be a wife to be to a man like Luke. She had simple dreams for her and her Grandma Salome. She was nervous as she went to bed after getting into a sleepwear. She was praying that Luke wouldn’t touch or kiss her again tonight as she waited for his return. Luckily or unluckily, she fell asleep without him returning to the room.
Luke was in his small office. After showering, he couldn't trust himself to be in the same room with Isabelle without touching her. He could wait. Anyway in a few hours, she would be his wife.
Tomorrow, I can have her anytime I want.-He told himself.
That thought kept him sane till next morning. Although he didn't sleep a wink, he decided to prepare breakfast for them. He knew basic cooking because when he went abroad, he preferred cooking his food than eating out. He wanted to do something sweet for his future wife.
(The next morning)
Not knowing where Luke was, Isabelle decided to go to the first floor after taking a quick shower. Her skin felt very smooth because of the shower gel and body cream. She smiled. She could get used to this which surprised her. She smelled of berries .She also had to get used to the expensive clothes Luke bought for her. What she had on was a bit too tight for her liking but she had no choice. Luke didn’t let her bring any of her clothes with her. She had a mint -green sleeveless top and white cotton short pants on. Her hair was cascading on her back. She hoped she looked pleasant enough for Luke. She halted when she finally found him. He was in the kitchen. She almost gaped when she saw him cooking with his upper body bare. Even his back looked magnificent. He might have sensed her presence because he suddenly turned his head.
Luke almost dropped the pan with eggs when his eyes ran on Isabelle’s face and body. She looked even more beautiful. She slowly started to move to the kitchen to come closer to him. He smelled her wonderful scent. She was so pretty in her simple clothes. His personal shopper did a great job. He took a mental note to give her a bonus. His Isabelle looked and smelled good enough to eat.
"Good morning babe." he greeted her.
"G-good morning,” she greeted him back shyly. She didn’t expect him to be a good cook. She wondered what else she would discover about him.
He walked to her and kissed her on the lips, "You smell delicious babe," he whispered in her ear which sent tingling sensations inside her. She smiled nervously.
Then they heard the doorbell. His forehead creased. He was about to walk and see who was on the door when he smelled the milk he was scalding in a pot. Seemed like it was burning.
"Babe, can you check the door for me?" he requested hurriedly before quickly removing the pot on the stove. The milk overflowed so he cursed.
Isabelle just smiled and headed to the door. When she opened the door, her smile disappeared. The man looked familiar. It was awkward since he was just staring at her and he seemed not to be blinking.
"H-hi! Are you looking for Luke?" she asked.
Several moments passed before he reacted. He beamed, "Isabelle? I am Reed. I am Luke’s cousin and assistant," he said before offering his hand for a handshake.
She raised her hand hesitantly. She had no idea that they were related. Reed was also good-looking
He took her hand firmly, "No wonder he is so crazy about you…" he mumbled.
"W-what?" she asked because she didn’t quite hear what he said.
Reed scratched his head while grinning which made him look cuter.
What’s taking her so long?!- Luke asked himself.
If it weren’t for the burnt milk, he would have checked who rang the bell. It slipped his mind that Isabelle was wearing a little skimpy pair of shorts and a tight-fitting top. He murmured a bad word and hurriedly went out of the kitchen.
"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING HERE??" he rasped when he saw who Isabelle was talking to.
He couldn’t help being angry. It seemed that his cousin liked Isabelle by the way he was looking at her. He had the sudden desire to curse and smack him.