9: If this isn't love, what is?

With embarrassment still hovering in her system, Arabella made a decision to face her fear. She slowly walked to Luke's room.

She knocked with her shaky hand.

"Luke~" she called.

"Come in," he replied.

She entered the room with butterflies in her stomach--- more of horses galloping.

"I- I will get my son," she said with her head down and hurriedly walked to his bed, where her baby soundly slept in. To her surprise, Saraknib cried when she tried to lift him up.

"C' mon... let's go to our room," she comforted, but he squealed when his mom took him from Luke's comfortable bed.

"Hey~ what's with you?" Arabella asked her son.

"I think, he wants to sleep here tonight~ I will just use the guest room," Luke said.

"No~ let's wait for him to sleep deeply and then I will transfer him in my room," she replied. Luke agreed--- his mistake. The fatal attraction flickered as they both felt uneasy in the presence of each other. Luke took a pillow and laid down on his sofa while pretending to read the Time magazine, mainly to distract him from imagining things and to tire his eyes and make him sleep easier.

Tik. Tok. Tik. Tok.

Time slowly went by. She did many attempts transferring her baby, but the results were the same. It's already 1 am. And she felt ashamed seeing Luke struggling to sleep on his sofa.

"Luke~ Luke~" she whispered, tapping his shoulders. He moaned then turned to his side away from her.

"Hey~ wake up!" she said, now shaking him. He creased his brows as he opened his eyes.

"What?~" he groaned.

"Wake up~ please sleep on your bed. I will be the one to sleep here," she said.

Luke stood up and lazily walked and sat on the side of his bed.

"Wait a minute. I'll just fix Saraknib to give you more space to sleep in," Arabella uttered.

"Okay~" he said lazily without opening his eyes.

The king-size bed would accommodate both of them, but she just wanna make sure that Luke and her son won't collide and be comfortable in their sleep.

"You can lay down now," she said.

"You go first," Luke said groggily.

"What?!" Arabella asked, surprised. Luke then stood up and walked to his side of the bed, where Arabella fixed. But before he laid down, he suddenly embraced her from behind. She was petrified.

"What the hell are you doing?" she whispered not to wake his son up. She tried to remove his hands around her waist but to no avail.

"I am sorry, Arabella. But~ I can't control myself anymore," Luke said in a husky voice.

"What?!~ what's wrong with you?" she said calmly, masking the supressed emotion tickled by his touch.

"I don't know~ you have to ask yourself! You bewitched me!" he said while nibbling her neck and shoulders.

Arabella would be fooling herself if she denies that she didn't like this situation. But, she shouldn't lose her sanity.

"How about the contract?!" she suddenly asked, hoping to distract him. Luke stopped kissing and caressing her for a moment.

"What contract?" he said then carried her on his shoulder. She screamed.

"Shhhhhhhhh~ you'll wake our son," he said. She struggled, punching his back.

He opened the door and went to her room. He put her down before kissing her savagely. All of Luke's sanity flew away at that moment. All he knew was he wanted her. He needed her--- or perhaps he already loved her.

Arabella moaned at his hunger. Her fantasies were far from the reality, and his spontaneity made her more wanting.

He slid his hand inside her robe and was delighted to know that she wasn't wearing any bra. He cupped her breast while continuously tasting her lips.

He scooped her and laid her on the bed. Then he took off his shirt. Arabella gulped at the sight of his toned muscles. But, when he started untangling her silk robe, she panicked.

"What's wrong?" he said softly.

"I don't know. I don't think I am~"

"You're beautiful, Arabella. Are you worried about your stretch marks?" he said, putting her thoughts into words.

She blushed and had no choice but to nod.

"These won't make you less beautiful, babe. These are proofs of your wonderful son's existence. For me, they are work of art," Luke utters while planting kisses on her marked tummy. She was touched by his words that she burst in tears.

"Whoah! I am sorry," he cooed.

"No~ I am just happy," she said.

He smiled coyly. "Can we continue now?" he teased.

She threw her hands around his neck and began kissing him deeply. Her inhibition was gone and all was left was her affection to this man. She unzipped his jeans as he peeled off her robe. She could feel his urgent need robbing against her stomach as they tumbled on the bed.

"I am sorry, babe! It is our first time, but I can't guarantee to slow down~"

"Just fuck me, will you? Hard--- if you like!" she said challenging him.

"Shit!" he said before turning into a hungry animal. Then the sounds of their love filled the room as they danced with the rhythm created by their unified bodies.

Arabella couldn't sleep as they lied naked under her blanket. Luke was cuddling her with her head resting on his arm while his other arm was on her belly. She smiled faintly. Arabella was undeniably happy now, but she feared the uncertainty of many things.

Questions flooded her mind. Questions of "So what now?" What's next?" and so on. She silently wept. She closed her eyes as she wiped her tears with her fingers.

"Hey~ you okay?" Luke asked worriedly. She kept quiet.

She shook her head.

"Are you regretting what happened?" he asked.

"No~ no! That's not it. I love every second of it," she said, correcting his wrong opinion.

"Then what?" he insisted.

She knew that he wouldn't stop talking unless she tells him the truth.

"I'm scared~" she admitted. "I am scared that one day, I have to wake up from this sweet dream."

"Since I saw you on the hospital corridor, desperately waiting for your dumbass ex-boyfriend, you already got my attention and I made a promise to myself to protect you and Saraknib as long as I can," he explained.

"What do you mean?" she said, really confused about the situation.

"Sleep now, babe. Stop worrying too much," he replied before kissing her forehead and hugging her tight. At that time, all she had to do was trust his words.