Dangerous Desires

Chapter 14

14 Getting To Know You

Tia.

I sat quietly in the car while Luke drove us to the resort. I couldn’t utter a word. The exchange between him and Caleb over me was embracing, and I felt like my presence in their home was driving a wedge between them.

We got to the resort and entered our room quietly. The room was exquisite, fit for a couple in love, but we weren’t.

We set our things down and settled into the Chalet. The air was clean, and it felt new. Different. If nothing, I knew I would have some peace. I won’t have to walk on eggshells, avoid being alone with Caleb and deal with an absent husband. I did not know if Luke was telling the truth about Elisabeth, but deep down, I hoped he was. I wanted to try too. The rest of our lives was long, and I wished we could find something to keep us. I watched him set his wristwatch on the bed stand, and I hoped he was telling me the truth about Elisabeth, and his late nights were indeed what he said they were.

“Why are you being nice to me, Luke?” I asked him, suspicious of his intentions towards me. He looked at me and seemed speechless. After placing our suitcases in the cupboard, he sat on the couch. I sat at the foot of the kingsize bed, waiting for an answer. “Why will you ask me that?” He asked softly as if I had asked a confusing question. “Well, this is quite a contrast from what you told me when you visited me at my father’s house. You were clear on many things,” I said to him so he would know I hadn’t forgotten the awful things he said sitting on the porch the day he visited with his father.

Luke bowed his head and seemed a bit ashamed.

“I came to your house, angry and hurt. Stacy had said some things to me, and I overreacted. I also wanted to study you. I did not mean anything I said,” He said to me and looked at me with his blue eyes

pleading for me to believe him.

” Elisabeth? Didn’t you love her enough?” I asked him, and a hint of sadness washed through his face.

“I cared a lot about her, but Stacy had made my dad force me into marrying you, knowing full well you were interested in my brother. I knew you would be sad and miserable. I could not in good conscience let you be miserable alone. How could I watch your life change drastically while mine remained intact? Above all, I could not disrespect you by keeping a mistress, and I did not want Elisabeth to be a mistress. She could move on, fall in love and settle down with someone else. So we are not miserable together; I am determined to put an effort, Tia, even if not for romance but for friendship,” He said, and his words surprised me. Why did they say he was an asshole? He wasn’t full of shit.

“You are kind to me,” I said, summing up his behaviour towards me.

“Why will people say bad things about you?” I asked, and he chuckled.

“You have experienced Stacy first hand. Imagine what she had the opportunity to do ever since I was little. She did not want me to succeed my father, and she made sure of it by telling the world I had killed an innocent pack member; among other things, she said against me just

to make people hate me and disqualify me for the Alpha position,” He said, and I was curious.

“You mean you didn’t kill anyone?” I asked, surprised, and he shook his head. ConTEent bel0ngs to Nôv(e)lD/rama(.)Org .

“I wasn’t drunk, but my break failed, and someone included silver in the accident. It was the silver that killed the biker. I knew it was meant to kill me, but I escaped, ” He said, and I felt a tinge of anger for his sake,

“Do you think Stacy tried to kill you?” I asked, and he looked at me with concern.

” Please do not say that again, Tia. It might get you in trouble. As strong as my father may seem, he is a fool for her,” He said, and I nodded, understanding what he said.

“Tia, I would like to get to know you and become friends if you do not mind,” He said, looking at me. I had no reason to say no. He was a true gentleman and patient. He was also my husband. Another man would have fucked and claimed me, but he considered my feelings and gave me a choice. Allowing a friendship wasn’t too much.

We spent the rest of the day watching movies and talking about stuff.

We slept at both edges when it was time to sleep and remained that way until morning.

By morning we got ready, and breakfast was served.

Luke looked handsome in shorts and a loose white shirt. He didn’t button all the way up so I could see the tattoos on his chest. He looked hot. His eyes caught me starting, and he gave me a half-smile. I felt uncomfortable and looked away immediately.

” You can feed your eyes, Tia. Trust me, I feed my eyes every night when I watch you sleep and have to cover you with the blanket,” He said, and I was embarrassed by his words. I was wearing an oversized T- shirt with lace panties he bought me. Luke bought a lot of sexy stuff for me. He really wanted to try; I relaxed and hoped this would lead somewhere.

“How do you like your coffee?” He asked me, ready to serve it.

“Sugar and cocoa,” I said, and he raised an eyebrow and looked at me, surprised.

“Wow, how did you come up with that combo?” He asked, looking amused and not disgusted as I had thought he would.

“I am lactose intolerant, so I get creative often,” I said, and he looked a bit sad.

“So, you like the taste of milk, but it reacts like poison to your system?” he said, and I nodded.

“Noted. No more milk allowed,” He said, and I was surprised at his words.

“You can have milk, Luke,” I said smiling, and he shook his head. “You love cream, but your body can’t handle it, so you deprive yourself of it. That is torture alone. Watching me drink it will be another form of torture, and I never want to do that to you. I will drink my coffee with cocoa too. The taste might grow on me. It is the least I can do to show my support,” he said, and my heart melted. Though guarded, it melted. This was the first time a guy would care about me enough to go out of his way to do something for me. Luke, must really want my friendship. I hope he wasn’t trying to deceive me and let me down.

I watched him make the coffee with chocolate, and we both drank it. Obviously, the first taste was alien to his palette, but it soon looked as if it got better.

After breakfast, Luke asked me to take a long walk with him by the beach to get to know each other. I obliged and wore a two-piece turquoise bikini he bought for me with a short crochet

jacket that stopped high above my knees. I noticed he was staring at me for a while. While we walked, he stole glances at me, and it was cute.

“Tia have you thought of going back to medical school?” he asked me, and I was surprised at his question.

“I will be gamma,” I said, and we stopped walking. “Tia, everyone knows you joined the academy because of Caleb. You are good at it, but I have also noticed you read many medical books. You can have both, you know?” He said, and I frowned at him. He was paying attention.

“Even if I wanted to, it is too expensive for me,” I said, and he shook his head.

“I own Diamond Corp. I can pay for it,” He offered, and I shook my head.

“I do not want Stacy’s trouble for both of us. You work there. She convinced your father to remove you from the Alpha position; she might take your job,” I said, and he laughed a bit. “You are truly selfless, Tia. I wished we met properly and courted before all this. Diamond Corp is one thing Stacy can’t do anything about; that is why she is after the fortune Kimberly Miles will get her. She isn’t after Caleb’s well-being and his unborn child. All she is after is herself. Diamond corp and Moon money belonged to my mother, and my father handed everything to me. I am the boss at Diamond corp. I am only working my way up to understand the company’s structure, operations, and business. It is also to help me understand the workers and their working conditions so I could make good changes and run the business informed.” He explained, and I was stunned by everything.

” What about Caleb?” I asked innocently, and for a second, I noticed his face faltered, but he masked it immediately. Honestly, I wasn’t asking because of my crush on him. I asked because I was his friend, and I knew how hurt and difficult this would be for him.

“He gets to be alpha, and the right-wing of the moon mansion belongs to him,” Luke answered drily, and I understood what Alpha Aesop had done. Although Stacy ruined Luke’s chance of being an Alpha, he managed to find a way to place Luke above Caleb and make him the true head of the family and Pack. An alpha is nothing without money and resources. Caleb would eventually have to listen to