Chapter 16 : Respite

**Cat POV "I also brought you some towels. There is an en-suite bathroom right over there," Adelle said, pointing to a closed door. "There is?" I asked, glancing over my shoulder. I hadn't seen it before. I didn't think this bedroom had a bathroom. "Mr. Carter made a few personal modifications to the floor plan. Did you see the second-floor deck that connects this room to the master bedroom?" the maid pointed to a set of sliding doors behind a closed curtain. "No, I didn't," I admitted. Adelle giggled and then disappeared into the bathroom. She came back out holding a bathrobe. "If you want to put this on, I can take your dress to be dry-cleaned," she said, handing me the robe. "Thanks." I went into the bathroom and put on the robe. Adelle took my dress and wished me a happy bath. Sighing, I ran right back into the bathroom. I was so excited to get in the tub! It would be easier to take a shower, but the doctor had said I couldn't get my stitches wet. In a bath, I could keep my arm out of the water. Besides, that would be more soothing after my long day. There was a bottle of soothing bubble bath next to the tub. Giddily, I poured a generous amount of bubble bath into the steaming water. I shed my bathrobe and slipped into the tub. Instantly, I felt better. My body relaxed, and all my muscles melted. I hadn't realized how tense I was until everything started to unwind. "Mmm," I moaned softly, letting my head fall back. I closed my eyes, thoroughly enjoying my soak. It gave me a few moments to think about everything that had happened. Aaron and Fiona were getting married. It seemed surreal. I didn't understand how Aaron could go from begging me for forgiveness and wanting to be with me to proposing to someone else. Which part had been the lie? Had he lied about not wanting the baby and Fiona? Or had he lied about wanting to get back together with me? Aaron was telling so many lies, maybe he didn't even know what the truth was anymore. I soaked until my fingers turned to prunes, and then I got out of the tub. I'd kept my hair up to keep it dry, so once I toweled off, I quickly slipped into the pajamas. Glancing at the clock, I saw how late it was. I needed to get to sleep, or I'd never wake up for work the next day! I turned down the fluffy comforter and ran my palm over the satin sheets. As much as I hated to admit it, Luke's house was comfortable. Laying down, I turned off the light and closed my eyes. It was no use. All my fatigue from earlier was gone. I tossed and turned for a while without any luck. Finally, I threw the comforter off with a groan. With a sigh, I rubbed my eyes and got out of bed. I pulled the curtain open on the balcony doors. There were little solar lights along the balcony rail, and the pool patio was lit up with pretty lights that flickered on the water. Luke's backyard looked like a fairy garden. Smiling, I opened the door and went outside, breathing in a big, deep breath. The fresh air helped clear my mind. Something creaked nearby and startled me. I sighed when I realized it was Luke in a hammock. "Hey," I said, sauntering down the balcony. There was a second hammock hanging there, and I sat on it sideways so I didn't have to lie down. Luke craned his neck to look at me. "Oh, hey. I didn't wake you, did I?" "No," I shook my head. "I already couldn't sleep." "Me neither," he admitted. "I came out here to calm down. I usually read to clear my head, but I just wanted some fresh air." I nodded in understanding before saying,"Thank you, Luke, for everything you did for me tonight. I'm sorry if my presence made things with your family more complicated,." My eyes were locked on my lap. "Trust me, helping you was worth every second. Besides, that happens with my family almost every time we're together," he said with a chuckle. "What kind of books do you read?" I asked, curious about this side of him I didn't know. I was surprised he had much time to read. "Anything, really. I just finished a really long fantasy series." "I didn't take you for a nerd," I said, teasingly. Maybe I was overstepping. But after everything that had happened tonight, calling Luke a nerd was the least of my troubles. "Well, Cat, you don't know that much about me, do you?" "I guess that's true. If I'm going to be staying here, and I'm going to be working with you, we should probably fix that, right?" I asked, grinning. Luke smirked. He sat up on his hammock so he didn't have to crane his neck to look at me. "You want to play twenty questions?" he asked. "Do you have a better way to pass the time?" I countered. Luke bounced his eyebrows. "Hmm. You sure you want an answer to that?" "Ugh. Let's just get to know each other, yeah?" I said, rolling my eyes. "You mentioned your mom wouldn't travel to be supportive of you," he mentioned. I kicked my foot off the balcony and my hammock rocked back and forth. "Things with us have been strained since my dad died. She's been more interested in her new boyfriends, and she's been treating me like a relic of the past," I explained with a shrug. "That's rough," Luke offered. I glanced at him and‌ saw the gentle look of compassion in his eyes. "Yeah. I'm used to it. I have some good friends." "That's important. Although, it seems like you're now short a fiance," he said. I sighed and shook my head. "Yeah. That's not something I want to talk about tonight." "Fair enough," Luke said. "How about you? I mean, your family seems like they care about you. Though, your sister is a little… dramatic for me," I said. I giggled and looked up at the sky. The street lights weren't working in the development yet so I could see a lot of the stars. It was beautiful, how the sky glittered and sparkled. "They're great. They are just too much for me," Luke said. "Ahh, so you're a loner," I teased. Luke laughed and leaned back on his hammock. "Not so much. My parents can just be very meddlesome in my personal life." "You have a personal life?" I teased. "From what I can tell, you just work and find ways to keep me hanging around." Luke laughed again. He sighed and laid down in his hammock. Taking a hint from him, I laid down too. The hammock cradled my body snuggly. I could hear Luke breathing heavily. Again, I started to relax and let go of the horrible things that had been happening to me. "To be completely honest, I don't have much time for a personal life. That's one of the costs for being a billionaire by my age," he explained. My throat dried out, and I let out a low wheeze. "B-billionaire?" I gasped out. I knew that Luke was very wealthy, but I hadn't realized he was billionaire status. The house he'd bought in his own development wasn't nearly up to specs for someone in his income bracket, even though it was very nice. "Yes. It isn't always as glamorous as it sounds," he said with a chuckle. We were silent for a moment, and I thought about what he'd said. Being a young billionaire sounded lonely. He worked hard, put all his time and energy into making his business profitable. "So, is this your only house?" I asked curiously. Luke chuckled. "No, it's not. I purchased this as a home within the city. Before the development, I was living in a penthouse that I still own. I wanted more space and privacy." "Wow," I whispered. "Luke, why have you been so nice to me?" "I have a weakness for damsels in distress," he said playfully. "Hey! I am not a damsel," I shot back, laughing to keep the mood light. "But you've been in distress," Luke reminded me, sighing, his tone getting more serious. "Yeah, I have," I agreed. "It hasn't been the best time for me." "You're also an employee of mine. I like to see all my employees succeed. You've barely gotten started and had some setbacks. No fault of your own," he continued. "I do appreciate everything you've done. I'm also really looking forward to this Caribbean project," I said. My body felt lighter as we started talking about work. That was one thing I could talk about forever without feeling any energetic drain. "I'll be honest, Cat, I have high expectations for you. Are you sure you can measure up?" he asked. His voice sounded lazy, like he was getting tired. "Trust me, Luke. One thing I won't fail at is this job," I assured. "Says the woman that has tried to resign at least twice before working a full day," he teased. I giggled and closed my eyes. "Well, I did go to that business party." "And then ran off halfway through," he added. "I thought you wanted to help me, not push me to resign again," I whined playfully. Luke sighed, and I heard him shift in his hammock. "My apologies. I will tone it back on the teasing." "Oh, I can take it," I said. "But I am sorry I wasn't there for the presentation." A realization settled in on me. "And neither were you!" "It's fine," he said with a shrug. "I'm sure someone else took care of it, and I'll meet with the investors later." Another comfortable silence settled over us. It was the first real conversation I felt like I'd had with Luke. The night at the bar didn't count, given my emotional distress and his. None of the conversations after that had really been personal. It was nice to just talk and laugh openly with someone. I knew we'd never be best friends; he was my boss, but we could still enjoy each other's company. Right now, I needed people I could have fun with. My eyelids started to drift closed. All I'd needed to get to sleep was a nice, carefree conversation. With another sigh, I wrapped my arms around myself for more comfort. I don't know when I fell asleep, but the next thing I knew, I felt like I was floating. Half asleep and in a dream-like state, I floated into the bedroom and gently landed on the fluffy bed. It was like sleeping on a cloud. Someone's warm arms pulled away, and I whimpered, feeling too cold. The blankets were folded over me, and I snuggled into them. Something smooth and warm touched my forehead, curving around like a gentle hand. Then the hand was gone and something else touched my forehead, soft, plush, and warm. Lips. Was I dreaming?