Page 35 of Neptune

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LUKE

Seven years ago

I stared at the ceiling of Victor's bedroom. What was I doing? I should have been getting ready to go to the airport, but my body wasn't being cooperative—it just couldn't move.

I glanced at my watch again and noticed that if I didn't get my ass off this bed, I would be late and miss the flight. Damn it.

I couldn't get Cassie off my mind. Her smile, her laughter and her angelic voice kept playing in my head. Her sweetness and kindness sipped right into my heart, taming it.

It seemed ridiculous to just let a girl like her go. Other men would have thought that I was crazy for walking away from such a precious girl. But who said that I wasn't crazy? With all the problems that life had thrown at me—the tragedy that had struck my family—I didn't need any distractions.

There were so many things that I needed to do to prevent the business from collapsing—I didn't even know whether I would be able to survive it.

And it wasn't like Cassie would want to stay with me once she learned about who I really was. I kept reminding myself of that.

I shouldn't let my heart contaminate my brain. As a man, I shouldn't let my emotions take over my logic and rationality.

However, my grip on the phone in my hand tightened. I'd been thinking about postponing my flight. Perhaps, tomorrow afternoon is a good idea .

I knew that I couldn't keep Cassie forever, but a little bit more time wouldn't be that harmful, would it?

Maybe I could ask her for dinner tonight, breakfast tomorrow morning and strolling around the town for a while before going to the airport tomorrow afternoon.

Yeah, I think that I can do that.

So I pressed the button on my phone, dialing the flight carrier to postpone my schedule. I spoke to the flight assistant, and all was settled. Sighing, I sat up on the bed, thinking about the impulsive decision I'd just made.

I walked from the bed and looked out my window, thinking about going to Cassie's motel again to ask her out for dinner. But then, the view that I was witnessing made my heart drop. Outside, a snowstorm was happening.

How could that happen? Hadn't it been nice weather before? What kind of nonsense was this?

The snowstorm outside perfectly explained the turmoil I suddenly felt inside my heart. I guess fate wasn't on my side.

Is this some kind of warning?

Cursing under my breath, I threw myself back onto the bed. A long sigh left my lips as I covered my eyes with my arm. I didn't think that I could ask Cassie out in this kind of weather.

Fuck . I might have to wait until tomorrow morning.

My mind was then filled again with the responsibilities waiting for me back home. It wasn't only my family who needed me, but also a lot of people. Their lives and futures depended on me.

Tiredness soon consumed me—I wasn't only physically tired but also mentally. I wished that there wasn’t so much drama in my family.

I closed my eyes and soon drifted off to sleep.

???

When I woke up, the clock on the wall read 11 PM. Groaning, I slowly sat up on the bed. While I was still gathering my energy back, I wondered if the storm had stopped.

I left the bed and walked toward the window. When I opened the curtain, I saw that the storm was still happening. Another sigh of disappointment left my lips, but then, it was already too late to go out.

While I was watching the storm, something caught my attention. My eyes widened in horror, my heart skipping a beat.

There, in front of the door of this house, I saw a familiar figure lying on the ground.

Goddammit. Cassie!

My heart raced as I rushed out of Victor's bedroom, storming toward the door. Panic engulfed me. Once I opened the door, I found Cassie lying unconscious before me.

My hands shook as I picked her up in my arms. She was pale as white, her lips parted, her hair filled with snow. She was still breathing, but she was freezing.

How long had she been here?

"Cassie," my shaking voice uttered her name as I shook my head in denial, rocking her body back and forth.

Yet, she showed no sign of consciousness.

" Cassie !" I hollered, feeling my world crumbling down.

And the storm inside me went crazy, far worse than what was happening around us.

Abruptly, I brought Cassie inside the house and closed the door, blocking the storm. I shook her body again, trying to make her stay.

"Cassie!" I shouted, my voice shaking due to the panic engulfing me.

Cassie's eyes were still shut, but her brows furrowed. A frown touched her lips. "Luke..." she whispered, her voice very weak.

Maybe I should have called the hospital, but I didn't know whether they would be able to come in time or not, especially during a storm like this. We were in another country, and I wasn't even familiar with how the procedures worked around here.

For now, the first survival instinct I could think of was to keep Cassie warm.

"Why the fuck did you stay outside?" I hollered, pulling her body even closer to me.

She was cold as ice, and I felt like I was about to explode.

"God, Cassie, have you lost your fucking mind?" I snapped.

It wasn't the right time to yell, but I was just so worried about her. So very worried.

Cassie winced. "Your brother's...coat," she rasped. "I...forgot."

I stared at her in disbelief. She was still wearing Victor's coat—I hadn't even remembered about that. She must have thought that Victor's belonging was so important to me.

Goddammit . Now I regretted telling her that I'd lost my brother, being fucking melancholic about coming here to escape.

"Are you stupid?" I barked. "You came all the way here during the storm just to give it back to me? Why the fuck didn't you just put it outside my house? Why the hell did you wait for me?"

Fuck . This coat could rot in hell for all I cared. I'd postponed my flight, and she hadn't known about it. She must have waited for me while I fucking fell asleep .

"What if someone else took it?" she insisted, her voice barely a whisper.

I could care less about our argument. Fear built up inside me as my mind tried to figure out how to make her warm as fast as I could.

My heart thumped wildly inside my chest. I couldn't let her condition get worse.

I carried her in my arms, rushing toward the warmest room in the house—Victor's bedroom. My jaw tightened as I placed her on the bed.

Cassie still couldn't open her eyes, her lips still trembling and her body shivering. That sight pained me to the core.

Just when I was about to leave the bed to find something that could warm her, Cassie’s voice made me halt. “Luke. ”

I snapped my head toward her and found her looking at me with fear skating all over her face.

“Don’t leave me,” she stuttered. “Please, stay.” Her voice broke. She looked so frightened, as though she could die while I was away. “S-stay with me.” She was using all the power she had to speak, but what came out was only a broken whisper.

I immediately returned to her side, pulling her into my arms as I lay on the bed. Cassie’s entire body was shaking uncontrollably.

She let out a soft cry. “It’s so cold.”

I tightened my hold on her, muttering a silent curse in my head. My mind was a complete mess. I was trying to find a way to make her pain go away, to save her. Her clothes were so damp with snow that they wouldn’t keep her from freezing to death.

There was one way to do this faster, but I didn’t want to force her. “Cassie,” I warned her. “Your clothes—”

“Just take them off,” she spoke through chattering teeth. I watched her, waiting for her to confirm. “ Please ,” she almost cried again.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered, knowing that I was doing this for the sake of saving her. It was Survival 101. “You need the heat transfer. In that case, I may have to take off my clothes too—”

“Just do it,” she urged.

With her consent, I yanked her clothes off her body, piece by piece. Victor's coat. Her gloves. Her wool sweater. Her jeans. Her thermal underwear.

And her bra. But I didn't take off her panties.

If we were in a completely different situation—if she wasn't dying—my mind would have gone far. But right now, I could fucking care less about that.

However, it didn't mean that my cock wasn't as hard as a rock right now while I saw her naked form.

I quickly undressed, wearing only my boxers before joining her on the bed again and pulling the blanket over us. I pulled her into a tight hug to transfer heat .

Her body was wrapped securely in my arms, her face buried in my chest as I gritted my teeth. Cassie was still shivering, and I was trying my best to make her warm, holding her even tighter.

Please hold on. Don't you fucking leave me, Cassie.

I don’t know how long we stayed together like that, but as time went by, Cassie began to relax. She wasn't shaking as she'd been earlier. Her body wasn't as cold as before either. It was gradually becoming warm.

I even felt like it was getting hot. The heater in the room, the blanket and our mixed body heat made me think that I would be sweating soon.

Cassie half-opened her eyes, staring at me, but her gaze was still weak.

"Be still. I'm still keeping you warm,” I whispered.

She nodded. Relief washed over me as I realized that she was no longer in danger.

I tightened my arms around her, closing my eyes as I kissed her hair. We stayed close like that for a while.

No, it was longer than I'd thought. I started to think that I'd been holding her for an hour.

I looked down at Cassie again. Her eyes were open. She leaned her head against my chest, her lips touching my skin.

"Feel better?" I asked, my voice laced with concern.

She nodded quietly.

"Still feeling cold?" I asked again.

She shook her head and whispered, "No."

Now, I felt even more relieved. Cassie closed her eyes and sighed, hugging me back, which meant that her hands, which were previously lying against my chest, were now on my back.

Which also meant that her fucking breasts were now pressed against my chest.

Wrong move.