Chapter 192: A Little More Time
Taking advantage of the peaceful afternoon, Luca and Arabella curled up together on the sofa, quietly watching a TV series.
With such a beautiful, sweet-smelling woman resting in his lap, it was impossible for Luca not to react.
Still, he wasn’t the type to rush things. Since Arabella wasn’t ready, he was willing to wait.
That didn’t stop them from stealing the occasional glance at each other before sharing another kiss.
When it came to kissing, Arabella was still inexperienced. Having only recently had her first kiss, she couldn’t keep up with Luca’s practiced rhythm.
So he almost always took the lead.
Before long, she would melt against him, giving in to his increasingly unsteady breathing.
"How about we order takeout tonight?" As evening approached, Arabella stretched lazily, then settled back against his chest. Tilting her head, she looked up at him. "I don’t really feel like going out."
Seeing no sign that she intended to leave his embrace anytime soon, Luca smiled and nodded.
"Sounds good."
Arabella wasn’t someone who stayed indoors all day. If anything, she loved traveling and exploring new places.
The only reason she was acting this lazy was because lying in Luca’s arms felt far too comfortable. It was as though she had been glued to him. She simply didn’t want to move.
Cooking was even less likely.
She had never cooked a meal in her life. The kitchen in her apartment existed mostly for decoration.
Every appliance and utensil was neatly arranged, but almost none of them had ever been used.
Even the refrigerator reflected that lifestyle. It was stocked with ready-made meals and drinks, but there wasn’t a single fresh vegetable or cut of meat inside.
It wasn’t laziness so much as how she’d been raised.
Since childhood, she’d wanted for nothing. She had grown up as a true heiress.
The family had chefs to prepare every meal and maids to handle every household chore. There had never been a reason for her to step into a kitchen.
Her only responsibilities were studying, painting, and pursuing whatever interested her.
Everything else had always been taken care of.
After placing the food order and setting his phone aside, Arabella leaned over and lightly kissed the corner of Luca’s lips before calmly returning her attention to the television.
Luca could only stare helplessly at the top of her head before shaking his head with an amused smile.
’Does she really have no idea how dangerous she is to a man’s self-control?’
The entire afternoon had felt like being back in elementary school, waiting impatiently for the final school bell.
Every kiss left him wanting more, only for it to end a second later.
It was pure torture.
What Luca didn’t realize was that Arabella had long noticed his body’s reactions.
Whenever they kissed, she could feel every subtle change.
Outwardly, she remained calm as ever.
Inside, however, she was anything but.
Shyness, nervousness, excitement, curiosity, anticipation...
The emotions tangled together until even she didn’t know what to do with them.
She knew she probably shouldn’t keep teasing him.
Yet every so often, she simply couldn’t resist leaning over for another kiss.
And so Luca continued to suffer.
Less than half an hour later, the doorbell rang.
After thanking the property staff who had delivered the meal, Luca carried the food into the dining area.
"Huh?"
He paused when his eyes landed on the restaurant logo printed on the packaging.
"You ordered from the San Fierro Grand Hotel?"
Arabella blinked.
"Yeah. Their food is really good. Don’t you like it?"
"It’s not that." Luca laughed and pointed at the logo. "I actually own this hotel."
His tone was completely casual.
In the past, he might have shown off a little.
Now, after accumulating more wealth than he could realistically spend, owning another business hardly felt worth mentioning.
As his world grew larger, so did his perspective.
Arabella wasn’t surprised in the slightest.
Someone with Luca’s wealth owning a luxury hotel wasn’t unusual.
Her own family had invested in high-end hotels across countless major cities.
Those businesses, impressive as they seemed to outsiders, were only a tiny fraction of everything the Windsor family owned.
Some people were born into comfort.
Arabella had been born into privilege.
"Your chefs are excellent," she said after taking another bite. "The food suits my taste perfectly."
"When I get the chance, I’ll cook for you myself."
Luca smiled confidently.
"I guarantee it’ll taste even better."
"You can cook?"
For perhaps the first time that day, genuine surprise appeared in Arabella’s eyes.
She truly hadn’t expected that.
Luca was young, wealthy, and busy.
Someone like him had no reason to learn cooking, let alone become better than professional hotel chefs.
Yet she never doubted his words.
"Of course." He grinned proudly and patted his chest. "Your boyfriend is amazing."
"I haven’t agreed to that yet," she corrected calmly.
She wasn’t teasing him.
She was genuinely still thinking about it.
Part of her pride refused to accept sharing the man she loved with anyone else.
Yet another part of her...
That part longed for his embrace.
Longed for his kisses.
She knew exactly how contradictory that made her.
To keep the promise she’d made, she’d even found excuses to convince herself to take that first step.
Arabella had always been someone who approached everything seriously.
She never forced herself to do something she truly didn’t want.
The reason she had allowed Luca to kiss her...
Was because she wanted him to.
Because she liked him.
"Aren’t you serious?"
Luca blinked several times before staring at her.
"We’ve hugged."
"We’ve kissed."
"So... what exactly are we now?"
For the first time in a long while, genuine unease crept into his heart.
If anyone else had said those words, he would have laughed them off.
But Arabella never joked about things like this.
Every sentence she spoke had been carefully considered.
If she said she hadn’t agreed to become his girlfriend...
Then she truly meant it.
Seeing his brows slowly knit together, Arabella reached up and gently smoothed them with her fingertips.
Her jewel-like eyes quietly met his.
After a few silent seconds, she slowly closed them, rose onto her tiptoes, and softly pressed her lips against his.
The kiss was light.
Gentle.
Gone almost as soon as it began.
"Luca..." she whispered as she wrapped her arms around his waist and rested her forehead against his chest.
"Can you give me a little more time?"
"I know I like you."
"I like you... very much."
"And that won’t change."
She paused before continuing softly.
"But there are still some things inside me that I need time to sort through."
She never hid how she felt.
For Luca, she was already willing to challenge beliefs she’d held onto for years.
But change couldn’t happen overnight.
She couldn’t even tell how long she would need.
Maybe a few days.
Maybe several months.
Maybe a year.
Maybe much longer.
She genuinely didn’t know.
And because she didn’t know, she refused to make promises she couldn’t guarantee.
The only thing she was certain of...
Was that today, she wanted to stay by Luca’s side.
As for everything else...
Tomorrow could worry about tomorrow.