Two weeks have passed.

Since that night, I didn't let myself get near Natsu again. It was admittedly difficult as we were staying under the same roof and he was helping me with the ranch, but I managed and I was still trying. I knew that he already noticed that I was avoiding him, but he fortunately wasn't saying anything about it, giving me the space I needed. He actually remained the same—cold, strict, and not failing to take my breath away every time he moved.

It was frustrating, especially with the fact that it was me who initiated.

Even after all these years, even after all the harsh words I received from him… I was still…

"Don't worry, Lucy. We're doing our best to fix everything up as soon as possible."

I leaned my back against my chair as I listened to Aquarius over the line, massaging my temple in distress.

"Currently, we're in contact with Sting's Talent Manager and agency to arrange a press conference," she added. Meanwhile, my eyes were trained to someone moving around the kitchen in only his black pants, displaying his toned torso with that strange scar on the lower left part of his abdomen. My eyebrows furrowed. Where did he get that?

"We'll get back to you once we receive a response. Please give us at least two more weeks."

Damn. I didn't know this would take so long.

"Alright," I sighed in defeat, hanging up the call. Bringing Natsu's phone down on the table, I raised an eyebrow when I caught the corner of his lips rose. "What are you smirking at?"

"Oh, please. Not that attitude. You are the one who's checking me out a while ago, Lucy," he chuckled as returned his eyes back to the fried rice he was cooking, his broad and muscular back full on my sight. I pressed my lips together, ashamed to admit that he was right.

"Who were you talking to, by the way, if you don't mind me asking? I'm sure they're not one of your parents."

Breathing heavily, I stood up from my seat and went to get plates and utensils for our breakfast. I arranged them on the table while Natsu turned the stove off. Spetto was not with us because we're currently in the plantation, so it's just us here in the cabin. Mind you, nothing happened. It had been two weeks since I last had intimate contact with Natsu, and I was trying my best to forget about it.

"It's Aquarius, my manager."

"Hmm, you're talking about the issue? How is it going?"

He brought the plate of ham and hotdogs to the table, and a large bowl of fried rice. Our eyes met, and I was the one to look away.

"Slow. It's so damn slow I'm beginning to lose my patience. I have to get back to my work and live my own life as soon as possible."

Natsu didn't respond. Not that I was expecting him to. I glanced at him through the corner of my eyes and noticed his clenched jaw as he carefully filled out plates with our breakfast. He filled our glasses with water, too, and we both ate in silence. I didn't know what could be running in his head. I couldn't read him…as always.

When we finished, I volunteered to wash the dishes, and he let me. His silence began to bother me. But no! I shouldn't care! You're avoiding him, Lucy, remember?

"When did you meet Sting Eucliffe?" I was already drying my hands off when Natsu spoke. He was sitting on the table, his eyes were focused out of the window just in front of him.

"Two years ago, I think. For a fashion magazine." My eyebrows furrowed when I realized that he knew Sting's name. I thought he was the type of man who wouldn't care about issues like this.

"He has known you that long…and gotten obsessed with you. Were you in some kind of relationship with him?"

"What? Never! He was just my friend, Natsu. A close friend. Nothing more than that."

"Then why did he try framing you up?"

"Frame me up?" I shook my head, taking a few steps away when he stood from his chair. "I don't think so. He was drunk, and I was careless. We both have faults—"

"You're still defending him." It wasn't a question. The way he attempted to close our distance made me gasp. I quickly avoided him without making it obvious by going on the other side of the table just to get away from him. I pretended to look out of the window as if it was nothing.

"I'm not. I'm not just biased. I haven't even talked to him properly yet."

"Intentional or not, he's the reason why you're facing this crisis. He's an actor, Lucy. He should have known that he's being watched wherever he goes, whatever he does."

I massaged my temple. "Are we seriously arguing about this, Natsu? This isn't worth our time, I'm telling you."

"Alright." He crossed his arms over his bare chest. A lump formed in my throat as I watched his muscles flex. "Should we talk about something more important, then?"

My heart began running for miles. Even though he didn't say anything yet, there was already an idea forming in my head on what it would be all about. Still, I didn't want to prove that I was indeed avoiding him.

"W-What about it?"

"You're avoiding me." Fuck.

"Of course, not."

"Really?" My eyes widened when he closed our distance even before I could plan for an escape. Now he stood in front of me, just a few steps away as he leaned on the edge of the table behind him. My back was on the window, while he was facing it, making his expressions much clearer to me.

"Is…Is this what we're going to talk about? Then I'm making it clear now, I'm not avoiding you. Is there any reason to?"

"Yeah, is there any reason? It's been two weeks, Lucy. You think I didn't notice?"

I swallowed hard. My knees were slowly turning into jelly as his intense eyes bore into me. It felt like I was trapped and I had no way out. He wouldn't let me go unless he got the answer he wanted to hear. No, I was more afraid to think that he could read everything that was running in my head, but he preferred to hear it directly come out of my lips.

Accepting defeat, I let out a long sigh. "Fine. I just…" I bit my lip as embarrassment began growing in my chest. "A-About what happened that night…two weeks ago, let's...let's forget about it, okay?"

I dropped my gaze on my hands, watching my fingers play with each other. "I mean, you've probably forgotten about it already, but I want to make sure that we're on the same—"

I jolted when Natsu suddenly stood straight and took the remaining distance separating us. He towered in front of me, declaring how dominant and powerful he was. I looked up at him, holding my breath, his hands gripped on the windowsill and locked me in between his arms. It was so surprising that I couldn't help placing my palms against his chest, afraid for a moment that he would crash me against the window.

"What did you say?" he asked through gritted teeth. It was almost a whisper.

"I-It was my fault, don't worry. I initiated it. You're probably just carried away by the heat of the moment—"

"Bullshit."

My words and thoughts hung in the air and scattered away. Now all I could think about was how fast his heartbeat was against my palm, how my delicate hands perfectly complimented his tanned, hard chest. I was in awe to even notice how intently he was watching my face, not caring if he could see the amusement in my eyes.

Natsu's heart can beat this loud and fast, huh…because of me?

"You think of me as that kind of man? Easily swayed by lust? How insulting."

Now he got my full attention. I looked at him, feeling guilt and regret for making him think that way when it wasn't my intention. "I-It's not like that…"

"Then what?" He wasn't pleased by any words coming from me. Eyebrows almost closed together, the corner of his lips tugged up in a small smirk. He wasn't even waiting for a response from me. "You want me to forget it? Why?"

I was genuinely confused and felt a little irritated and I knew he could see it on my face. I looked up at him, staring directly into his eyes. He tilted his head, his lips parted as watched every corner of my face.

"What do you mean why? There are a lot of obvious reasons. Firstly, I don't want to be one of your girls—"

"You're not just anyone, Lucy."

Chills ran down my spine when his finger brushed the side of my face to tuck a stray strand of hair behind my ear.

"You hated me."

My heart clenched when offense and pain crossed his eyes. His shoulders tensed for a moment. I pressed my lips in a tight line to hide its tremble when his expression softened. A part of me wanted to cry and shout at his face just to make him realize how cruel he was to me. He had always been.

"I never did."

"Liar." I fought back a sob. "You told me…you didn't want to see me again. Y-You told me not to c-come back." But I failed. I couldn't hide how my voice shattered.

He cupped my cheeks, his warmth enveloped me. The gentleness he was wearing on his face made me wonder if the person in front of me was the same Natsu from years ago.

"Yes, I told you to never come back here again. So why are you here? Why do you keep on coming back to a place that only gave you pain? I was one of your bad memories, Lucy. I failed to protect you."

Tears formed in the corner of my eyes and they fell, but Natsu was already there to catch and dry it all.

"I wished you well. I wished you would find a much better home surrounded by great people. I wished you wouldn't ever come back here. I wished you would forget about this island…along with all the pain it has caused you."

"And you thought it would work by purposely making me hate you?"

He showed a small smile, broken. "It worked…right?"

I was lost for words…because it was true. I learned to forget about him after years of crying my heart out at night. I learned to forget about all the memories I had with him on this island, burying it deep within me…hoping to not remember it ever again.

"I didn't plan to go back to Tenrou. I didn't plan on seeing you again. I was already content to hear that you seemed to be enjoying your life and have already moved on…"

"But we're here again, back to each other." I flashed a smile. "Don't you think it's fate?"

I closed my eyes when Natsu leaned forward, kissing my tears. His lips trailed down my cheeks, until he reached my lips. From his chest, my hands slid to his shoulders and wrapped around his neck. My head felt light as I kissed him back, feeling butterflies in my stomach at how soft and gentle he could be.

I wasn't sure how long it had been before the light kisses we shared turned into a heated one. I tried keeping up with him, but I ended up getting dominated as he swallowed my little moans. From his nape, my hands travelled back down, my fingertips had the whole time in the world feeling every bulge of his torso, dragging my nails from his chest down to his abdominal muscles, and made its way to his back before pulling him closer.

Running his tongue on my lower lip had sent me goosebumps, and soon brought more heat on my body when he sucked on it. From my cheek, his hand travelled to my nape until he reached the back of my head, burying his fingers to my locks before firmly pulling it down to tilt my head up. I groaned, not because of pain, but because of the pleasure that struck me.

Natsu had all the control. The addictive movements of his lips, aggressive clash of his tongue against mine, and constant squeeze of his other hand on my ass—it was all driving me insane, feeling so weak in his strong hold.

He pulled away and I tried going after him, almost whining at the sudden loss of his lips. Heat gathered in my cheeks as I looked up at him, especially at the sight of his swollen and reddened lips. It was parted for air and I had this urge of tasting it again. I was only brought back to my senses upon hearing the sound of his soft, husky chuckles.

"Lucy..."

I felt his hand reach for mine gripping on his back. My eyes widened when I realized that my nails were dug on his skin, worried that I might have left scratch marks or cuts on his skin. However, opposite to my worry, Natsu had his teeth dug on his lower lip while he tried to hide his smirk, a spark of desire was clear in his eyes.

"...calm down."

"So what's the reason this time?" I asked with the sound of annoyance, slumping myself on the couch. We had just gotten home from the plantation and Laxus greeted us on the mansion's entrance with an unexpected news. This guy had extended his supposed one week leave, the reason why I was still going to the ranch and plantation in the past week.

Now he's finally back and taking over, yet there was another new client he needed to meet and he couldn't go this time.

"Let me guess," Natsu butted in as he walked down the stairs in his fresh clothes, a pair of white button down shirt and khaki shorts, a smirk plastered on his lips. "You can't leave Tenrou now and meet the client because of a certain blue-eyed woman I know—"

"Shut up, Dragneel."

I only watched them, feeling sleepy.

"As I was saying, I won't be able to leave the island. I can't leave. So instead of me, I'd like you to meet our client instead, Lucy."

"Isn't this way too convenient for you?" I rolled my eyes at Laxus. "You wanted me to take over the plantation even if I didn't have any knowledge about it, and now, you're asking me to meet this client that I don't even know a single thing about?"

"Of course, I'll be giving you a printed copy of the client's important details later. I'm really sorry, Lucy…" He gave me a smile, but he should at least try to sound and look apologetic! "Besides, you'll be with Natsu, so nothing to worry about."

Why can't he just ask Natsu to go instead of me?

"Hey, I know what you're thinking," Laxus sighed as he leaned against the backrest. "It would be better if you're the one to face Mr. Balsamico as the Heiress."

"I told you I'm not interested in your business. Stop calling me Heiress!"

"My goodness." He pinched the bridge of his nose. What? He felt frustrated? Hah! The audacity! "As my representative, fine. You're a Vermillion, that's the most important thing."

For the nth time, I rolled my eyes. "Tell me about it." I could just say no, but my conscience wouldn't let me sleep peacefully. And I really didn't have anything to do here, so I guessed it would be fine to just go.

"Great!" Laxus' bright grin almost blinded me. "It's his daughter's debut and there will be a ball. We're invited mainly to talk about businesses and some important matters. Don't worry, your presence is important as a Vermillion, but Natsu will be the one to seal the deal."

Why did he talk about it as if Natsu already agreed?

I glanced at the brute, raising an eyebrow at him when I caught him staring. He bit his lip to suppress the obvious smile as he looked away. As embarrassing as it might sound, my cheeks heated at his small actions.

"Alright," I nodded at Laxus, clearing my throat.

After that, I was completely ignored as the two started talking about businesses. Feeling so out of place, I stood up with a plan on going back to my room to take a rest, but Natsu's voice stopped me from my tracks.

"We'll be going to Fairy Tail for our dress and suit for the ball, Lucy. Get ready."

Yeah, whatever.

I GLARED AT the person on the driving seat when I heard him whistle. Our eyes met through the rear view mirror, and I didn't like how his blue eyeglasses glimmered. He stopped his annoying whistles just to burst out laughing for some damn reason.

"What the hell are you laughing at, Loke?" Natsu snapped next to me, legs wide apart, his hand playing with mine resting on his thigh. He had been pinching my fingers, sometimes tracing random shapes on my palm. "Is there something funny I'm not aware of? Please enlighten me."

Oh, the sarcasm.

Loke faked a cough as his finger pointed something outside the car. "Ha ha ha! Look at that car, Gray! Isn't it cute?"

"Insane," I heard Gray murmur from the passenger seat.

When Laxus left the mansion to meet this woman that he refused to tell me about, I was shocked when Loke and Gray suddenly arrived for a visit. I had learned that Gajeel and Erza were currently in the Crocus for their own businesses, while Lisanna was abroad.

I wonder how she's doing...

It didn't take long when we finally reached the Central. Loke dropped us right in front of a popular clothing shop, and said that he would pick us up after an hour or two since they still needed to attend to some important matters.

"Welcome to Albe—Oh! Natsu!" The woman on the counter greeted, grinning at our direction. She had dark chocolate hair, a bottle of what seemed to be a booze in her hand. Wait, was it okay to appear with a bottle of an alcoholic beverage in a shop full of her customers? "Is this the infamous Heartfilia?"

An awkward smile formed on my lips when she started walking around me, looking at my body from head to foot. "How much is your talent fee? I badly wanted you to be my model since I opened my store!"

"Um…" Didn't she have any idea about my issue? She would surely lose customers if I would be the face of her clothes.

As if she had read my mind, she flashed a grin.

"Don't worry about it. I never believed in any news from your industry, Ms. Heartfilia! And I don't have interest!" She clung her arm around my shoulders as we walked to the very corner of the huge store, few people were taking glances at us. "But when it comes to you, they have my all ears! Yet all they're saying are bullshits. I'm your huge fan, by the way."

We went to the section where mannequins were displayed, wearing stunning formal dresses. They were behind a huge glass, so I really couldn't touch them.

"Why don't they just get mad at Eucliffe instead? Because he's a cheater! He had a choice and he chose to be an asshole!"

"Cana…" If Natsu didn't speak behind us, I wouldn't have a chance to know her name. "Will you please leave Lucy alone? We're not here for chit-chats."

How rude.

"You know what, Lucy," Cana leaned closer to whisper in my ears, although I knew Natsu could still hear it. "I'm proud of you for having enough patience with this guy."

Ah. If she only knew...

"That's enough. Just give us the brochure," Natsu held on my elbow to slightly pull me away, glaring at Cana who only gave him a smirk.

"Wow. The demon is whipped."

"Shut up."

"Relax." Cana laughed before she called one of her staff to assist us. "While they're waiting, show these dresses to Lucy."

The woman nodded, giving me a kind smile. Her short hair reminded me of Lisanna, the difference was that hers was purple.

"If one of these dresses caught your interest, Lucy, just let me know. If you find nothing of your taste, you can choose in my brochure and I'll gladly make it for you."

I stared at Cana in concern. "Can you make it in time, though? The party is in one week."

"Of course! Have faith in me!" She gave me a wink before walking away. Kinana, the assistant, motioned me to follow her for the first dress. I looked at Natsu over my shoulder.

"You can choose yours while I'm busy with this."

He shook his head. "Nah. I'll be waiting for you."

I watched him sit on the nearby couch, crossed his legs, and stared at me. Pursing my lips, I avoided his eyes and just forced myself to listen to Kinana.

"This is Ms. Alberona's design that was featured in…"

With all these gorgeous dresses, I guess it's normal for me to take time to decide which one to choose. They had different styles and unique flavors, but I ended up falling in love with two of them; a navy blue tube fitted dress that screamed elegant seduction with its high slit on the left thigh, and a sexy classic black long flowy dress with its deep neckline.

"Can I try these?"

"Of course! This way, Ma'am,"

Kinana guided me to the fitting room. I first tried the black dress. What I liked about it was it's easy to wear, and it made me look so feminine, simple yet elegant. I stared at myself through the mirror, pouting my lips as I contemplated if I should show this to Natsu or not. But I ended up choosing the latter. I wanted it to be a surprise.

After I tested the dress, I reached for the next one. And I really regretted wearing it without realizing that there was a zipper on the back and I couldn't reach it! I bit my lip as I stared at the mirror. Its color made my skin look brighter than it naturally was. The slit was so high, reaching a few inches below my hip bone, displaying the length of my leg. Another problem was that I felt like the top would be so tight for my chest. But how would I know if I wouldn't be able to close the zipper? Damn it.

Slowly, I opened the door as I stuck my head out to ask for Kinana's help, but she's nowhere to be found!

"Kinana?" Where the hell is she?!

"Is there a problem?" Natsu's voice caught my attention. I stared at him, still sitting on the couch. He put down the magazine he was reading and watched me with his furrowed eyebrows. "Kinana left for a while to assist the other customer."

What?!

"What's wrong, Lucy?"

There's no way I'll ask Natsu for this kind of favor!

"U-Uh, I need help. Can... Can you call her for me?"

"She's pretty busy…"

I swallowed hard. I just needed someone to pull up the zipper, right? It's...only for the zipper. Nothing else. "T-Then could you help me instead?"

From Kinana's direction, Natsu's eyes returned to me. It was blank, making me feel more nervous.

"Okay."

He stood up and walked towards me. Ignoring the hotness of my face, I opened the door wider to let him in. Being alone with Natsu was making me nervous, yet the other side of me loved it so badly. The excitement and heat was strong in my veins.

"What do you want me to do?"

Our eyes met through the mirror. The room was small enough for a single person. So now that he's here, it felt tighter as I could feel his warmth on my back.

"J-Just close the zipper, please," I gathered my hair on my left shoulder, showing him my exposed back. Natsu obliged without saying anything, giving me a sigh of relief.

I mentally slapped my forehead at the thought. It's not as if he would do something!

"What do you think?" I asked, trying to ease the sudden tension and to distract myself. Somehow, his silence worsened the throb of my heart.

"Isn't it too revealing?" I unconsciously bit on my lip when I noticed his eyes staring at my thigh. "Not that it matters. But are you comfortable?"

"Ah, yeah. It's fine…"

I thought it would end on that, the reason why I gasped in shock when I suddenly felt his fingers on the side of my thigh. He was tracing something...

"You have a tattoo?"

It was a golden rose surrounded by vines with thorns. It was small so I didn't expect him to notice it.

His thumb continued caressing my tattoo, and it started bringing me a different feeling. Without knowing at all, his name had slipped my lips in a whisper. He stopped, his eyes darted back up at me in the mirror. I witnessed how my cheeks turned red in embarrassment and that same euphoric feeling I had felt two weeks ago, as Natsu's large hand completely enveloped my skin.

"Can you give me a favor, please?" His voice was low and rough. I only nodded as I watched his hand crawl under the fabric, sliding across the inside of my thigh. My eyes widened when he slowly brought my leg up in the air, while his other arm snaked around my waist for support.

"N-Natsu…"

I bit my lip at the sight of my spread legs on the mirror—left was standing still on the ground, while the right one was spread wide with my foot resting on the nearby small cabinet. I wanted to put it down and just run away, but Natsu's right hand on my inner thigh with his fingers teasing near my center was demanding me to do whatever he pleased.

"Are you sure you want to wear something like this in a public place, Lucy? Not that I mind. It's perfect on you," he whispered before kissing my temple, eyes watching my expression as I squirmed when his fingers reached me there. "I may not be able to control myself, though."

I leaned against his shoulder as I closed my eyes, parting my lips to catch for air when he started putting pressure on his every movement. I thought it would be the same as that night. I thought he would continue pleasuring me over the cloth, but my eyes popped open when he suddenly pulled my underwear aside before sinking a finger on my flesh.

"Natsu!" It was a whisper, but the way it sounded caused him to smirk. I gripped on his arm holding me around my waist, feeling a huge euphoria because of his slow strokes down there.

The skirt of my dress covered everything he was doing in my eyes, but I could still see his movements as it shook the fabric. I wasn't bare in the mirror, but it was like I knew how it would look just by the feeling of it.

"A-Ah…"

"Shh. Keep quiet, Lucy."

After a moment, it started getting hot and slippery that I had to cover my mouth when I felt a finger enter me. It was slow and felt uncomfortable at first, but I lost it as it moved. In and out, getting its perfect pace.

Natsu kissed my exposed shoulder, his heavy breath against my ear was so sexy, but my focus was on how long I could keep my mouth shut when he was giving me all these pleasure at once. My breathing was becoming erratic, especially at the bolts of electricity that travelled down my core when I felt another finger enter me and his thumb taking interest in the most sensitive part of my body.

"Mnn! Ah!"

I couldn't understand anything anymore. My mind was clouded by pleasure, my body was so driven by lust that I unconsciously began moving my hips in sync with Natsu's fingers, but his arm kept on holding me still.

"Natsu...!"

Suddenly, he hit something sensitive inside that made me go crazier. It felt like I was reaching the sky. Every glide of his fingers through my tight walls, every hit of its tips on that spot, and every circle of his thumb on my clit, it's all too much. I shut my eyes close as I arched my back. I was feeling it… I was near.

Knock! Knock! "Ma'am? Are you done?"

My eyes widened when I heard Kinana's voice outside the fitting room. However, instead of stopping, Natsu only made his movements faster. My nails dug on his forearm as I slowly reached the top.

"Ms. Heartfilia? Are you still there?"

I met Natsu's eyes through the mirror, silently begging for him to not stop. Please, keep going. Make me come.

"Did Ms. Heartfilia leave already?" Knock! Knock!

I was so, so near. My walls started clenching around him, and I was already readying myself for a pleasurable fall.

But Natsu suddenly stopped.

W-What...

I stared at him in disbelief as he stepped back, bringing his fingers into his mouth. I swore my face almost erupted in so much heat as he sucked on them, not taking his eyes on me in the mirror, before he pulled a handkerchief out from his pocket. What the fuck?

"Natsu—"

"Shh," he leaned closer to my ear as he put down my leg from the cabinet. I was so mad at him for leaving me hanging like that! But after hearing his next words, it erased the image in my head killing him, replacing another scene of us sending my whole body on fire.

"I want you to come in my mouth, Lucy."

Fuck.

Without warning, he turned away and opened the door, not waiting for me to recover. I saw how Kinana's eyes widened before her cheeks turned incredibly red. Natsu smiled politely. Fucking politely.

"I apologize. I just helped my fiance fix a problem on her dress since you were busy earlier."

Kinana let out a sigh, as though relieved. "Oh. I understand, Sir."

I swallowed hard, lightheaded. My knees were trembling, and that part still tingled. Damn. I wanted to get rid of this dissatisfaction and frustration! And I hated the fact that he was the only one who could help me with it!

"N-Natsu…" I grabbed his sleeves before he could go out. He looked at me with such innocence. I can't believe it.

"Do you need something else, Lucy?"

"Let's go home."

The corner of his lips rose up, sending shivers down my spine. "As you wish."

I wanted to go home already.

I want you so bad.