Stuck With A Billionaire

Luke's POV

There's only one woman in this world that makes me happy.

Emily Michaelson.

I love how she makes my heart beat faster every single time she touches me. How she makes my entire body feel like it's on fire when she kisses me with those sweet, pink and puckered lips of hers.

Not for once did I ever imagine myself finding someone who would make me feel so complete. She's the kind of woman who makes me hate to see her go, but love to watch her leave. Her hazel eyes made me go gaga the very first time I saw her, I nearly choked on my saliva. She's gorgeous!

Right now she's standing right in front of me laughing at a joke I made up. She's licking her strawberry ice-cream off her spoon and she has no idea how such an innocent gesture turns me the fuck on!

"Penny for your thoughts, Luke Grahams?" she grins widely and I blink lazily as my eyes scan her ever-glowing face.

"You have no idea what you're doing to me right now," I say and she bites her lower lip seductively enough that my entire body stiffens.

"Come on, big boy. I'm just having ice-cream," she says and intentionally licks her spoon again, her eyes stuck on me.

"Emm, please. If you continue doing that, I'll have to take you right here, right now," I tease and her eyes widen. We're at the park; there are not so many people around though.

"Okay, give me a kiss then," she says and tiptoes and she puckers her lips and closes her eyes. Humbly, I oblige and kiss her lips.

"That's enough teasing, let's go back home," I say and she pouts.

"What now?" I ask and she finishes her ice-cream and throws the tin into a nearby trashcan.

"How about we get some pizza, a bottle of wine and... watch a movie tonight? What do you think?" she asks as her arms snake around my waist and she looks up at me and I look down at her.

"I think that's a great idea, today being a national holiday, we might as well have some time to ourselves, right? I mean, it's going to be one long weekend, you know," I say and she squeals in joy and squeezes me tighter.

"Yes! Yes! I love you so much," she says.

"I love you too, Emm," I say as I kiss her forehead. "Can't wait to get home and do the unthinkable to you," I whisper and she gasps.

"Sshh! Someone might hear you," she says and swats my arm.

"Who cares? You're my girlfriend and I can make love to you anytime, anywhere and anyhow," I coo and smirk at her. I notice color creeping up her cheeks. She's now as red as a tomato.

"Is it getting hot or something?" she asks while fanning her face and I chortle.

"No, it's just you. That's what you get for making me aroused in public. Thank God you stood in front of me for a good amount of time. Can we go now? I'm famished!"

"You just ate a hotdog a few minutes ago," she complains and tucks her dark brown hair behind her ear.

"Well I'm hungry again, come on," I say and grab her hand and we head over to my black Jeep Wrangler. I got the springs hitched up a little bit so the vehicle is slightly raised than usual.

Seconds later, we're on the road and once we arrive at our favorite pizza place, next to the mall, Emily begins grinning and I furrow my brows as I take the key out of the ignition.

"What's up?" I ask.

"I have a little surprise for you, but we have to go into the mall for a few minutes, okay?" she says and I shrug and we both leave the car and go into the mall.

Emm has a friend who works here so I bet she probably wants to see her or something, I don't really know.

"Trixie!" Emm shouts once we arrive at her friend's shop.

"Emm! You're finally here," Trixie says and I smile at her. "Hey, Luke."

"Hey," I say.

"Is it ready?" Emm asks and I frown as I wonder what she's up to.

"Yes," Trixie states and she gestures to us to follow her and we oblige.

She hands Emm well folded clothes... sweatshirts maybe?

Emm unfolds one of them and she gasps and pouts. Then she shows me the black sweatshirt. It has my name on it, printed in white.

"Look how lovely it is. Do you like it?" she asks while biting her lower lip.

"Come on, wear it," Trixie tells her and she does so immediately.

"It looks beautiful in you. Turn around," I say and when she does I take a moment to admire my name at the back. The front has a four leaf clover.

"I love it," I say. "What's on the other one?" I ask as I point at the other sweatshirt that's now on a chair.

"I figured you wouldn't really fancy having someone's name written in bold on your back, so... I had Trixie print my name near the hem of it, in smaller letters, check it out," she hands it to me.

I take the black sweatshirt in my hands and I admire her name on it.

How I love this girl. She's always so thoughtful at all times.

"I love it. Thank you, babe," I say as I pull her into my arms and she hugs me tightly.

"You're welcome. Now let's go get some pizza. See you later Trix," Emm says.

"Say hi to Ben," I say as we leave the store. Emm is still in her sweatshirt and I am carrying mine on my shoulder.

After getting pizza and a bottle of wine, we head back home.

***

"Oh, thank God the Benjamin's aren't around, their kids are usually so noisy and I would want anything to interrupt our sweet night," Emm says and I chuckle.

"Those kids sure do get a little crazy. Come on, let's find something to watch," I say as I pat the couch and Emm sits down and I cover both of us with a cotton blanket that she likes.

We're both lying on a bunch of throw pillows and my arm is across her shoulders and she's holding on to the pizza.

"How about we re-watch 'Me before You'?" she asks. We've watched this movie twice already but whatever she wants I'll do it. So I play the movie and we cuddle as we eat our barbecue pizza.

At the end of the movie, she always cries.

"I still don't understand why you never cry when this movie ends. It's so emotional, Luke. I just... I love it," she says as she sniffles against me.

"You know I love action and horror movies better," I say and she chuckles.

"But one thing is for sure, Emm. I would never, ever want to lose you. Never. I am never going to let you go and that's a promise," I say and kiss her forehead and she shivers a little.

See, Emily and I grew up as best friends and when we were about sixteen and seventeen and in high school, we couldn't keep our feelings to ourselves and we confessed it to each other. She's always been the best. Even though I thought our parents wouldn't agree with it, they finally realized that we were both serious about each other. Especially during our campus days.

Most people don't believe in long distance relationships, but for me and Emily, everything turned out well. We both joined our dream universities. She joined WSU and I joined NYU, we always found time to meet up during the weekends and finally graduated and came back home to each other. Then we decided to move in together after we both got jobs.

My mom keeps asking me when I am going to propose to her to be my wife but, I always tell her how Emily is. Emily doesn't like to be rushed and currently she's so focused on her career. She's almost turning twenty six and I am already twenty seven years. There's still time, plus at this point, I am pretty sure that she's mine and only mine. We've dated for ten years now and I am really grateful that she chose me.

"You're just amazing, don't you know that?" she says and I nod.

I carry her in my arms and head upstairs and lay her on our bed.

"Kiss me," she whispers and I oblige without any hesitation.

She pulls my shirt over my head and her hands caress my bare chest. I swear I can feel the static running all over my body when she touches me. Slowly, I begin taking off her clothes and she's only left in her bra and panties.

She's so beautiful.

I want her to be mine, forever.

She pulls me down and our lips lock and she begins caressing me and I do the same to her. I nibble her earlobe and kiss her neck all the way down to her belly button and she releases a moan and that abso-fucking-lutely turns me on.

The temperature is rising and I can feel my manhood tighten inside my boxers.

She hisses when I grab a handful of her hair and kiss her passionately. The taste of her lips, the sweet smell of her lavender shampoo and her perfume, all of them are driving me insane, forcing me to undo her bra and I throw it away on the floor.

"Devour me, you wild man," she says.

"It would be my honor," I coo and her legs fly around my back and she pulls me in for another kiss.

I love making love to her and she loves it too. Ever since we started dating, she's the only girl whom I've had sex with and I, her only guy. We were once high school sweethearts who were both virgins. Quite rare, if you ask me.

"Oh, baby, kiss me right there," she begs and I cup her breast with my mouth and she moans.

"Ah!"

"Your breathing is so labored yet I have barely touched you," I joke and she swats my back and I flip her over so that she's now on top of me.

The view from down here is amazing. So fucking amazing!

It's now Monday and we're both getting ready for work. Emily seems a little quiet today and she's lost in her thoughts while pouring coffee into her mug and it begins pouring onto the counter.

"Shit!" she curses.

"Babe, are you okay? Let me help you with that," I say as I leave the kitchen island and grab some kitchen towels and start wiping the counter.

"I officially hate Mondays," she says.

"Thank God none of the coffee spilled on your clothes," I say and place her mug onto the island after wiping the outer parts of it that had coffee.

She sits down and stares at her mug for an entire minute. Not daring to blink.

"Emm. What's wrong?" I ask and furrow my brows. She only sighs.

"Just work. Remember the project my boss told me to work on? It's been eating me up like termites on a piece of wood. I had such a great weekend, I even forgot all about work, but now, all the stress is back," she says and I stand behind her and massage her neck.

"Just take it easy, okay? You'll ace it and I know it. You're the best employee your company has ever had in years! So cut yourself some slack and enjoy your day," I say and she nods.

"Thank you, Luke. I don't know what I would do without you," she says.

"Cheer up, Emm. Everything will be okay, finish up your breakfast and we'll get going," I say and sit opposite her and continue sipping my coffee as I scroll through my newsfeed.

After dropping her off at her work place, I drive to work. My boss is my best friend and I work as an IT guy in his company. The perks of being best friends with your boss is that you get random free days, you get to attend meetings with him out of state and end up having a mini vacay.

I love my job.

"What's up, Dave?" I say once I bump into him in the elevator.

"My man, you always come to work early. That's what I love about you," he says as the elevator doors close.

David Gallagher. We met in NYU at a party that didn't end that well. He's the kind of guy who is wild and loves to party and scream out loud. I don't even know how he's managed to tone down that characteristic of him. He's a techie and a complete brainiac, no wonder he has his own tech company.

"How's Emm?" he asks.

"She's fine. Just dropped her off at work," I say and he grins widely at me.

"When are you planning to do it?" he asks and I pretend not to know what he's talking about.

"Do what?" I question as I stare at the elevator doors.

"Come one, man. When will you pop the question to her? You two aren't getting any younger you know," he says while staring down at the ring on his finger.

He got married to the love of his life last year. He and Gianna had dated for five good years until he decided to put a ring on it.

"I know, I'm just waiting for the right time. Plus she's currently so absorbed into this project at work and I wouldn't want to distract her in any way."

"Oh, excuses, excuses. How many times will you keep on giving excuses? Seal the deal bro. I don't know what you're waiting for," Dave says and the elevator doors fly open and we both walk out.

"I will, soon enough," I promise him and he pats my back.

"That's my boy. How about getting some coffee in..." he checks his watch, "Two hours," he says and I shrug.

"Fine by me. Pass by my office when you leave."

The rest of the day is well spent at work and when it's time to leave, I begin pondering on Dave's words.

Emily and I aren't getting any younger and even though she seems so focused on her career right now, it's not like a marriage proposal would make her less focused, right?

I bet she'd be happier than a queen when I ask her to be my legal wife.

The Duke of Hastings from the very captivating series, Bridgerton, once spoke to the Queen and said, "To meet a beautiful woman is one thing, but to meet your best friend in the most beautiful of women is something entirely apart."

That's exactly what I found in Emily. I found a best friend in the most beautiful woman in the entire planet. Plus, how else can you be lovers if you can't even be friends? I came to learn that love isn't just wild sex or a jolly ride on a boat inside Willy Wonka's chocolate factory. There's no such thing as that. Hard times have hit me and Emily countless times. We've been mad at each other for days. We've fought in the middle of the night. One time she even left the house and went to sleep over at Trixie's after we had a heated argument.

But all in all, we came out stronger, forgave each other and got to understand each other better. Relationships are about forgiveness, making mistakes and learning from them. You can't just make one small mistake and then call it quits. If there's anyone who's done that, then they clearly weren't in love at all.

As I pull over at the parking lot outside Emily's work place, I dial her number and she answers almost immediately.

"Hey, you done yet? I'm right outside," I say.

"I'll be out in a couple of minutes, I have to talk to my boss first," she says.

"Cool. I'll wait," I say and hang up.

When she finally walks out of the tall glass doors of the building, she's accompanied by her boss.

"Two weeks, Emily. Just two," her boss raises two fingers to her face and she nods nervously.

"Two weeks, sir," she says and scans around for my car and once she spots it, she walks straight over and gets in.

"Is everything alright?" I ask her as I start the car and it comes alive, the engine roaring out loud.

"It's that project I was telling you about. Can we just not talk about that right now? I had an intense day and I need to go home," she says and pouts while looking outside the window.

"Okay, babe. Whatever it is, I'll help you get over it," I assure her and for the rest of the drive home, we both remain quiet. She keeps sighing one minute after the other.

Once we're home, she drops her purse on the couch and slumps herself down on the couch.

"Why don't you take a warm shower, maybe it'll make you feel better," I say as I sit next to her. She then moves closer and lays her head on my chest. Her arms have already snaked around me and she's now holding on to me tightly.

"Em-" I begin to say but she cuts me off.

"Don't say anything, Luke. Just hold me in your arms. For a few minutes. I really need that right now," she says and I do as she says. I dig my fingers deep into her curly hair and kiss her forehead.

Later on, after she's taken a shower, she walks back downstairs and finds me making dinner.

"Babe, you didn't have to," she says as she leans on to the kitchen island.

"Anything for you, love. You had a tough day, so let me make it up to you," I say and I drag her back to the living room.

I then turn on some good and soothing music, the kind that she loves. She loves the oldies.

When dinner is ready, she joins me at the kitchen island and we eat quietly.

I keep throwing glances at her. I know something is bothering her right now and I am not just going to let it slide.

"Wanna talk it out?" I ask as I press a napkin over my mouth after finishing my plate of rice and chicken. She lifts her head and looks me straight in the eyes and she sighs.

"Okay... My boss gave me two weeks to work on the project and he told me to get back to work when I'm done with the project. I'm supposed to be organizing an event, that's what the project is about. I have to come up with the most intriguing ways to advertise the event. Get people to buy tickets, make sure there's a great sound system and enough domes for the event, lots of food and drinks and so much more! The event is supposed to help our company sell more products, get known, you know. It's all so hectic, especially now that all that work is supposed to be done by who else but me," she says and pats her forehead. "Why me? There's an entire PR and Marketing team, what the hell are they supposed to do while I'm working on everything? This is too much work, Luke," she complains and slams her fist on the island.

"That's alot of work. Why is your boss trying to overwork you when there's a whole team for that? Hey, I don't know what he's up to but, try your level best. I can help you with whatever you need, Dave can give me a couple of free days," I tell her and she shakes her head.

"I don't wanna sound like I don't need your help, but, the event is supposed to take place at our hometown. Where our parents are. So, I'll be away for two weeks, I'll stay at my parents house," she says and I nod.

"I understand. I'll really miss you when you leave. When are you leaving?" I ask.

"Tomorrow morning. The sooner I get there, the better. I'll start working on everything immediately," she states nonchalantly.

"James is such a twat for giving me all that damn work," she adds and I chuckle.

"You, calling your boss a twat? Now that's the highlight of my day," I say and she chuckles. Her mood is lightening up.

****

When we're finally in bed and I'm done replying to my emails, I notice that Emily is staring at me. Not in a weird way, but, in a worried way.

"Is the project still bothering you?" I ask as I put my phone on the night stand and we both lean against the head board.

She adjusts her posture and she cups my cheek with one hand, her thumb drawing circles on it.

"Luke," she whispers.

"Yeah?"

"I love you, so very much. Don't you ever forget that, okay?" she says and I smile at her.

"I'll always remember that. Know that I love you too, Emm. Let's go to sleep, you had a long day and you need some beauty sleep," I say and she pulls me closer to her and our foreheads touch. Then she kisses me with so much passion, so much love and so much gentleness. Her lips are deliciously warm against mine and her fingers tracing invisible lines on my bare chest, feels so rejuvenating. My hands fly around her waist and I pull her closer and kiss her back with the same intensity.

She's already driving me crazy. She always has, ever since we were young. She's always been and will always be my one and only love.

She's my muse.

It's now been eleven boring days without Emm around. The house has been quite cold without her presence and I really miss her. We've been talking on the phone though. She's trying her level best to have that project work out.

She's hard working and that's what I love about her.

I just got home from work. Today we had a lot of clients and I've been busier than a bee. I'm so exhausted right now. I got myself some take out, since I knew that I'd be too tired to cook by the time I got home.

So I eat my food as I am watching a new episode of Peaky Blinders on Netflix.

Unknowingly, I stare at the empty spot where Emm usually sits. I sure do miss her. I can't wait to see her back home. Back in my arms.

When the episode is over, I walk straight to the kitchen and get myself a bottle of beer from the refrigerator and pop the lid open. In seconds, I glug down half the bottle of the cold beer.

Then, my phone rings loudly in the living room and I hurriedly walk back and spot Emily's name on the screen.

"Hey babe," I say once I press the phone to my ear.

"Hey. How are you doing?" she questions and I take a sip of my beer before answering her.

"To be honest, I'm completely lonely right now," I say. "But I'll be fine."

"Aw! How was your day?" she asks.

"It was okay but extremely exhausting. I feel like I've been weight lifting the entire day. My entire body feels stiff," I say as I sit on the couch. "What are you doing right now?"

"I'm just standing at the porch, staring at the night sky full of twinkling stars," she answers.

"And how's the project so far? Any progress since yesterday?"

"Yes, everything is going well. Uhm... I just need to sort out a couple of stuff and I'll be done with everything," she says and I grin.

"I'm proud of you. I knew you could do it. I can't wait to see you. Tell you what, I'll take you out for dinner when you come back. You deserve that and so much more for being such a hard working girlfriend," I say and there's an awkward pause.

I've thought alot for a while now and I am ready to take that step forward, to propose to her and right before she comes back, Dave can help me plan out the best proposal dinner ever! I just hope that she'll be done with the project completely.

Her silence brings me back from my thoughts.

"Emm, you there?" I ask.

"Yeah. I heard what you said. I'd love that very much. I was calling to check up on you. I hope you have an amazing night," she says.

"Meh! I doubt it'll be amazing at all without you here," I say and she chuckles a little.

"I love you, Luke Grahams," she says. There's just something special and exciting about how she says both of my names.

"I love you, Emily Michaelson. Goodnight," I coo.

"Goodnight," she whispers and I hang up and release a heavy sigh. Three more days to go and she'll be sitting here with me or walking around the house in only her lingerie.

I chuckle at the thought and I choose to watch a movie for about two hours and later I go to bed. It being a Friday, I see no need to set my alarm for tomorrow. I'm sure my rumbling stomach will wake me up.

****

I am woken up by the sharp and brighter than usual rays of the sun that are spewing into my room through the venetian blinds, which I forgot to pull closed. Emm always does that.

Lazily, I bat my droopy eyelids, scratch my back and yawn carelessly while seated on the bed.

I grab my phone from the nightstand and unfortunately, there's no notification, so I drag myself downstairs to the kitchen.

"What do I eat for breakfast?" I ask myself out loud and open the refrigerator. Instead of having plain coffee and buttered toast, today I'll make myself a nice and healthier breakfast. So I grab some eggs and a pack of bacon and head over to the cooking stove and begin preparing my meal.

The sweet aroma of the eggs makes me hungrier.

Emm taught me how to crack eggs carefully into a bowl and end up with no eggshells. She taught me so much about cooking ever since we moved in together. The first time she asked me to crack eggs into a bowl; tiny pieces of eggshells could be seen in the eggs.

A few moments later, my breakfast is ready and I add some toast and hot milk tea.

I choose to sit in the living room and have my breakfast there, but before anything else, I open the blinds and light fills the entire room.

"Netflix and chill," I say as I dump my body carelessly on the couch and I grab the remote. I should definitely watch a series or movie. I literally have nothing to do all day, why not entertain myself to pass time?

After watching three movies and one season of a series, pangs of hunger strike again. Thankfully, I still have enough pizza and two drumsticks left from last night's takeout. I should just warm them up in the microwave and continue being a couch potato for the rest of the day.

It's been quite a long time since I had the entire house all to myself and honestly, the sight of the house right now is proof that a guy lives here. A few days ago I took off my shirt and placed it on the couch and it's still there right now, my entire week's pairs of socks are in a heap in the bedroom.

I hadn't realized how much Emm does for me, she's always cleaning up after me and she never complains. I should try and put things in the right places.

When I'm done having my lunch, I finish up watching one last movie and I begin tidying up. I am not an untidy person, it's just that sometimes I get too lazy to do anything, not even putting my dirty socks in the laundry basket. But today, I am going to do the laundry myself, clean the house and dust off everything.

Emily loves a clean house.

After picking up clothes that have been lying around for days, I put them in the washing machine and leave them to wash as I clean the rest of the house.

When every part of the house is sparkling clean, and I have taken a cold shower, I check the time on the wall clock.

"Oh, come on! It's only 3PM? What am I supposed to do for the rest of the day?" I groan as I dump myself on the couch.

As I am pondering upon what to do for the next three or so hours, my phone rings and I fish it out of the pockets of my sweatpants.

"What's up, Dave?" I answer.

"Where are you?" he asks.

"At my house. Very idle actually," I confess and he chuckles.

"You deserve it, yesterday's work was intense. I was thinking of coming over, Gianna asked me to pass by the grocery store and grab her some stuff," he says.

"Why don't you go get the stuff she needs and then come over?" I suggest and he agrees.

"Cool, see you in a few," he says and I hang up.

****

After thirty minutes or so, the doorbell rings and I shoot up from the couch and head to the door and I yank it open.

"Luke, the mail man just told me to tell you that your mail box is full, maybe you should try emptying it on the weekends?" Dave says as he hands me a handful of letters that he took out of my mail box. Emm always empties it out.

"Thanks. I'll try and remember that, come on in," I say and he walks casually past me and dumps himself onto the couch.

"Need a drink?" I ask him and he nods. I then walk to the kitchen and I grab two bottles of beer for both of us and I head back to the living room and place them on the table.

"So, how does it feel to be all alone in this big house?" Dave teases and I roll my eyes at him.

"Devastating but I'm still alive, am I not?" I reply as I begin checking the letters one by one.

"Bills, bills, bills. We work so that nearly all of our money can go to bills. Tough life, huh?" I say.

"Tell me about it. Gianna actually wants us to move out to a bigger house. She says she wants one where our kids can run around freely," Dave says and I chuckle.

"Your house is already bigger than mine, how big does she want her new house to be?" I ask as I read another letter.

"Women," Dave snorts and sips his beer. "That's alot of mail, bro."

"I know. Plus even though I've got all the time in the world, if I don't check them today, I never will. Most of them are either bills or from Emm's book club..." my words trail off as I land on a rather well decorated letter, that has tiny pink flowers printed on it and my names in the middle in gold. I frown when I pick it up and open it.

I lean back on the couch and begin reading carefully.

"What's that?" Dave asks and I ignore him.

My hands begin to shake when my eyes land on a familiar name at the end of the letter.

It's a wedding invitation.

"What the fuck is this?" I say and Dave grabs the letter from my hand and when he reads it, his eyes nearly pop out of their sockets and stares back at me.

"Do you know about this?" he asks.

"The real question is, did you? Or is this a prank?" I ask and shake my head. This can't be true.

"This must be a joke," I say as I grab the letter again and scan it again from top to bottom.

"No fucking way!" I say and I throw the letter on the glass table and I get drowned in my thoughts as I rake my fingers through my hair.

What the hell did I just read?!