The Billionaire's Unauthentic Daughter ✔

C H A P T E R 5 9

❝Friends can break your heart too.❞

I smiled at Ethan who was right next to me. I reached over and brushed some hair out of his face and let my fingers trail over his face. I traced the outlines of his cheeks, his perfect nose and soft lips that I wanted to kiss so I reached over and pressed my lips to his for a second.

I continued to watch him as he slept deeply and peacefully. The sheets were tangled up between us, his naked chest half on display and half hidden behind it.

I extended my hand towards his face again and placed my palm against his cheek.

"I'm sorry I'm hurting you. But I seem to have no choice." I whispered to him, knowing he won't be able to hear me. "Will you forgive me?" I caressed his cheek, feeling the prickles on my palm where his beard rubbed against my skin. "I wish we were normal people and I could've met you under different circumstances when things weren't so hard. I want to like you freely."

I closed my eyes feeling sleep taking over me but willed my eyes to open because it's not everyday I get to see a shirtless Ethan in bed with me. I wanted to commit this image in my memory and wanted to memorize the fragrance of the sheets in the morning when we had shared a bed together last night and wanted to remember how it felt to touch him and kiss him, even if it wasn't much of a kiss.

When I managed to open my eyes, I saw him staring straight at me. My hand was still on his cheek in a gentle caress and I moved to quickly retract my hand back but he was faster and he grabbed my hand and pulled me closer.

"What did you say?"

I quickly sat up, snatching my hand back.

"Its so late. You should get up and go back to your room."

He sat up too. "You told me you liked me, didn't you?"

"What gibberish talk is that? Get out and don't come knocking on my door again while you're pissed drunk."

"Where's my shirt?"

"There," I said pointing to the nightstand. "You said you were a little hot so you took it off and threw it away."

"Oh, sorry. I don't remember anything." He held his head in his hands.

"Go take some aspirin."

He nodded. "Sorry for intruding like this again."

In my mind I told him that I didn't mind at all and that he could come whenever he wanted to but of course I didn't say it.

It was a day after the party. Last night Ethan had come knocking on my door again and he was as drunk as he was last time. But this time I didn't search for a key or take him to the guestroom, I led him straight to my bed and tucked him in. And then I had occupied the other end of the bed and spent some of my time staring at him, as creepy as it sounded. I didn't get to see him as much as I wanted to and this was a way of looking at him to my heart's content without having to hurt him.

He left soon after and I was left alone in my room and all that I had that reassured me it wasn't a dream were the sheets that still smelled of him.

***

I was going to give a little more attention to what was going on between Heather and Olivia. They had been acting weird for the longest time and I knew that if I had to know then I couldn't directly approach them about it. And so the only possibility of getting any information was from Amelia.