chapter seventeen

​"I like you too, Ethan," I told him honestly. Liking Ethan was dangerously easy.

​"I want to say something else, but I won't force it," he said softly. I nodded, and he gave my shoulder a reassuring squeeze. "Get some sleep, love. We have a long trip ahead of us tomorrow. I'll take a shower now."

​I nodded again, watching as his towering frame disappeared into the bathroom.

​Lying back down on the incredibly soft mattress, I dialed Janice’s number. "What's up, girl?" I greeted her the second she picked up.

​"I'm fine, Kat. How is it going over there?" she asked, her voice a bit more stable than before.

​"Good. Really, really good," I told her, a small smile tugging at my lips. "Are you sure you're doing okay?" I asked, remembering her heartbreak from earlier.

​"Yes, I'm better. I realized... well, I realized he deserved better anyway," she said in a low, reflective tone.

​I nodded to the empty room. "Okay. Ethan and I will come get you at your place tomorrow. Make sure to pack your bags."

​"Okay, babe. See you tomorrow."

​I ended the call and lay back, staring up at the ceiling. The truth was, I liked Ethan a lot, but I strictly stopped myself from crossing the line into loving him. I couldn't let my heart go there, because deep down, I kept reminding myself that this whole relationship was just a fake arrangement.

​Eventually, sleep claimed me.

​I woke up to the warm morning sun filtering through the massive windows. Slowly blinking my eyes open, I realized I was tucked tightly into Ethan’s arms. He was still sound asleep. I looked at his face closely. He had a perfectly chiseled jawline and looked like a literal Greek god. Suddenly, a very unromantic urge hit me—I desperately needed to use the bathroom.

​I tried to carefully wiggle out of his iron grasp to ease myself, but his grip instantly tightened around me.

​"Where are you going, Katie Berry?" he murmured, his deep voice thick with sleep, his eyes still completely closed. "Are you already done admiring my face?"

​"I wasn't admiring you or anything!" I gasped, quickly turning my head away to hide my burning embarrassment. "Besides, how did you even know? Your eyes were shut!"

​"I don't need to open my eyes to know exactly what is going on in my surroundings, love," he said, a smug tone bleeding into his voice.

​"How do you even do that?" I asked, genuinely baffled as he finally loosened his arms and let me go.

​"Years of intense training," he answered smoothly.

​"What!?" I asked in absolute shock.

​But before I could question him further, he immediately changed the subject. "What do you want for breakfast?"

​My bladder violently reminded me of its current state. I practically scrambled out of the bed and hurried into the bathroom, hearing his rich, loud laughter echo through the bedroom behind me.

​When I finally stepped out, I heaved a massive sigh of relief. "Nothing heavy, since we're going on a long drive," I told him.

​He nodded, typing away on his phone. "Give me your friend's address."

​"Why? We aren't leaving right this second, are we?"

​"It isn't for me, silly. It's for Felix," he said, his voice dripping with amusement. "He’s going to pick her up so they can bond on the way there."

​I nodded, smiling at the setup, and gave him Janice's address.

​"Go take a shower. I'll have the chef prepare some scrambled eggs," Ethan said, standing up.

​"What about you?" I asked, checking my phone. "The school bus leaves in an hour and thirty minutes. We should be at the camp so Janice and I can report to the principal at about the same time."

​Ethan paused, a low, husky tone dropping into his voice as he finally looked at me. "You want us to shower together, love?"

​"No!" I squeaked, instantly marching over to the wardrobe and dragging my suitcase out to find an outfit.

​"I'll use the guest shower," he chuckled, shaking his head as he walked out.

​I quickly showered and changed into a pair of well-fitting jeans, a floral top, a matching scarf, and grabbed my shoulder bag. I was busy admiring my reflection in the mirror when my phone vibrated violently. It was Janice. I realized with a jolt that I had completely forgotten to warn her about the sudden change in transport plans.

​"Girl!" she yelled into the receiver the second I answered.

​I immediately feigned ignorance. "What's up?"

​"Why on earth is there a gorgeous Porsche parked in my garage?!" she whispered frantically.

​"I don't know, go check it out," I told her, biting back a laugh.

​She didn't hang up. Through the line, I heard her footsteps as she walked outside. "Hello?" I heard her say faintly.

​"Hi," Felix's professional voice responded. "I'm here to pick you up for the camp trip you guys are doing."

​"I don't even know you," Janice replied defensively, and I had to press a hand over my mouth to stifle my laughter.

​Right then, Ethan walked back into the room, fully dressed and looking incredibly sharp. I quickly held up a finger, hushing him before he could speak.

​"I'm Felix, Ethan's manager," Felix finally introduced himself down the line.

​Ethan let out a low chuckle next to me. I lightly hit his arm, glaring at him until he shut up.

​"Oh! Okay, you should have said so earlier," Janice's voice softened completely. "I'll get my things and be out in a minute." The moment she stepped back inside her house, she hissed into the phone, "Girl, are you seriously trying to hook me up right now?"

​"No, no!" I protested innocently. "Just get along with him. See you at the camp!"

​I hung up right in the middle of her loud protests.

​"See? It's that easy to hook people up," Ethan said, looking incredibly proud of himself.

​"I'm hungry," I complained, rubbing my stomach.

​"Sure. Let's go downstairs."

​We headed down to the grand dining room and ate breakfast, finishing up in record time.

​"It's time to go," Ethan announced, standing up.

​"I know that, silly," I replied in a thoroughly sarcastic tone. I glanced around his room as we walked back upstairs. "Did you even pack anything?"

​"I keep a bag permanently packed for things like this," he said casually.

​I nodded, watching in awe as he effortlessly carried both of our heavy suitcases downstairs at the same time without even breaking a sweat. He loaded them securely into the back of a massive, sleek luxury SUV, walked around to open the passenger door, and helped me inside.

​He slid into the driver's seat, and as he started the engine, I couldn't help but admire the custom interior. This guy was incredibly loaded.

​As the journey started, Ethan reached out with his free hand, grabbed a bag from the back seat, and dropped it right onto my lap.

​"What's this?" I asked.

​"Snacks," he said smoothly, his eyes fixed firmly on the road ahead.

​"Awwww... sweetie! You're so kind," I cooed, leaning over slightly. I could practically see a faint hint of a blush creeping onto his ears.

​"Shut up," he muttered.

​I laughed, pulling out my phone to text Janice. She had already flooded my screen with multiple messages.

​“Bitch! This guy is so fineeee and his car? It’s absolutely gorgeous,” her text read.

​I smiled. Was she just realizing this now? “Are you guys on your way already?” I texted back.

​“Yes... See you at camp,” she replied instantly.

​Beside me, Ethan used his free hand to dial a number on his dashboard display. "Get the resort ready," he commanded coldly into the phone. "I'm renting out the entire place for a week."

​I stared at him, silently wondering just how many thousands of dollars that was going to cost, when Ethan's expression suddenly morphed into a dark, furious frown.

​"What do you mean someone already rented it?" he demanded, his voice dropping into a dangerous, angry register. "No, I can't share the grounds with them. Who is it?!"

​A pause.

​"I'll pay triple whatever they paid," Ethan snarled. But judging by the tense silence, it turned out the resort management wasn't budging.

​"We can't do that, sir," the muffled voice of the manager bled through the speaker. "But we can return part of the money to the other party and you can pay the other half so both of you can share the estate. It's an enormous resort."

​"I don't like to share!" Ethan snapped, his grip tightening on the steering wheel until his knuckles turned white. "Who is it?!"

​"Mr. Saltzman," the employee replied nervously.

​I felt the air completely leave my lungs. I almost passed out from pure shock. I knew Cole's family was wealthy—it was obvious from the rotating lineup of different luxury cars he drove—but I had no idea he possessed the kind of astronomical wealth and structural influence required to rent out an entire five-star resort for a week and make them refuse a Vance's triple offer.

​"As in... Cole Saltzman?" Ethan growled, his face twisted in pure rage. "Why does he always have to struggle and fight over everything with me?" He slammed his hand down, ending the call abruptly.

​"What else is he struggling over with you?" I asked before my brain could stop my mouth.

​Ethan turned his head, his dark eyes locking onto mine for a long, intense moment before he looked back at the road. He cleared his throat roughly. "You won't understand, love."

​"Make me understand," I pushed, leaning closer.

​But Ethan kept completely mute. Instead, he aggressively redialed the resort. "Refund half of his money. I'll share the place with him," he commanded coldly, ending the call before the manager could even speak.

​He took a deep breath, his knuckles still white on the wheel. "Listen, Kattie. It's really complicated, and maybe one day I'll tell you everything."

​I remained completely silent, staring out the window as the Chicago skyline blurred past. Whatever was going on between Ethan and Cole... it ran incredibly deep.