Longing For The Beach Billionaire Daddy
Chapter 37

*Shelby*

When I woke up, it took me a few moments for my eyes to adjust to the morning light streaming through the skylight. I was at Michael’s house, in his bed. The smell of his sandalwood cologne lingered on my skin and the silky sheets. I rolled to my side and realized that I was alone.

I sat straight upright, holding the sheets to my bare chest, as I looked around the room. The door was cracked open, and I could hear the clinking of dishes coming from down the hall.

I draped my legs over the side of the bed, scanning the floor. After an unsuccessful search, I realized my clothes were still on the balcony. I made my way into what I assumed was Michael’s ensuite, pulled one of his shirts from the closet, and slipped it over my shoulders.

After rinsing my face in the sink, washing away yesterday’s makeup, I silently made my way down the hall back to the kitchen.

Michael was humming a light tune while he was scrambling eggs in a frying pan. I stood and watched him as he continued cooking, humming to himself, and occasionally smiling. My heart lifted at the thought that those smiles were for me.

“Good morning,” I said in a lighthearted tone, pretending as though I hadn’t been watching him.

“A very good morning,” Michael answered with a small wink.

“I hope you don’t mind that I borrowed this. I couldn’t seem to replace my clothes this morning.”

Michael laughed and split the scrambled eggs onto two plates.

“It looks a lot better on you. You can borrow it anytime you like,” he said not taking his eyes off of me.

“Oh wow, you cook too. What can’t you do, Michael?” I asked and took a bite of eggs into my mouth.

Michael pulled out a paper bag full of pastries and placed each one carefully on a plate.

“Eggs are just about the only thing I can cook. I usually have a black cup of coffee on my way out the door, so my cook doesn’t come until later. I always like to keep a few of these on hand, from the bakery down the street.”

Michael passed me the plate full of pastries and I picked out a fluffy croissant. When it was just Michael and me it was easy to forget that he was insanely wealthy and amenities such as personal chefs were his norm.

“I would love a cup of that black coffee if you have it on hand.” I smiled and broke the croissant in half inhaling the buttery scent.

“How did you sleep?” Michael asked, pouring me a mug full of coffee.

“I slept amazingly. You’ll have to tell me where you got your sheets. They are so soft,” I teased and hoped I didn’t blush.

Michael chuckled and sat down next to me, placing the coffee in front of me. He brushed back a piece of my hair and tucked it behind my ear. The simple action sent another wave of heat through me, and I had to remind myself not to get used to this. I swallowed hard.

“How did you sleep?” I asked.

“The best night’s sleep I have gotten in a long time,” he said with a smirk and a glance in my direction.

I felt my cheeks burn at his insinuation.

“Me too,” I admitted, thinking about how great it felt just to sleep next to him.

I took a sip of the steaming coffee and continued working on my plate.

“So what have you been up to since I last saw you?” Michael asked as though I had not run away without saying goodbye.

*Shelby*

When I woke up, it took me a few moments for my eyes to adjust to the morning light streaming through the skylight. I was at Michael’s house, in his bed. The smell of his sandalwood cologne lingered on my skin and the silky sheets. I rolled to my side and realized that I was alone.

“I have just been packing up the apartment and trying to remember everything I need to do before the move.”

“Did you get everything taken care of that you needed to? “

“Yeah for the most part,” I said, glancing at him. I couldn’t stop thinking about our night together.

“Have you gotten everything packed?” he asked with a hint of sadness in his voice, keeping his eyes on his food.

“Not everything, I am close, but I still have a few more things to sort out.”

“I would offer to come to help you if I didn’t have to work today. I have a meeting with investors, which I can’t get out of.”

“Oh, no I would never ask you to miss work. I will just call a cab,” I said quickly.

“Nonsense. I will have my driver take you home.”

Michael helped me collect my clothes from the balcony and I used his bathroom to freshen up before he walked me downstairs. The same black car was waiting for me on the street in view of the lobby.

“I will call you later, Shelby. I promise,” Michael said.

I nodded and looked up into his eyes with a small smile. Michael bent down and touched my lips to his. The k**s was soft and sweet; the heat lingered on my lips as the car pulled away from Michael standing on the sidewalk, watching me leave.

The drive went fast on the way back to my apartment because I kept replaying the events of my night with Michael over and over again. I could feel my face had flushed by the time we pulled up to my building and Michael’s driver opened my door for me.

“Thank you so much for the ride,” I said with a smile, the driver nodded but did not get back into the car.

“Is there something else?” I asked, confused.

“I have strict instructions to make sure you get into the building safely, Miss.”

I gave a weak smile and headed into my building and up the stairs. As soon as I put my key in the lock, the door flew open. Both of my roommates were standing in the doorway with grins plastered on their faces.

“Somebody didn’t come home last night. That better mean you have something to tell us,” Lin said, she was nearly vibrating with excitement.

“I don’t know what you mean. We just had a nice time catching up,” I lied with a sly grin, and already knew my roommates could see right through it.

“Oh, you two caught up last night alright. You slept with him, didn’t you?” Aubrey said and her smile got even bigger.

“I did,” I said barely above a whisper, my smile filling my face at the admission.

Both Lin and Aubrey squealed as they ushered me inside and closed the door.

“We need every single detail,” Lin said.

“Fine, but I really need to shower first,” I said, chuckling.

After my shower, the three of us sat down so I could spill the tea. I started off with the not so interesting parts and let it build.

“So everything started out on his balcony, where he kissed me. I was ready to rip his clothes right off his body but he wanted to take things slow. He said he wanted to memorize everything about me,” I said, warming at the memory. “Since it was only for the night, I’m glad he made me slow down.”

“And how is this man single?” Aubrey asked with a giggle.

“Honestly, I have no idea. The way he made me feel was like nothing I have ever experienced before. Plus he made me breakfast this morning.”

“We don’t care about the breakfast! How was he?” Lin asked, waving her hand to make me move on.

“He was absolutely amazing, I think I actually left my own body at one point.”

“How big is he?” Lin asked, leaning in closer with a grin.

I smacked her arm lightly and started laughing, hard.

“No way in hell am I going to tell you that!”

“It was worth a shot,” Lin said with a mocking smile.

“Honestly the s*x was the best I have ever had. And it wasn’t because of his size or his amazingly toned body, which it is by the way. It was the way he looked into my eyes that made me feel like I meant so much to him. I felt like he was seeing me for who I actually am, and adored every part of me. I haven’t felt that way in such a long time,” I gushed as I wrapped a towel around my wet hair.

Lin let out an audible m**n and fell back onto her unmade bed.

“Oh, you are so lucky. I don’t know if I will ever replace a man to look at me like that. Although, right now I could do with one with rock-hard abs,” Lin said.

I laughed and tossed a pillow over to Lin, and it flopped onto her.

“It was absolutely amazing!” I continued daydreaming.

“So when are you seeing him again?” Aubrey asked.

“I kind of told him that it was a one-time thing…” I trailed off.

“Why the hell would you do that?” Lin shot straight up and practically shouted at me.

“In case you forgot, Lin, we are moving in just two days. How am I supposed to continue a relationship with him while he is living in New York?”

“You can’t really believe that. The man is a billionaire, I am sure you would see him all the time if you really wanted to. You are just using moving as an excuse,” Lin said.

She stared me down until I couldn’t take it anymore and looked away. I made eye contact with Aubrey and could tell she felt the same way.

“It’s complicated.”

“We just want you to be happy, Shelby. You deserve to be happy,” Aubrey said and reached out to hold my hand.

“I want to be happy too but there is so much standing in our way. I am moving away, his daughter absolutely hates me now, and not to mention our age gap. Plus, the creepy stalker situation.”

“It doesn’t matter how messy it is if he makes you happy,” Lin offered.

I sat in silence as I soaked in their support. A knock on the door echoed through the entire apartment, making my heart beat faster. We all looked at each other with apprehension.

I rushed to the door expecting Michael to be on the other side. I was ready to tell him that I wanted to give this, to give us a shot.

There was no one at the door so I stuck my head out and looked down the hallway, but still discovered nothing. Just as I was about to shut the door, I noticed a small piece of yellow paper taped to it.

I peeled the tape off of the door and turned the note over. In tiny, extremely neat handwriting was five words. These five words made my heart drop and chased all thoughts of a relationship with Michael from my mind.

“You can’t run from this.”