Billionaire's Baby Contract (Hawthorne Brothers 1)

“Yes, but…”

“If things don’t work out here, we’ll have a lot to do when we get back to Chicago. I think we deserve to take a breath of fresh air before taking a plunge into hell. Don’t you?”

Stella doesn’t answer. I can still see the hesitation written all over her face.

I place my hand over hers. “It will be fun. No matter what happens, we’ll have made this trip worthwhile. Not that it isn’t already.”

The acquisition may fall through, but I’m still glad I came to Switzerland with her. Of all the trips I’ve taken, this is the one I’ll never forget.

She looks into my eyes. “Are you sure it’s okay?”

“I’m sure.”

So what if everything is currently in shambles? There’s no use sulking over it. So what if someone’s hound might be spying on us? I don’t care anymore. I just want to have another amazing day in Switzerland with Stella.

I squeeze her hand. “What do you say?”

She nods slowly. “Okay.”

Chapter Thirteen

Stella

I can’t believe I’m making the same mistakes.

I let out a sigh as I stare at an enlarged photo of Albert Einstein, one of the many relics of the famous scientist on display on the second floor of the Bern Historical Museum. If he could hear my thoughts and talk, I bet he’d be scolding me right now for my foolishness. Then again, it doesn’t take a genius to know I’m being stupid. Again.

I went to Ethan’s room again, and instead of leaving after dropping off his scarf like I planned, I ended up having sex with him. Again. I just couldn’t leave him alone after seeing the shape he was in – drunk, miserable, a mess that hadn’t eaten or slept. And then he started talking. At first, he was a jerk. Maybe I should have left then. But I didn’t. I slapped him – something I still can’t believe I did – and afterwards, he turned his words against himself. For some reason, hearing him tell mean lies about himself hurt me more than the things he said to me. I couldn’t stand it. That’s why I kissed him. I wanted him to stop even if that meant having sex with him.

Like I said, it wasn’t out of pity.

As before, it was amazing. A little rough, maybe, but I can’t say I didn’t like it. Still, when it was over and my senses returned, the regret set in fast. Ethan was remorseful, too. When he apologized, I thought of telling him that we should stop having sex before we have more regrets. But the wrong words came out of my mouth.

Maybe it was still the effect of the afterglow. Maybe I was tired. Maybe it was because Ethan still had that look on his face that made me just want to hug him. Whatever it was, I ended up saying something else from what I had in mind. And before I could take it back, Ethan started asking me out. I couldn’t say no.

So here we are, sightseeing again, in the lovely city of Bern this time. So far, we’ve taken a stroll by the Aare River and through the charismatic Old Town, with its sandstone arches and intriguing ancient fountains. We’ve stopped to admire the majestic Gothic cathedral and watch a little bit of whimsical theater at the 800-year-old clock tower. Now, we’re at the historical museum, which has a whole floor devoted to Einstein. Apparently, he lived in Bern for seven years. I’ve read that we can visit the apartment he actually lived in, too, though that’s not too high on my list.

I guess Ethan and I are on another “date”, but I’m also on a mission. Today, on our last day in Switzerland, I’m going to tell Ethan we’re over – no more messing around when we get back to Chicago. We’ll just carry on as we did before, as if nothing happened.

I’m just waiting for the right opportunity, which hasn’t come yet. Or am I? Maybe I’m just stalling so I get to spend more time with Ethan. Or maybe I’m hoping that something good will happen, like him telling me that he wants to have a serious relationship with me, that he feels the same way about me as I do about him. Then I won’t have to tell him we can never have sex again.

Another sigh leaves my chest. I’ve already made up my mind to do this, so why am I still hoping for a miracle?

“You haven’t fallen in love with Einstein, have you?” Ethan asks me.

I jump because I wasn’t expecting him to suddenly pop up beside me. Then I turn my head to give him a puzzled look.

“What?”

“You’ve been staring at that picture for more than ten minutes now,” Ethan explains. “Sighing.”

So he’s been watching me instead of looking at Einstein’s stuff? I decide to tease him.