The Billion Dollar Girl

(Chapter 43)

CHAPTER 43

ῼ Ash Castillo ῼ

I woke up, feeling content for the first time in a long time. When I saw the long, curly mop of hair resting on my chest, I felt even more content, if that was even possible. No, it wasn’t the fact that I’d slept with someone – literally, sleeping. Our clothes were still on – but it was the fact that I was with someone I loved.

The ray of light shining through the curtains fell into my eyes and, uncomfortable, I shifted. Ella yawned and turned over. When she opened her eyes, I greeted her with a smile.

“Did you sleep well?”

She appeared disorientated for a few moments, but her eyes soon focused. When she realized where she was, she blushed.

“How long have you been watching me?” she murmured.

“I just woke up.”

She grinned again and stretched. Then, almost before I could do anything else, she sat up and slid her warm legs from under the duvet, let in a gust of cold air. I grabbed onto her hand, before she could escape me completely.

“What are you doing?” I demanded.

Ella looked confused. “Going to have a shower. Why? Do you want to go first?”

“No, I mean, what are you doing, getting out of bed?” I said, sitting up and pulling her back by her waist. She resisted, but only half-heartedly.

“We have to get ready for school, Ash.”

“No, we don’t,” I argued, kissing her neck. “We can call in sick.”

“Both of us?” she said reluctantly, though she giggled. “Won’t they suspect something?”

“I don’t care,” I said, kissing her again. She fell back onto the bed. “I don’t learn anything at school anyway.”

“But…we have to go to school…” Ella resisted feebly.

“Not for half an hour,” I reminded her. “We can get dressed, really quickly, later. Come back to bed, Ella, please?”

I kissed her, on her lips this time, I think that was the thing that did it. She was ready to get back into the warm haven of covers, until she froze, suddenly. There’d been a noise, outside, loud enough to be heard even in the penthouse.

“What the –” I started, but she was already out of bed and at the windows. She threw open the curtains and let in the streaming light. I squinted.

“Oh my God,” she gasped.

“What?” I snapped, bad-tempered. I pushed down the covers, thinking about the coffee I really, really needed. “What is it?”

“The press…” Ella whispered, her breath fogging up the glass of the window, her face was so close. “They’re here…they’re outside. Dozens of them. Does anyone else famous live in this building?”

“No, I – What?”

I scrambled out of bed and joined her by the window. She was right. A crowd of them, huge even at a distance – there were a fifty maybe – were all congregating outside the building. I thought I could see cameras in most of their hands.

“Please tell me Brad Pitt lives in this building,” Ella said, sounding horrified.

“No, I had the entire building checked when we moved in,” I replied, slowly. “No one famous lives here, except –”

Us. I didn’t have to say it for her to know what I was thinking.

“So they’re here for you and me,” she muttered. “But why?”