BETROTHED TO THE BILLIONAIRE

Valerie’s POV

I keep tossing in bed, unable to find some sleep. The weather has suddenly become cold and I am on alert for rain, even though the forecaster said it won’t fall in the next couple of days.

I keep thinking about what happened at the restaurant, every single detail of what happened played itself in my head.

From my anger to my laughter to the show and the cameraman.

Who is he?

I asked Ryan but he only smirked. He must be proud of himself for what he did.

I have two answers to the question about the cameraman. He is either from his mother or one of the paparazzi who would publish that picture first thing tomorrow morning for the public eyes to see.

I should be happy, right?

Fred would see it and Brenda too. He might probably boil in anger when he sees the clear affection between Ryan and me and then Mrs. Lorenzo would see it too and she would be happy.

For no reason, I don’t feel happy or proud about what we did. I thought it was ok with me to act like we are real and in love but for the first time, I am having doubts about this.

All I feel is guilt.

For wanting to deceive the public and the poor ill woman who wants nothing but happiness for her son.

The deed is done. The contract is signed and there is absolutely nothing I can do to change this.

We just have to keep up with the act.

I turn to the other side of the bed and thunder rumbles in the distance simultaneously, making me scramble out of bed and racing for the door.

Holy shit!

I slam the door shut and race to the other side, finding myself in front of Ryan’s door within seconds, barefooted.

My hair is disheveled and I quickly arrange them in one place before knocking on the door calmly.

Without waiting for a response, I turn the doorknob and it opens. I step inside quickly.

I really don’t know what to do because it is late and everyone has retired for the night. I can’t keep asking these maids to take my bed every time it rains and bring it inside Ryan’s room.

Should I ask him to help me get another one kept here all the time so I don’t have to disturb him whenever it rains and I want to come to sleep in his room?

I close the door quietly behind me so I won’t wake him up and then I can go and sleep on his couch but to my surprise, Ryan isn’t on the bed.

The bed is empty. The bed is still neat looking, making it so obvious that no one has slept in here.

Where is he? Did he go out after we came back from the restaurant?

I walk further into the room, looking around to see if he is anywhere in sight.

“Ryan?” I call, hoping he is in here and not out. How can I find some sleep alone in this situation?

I give up and trot to the bed. Suddenly glad that I don’t have to sleep on the couch, I jump into bed and lay down, dragging the comforter to cover me.

I close my eyes, praying silently for some sleep to take me away when I hear a door open.

I flutter my eyes open immediately in fright only to see Ryan coming out of his bathroom without a towel.

“Shit!”

“What the hell!” I turn away quickly, my face red in embarrassment. I pull the comforter over my head so I don’t have to see him till he is fully clothed.

Why didn’t I hear the sound of the running water in the bathroom? Is everywhere soundproof here?

I try to stop myself from turning red but it isn’t working. The fact that Ryan also looks shocked to see me makes me more embarrassed. I actually thought I would have the room to myself.

If it isn’t raining, I would have run back to my room but I can’t.

“What the hell are you doing here?”

“Are you with a towel now?” I ask without raising my head out of the comforter.

“Why does it matter? You’ve seen me already.” He sounds angry and I shut my eyes, feeling sorry.

“I didn’t. I swear to you, I didn’t see you.”

“You did.”

“I didn’t see the full…”

“Length?”

Now I know I am going to die of embarrassment. What am I even thinking when I say full? I shouldn’t say that to him. What I meant to say is that I didn’t see his below. I knew he was naked when I saw his buttocks as he turned slightly to close the bathroom door.

“No”, I say sharply, hoping I find it convincing enough.

“What are you doing here? I thought you stopped sleeping in here?” The anger is gone and his voice is filled with amusement now.

Does he find this amusing? Well, I don’t.

“I couldn’t sleep…”

“So you decided to come to see my naked…”

“Shut up!” Impulsively, I drop the comforter and look him straight in the eyes. When I remember the real reason why I had the comforter over my face in the first place, I look down to see him clothed already. He is wearing shorts.

A deep sigh of relief escapes from my mouth and I slump back into the bed.

“I didn’t know you would be here, I wouldn’t have come out of the bathroom that way”, he moves away from the door and walks to the dresser to pick something.

I watch his back and his muscular arms of his, comparing them to Fred’s.

Fred is also muscular but Ryan seems to have more muscles than Fred.

“I want to sleep”, he says loudly and I turn to see him climbing into bed right beside me.

“What?! Get down from the bed, I want to sleep.”

“I want to sleep too.”

I know I came here to sleep on the couch since the room is his and I have mine but now I wish he can just act like a gentleman that he was at the restaurant during our date.

Without a word and still in his shorts, he lays calmly on the bed beside me and I jump down instantly from the bed.

“I don’t share my bed with anyone”, I say in defense before he can ask me what the problem is.

He lays on his back with his two hands behind his head and raises a quivering brow.

“So?”

“Don’t you get it? I can’t sleep in my room, it is too late to ask the maids to bring in my own bed so let me sleep on your bed.”

“Then what will happen?”

“What do you mean what will happen?” I fake a scowl, wishing so desperately for him to understand the point I am driving at.

“Where do I sleep?”

This is it.

“I don’t know. Maybe we should exchange our rooms or you can sleep on the couch.”

He laughs. A deep throaty laughter that makes me feel embarrassed again.

“We are sharing the same bed, Val. This is my room and I can’t leave my bed for you.”

I bite my lips in regret. I actually thought he would act like a gentleman but he isn’t doing that for me.

Such an asshole.

And then he called me Val again?

I eye him and walk to the couch to sleep on it. He is such a heartless he-goat. Just after having a great date today, he wants to ruin it with another argument and I am not in the mood for that tonight.

I stay on the couch for several minutes, thinking he will have a change of mind but the sometimes cold-hearted-sometimes warm-hearted man I got married to stayed fixated on his warm bed.

I groan and lay down eventually.

He doesn’t have a heart, truly.

I keep turning until I hear the sound of him getting down from the bed and the sound of his feet approaching. I stay still with a frown on my face.

“Val?” He taps me. I pretend to be asleep. “Valerie?”

I do not reply to him and the next minute, he picks me up and I squeal in fright.

“Calm down, I’m just taking you to the bed. A woman shouldn’t be allowed to sleep on a couch when there is a bed.”

I relax and smile inwardly. My plan worked.

He gets to the bed and drops me carefully before pulling the comforter over me. Glad for the kindness, I drop the comforter down to thank him when I see him getting into the space next to me again.

“What.. what are you doing?” I sit up immediately, my eyes bulging open.

He pretends not to know what I am talking about. “What?”

“I thought you wanted to sleep on the couch?” I say more like a question, pointing my index finger at the couch.

“No.”

“Then why did you bring me here?” I demand impatiently.

Shrugging nonchalantly like he always does, he gives me a cocky smile. “Because I can’t allow you to sleep on the couch.”

“I can’t sleep on the same bed with you”, I scream so the words will get into his eardrums and he will understand my point.

“Why, if I may ask?” He shifts and folds his arms as he sits watching me.

I swallow hard, my breathing becoming heavy as I feel an uprising of anger. “Simply because I can not.”

“Now you are shouting, Val.”

“Don’t call me that.”

“Val. That is what I will call you. I thought we talked about this already.”

Yes, we did but I didn’t agree. The name is adding to my rage.

“Just stop!”

“It’s late, please. Will you stop shouting and just go to sleep? I don’t bite, do I?”

Just sleep on the couch for God’s sake, Ryan.”

“I won’t.”

“What?!”

“Stop shouting, Valerie.”

“I won’t until you get down from the bed.”

“What if I don’t?” He throws me a challenging stare and I lapse in silence thinking of what I can do to irk him.

“I will continue to shout till you do”, I smirk mischievously. He hates it when I shout so I am sure he will succumb to my wish now.

“Then, I will stop you from shouting too.” He doesn’t look a bit challenged as he folds his arms around his bosom.

“Really?”

“Really.”

“And how will you do that, Mister?” I am still smirking in pride because I know it will work. He is going to be down in a few minutes and I can have the bed to myself.

Instead of doing just like I thought, he grabs me roughly and claims my lips.