Page 78 of How to Train Your Billionaire

If there’s one thing I know, it’s that I’ll screw it up. I’ll ruin everything.

It doesn’t matter. What I told her was true—it was a one-time thing.

It has to be.

Chapter Thirty-One

The Morning After Everything Changed

Frankie

I wake up to an empty bed.

I can still smell his cologne on the sheets, but the warmth feels distant now. I sit up slowly, pulling the blanket tighter around me, trying to shake the fog of sleep from my brain.

I replay the last few hours. The way he touched me. The way he kissed me. It felt real. It felt ... good.Too good.Almost perfect.

I hear the soft murmur of voices coming from outside my room. Charles and Hayes are talking, laughing—normal, like nothing’s changed. Like I didn’t just let him into my life in a way I never intended. Like it wasn’t the most vulnerable thing I’ve done in years.

I push myself out of bed and stand there for a moment, unsure of what to do.

I throw on a robe, tugging the edges tighter to hide the way I feel so damnexposed, and step into the hallway. Hayes is in the main salon with Charles, dressed and dapper as always, like nothing’s different. Like we didn’t share something last night that’s suddenly making my chest tighten.

I pause just outside the door, wanting to say something but unsure of what.What the hell is wrong with me?It was just like Hayes said—casual and fun, and it meant absolutely nothing.

I clear my throat and walk in, my voice a little too loud, a little too forced. “Hey.”

Both men look up. Hayes gives me a quick glance, no more than that, and then turns back to Charles. He doesn’t say anything. Not a word. He doesn’t even acknowledge what happened. Not even an offhand remark or a casual smile. Just ... nothing.

My stomach twists, and I feel it: the sudden, sharp pang of hurt. I want to say something—anything—but my mouth feels like it’s full of cotton. Icouldask him if last night meant anything to him, but I already know the answer.

Instead, I force a smile that feels too tight. “I, uh, guess I’ll go get some breakfast,” I say, the words coming out so flat I can barely recognize my own voice.

Hayes doesn’t even look at me. He nods at Charles, then grabs his coffee like I’m nothing more than a blip on his radar. The casualness of it burns more than I expected.

I turn and walk away, my heart pounding in my chest, my head spinning. Did I misread everything? Did I actually think there could be something between us? It was just a hookup. But why did it feel like more? Probably because of that thoughtful date he took me on and all the little things in between ...

My chest aches as I make my way toward the kitchen, away from the two men who seem so at ease, sonormal, while I’m here, spiraling.

I reach for the coffee pot, needing something to steady my hands. I pour myself a cup of coffee and head back to the table.

Hayes meets my eyes and frowns before his gaze darts away.

I almost choke on my own spit.

Okay?

No need to be an asshole.

We slept together.

And damn him, he’s acting like it’s no big deal. Meanwhile, I’m still trying to process that itwasa big deal. Ahugedeal.

For starters, I’m almost certain Ididpull a muscle.

He chuckles at something Charles says, totally at ease. Meanwhile, I’m sitting here, acting like someone who just discovered fire for the first time. Like ... what’s even happening?

He stretches a little, looking over his shoulder at me.