Page 116 of The King Contract
“No.” The quiet, pained objection slips from my mouth. “Please, don’t do this.”
She shifts past me, heading back towards the front door. “We fulfilled our contractual obligations. There’s nothing left for us to talk about.”
“Come with me.” I grab her hands and her eyes widen. A sign of life. “I want you to come with me.”
She frowns. “What?”
“I thought about it today,” I explain. “Before this happened. I want you to come on the tour.”
She looks stunned. “Comewithyou?”
I nod, gripping her hands tighter. “You could come see the world with me. Make new friends, take photos of beautiful places. I’d cover the costs of flying you home whenever you wanted, so you can see Ellis and Winston.”
For a moment, I swear she considers my offer. That her stoic, hard exterior cracks a little. Her gaze softens, and her big, watery eyes search mine, before she gives me a half-hearted smile. “We don’t know each other well enough to do something like that.”
“That’s not true.” I squeeze her hands. “And that’s what it’d be for. To get to know each other better.”
She takes a deep breath, her hardened expression returning. “I don’t want to come with you.” My stomach sinks at the words and the furious look on her face. “And if you think I’d leave the only family I have to follow a man whose career will always come before everything else, you don’t know me at all.”
The words cut through my skin, but I can’t find it in me to be upset with her. I deserve every bit of it.
Even though my hands are around her wrists, I feel her slipping away, physically and emotionally. She’s shutting down, reverting to logic and sensibility, prioritising her family, like she always has. I’ve become an inconvenience in her life, and I’ve run out of ways to convince her otherwise. And as much as I care about someone, I never want toconvincesomeone to be with me.
I release her. “You’re right.”
Her eyebrows raise slightly, as if she’s surprised, but she smooths her expression. “I’ll speak to Mack about how to proceed in terms of social media, if that helps.”
No.None of this helps. I don’t give a shit about any of it.
“Do me a favour?” she asks, swinging open the door to the downpour outside.
“Anything.”
“Don’t contact me.” She inhales a shaky breath. “Please.”
The pumping organ beneath my ribs swells painfully as I nod. “I’ll make sure you get your payment.”
“I don’t want your money?—”
“Salt Skin is sponsoring me,” I cut in roughly. She watches me, wordlessly. “I’ll transfer the money.”
We stare at each other before I turn and head out into the rain again, the door closing and locking behind me with a deafening click.
49
NOAH
You look broken
Surfing fixed mostof my problems growing up. It always made me feel better. If I got a shitty grade, surfing made it seem insignificant. If I lost a footy game, a surf calmed me down. Remembering the events of last week, the sight of Millie’s crushed face, the sting in her voice . . . even surfing can’t fix that.
“You’re going to have to at least try not to be a miserable bastard today,” Mack says as we head towards the offices of 104.9FM, Honolulu’s most popular radio station. Mack has coordinated interviews and press opportunities leading up to the first competition of the pros. It’s the last fucking thing I feel like doing.
“I’m not a miserable bastard,” I snap.
Mack waves his hand out towards me. “Exhibit A.Les Misérables.”
I know I’ve been painful to be around since everything fell apart with Millie. I foolishly held onto the tiniest hope she might change her mind, but two days after I showed up to her house, I hadn’t heard from her, and it was time to pack up and head to Hawaii.
