Page 26 of The King Contract
“Arrogance,” Callum says, shaking his head.
“Outrageous.” I giggle and they both laugh. When I glance at Noah, he’s smiling. “Teasing you is even more fun in groups.”
The green of Noah’s eyes swirl with heat as he pulls me back into his side, peering down at me. My stomach does a tiny somersault and my smile wilts, my gaze unwittingly drawn to the pink of his lips.
“Come on. Let’s get you a drink.” Mack leads us down into the kitchen, where platters of food are set out in a cute, banquet style. He and Callum head to grab us drinks and I turn to Noah. “This whole contract thing was Mack’s idea, right? Do they both know?”
“No.” Noah sighs. “I told them I didn’t need to pay anyone to hang out with me. They think you slid into my DMs after we met on the beach, and I finally gave in to your incessant pleas.”
I slap him with the back of my hand on his chest and he flinches. “Ow.”
“You deserved that.”
Noah rubs his chest, brow creased as he watches his friends collecting drinks outside. He takes a subtle, deliberate inhale and I recognise the battle going on behind his eyes.
“You don’t like lying to your friends,” I say. “At least we have that in common.”
“No, I don’t.” Noah shrugs. “But I also know my friends. Mack’s an unintentional blabbermouth. This would be over before it started. It’s better he suspects and never really knows. Just in case.”
“I’ll remember that in case I need an early out.”
“Don’t even think about it.”
Ellis approaches us and I plaster on a smile, which wavers when I take note of the glamazon, ethereal woman following her. “This is Millie. Millie, this is Lioness.”
Whatever’s left of my resolve crumbles as the beautiful woman leans in to kiss both my cheeks. She’s covered in gold sovereigns, a headpiece, leopard print silks and the longest nails I’ve ever seen. Her dark skin has a golden tinge to it, and she smiles at me.
“Thank you for having us,” I croak out. “Your house is beautiful.”
“My pleasure,” she coos. “Please call me Dahlia. It’s a bit pretentious of me to expect people to call me by my work name.”
Ellis’s eyes widen with excitement.We’re on first name terms with a world-renowned producer.
“How did you two meet?” Dahlia asks, looking between me and Noah.
I swallow the lump in my throat. “We went to school together.”
Dahlia’s eyes widen. “No way.”
Noah brushes his hand on my lower back, and I flinch, quickly recovering by smiling at him. “We reconnected on the beach recently.”
Ellis places a hand on Dahlia’s arm. “Don’t let her fool you into thinking it was some romantic meet-cute. Apparently, they argued the entire time.”
Dahlia wiggles her eyebrows. “I love it when it’s fiery.”
Chatting with Dahlia is effortless, as is mingling with the rest of Noah’s friends. Everyone I meet is welcoming and seemingly genuine. I meet an A-list actor who was born down the road, a couple of up-and-coming rockstars and their families, and the supermodel I saw earlier definitely walked in theVictoria’s Secret Fashion Show. A part of me assumed this crowd would be pretentious, only interested in chatting to people who had fame or fortune attached to their name. But I was wrong. Noah keeps good company.
Noah’s hand ghosts my hips and lower back throughout the afternoon. He does it so naturally, like he’s thrown himself into a Hollywood acting role. I know it doesn’t help that I jump, freeze or yelp when he does it.
After one particularly loud shriek of surprise, he curls his arm around my waist and digs his fingers into my hip. “You’ve got to stop doing that,” he hisses.
Dan’s in the same room when I cry out and he shakes his head at both of us, disapproval written all over his face as he heads outside.
I lead Noah away from prying eyes before swatting his hand away. “Stop touching me so much.”
Noah lets out a long, low sigh. “You’re so wound up. When did you last get laid?”
My jaw drops. “Noah!”
