Page 55 of The King Contract
I roll my eyes. “Does this look like the face of a woman who’skilling it?”
Steph chuckles. “I bet you did great. Starting is half the battle for most people.”
“She killed it.” Noah’s voice booms along the table and my cheeks flame. “She stood up.”
Everyone at the table cheers, with Callum and Mack whooping and Steph clapping in excitement. Even Dan looks impressed, giving me a slight nod of the head.
“We’ll make a surfer out of you yet,” Mack announces.
I snort. “Don’t hold your breath.”
My shoulders drop away from my ears and another wave of adrenaline hits me. It’s a pleasant, tired sensation. Like I’ve achieved something awesome and am sitting in a contented cocoon with damp clothing and knotted hair. If the high of a surf comes with this every time, I can see why it’s so enjoyable.
“Noah Joseph King! Where have you been all my life?”
The high-pitched shriek appears to have come from a bleach blonde woman approaching our table, donning a midriff top and tight-denim shorts clad to her toned thighs. She struts up to Noah, oozing confidence I could only dream about. Heads turn as she approaches, and I notice people around us get excited at her arrival. When she reaches Noah, she jumps onto him for a hug, and he laughs. My good mood vanishes.
“Who is that?”
Steph leans cross the table to whisper. “Cammie Davies. Up and comer in the surfing world. You should see what she can do with a longboard.”
I glance back at her and notice how even though their hug is over, she’s draped her arm over Noah’s shoulder, listening with wide eyes as he talks to her.
I don’t like that.
“Cammie’s affectionate with everybody,” Steph assures me as Cammie playfully slaps Noah’s arm, and he chortles about whatever she’s reacted to.
My eyes narrow. “Really?”
Steph’s lip curls upwards. “Yeah, but if she pulled that with Callum, I’d climb across this table and yank her hair out, andCallum and I aren’t even dating. Don’t let her get too chummy with your man.”
“He’s not my . . . he’s not my property,” I stumble. “I can’t stop who he talks to.”
He’snotmy man. He’s mypretendboyfriend. So, why am I suddenly battling a wild animal in my stomach?
Noah and Cammie start moving closer to us, and I know he’s gearing up to introduce us. I throw Steph a pleading look, but she smirks in response.
“Cammie, this is Millie,” Noah says as he arrives. “Millie, this is Cammie.”
I rise to my feet and hold out my hand. Cammie doesn’t hide her blatant once-over of my body, still damp in spots from my wet swimsuit. My hair is in a knotted mess on top of my head, and I probably look exhausted.
“Hey, great to meet you!” she exclaims, shaking my hand quickly. “It’s nice to meet Noah’s new girl in the flesh. You look like you’ve had a hell of a morning.”
A not-so-subtle way of confirming I look like crap.
“Millie smashed it.” Noah peers at me with another proud smile.
Ha.There’s nothing fake about that.
“Noah’s a great teacher,” I say, smiling back.
Cammie’s eyes linger on Noah’s face. “Don’t I know it? He’s taught me alotof things over the past few years.”
“Is that right?” My tone is dry, edging on sarcastic.
Cammie’s eyes narrow slightly, but she covers it with a sweet smile. “Yep. We go way back. Keep practicing and you’ll be as good as me one day.”
Steph makes a choking noise. I don’t know if we’re talking about surfing or something else, but there’s a familiar buzz of blood beginning to pump around my body again, my ears ringing with the rush of liquid to my brain. When people areblatantly obnoxious, or rude, or loud to the point of annoyance, it sends logic out the window. Like when I slapped that guy who insulted Noah and me, or when I initiated the humping situation with Noah after he ordered me around. The same roar overtakes my brain, and I become someone else entirely.
