Page 62 of The King Contract
“Do you?” I clench my hands into fists, pressing my nails hard into my palms.
Noah’s gaze darts to my hands, a ghost of a smile on his lips. “Do you realise you do that when you’re stressed out?”
I glance down and let my fingers relax, marvelling at the markings made by my nails. “No.”
Noah takes my hands in his, running his thumbs over my palms. “I only regret what happened if it makes things weird between us.”
“It’s a little weird.” I fight to close my eyes as he traces over my skin.
Noah nods and squeezes my hands, pulling my gaze to his. He looks so earnest and hopeful, leaning in with a small smile.
“Let’s not let it be weird.” He rolls his shoulders back and holds a hand up, extending his pinky finger. “Swear to not let it be weird.”
One of my loud, snorty giggles bursts out of me. “What are you doing?”
“Duh, this is the ultimate way to make a promise between two people.”
“Couldn’t we have done this instead of the paperwork?”
Noah shakes his head, mock sincerity on his face. “This is theultimateway to promise. This is sacred.”
I can’t hide my smile as I take in the hopeful look on his face. He’s right. We can’t let it get awkward again, and I’m sure that my urge to mount his thigh and kiss him last week resulted from crazy hormones. I hook my pinky finger with his, silently making a promise I desperately want to keep.
After that, tension leaks out of my body as we sit side by side, slipping back into our comfortable conversation. Noah tells me about his family; his parents who are still madly in love and go dancing every Sunday evening. His baby sister Gabby, who’s a pocket rocket of ferocious energy and has better surf skills than him, but isn’t interested in going pro. His older brother Jared, who lives in Sydney and is married to his high school sweetheart, with a three-year-old daughter and another baby on the way. He adores his niece, Willow, and has no qualms sharing what his family thinks of him making all the wrong headlines.
“I get plenty of grief from them all the time and it’s nothing I don’t deserve. We had a family meeting when I got home.”
“Ouch. How’d that go?”
Noah grimaces. “My poor mum. I ignored their calls for most of the year or kept them really short. Dan got me home after I got an official warning from the World Surfing Association and the minute I saw Mum’s face, I realised how much I’d fucked up. Seeing people you love and respect absolutely heartbroken can change your outlook real quick.” He clears his throat, shaking his curls out of his eyes. “Speaking of my family, would you like to come to my parents place for Christmas?”
My chest constricts with something unfamiliar. “I forgot we discussed that in the contract.”
“Right. The contract. Exactly.” Noah blinks a few times. “What do you think? They wouldloveto meet you.”
I scrunch my nose up. “You’re sure you want yourfakegirlfriend to come to Christmas celebrations?”
“Yes.” Noah nods adamantly. “Everyone’s welcome at Christmas time, fake or not fake. Dan will be there, and Ellis and Winston are welcome, too. I want to make my mum happy.”
“Won’t she be upset when this is over?” I wave my hand between the two of us.
“Maybe, but it’ll give her hope I’m not a lost cause. If I can date a woman like you? Pfft, I’m a golden boy.”
Our arrangement might be unorthodox, but it’s clearer than ever he’s doing everything he can to make up for his mistakes. It’s not only about his reputation and career, but he also wants to make things right with his family, even if that means bringing home a fake girlfriend.
Our friends finally make their way out of the water, disturbing our serenity, pushing each other to topple one another over.
“Sure,” I finally agree. “I’ll come over for Christmas.”
His dimples pop. “Thanks, Maelstrom.”
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