Page 82 of The King Contract
My emotions war with each other again, with guilt triumphing as the clear winner. I hate lying to Ellis, and the fact she thinks my happiness is from a genuine connection with someone I’m in a legal obligation with is shameful.
I’m tempted more than ever to spill the fake-dating beans, especially after Noah’s recent sucky behaviour. The bond I thought we’d created frayed the morning after he went down on me. I opened up a part of myself I hadn’t shared with anyone before. He made me feel safe and secure, and he gave me the most intense orgasm of my life. And then, like a switch, his mood went haywire, talking way too much and never allowing himself to be alone with me for longer than three seconds the entire week.
“You don’t think you’ve been happy?” Ellis’ question pulls me from my thoughts. She’s watching me, her forehead creased.
Despite my internal bitching and moaning, I’ve felt lighter and more at ease than I have in a long time. Everything with Noah has been unexpected, including the parts where he somehow became my friend, and the person I rely on withouteven realising. Being annoyed and confused with him right now doesn’t cancel out those feelings, and I know I can’t betray his trust and my legal obligations, because we’ve hit a snag in our weird relationship.
I exhale so deeply my lips vibrate. “I have no idea what I’ve been.”
“You don’t need to overthink it,” she says kindly, tapping my knee. “For what it’s worth, I think Noah’s a good guy. Keep enjoying the ride. If it goes somewhere, great, and if it doesn’t, enjoy it while it lasts.”
I ignore the thought of what will happen when my arrangement with Noah ends. Even though it’s only been a couple of months, not having him as a constant in my life is hard to imagine.
“Plans for next year?” I ask, moving the conversation along.
Ellis looks up at the sky. “Slow down. Enjoy the little moments. Figure out what we’re going to do with the store. She ain’t cheap and frankly, I’m tired.”
“We don’t have to decide today,” I assure her.
Once we have the money from Noah, I’m hoping it’ll make whatever decisions we come to easier. I also hope Ellis doesn’t murder me when the truth comes out. That’s a very real possibility.
“You sure you don’t want to come to Christmas at the Kings?” I nudge her foot with mine.
She wrinkles her nose. “It’ll be weird not spending it with you. But I have a feeling we’ll both having alotof well-deserved fun over the next few days to make up for it.” She winks at me dramatically and my stomach flip-flops at the insinuation. I can’t deny my mind has wandered to what everything else in the bedroom would be like with Noah.
“I can’t believe you’re spending Christmas with Dahlia.” I snicker at my next thought. “We’re both dating Hollywood people. Sort of.”
Ellis giggles. “Dahlia and I are not dating.”
“You’re meeting her parents in Melbourne,” I say flatly. “You’re dating.”
She gives me a lazy smile. “What about you? What are you planning for the year?”
I shrug. “Figure out the store plans, absolutely. Once we know what we’re doing, I can look beyond that.”
“And your highlight of the year?”
I ponder before scoffing with disbelief.
Ellis laughs, leaning forward. “Yours is Noah too, isn’t it?”
“How insane is that?” I whisper, shaking my head. I laugh along with her, but while it might seem crazy, it’s true.
Noah’s the bright, confusing, charming star I didn’t know I needed.
32
MILLIE
Finish that sentence
Winstonand I drive along the winding driveway of Noah’s parents’ house after dropping Ellis at the airport. When the sweeping house comes into view, my jaw drops.Holy shit.It’s enormous and stunningly beautiful, with wide steps leading up to a wrap-around deck. Large gum trees line the driveway and sides of the house, and what looks to be a body of water sparkles at the bottom of the hill to the left.
“Jesus, Winston,” I whisper, pulling my car in front of the house. “It’s a fucking hotel.”
When I kill the ignition, I take an enormous breath in to steady my nerves. I’m about to meet Noah’s family; his parents, his brother and sister-in-law, his baby sister and his niece, who walks on water. Under the ruse of a big, fat lie.
I let Winston out of the car and gather my bags, right as I hear footsteps behind me. “Millie! Winston!”
