Page 26

MILLIE

A great teacher

I wanted to kiss him.

I’ve gone from Padlock Pants, no sex, zero-sense-of-flirting Millie, to a woman who dry humps a man she’s getting paid to hang out with and can’t stop salivating over.

I think he wanted to kiss me, too. I nearly asked him, but my brain was screaming at me to be careful of blurring lines any more than we already have.

He’s a renowned player, a suave smooth-talking ladies’ man who knows how to get into a girl’s pants.

This is a game to him and I’m playing with fire by letting my horniness get in the way.

After ordering our bar meals at the surf club and waiting for Noah to pose for photos with a few patrons, we head to a table on the busy deck where a few of Noah’s friends sit with drinks. A few more patrons take note of Noah, but nobody approaches him.

I spot Callum and Mack and wave as we approach.

“Hey guys,” I say with a smile.

“Maelstrom!” Mack cries, jumping up and squeezing me around the shoulders. “Great to see you. How’s my boy treating you?”

Grinning, I say, “Like an absolute gentleman.”

Dan appears at my side, raising his eyebrows in the knowing way of a man in on our big secret. He pecks me silently on the cheek before returning to his seat.

Callum pulls me in for a hug. “You look like you’ve been kissed by the ocean.”

“I don’t know if you’d call it a kiss,” I reply dryly. “More like a bitch slap.”

My heart buzzes at their kindness and I ignore the screaming voice in the back of my mind that says , “They won’t be in your life in a couple of months you giant liar!”

Noah gives me a quick introduction to the friendly faces at the table, before Callum waves me over to a woman at the end of the table. She’s stunningly beautiful, with blonde and brown curls looping from her head, brown freckled skin and a vibrant smile. “This is Steph.”

“Hi, Steph,” I say, shaking her hand. “I’ve heard so much about you.”

I grab the seat across from her, grateful for the opportunity to have some breathing space from Noah to clear my head.

Steph leans forward. “I’ve heard lots about you too.”

“Only good things, I hope.”

“Of course,” Steph replies. “I hear you’re now killing it at surfing.”

I roll my eyes. “Does this look like the face of a woman who’s killing 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, and Callum 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’s not my man. He’s my pretend boyfriend. 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 a lot of 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 are blatantly 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.

To my surprise, Noah chuckles and curls his other arm around my waist, pulling me to his side. “Millie’s in a league of her own. She’s better than she realises.” He grins at me, and my heart skips a beat. “I am so proud of you.”

His hand squeezes my hip, his green eyes hazy as he watches me.

My inner alter-ego surges forward and I reach up to Noah’s chest, gripping the fabric of his t-shirt.

On my tiptoes, I pull his head towards me and watch as his expression shifts from pride to fascination.

There’s a slight beat, where I’m sure he’s trying to check I’m okay with what I’m about to do, but I don’t let it slow me down.

I press my mouth to his and a smile involuntarily plays on my lips as I hear the tiny gasp that escapes his.

Fireworks shoot from my mouth to behind my ears and down my spine.

Tingles ripple through my arms as Noah parts his mouth, our lips moving against each other’s slowly.

Noah pulls me to him and spins me, so his back is to the table, and I’m blocked from the view of our friends.

His hand reaches up to the side of my neck and he pulls me closer, steering me backwards a few steps.

Maybe he does that to give us a bit of privacy or because he’s also forgotten where we are.

His lips are salty and rough from the ocean and sun.

When he slips his tongue inside my mouth, my stomach bottoms out.

I moan softly and his hand encloses around the back of my neck in a vice-like grip, pulling at the roots as he continues to pry my mouth open.

Our tongues meet stroke for stroke, white-hot flames coursing through my veins.

Noah’s mouth is gentle and demanding, pleasing and teasing. My hands slide up his neck and I hear someone say, “Whoa,” but I don’t care. I don’t care who’s watching us or what they think.

Noah clutches my body to his like he can’t get enough of me, and he groans as I bite his bottom lip. His tongue sweeps into my mouth again and it sends a bolt of need between my thighs. I’ve never been so turned on by a kiss. I want more. I need more.

A piercing wolf whistle shatters the haze, and I pull back from Noah’s mouth. “This is a family establishment!” I hear Mack shout. A few people laugh, but I can’t tear my eyes away from Noah’s gaze.

Noah’s hooded green eyes reflect how I feel, intoxicated and lust-filled, and I fight the urge to bite his finger as he lazily traces one over my bottom lip. I can’t remember why I kissed him in the first place, but Noah’s response to my bold move makes me wish everyone else would disappear.

As my senses return to me, my breathing slows, and I remember where I am.

The buzz of voices on the deck come back to a normal volume, the waves crash on the shoreline below, and uncertainty rears its head.

I said kissing was out of the question, and I broke that rule.

I told him I didn’t have time for a relationship, and yet, I mauled him like a possessive girlfriend.

If Noah knew I had butterflies battering against my ribcage, he’d think I was like every other woman who falls for his charms. I’ve lost my head.

I step back from his embrace, schooling my expression to casual as best I can. “Do you think they bought that?”

Noah blinks several times, as if caught in a fog. “What?”

I glance away to catch Cammie’s sour expression and want to smile with victory, but I can’t. My body is battling between the euphoria of the kiss and the fact I’m jealous of Cammie to begin with.

I meet Noah’s gaze again and force myself to smile. “I think I’m getting better at this pretending stuff, don’t you?”

I step back, even though it feels like my legs are pushing through treacle.

“Millie.” Noah’s voice is deep and rough. Demanding.

“Lunch is up!” Mack yells and I take another step, shattering the illusion.

“Thank god, I’m starving.”

I don’t look at Noah as I head to the table, sitting back in my seat. Steph is watching me with a smirk on her face.

I can’t hold her gaze. “What?”

“I’m living through you,” she sighs wistfully. “The beginning of a new relationship is one of the most intoxicating things you’ll ever experience.” Her eyes follow Noah who presumably walks behind me to his seat at the other end of the table. “He’s got it bad.”

I replay the kiss in my head, questions firing through my mind. Why did I do that? Was it purely to annoy Cammie or because Noah was staring at me with pride and lust, or because maybe I have feelings for Noah I swore were impossible?

The server places my fish and chips in front of me.

I’ve lost my appetite.