Chapter 55

Kayla

The racquet slipped from my hands as the ball sailed through the air toward me. My breath hitched, and I braced for the sharp sting of impact, squeezing my eyes shut.

But the pain never came.

“That would’ve stung,” came Nicholas’s deep voice, rough and low.

My eyes snapped open to see him standing in front of me, his arm extended, the ball firmly caught in one hand. The sheer ease of his movement took my breath away, but it was his amber eyes sweeping over me that made my heart falter.

He handed me the ball, his fingers brushing against mine for the briefest second, and I quickly looked away as I felt fresh heat rise to my cheeks.

“Thanks,” I muttered, curling my fingers around the ball.

He just nodded, although his eyes never left mine.

Suddenly, the sound of Rebecca’s sharp voice cut through the brief moment. “That’s not fair!” She practically screeched from across the court. “You can’t just catch a ball in the middle of a game!”

Nicholas turned to her, cool as ever. “She’s a beginner, and that ball was about to break her nose. As the referee, I’m giving Kayla the point.”

Rebecca scowled, crossing her arms over her chest as her lower lip jutted out in a pout. “Favoritism much?” she muttered under her breath.

Nicholas didn’t even flinch. “Maybe if you weren’t trying to maim my pretty Luna, you’d have a chance at winning.”

My face felt like it was on fire, equal parts embarrassment and indignation lighting up inside of me. Meanwhile, Rebecca’s pout shifted into a saccharine smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. “Fine. Then how about we switch things up? Me and Nicky versus Kayla and Noah. Fair teams, don’t you think?”

The nickname made Nicholas bristle, his jaw tightening as his gaze turned icy. “I’m not switching partners. I’m with Kayla.”

Butterflies erupted in my stomach at his firm declaration, even though I knew better than to read into it. Still, the way Rebecca’s smile faltered gave me a small, guilty sense of satisfaction.

“Suit yourself,” she ground out.

The doubles match began, and it quickly became clear that Rebecca had made it her mission to target me as much as she possibly could. Every shot she made seemed aimed to humiliate me, sending the ball either just out of my reach or rocketing toward me with unnecessary force.

But Nicholas was an impeccable partner, his movements fluid and precise as he intercepted nearly every attempt she made to throw me off.

“Nice save,” I murmured to him after he dove to return a particularly nasty shot.

He glanced at me, his lips twitching into a small smirk. “You’re doing great. Just keep your eye on the ball.”

Despite Rebecca’s efforts, Nicholas and I won the match. As the final ball sailed past her and into the corner of the court, just out of her reach, she let out a frustrated huff.

“You only won because of Nicholas,” she said, carelessly tossing her racquet onto the nearby bench like it was a piece of trash.

I didn’t take the bait. Instead, I shrugged and offered her a smile, just as I had with Noah earlier. “It’s true. If it were just me playing out here, you’d have me on the floor by now. You’re really good at tennis, Rebecca.”

Rebecca’s expression tightened, clearly expecting a different reaction from me. She muttered something under her breath and turned away, leaving Nicholas and Noah exchanging impressed glances.

“You’re a very gracious sport,” Nicholas said quietly as we walked off the court, his voice low enough so that only I could hear.

I shrugged, brushing a stray strand of hair out of my face. “My father taught me never to be a sore loser or a sore winner.”

His expression softened ever so slightly, and for a moment, I thought he might say something more. But instead, he just nodded and gestured toward the bar. “Let’s grab some lunch.”

At the bar, Rebecca moved with unnerving speed, sliding into the seat next to Nicholas just moments before I could claim it. Nicholas stiffened, looking up at me with his mouth parted, but I shook my head. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes and took the seat beside Noah instead, ordering a club sandwich and a beer to distract myself.

Throughout the meal, Rebecca kept leaning into Nicholas, touching his arm and laughing at his jokes with exaggerated enthusiasm. I tried to focus on my food, but my eyes kept drifting back to them. Nicholas didn’t seem entirely comfortable, but he wasn’t pulling away, either.

It wasn’t as if I had any claim over him. Our relationship was fake, a strategic partnership, a tentative friendship at best. He was free to see whoever he wanted.

But I couldn’t deny it; the sight of Rebecca’s hand lingering on his forearm sent an irritating pang through my chest every time it happened. If he had been my real husband, then he would have pushed her away.

But he wasn’t. And he didn’t.

My mind drifted back to Nora before I could stop myself, back to the night I had seen her leaving Nicholas’s study in her nightgown, looking entirely too smug. I still didn’t think they’d slept together, but I wouldn’t have put it past him to humor her advances for a little while—smile at her touches, listen to her gossip, tell her everything she wanted to hear.

I had known since before I’d even met Nicholas what type of man he was. A playboy. A handsome charmer who had no trouble making any woman swoon, even me at times. And I never expected him to act any different, even with our arrangement hanging over us.

But it didn’t make it any easier to see another woman doting on the man who was supposed to be playing the part of my husband in public.

Especially with that mating mark on my neck, still fresh and enticing.

I often forgot that the mark was there, if I was being honest. Nicholas never used it to his advantage, never tugged on the bond to make me do his bidding. Liam did, but not Nicholas. And since I couldn’t do anything with the bond myself, due to my lack of a wolf, the bond went unnoticed.

Times like today, though, made me secretly wish I could give it a little nudge. If only to remind Nicholas that I was right fucking here, and that we had a part to play.

Just as I was sipping on a fresh beer to soothe my nerves, Rebecca’s voice suddenly broke through my spiraling thoughts. “Let’s play a game,” she said out of nowhere. “Something fun to pass the time.”

“What kind of game?” Noah asked, raising an eyebrow.

“A laughing game. Groups of two take turns trying to make their partner laugh within thirty seconds. If they can’t make each other laugh, then both partners drink. And if the other group thinks someone is faking, and they’re right, then the person that bluffed has to drink.”

The seating arrangement dictated the pairs: Rebecca and Nicholas, and Noah and me. I couldn’t help but notice the smug glint in Rebecca’s eyes as she announced this—no doubt it was her plan all along.

The first round began, and Nicholas made Rebecca laugh almost instantly with a ridiculous joke about tennis balls. But it was painfully obvious that she was faking, her laugh forced and overly loud.

“Fake,” Noah said immediately, pointing at her.

Rebecca’s laugh faltered, and she tried to argue, but the rules were the rules. She reluctantly took a drink, her cheeks flushing as she avoided everyone’s gaze.

The game continued, with Rebecca growing increasingly frustrated as she failed to make Nicholas laugh. Her attempts ranged from terrible puns to exaggerated impressions, but he remained stone-faced, his lips quirking only slightly on occasion.

Meanwhile, I managed to make both Noah and Nicholas laugh by the end of my third turn, much to Rebecca’s chagrin.

“How did you do that?” Noah asked, wiping a tear from the corner of his eye.

“Talent,” I replied with a grin, even as Rebecca shot me a glare that could have melted steel.

Eventually, Rebecca excused herself, obviously too frustrated to stay as she muttered something about needing fresh air. I watched her retreat, a small part of me feeling smug, but the satisfaction was short-lived.

No sooner had she disappeared than Nicholas was standing abruptly, his chair scraping against the floor.

My stomach twisted as I watched him follow in the direction Rebecca had gone, leaving me alone with Noah without so much as an explanation.