Chapter 11
Noah
The gentle touch of a hand on my arm roused me from one of the cosiest naps I had ever taken.
“Hey, Puppy,” a familiar voice whispered. “Wake up, gorgeous, we’re here.”
The pet names only vaguely registered as sleep clung to me.
Only five more minutes.
The hand caressed my cheek before cupping the back of my neck and stroking over the pulse points on either side of my throat.
A soft groan coming from my lips woke me. When I blinked my eyes open, they fell on a smiling Lewis.
“Hey,” I breathed.
“Good morning, sleepyhead. We’re here, but we can stay in the truck for a while longer if you want to sleep.
” His thumb trailed over the edge of my jaw.
“I shouldn’t have woken you up. You looked so peaceful.
” He gave me a tender smile, then his gaze dropped to where he was still stroking my skin.
“Sorry.” Hastily he pulled his hand away from my neck.
“S’okay,” I mumbled, and straightened up in my seat. I already missed his touch. “Sorry I slept all the way. The Scottish air makes me so tired.”
“Would you rather go back home? We can do this another time.”
“What? Oh, no! I’m super excited to see the museum and have cream tea with you.” In another life I might have been embarrassed by the beaming smile I gave him. Here? I’d give this man my hole, uh, I mean, my all.
“Okay.” Lew bit his lip. He contemplated me across the middle console for a moment, then clapped his hands together. “Ready for our first date?”
“Fake date,” I corrected him.
He leaned over until his face was inches from mine.
“Mmm,” Lew purred, raising a heavy eyebrow. “Fake or not, I want to have a good time with you, Noah. Yeah?” His warm breath brushed my lips and my eyelids drooped. I leaned in, too, but caught myself and straightened up.
Don’t be daft, Bright!
I nodded.
“Good. Let’s go.”
By the time my limbs worked again, he had sauntered around the car, and flung open my door.
Nobody had ever made me feel so special. Being with Lew made me feel like I mattered enough for him to treat me right.
With shaking fingers I fumbled with the buckle of my seat belt, then clambered out of the car. I wrapped myself in a cardigan, a thick scarf, and the thin jacket I had. I was still cold.
“Noah.” My name came out on a low snarl but Lewis took a steadying breath. “I’ll take you to Kirkmuir next week, okay? You need a proper winter coat. I can’t watch you freeze your ass off any longer.”
“I can’t afford it, Lewis.” Shit. It hurt to say it out loud. I turned my face around so he wouldn’t see the tears prickling on the corners of my eyes.
Why am I so fucking weepy when he’s around?
With a small noise like a mama cat consoling her kittens, he enveloped me in his thick arms and pressed me to the broad expanse of his chest.
“Shh, Puppy, it’s okay if you need to cry. Let it out, I got you.” Lewis kept mumbling sweet little nothings under his breath as he swayed on the spot.
And I? I had no energy left to mask, or to pretend my body wasn’t on high alert 24-7. I sobbed into his sweater, burying my face in the fabric and inhaling his cologne. The scent grounded me and helped me breathe.
“I’ve got you, Noah. Do you hear me?” he whispered, cradling my entire head in one palm. “We’ll figure it out together.”
It took me another fifteen minutes to calm down.
“Sorry for the meltdown,” I told him as I tried to free myself from his embrace.
“Noah Bright.” His stern voice made me look up. “You stop apologising for how your brain works or what you feel right now, do you understand me?”
Oh my God. “Yes,” I breathed. Yes, Daddy.
“I want you to enquire with the hotel on Monday. If they won’t let you stay for free, I’ll book a room for us.”
“Didn’t you want to go for Diwali?” I asked. I couldn’t see a future in which I’d be able to afford two of these trips, even if I got the hotel for free.
“Your health is more important. Pivot, Bright.” Pursing his lips, he gave me a cheeky smile, then straightened up. “Come on, there’s a hot cuppa and a shit-ton of clotted cream waiting for you.”
His hand hovered over the small of my back as he guided me through the polished wood doors.
He was a textbook example of a gentleman, and I had no clue why I liked it so much.
You shouldn’t like it. You said he’s a fake boyfriend for your socials. Why, then, does he behave like he courts me when there’s no camera pointed at us?
We approached the Vulpus at the front desk to grab our tickets. She had plush grey fur and wore a pastel blue dress that made her blue eyes pop.
“Welcome to Windmouth Castle!” Her wide smile put all her bright white fangs on display.
“I hope you’ll enjoy your visit with us today.
” When the printer was done, she tore our tickets stubs off, and handed them over the counter.
“If you have any questions, I’d be more than happy to answer them for you. ”
Next she picked a leaflet from a holder and unfolded it upside down so we could see.
She gave us a quick introduction to the floor plan, highlighting their special exhibitions with her perfectly manicured claws. They, too, were pastel blue and perfectly matched her dress.
“Our pride and joy this autumn are the works of Fox Cawley, a painter and sculptor from Port Cillean. They are on display in the East Wing. In the West Wing you’ll find art pieces we were lucky to get as a loan from a local collector. Taran Atax owns a castle on Loch Kilglen not too far from here.”
Lew briefly rested a hand on the small of my back. “Oh, that would be another great trip for our bucket list.”
“It’s a beautiful lake, yes. But I would suggest going there in spring or summer. The way around it gets very muddy at this time of the year,” the Vulpus said with a tinkling laugh.
My heart sank. It was now or never. In the spring I would be back in Bali and by the time summer came around Lew would already have moved on.
“Yes, I agree,” he muttered. “It’s wonderful in summer.” He took the floor plan and pocketed it. “How about breakfast first?” he asked. “I’m starving.”
Watching him rub his tummy made me want to join in the fun. The couple of times he’d hugged me his body had felt so soft and warm.
“Great idea.”
“Make sure you try the scones, they’re the best,” the Fox hybrid called after us and we promised we would.
“Oh my God, Lew! How bloody gorgeous is this?” I blurted out when he had once again guided me through a door and I saw the coffee shop.
It looked straight out of an interior magazine: cosy, warm, and so ArgoS-worthy I didn’t know what to take a picture of first.
“Hi,” the server greeted us as we approached the counter. “What can I get you?”
My eyes fell on the large chalkboard behind her. For fuck’s sake. The cream tea inspired breakfast was 32 quid.
“Hi.” Lew beamed at her. “Can we get the breakfast for two, an Americano for me, and, Noah? A latte for you?”
“Yeah, but—”
Before I could get any more words out, Lew pressed a button on his smart watch and paid for us.
“No, I can’t—” What had I been about to say? I can’t afford it? Because fuck, I couldn’t.
And he knows.
“Please take a seat. I’ll bring everything over.” While the server busied herself with the coffee maker, Lewis steered me to a table in a cosy nook by the window. We settled on the bench, sitting so close to each other our knees touched.
“I suggested coming here for breakfast,” he said as soon as I had taken my thin coat off.
I bit my lip and looked away from him. Even though it was late in the year the castle gardens still looked beautiful.
“I’m sorry, Noah,” Lew whispered and took my hand under the table. My throat seized up and I was moments away from crying again, but the server approached with our coffees and I managed to pull myself together.
We thanked her.
“I’ll be back with your food and drinks in a few minutes,” she told us and disappeared in the direction of the counter again.
“Don’t apologise, Lew. It’s fine. Thank you,” I added in a low voice. I wasn’t ungrateful, just fucking ashamed that I wasn’t even able to pay for us.
“We should take a couple of pictures,” he reminded me gently.
Right. For my ArgoS. That’s why we’re on a fake date. So I can make content.
“Right, yeah. Let me just grab my—”
“Noah.” He stopped my frantic search for my phone and scooted even closer until his thigh pressed against mine.
“It’s okay. Just breathe for a moment, yeh?
” He slipped his arm around my back and held me close to his warm body.
I tried to think of something to say but couldn’t find the right words.
So I just sat there in his embrace and let his touch soothe me.
I was in a much better mood by the time the server returned with a three-tiered tray laden with food.
How does he calm me like that?
“I hope you enjoy it. Let me know if you need something else.”
Lewis threw me a concerned glance as I inspected our order.
“No, I’m good,” I said and popped a strawberry quarter into my mouth. “It looks so good. God, the strawberries are so sweet!” I reached for another piece but stopped myself.
“It’s fine, take them. Berries aren’t really my thing.”
“You are a terrible liar, Lewis Sinclair.” We both snorted, and I took another quarter of the fruit.
“Okay, you caught me. I love strawberries, but I want you to have them.”
He said it with such a tender expression in his face that my cheeks heated.
“Thank you.”
“Are you ready to check out the museum?” Lew asked me as soon as we’d finished the sandwiches and scones and emptied our coffees.
“Sure, let’s go.”
He probably wants to get it over with.
Once we’d returned our dirty dishes to the counter, he guided me out of the restaurant with his hand hovering over the small of my back.
I leaned into his touch as we crossed the foyer where the woman at the ticket counter was on a phone call and passed through an archway and along a hallway that led to the East Wing.