“I think I was too tired for that to be an issue,” he said instead of the truth. He had been a good liar even before meeting Teresa, but ever since she’d taken a liking to him, he’d become a master.
“And how is your hike going? Did you manage to wake up alright and on time?” she probed.
“Thehike,” Noah enunciated, feeling a touch of heat spread across the nape of his neck and down his spine as he thought back to riding Reign’s cock in the armchair. “It’s going well. We are just about finishing lunch at this lovely inn and will be heading further up the mountain.”
As the words left him, Noah hoped she wouldn’t ask for any specifics because he wasn’t sure he could make anything up on the spot. He had yet to look at the map and fabricate the route of his made-up trip.
“Fabulous. I am glad you are enjoying yourself.” She paused, and the momentary silence had Noah’s stomach coiling with nerves. He should’ve done his due diligence and figured out the logistics of his fake trip before indulging in a sex marathon with Reign. “I hate to ask, but I worry, dear. Has Mr. Lennox said ordoneanything that might be… cause for concern?”
Noah’s body slumped in relief, glad at what came out of her mouth. It was concerning in its own right, but he could navigate his way out of it relatively well. “No, Mr. Lennox has been very accommodating. He even asked me to relay his apology for his behavior at the bar in Lisbon again.”
Noah’s lie had Reign’s eyes glimmer with mischief and his lips curving up in a small-but-definitely-smug smile.
“How very amiable of him,” Teresa said, giggling in that uncannily flirtatious way. “Anyway, I called because I was hoping we could have dinner tonight when you are back…”
Noah’s body shivered involuntarily, a frisson of repulsion sitting heavy in his stomach as she revealed the real reason for her call. He didn’t want to have dinner with her. Or see her today, for that matter.
“Dinner? Uh, I’m not sure what time I will be back… and I’d have to drop my suitcase off, have a shower… I wouldn’t want to keep you up late.”
“I don’t mind, dear,” she countered immediately. “I’m still a bit jetlagged, so I doubt I’ll be able to fall asleep until late anyway.”
Shit. It was definitely going to be just him and Teresa… He frowned and rubbed the side of his forehead. He supposed he could get it over with, his mandatory ‘Teresa time’, though he’d hoped he’d have at least a couple of days on his own to get acclimated first. Or with Reign, if he was being honest. – But,well, technically, he didn’t have any plans, and Reign had said nothing about the two of them possibly spending more time together, so, really, it made sense to oblige her even if it was the last thing he wanted to do right now.
“Give me a second, I’ll ask what time we’ll be back.” Muting his side of the call, and double-checking to make sure he’d actually muted it, he buried his face in his hands. Maybe 11 p.m. was late enough and believable, so he didn’t need to spend more than two hours with her? He’d eat and then excuse himself because of being tired.
“Noah,” Reign’s voice cut through Noah’s thoughts, making him lift his head. The demon still looked like he was enjoying Noah’s misery, but there was also a hint of that dark want in his gaze, causing Noah to shiver again for an entirely different reason. “Pass me your phone.”
19
Reign watched one of Noah’s eyebrows shoot up in question, but he handed his phone over when urged to do so. With the phone in his possession now, Reign settled his gaze on the human and got comfortable.
“Hello, Madame Teresa. This is Reign Lennox,” he said, letting his voice take on that sultry quality he knew most found irresistible. It wasn’t exactly the same as when he spoke to Noah, because he didn’t need topretendthere was attraction there, but it was similar, he supposed, just not sufficiently enough to elicit those sweet and alluring responses in the man across from him that he couldn’t get enough of.
“Mr. Lennox,” Teresa replied in a purr as seductive as his. “It is lovely to hear you. How have you been?”
Reign drank Noah in, the slight tautness in his jaw and the furrow of his brow. He was adept at handling Teresa, but he did not like her or her predatory interest in him. “Great, thank you. What about yourself? I hope you aren’t having too hard a time adjusting.”
“I am managing, yes. And I hope our Noah hasn’t been causing any problems for you and your friends.”
Ah, so Noah was not only on a supposed hike, but one with Reign and his friends. “No. In fact, I think Trevor’s curiosity about Mr. Araya and his career has been causing all the problems.” He let Teresa laugh at that, continuing only after she’d stopped. “There is one other thing. As it comes, we’ve decided to extend our trip because of a local festival in Dongducheon, so we won’t be back in Seoul until late on Sunday. Which, I’m afraid, means I’ll have to deprive Noah of your lovely company not just for today but for tomorrow as well.”
“Oh…” she trailed off. Since they weren’t talking in person, Reign couldn’t see her face and read the emotions and thoughts it betrayed, so he had to rely on just the inflection and tone of her voice. Both currently suggested she was genuinely disappointed. “That is truly unfortunate, but, well, he must be excited. Noah seems to love exploring.”
Had she picked up on that herself, or had Noah told her? If it was the former, Reign wondered what other things she might have noticed about his contracted human. “He does, yes, though he sounded disheartened when I told him we won’t be back tonight.” Another lie toadd to the web of already existing lies that Noah liked to feed Teresa.
Reign had observed, listened. He didn’t condone; on the contrary, he was impressed how well Noah could play her when he needed to. He had to give in to her too, of course, at times, but he knew when to do it so that it presented the least strain on him.
“As long as he brings me back a souvenir, I guess I’ll have to forgive him,” she joked, but Reign caught the test she was posing them. A way to ascertain if they were indeed where Reign had claimed they were.
Was Reign’s deduction incorrect then? He was sure Teresa was aware Noah was not as interested in her as she was in him, yet still she remained in pursuit of him. She was, perhaps, playing a game of her own, too, a fox facing off with another fox. For now, Reign didn’t think he needed to step in, but he would continue to monitor things regardless since demons were, by nature, territorial of their contracted souls…
“I will make sure he does,” Reign assured her. “Well then, Madame Teresa, we’re about to get going, so unless there is anything else that you need, I’ll let you go.”
“No, Mr. Lennox. I called just to check in. I hope you enjoy your trek in the mountains. Do tell Noah to message me when he’s back at the embassy’s accommodations.”
“Will do,” Reign agreed and hung up, pressing the phone against his chin as he regarded Noah. “A hike?”
Noah flushed slightly, a pinkish hue that was so subtle it might not have even been there spreading across the sun-kissed skin of his cheeks. “She got me on the spot when your driver showed up.” He took the phone from Reign’s extended hand. “Thanks for covering. I, uh, I’ll go get my things and… hide at some hotel or something. I guess.”
