Page 121 of Tall, Royal Hater
His arrogant statement torched the skin off my face. But I hadn’t cared. I’d just…noticed. Been curious about it. Truthfully though, maybe the lines had blurred between the three, because explaining them apart didn’t seem possible.
“You fucking wish,” I said, enunciating each word slowly, but my tone lacked any venom. “The only thing I cared about was not having to deal with your irritating ass.”
He arched a brow, smugness dancing in his eyes. “Is that why you’re always looking at my ass?”
I narrowed my eyes, my cheeks stinging hotter. “Says the guy who gropedmyass in public and rubbed his dick against it like a horny teenager.”
Wicked amusement danced through his stare. “And yet you enjoyed it even though you were angry.”
“Now who’s making assumptions?”
He widened his eyes. “So, you weren’t angry?”
I gaped. I couldn’t help it. He was winding me up and it was working. I was growing irritated and embarrassed. But at the same time, there was something thrilling about the bubbling, twisting feeling he was repeatedly stirring in me, which was…new. Ish. Maybe…
I clapped my lips together and smiled sarcastically as I brought one knee towards my chest. “Would you like me to remind you how angry I was?”
He ensnared my ankle in one hand before I could jab it forward and potentially kick him in the groin, but a peeved smirk still played on his mouth. He was apparently enjoying our back and forth too. “I think you’re confusing anger for arousal.”
I forced my smile wider. “No, I know exactly how I feel. Unlikeyouwho confuses jealousy for hatred.”
His jaw shifted side to side as he rubbed his teeth together, and it was my turn to smirk triumphantly.
Yes, we mocked each other, but in the quiet moments we held each other’s gaze after, I realised that the entire conversation had no undercurrent of vindictive dislike or intentional insult. It was just banter.Huh…the conversation had been like that in the morning too.
His face had returned to a stern blankness, sombre even, as he placed my foot on the mattress against his hip again. He pumped a blob of lotion onto his fingers, then took my left hand in his and worked the cream into my wrist and the back of my hand with thorough circles of his thumbs.
Something about his expression and his gentle yet firm touch held my attention. “Yeah. Esmeralda told me,” I heard myself mutter.
Fuck…why did I say that?I wasn’t sure it was wise to steer the conversation back in that direction.But I want to know…
He was silent for almost a minute. I went from feeling annoyed that he’d ignored my comment to relieved that he wasn’t saying anything, and then annoyed again.
Without looking up from my palm, he said, “Have you ever heard of the Platmon Group?”
My brows dipped in confusion. “I…maybe? It rings a bell.”
“Heard of Jaazr Airlines?”
“Oh, yeah. It’s the main international Jahandari airline.” I’d flown on Jaazr with my family the last time we’d visited my cousins in the south of Jahandar.
“And Pentagon Energy?”
I paused, then nodded. “They’re the ones who created more solar and wind energy last year than nuclear or oil and were given a combined grant to help put solar panels on houses too. I read an article about their plans for the project.” I squinted. “What’s this got to do with your dad though?”
“Those are just two of five big companies that are under the Platmon Group.”
“Okay?”
Shehryar finally raised his lashes, setting the burdened weight of his gaze on me. “My father is Andrew Platmon. The chairman of the Platmon Group.”
I blinked and tilted my head, unconvinced I’d heard him correctly. Then slowly, like someone was turning a lever to unwind my jaw, my bottom lip lowered further and further from its upper partner.
“You’re the son—of a freakingbillionaire?” I said, slow and disbelieving.
In every currency, I should’ve added. Andrew Platmon and his family were multibillionaires in every freaking currency in the world. Andbigmultibillionaires.
He was in the top ten list of richest people in all of Neves.
