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‘And you his.’
Ella’s mouth suddenly clamps shut. Then opens again. Then closes. Again.
‘Sadie,’ she begins eventually, drawing my name out much longer than it actually is. ‘Can I ask you what you think Will does for a living?’
‘I’m not sure what you would call it. Not in polite society, at least. Gigolo? Escort? Male prostitute? Though the last one sounds more like an insult.’ And leaves a bitter taste in my throat.
My gaze follows Ella’s as she turns to the field at the exact moment Mac passes the ball to Will in some kind of slight-of-hand motion. Will, in turn, battles his way through three of the opposition before throwing the ball behind him to Keir. A cheer rings out as Keir then sprints ahead, deftly sidestepping the human obstructions ahead. And, in a motion that most spectators will miss in the excitement of the Dissenter’s potential try, Mac grasps Will by the shoulder, slipping his other hand between his legs. Instantly, Will collapses onto the grass like a marionette with cut strings.
‘Oh, Will,’ Ella’s says on a sigh. ‘When will you ever learn?’
Chapter Fifteen
WILL
Sadie isn’t there when I get out of the changing room, and Ella’s eyes don’t meet mine as she tells me Sadie has gone to wait by the car. It used to be that Mac, Keir, and I would head to a spit and sawdust kind of pub after a match, but these days, we’re more likely to go somewhere quietly civilised for Sunday lunch.
Plans seem the same for today, but it looks like Sadie and I won’t be attending, though the reason isn’t clear. Sadie isn’t the stroppy type, as far as I can tell, and Ella is so sweet she gets along with literally everybody. I really thought the pair would hit it off, but maybe I was wrong.
They were never going to be lifelong friends, my mind pipes up. Sadie will be gone in a few short weeks.
The sun has slipped behind a cloud, and the cool afternoon air ruffles my shower wet hair as I spy her, leaning back against the passenger door of my car. I should’ve thought to leave her the keys. But as I get closer, I revise that thought because she looks pissed off enough to total the thing.
‘We won.’
I drop my bag to the ground by her feet as a large drop of rain slaps the leaf of a dandelion next to it. It’s going to rain, but I don’t care. We won, and I’m on an adrenaline high. And if I have anything to do with it, I’ll be deep inside this woman soon. There literally is no room for anything else. Games like today’s are almost as good as sex, the kind that leaves you soaked in sweat and gasping for breath. Exhausted, yet sated, with the biggest smile on your face.
Without giving her more than a moment to squeak a protest, I pick Sadie up and swing her around. ‘Did you see the last try?’ Arms folded under her backside, her face is above mine as the rays of the sun sliding out from behind a cloud hit her head, gilding her hair with a golden crown.
‘Put me down, Will,’ my queen says.
‘What for?’ I cajole, hitching her higher. Holding her tighter, I find my mouth so close to her breasts. The collar of her sundress gaps, exposing more than the bare column of her throat. A titillating peep show of flesh, which reminds me of how I’d kissed the curve of her neck. Of how I’d worked my way down her body, tasting her creamy flesh. Fuck, I can’t wait to crawl above her. Be inside her. Fuck her like I want to be under her skin.
‘I like where you are.’ I tighten my arms again. She can’t fail to hear the desire in my words or feel me thickening. I wonder abstractly if I could hoist her up and slide her thighs across my shoulders. Her pussy and my face, on a date.
‘Oh, I’m aware you have me right where you want me.’ Her words tumble from her mouth angrily. ‘In the dark, like a fool you’re stringing along.’
‘Sadie—’
‘Put me down,’ she yells, now pummelling my shoulders with her fists.
I set her back on her feet in the empty carpark, the weather changing as her ballet flats hit the deck.
‘Let’s talk about it in the car. The heavens are about to open.’
‘Good. I hope someone up there has it in his mind to do a little of smiting. I swear toGodI would walk home if I knew where the fuck I was!’ She swings around as though to run.
‘Sadie, sweetheart.’ I reach for her shoulders, but she shrugs me off. ‘What is it? What’s wrong?’
As she turns, I feel the impact of her hand at almost the same time as I feel the disturbance of the air. And I have to hand it to her, the girl isn’t as fragile as she looks, the force of her palm knocking my head sideways.
‘Want to tell me what that was for?’ I ask, rubbing my stinging cheek.
The rain starts to fall in earnest now, people spilling into the carpark as they fumble with their keys and slide into their vehicles.
‘It doesn’t happen like that in the movies,’ she mumbles, folding her sore hand under her armpit. I take no pleasure in her hurting herself, not when she looks so hurt in other ways. ‘Why didn’t you tell me you were a fucking gynaecologist!’ she suddenly yells.
‘Obstetrician, actually.’
