Page 44 of Polo Fever
He laughs, his eyes gleaming at me.
‘What? Why are you laughing? Have I embarrassed myself by talking shit?’
‘No, no,’ he insists, grinning from ear to ear. ‘It’s… you’re adorable.’
I grimace with mortification. ‘Adorable.Christ.’
‘I mean, it’s nice to hear you talk about it that way, with that level of passion. You’re a true player now. Completely hooked.’
‘I think so.’
We smile at each other and I notice his eyes flicker to my cheek.
‘What?’ I ask.
‘You… you have some mud on your face from the training.’
My hand flies to my cheek. ‘Oh God, where?’
‘Just,’ he steps towards me, brushing my hand away with his own as he runs his thumb along my cheekbone, ‘here.’
I stop breathing at his closeness, my face on fire beneath his touch. He drops his hand but he doesn’t step back, remaining so close to me that if I raised my chin, if he dipped his head, our lips would brush together. The thought of it sends a shiver down my spine and I have to pull myself away before I lose control and throw myself at him.
Stepping backwards, I knock my arm against the stable door, the bang echoing through the stables and causing Lyra to peer out curiously.
What the fuck are you doing?she seems to be saying, munching her hay lazily.
I don’t fucking know!I tell her telepathically, pretending to check the lock on her door.
Mateo looks down at the ground with a grim expression.
‘Right, everything’s sorted here,’ I announce, as though I’ve fixed the lock that wasn’t broken in the first place. ‘Home time.’
‘A few of us are going to the pub tonight,’ he says, still looking rattled. ‘You should join us. It is at your house, after all.’
I consider it. ‘Who’s “us”?’
‘The team and a few friends.’
I quirk a brow at him. ‘Friends as in the High Fives?’
He grimaces. ‘They’re all right when you get to know them.’
‘Yeah, if you’re a sexy polo player with a high handicap. Not if you’re me.’
The words are out before I can realise what I’ve said. He stares at me while heat flushes up my neck. I called him ‘sexy’.To his face.It hangs in the air and my brain flounders with ways to take it back but I come up short. The only thing I can do is pretend I didn’t say it and act normal for his sake. He’ll be feeling just as awkward.
‘Thanks for the invitation, but I’ll skip it,’ I say adamantly.
‘Another time?’
‘Another time.’
‘I’ll hold you to that,’ he says, before leaving.
Watching him go, Lyra nudges me crossly, shaking me out of my dreamy daze.
‘What?’ I say defensively to her, but I get the message, blushing as I gather my stuff.
