Page 54 of The Game

"Don't you miss playing, though? The thrill of it."

I shrugged. I thought I did. I wanted to believe that.

Pulling a face, he peered inside his coffee mug, apparently finding it empty when he slid it back onto the counter. "I can't imagine a life where I don't get to play. It's just unfeasible to me."

"Better hope Waller doesn't find out about last night. Otherwise, we are both sacked." Deep down I knew I would be the first to go. He was their star after all.

His fingers reached for mine and gave them a squeeze. "You know they can't ever know, right?"

My heart sank just a little bit before I pulled it back up and told myself not be so stupid. I always knew this would never be anything other than a one-off. "I know."

Lifting a hand, he traced delicate fingertips down the side of my cheek. "Remember you said you'd trust me?"

I thought back to the shower: him, me, his words, his touch. "Yes."

"Remember that."

I sighed, blasting a strand of hair off my face. "You're going to ignore me again tomorrow aren't you?"

The icy blues held mine, but this time I would try to convince myself they were melting as they looked at me. "Yep."

I couldn't even bring myself to be surprised. Cricket meant more to him than anything. Anything.

We played later that day for the local team. The rest of the players were quick to split us up again, although this time they were more excited for the Lion's incognito skills than mine—he thought this was hilarious. Afterwards, he convinced me to go for a drink on the green with the others, and we sat nursing two cokes, sitting slightly apart from the other players as they sank their pints or orange juices. Davies was looking at us oddly, but as the Lion kept his cap pulled down, and we didn't touch, or sit close enough to give anyone anything to gossip about he soon gave up trying to see under the faded peak of 'Jonathan's' cap. When I thought of calling the Lion 'Jonathan' in the shower the night before, I repeatedly blushed. And I thought about it a lot.

Eventually, he was going to comment. And he did.

"Can I ask why your face looks like you've been sucking chillies?"

I gulped down a mouthful of coke, nearly choking on an ice cube. "Nothing, I'm just hot that's all."

I was hot. It was sweltering and clammy, but that wasn't why my face was on fire.

He leant towards me, his body shifting into my space until it felt like our skin could connect through layers of cotton clothing. "Cut the crap, Rivers. You are remembering me eating your pussy." His voice was seductively low.

I spurted a mouthful of coke all over my whites my head spinning to make sure no one else heard his outrageous proclamation. My cheeks scorched a furious burn. "I’m not."

"I’m not."

"Liar."

He was gone by the time cars crunched up the gravel telling me Sammy was back. I flew out of the house and grabbed that little bundle of everything into my arms. "I've missed you." I kissed his hair, smelling that smell that was just him, and feeling the silky strands tickle my lips.

I glanced up as Vanessa's parents got out of the car. Sammy's grandfather got his bags out of the trunk. I breathed in deep. "Would you like to come in for tea? I know you've got a long drive home, but I'm sure Sammy would like you to tuck him in."

Blythe smiled at me, her face semi-frozen in surprise. "That would be lovely, Alyssa. Thank you."

"Lyssa, please." I ushered my hand towards the house. In the last eleven months they'd never come inside, but within me this weekend I felt a shift in my emotions. I didn't want to block people out anymore. These people were part of Sammy's life. They may be angry with my brother, and hell I didn't blame them, but that didn't mean they should be mad at me. And just like that the tight grasp the past had on me started to slip.

Jasper went crazy as we walked inside and I shushed him with my hands. He'd had far too much visitor excitement for one weekend, especially when the visitor had insisted on a two-hour mid-morning walk. "God, I'm sorry, he's a bit excitable."

"Jaaaasssper." The little guy launched himself at the dog, and they rolled on the floor while Blythe and Colin looked on with tight smiles across their faces. When the rolling and the licking was complete, Sammy scrambled from the ground and insisted on showing them his bedroom while I made the tea.

"AAAAGH."

His scream nearly brought down the house, and I pelted at full speed into his bedroom. "Where is it?" I dove through the door, searching out the spider attacking my nephew when I saw him clutching a card in his hand. It was gold, a grand master series playing card, limited edition. Across the bottom was a signature.

I wanted to die a little inside. More than that, I wanted to track the Lion down to his mysterious home that I'd never been invited to and kiss the hell out of him.