Page 28 of King of Clubs

She was always carefree, but watching her man take the field brought out a different, more vulnerable side and I enjoyed witnessing it first hand. Only a couple of months ago, when Andy was stretchered from the field in what we later discovered was an extreme overreaction from the medical team, she’d been near catatonic. Even after discovering he was entirely fine, she’d dramatically demanded he retire, the fear of an injury too much.

“I can tell,” I said, laughing. “I’m nervous too but also excited. I feel like I could throw up from the mixed emotions but at least no one has to witness me losing my lunch.” I looked around the room and noted the snacks that were placed on the high bench behind where we stood. Bottles of water, both still and sparkling, soft drink and wine, and a large bowl of red liquorice like Arna had said. Andy definitely did look after his woman.

There were four seats in front of the bench and I chose the one with the best view ready to watch the game. Arna took the bowl and came to sit next to me, her leg shaking and mouth already full.

“Why would anyone want to run, for three straight hours – might I add – and have people literally throw you to the ground? It’s ridiculous. And all thesesavages,” she enunciated the adjective to highlight her horror, “pay to watch my fiancé be brutalised.”

“First of all – how dare you? This game is a national icon. You're practically committing treason with comments like that. Second of all, can you relax? Your statements have mountain out of a molehill written all over them.”

“It’s barbaric. I should write an article about the brutality alone.”

“You are ridiculous. Leave my Hearts alone,” I teased, reaching around her and stealing the bowl.

When the siren sounded and the game began I couldn’t sit any longer, standing so close to the glass I could practically smell the people sitting on the other side. The ball moved among the teams and I quickly became lost in the kicks, tackles and cheering from the stands.

I hollered when Jack kicked the opening goal of the game and screamed when the umpire stripped the ball from Andy in what was an absolute bullshit decision. For the first time in forever, my mind was free of anything other than the team I loved battling for supremacy and it must have been a good half an hour before I glanced over to Arna who was still nervously eating liquorice.

“You’re going to shit yourself if you don’t stop shovelling those down your throat,” I said in her direction, my eyes firmly ahead. The game had amped up as the opposition took a shot on goal, their first for the match. “And if Andy, Jack and the boys don’t start kicking a few more goals, I might strangle those meatheads in the change room later. Starting with your fiancé.”

Deep laughter from the back of the room was the only reply I received and I knew for a fact that it wasn’t coming from Arns. Ungracefully swinging around to see who caught the end of my threats, I felt my eyes widen.

The God of Thunder and Lightning – Sebastian.

Well that answers any uncertainty I had – he was sexier than I recalled and my endeavour to create pseudo blemishes in an attempt to downplay the attraction I remembered – futile.

Wearing a pair of jeans, crisp white shoes and a strikingly similar light grey t-shirt to the one he gave me to sleep in when I was at his house, he was scrumptious. Remnants of fresh washing powder and the feel of his sheets when I stayed in his bed filtered through me. I could have slept forever on that pillow with the level of intoxication I discovered in his scent. He was wearing a Hearts’ cap and for some reason this was the sexiest part of his outfit. Who would have thought a hat could look so damn attractive? Maybe if I turned it around and then removed his shirt we would be onto a true winner.

Arna stood, placing the nearly empty bowl to the side bringing me out of my lust fuelled daydreaming.

“Seb, hey!” Her surprise was clear as she moved towards him and having been too caught up in my ogling to see anything else, I finally noticed the woman who stood just behind him.

Stunning was the first word that came to mind. The second I wouldn't dare to say because it was determined purely on a jealousy I had no right to feel.

Much shorter than Sebastian and petite in ways I would never be, she was oddly familiar, yet I didn’t think we’d met. Her dark hair was pulled back into a low ponytail and the square framed black glasses she wore highlighted the deep chocolate brown of her eyes. When she smiled I knew there would be toothpaste companies who would happily pay big money for a face like that promoting their product. She had a sexy librarian vibe and I could see why he would have chosen her as his date. An unexpected stab of emotion hit my stomach and I ignored it, not wanting to delve into what it meant.

I watched Arna greet them both as if I were a spectator of not only the football but the scene before me. His companion was quiet but her smile was genuine and the closer I got the more beautiful I saw she was. I wondered if she knew I had stayed at his house only a couple of weeks ago or whether she would even care. She didn’t look like someone who would be threatened by a hot mess like me.

The memory of wanting to kiss him threatened to strangle me and while the rejection I'd felt in the moment now made sense, the renewed shame set my cheeks aflame.

“Hey, how are you?” I asked awkwardly and knew I appeared even more so when I thrust my hand out in greeting.

What was with me and ridiculously stilted greetings. Was this even acceptable after having been in his bed so recently? He glared at my outstretched hand, as usual, his default mask of intensity firmly in place. His mouth set into a firm line begging me to stare at those lips. The paradox of standing this close to someone who looked like they could either kiss you with passion or rip your throat out for being too close, entirely perplexing.

I faltered, clumsily moving my hand back and forth, my eyes wide with horror as he slowly covered my grasp with his own before pulling me into him. Those illustrious lips met my cheek, the soft stubble grazing my skin and sending a shiver down my spine.

The crowd outside the glass erupted and after the briefest moment Arna began clapping beside me, signalling that Andy must have done something right.

“You look beautiful,” his whispered words were sinfully gravelly and my nipples hardened in response. I looked up to meet his gaze and smiled, attempting to mask my stupefaction. I should not be having such a reaction when his girlfriend was standing less than a metre from us. I was a lot of things but an adulterer was not one of them.

“Are you here to watch the game? I mean, obviously you are or you wouldn’t be here,” I looked towards the empty seats next to where Arna had been sitting. “Do you have seats elsewhere or are you, um – staying here?” I was rambling, the nerves swarming in my stomach and I could feel the heat of embarrassment moving up my chest. I pointed towards the seats again uncertain of what else to do.

His naturally stern face softened a touch as he studied me quietly.

Jeez. He definitely wasn’t winning any public speaking competitions. I wished I was one of those people who could find comfort in silences, but I was the opposite. The need to regurgitate any thought I’d ever had hanging from the end of my tongue.

Turning to his companion, I held out my hand in the same uncomfortable salutation, “Hi, I’m Marlee, it’s lovely to meet you.” There was an underlying bitterness in my tone and I was ashamed to acknowledge I was jealous. She smiled and her self-confidence and warmth caused me to unwillingly return the gesture despite the way I tried to search for flaws.

“Ohh,you’reMarlee,” she pointed towards Sebastian before continuing. “He was hoping you would be here. It’s lovely to meet you. I’m Evangeline, Seb’s sister.” She reached forward and shook my hand softly.

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