"Peter," she said, and my fake name sounded different in her voice.Softer.Almost questioning.
"Yeah?"
"You can let go of me now."
"Right.Of course."But neither of us moved.
The late afternoon sun slanted through the arena windows, casting everything in golden light that made her skin look luminous.Her hair had escaped its ponytail during our ride, and strands of it clung to her neck.She smelled like sunshine and horse and something floral that might have been her shampoo.
I became acutely aware of how my hands spanned her waist, how small she felt in my arms, how perfectly she fit against my chest.This was a terrible idea.This was the worst possible idea.
"This is..."I started, then forgot what I was going to say because she'd just run her tongue across her lower lip.
"This is what?"she asked, tilting her head back to maintain eye contact.
"This is probably not appropriate instructor-student behavior."
"Probably not," she agreed, but she still didn't pull away.If anything, she seemed to lean into me more.
Her shirt had ridden up slightly during her tumble, and my thumb brushed against a strip of bare skin at her waist.The contact was barely there, but it made her breath hitch audibly.
"Your heart's racing," I observed, liking the rapid flutter of her pulse where my fingers rested along her ribcage.
"So is yours."
She was right.My heart was pounding so hard I was sure she could feel it through my shirt.This close, I could see the tiny freckles scattered across her nose, the way her eyes had more gold than green in them, the slight tremor in her hands where they pressed against my chest.
"We should..."I began.
"Should what?"
"Cool Celeste down properly.Get you cleaned up.You're..."I swallowed hard, trying to focus on something other than how good she felt in my arms."Your shirt's damp.From the ride."
Smooth, Archie.Very smooth."Your shirt's damp" was definitely the most romantic thing anyone had ever said in the history of human attraction.
"Is it?"She glanced down at herself, then back up at me, her cheeks even pinker than before."I guess I worked up more of a sweat than I thought."
"Betty," I said, and her name came out rougher than I intended.
"Yeah?"
"I think I should let go of you now."
"You probably should."
But instead of releasing her, my hands tightened on her waist.She made a small sound that might have been surprise or encouragement.Her fingers curled into my shirt, holding on instead of pushing away.
Celeste chose that moment to nudge Betty's shoulder with her nose, nearly knocking her off balance again.The interruption broke whatever spell had been weaving between us, and I finally stepped back, my hands sliding away from her waist with obvious reluctance.
"Right," Betty said, smoothing down her shirt and avoiding my eyes."Cooling down.Very important."
"Very important," I agreed, though my voice still sounded strained."Celeste approves of proper cool-down procedures."
"Celeste has excellent timing."
"She really does."
We spent the next ten minutes walking Celeste in awkward silence, both of us hyperaware of every accidental brush of hands, every moment when we moved too close together.The air between us crackled with unfinished business and unspoken questions.
