And I was so close.
We met the finish line at the same time.
I skidded to a halt beside him, and we pulled our helmets off, breathing hard, our faces slick with sweat. His hair was flat from the helmet, his curls stuck to his forehead, and his grin made me giddier.
“That was amazing,” I panted.
He dismounted, offering me a hand to do the same.
“You loved it.”
I nodded, taking the water bottle he offered mefrom his backpack. I guzzled some of it back, grimacing as the grains of sand ran down my throat. “I did.”
He took it after me and did the same.
His eyes were bright, and he looked as wild as I felt. He was so beautiful, looking rugged and feral and like he’d take on anything.
He looked like someone I wanted to stand beside forever.
“What?” he asked.
I should be embarrassed to look at him for so long, but I couldn’t stop. “Nothing.”
“Zsófia,” he said and pulled off one of his gloves, head bent to look at me. “You’ve got something.” He nodded at my face.
I wiped at my mouth, but I still couldn’t turn away from him. “Dirt?”
He stepped forward and brushed my cheek lightly. Carefully. “There.”
It was hardly a touch, but he lingered. His eye contact, his thumb.
But it was enough for my brain to short-circuit and for me to swallow more grains of sand.
We stared at each other, too still and quiet for the adrenaline still pumping in our bodies.
“You’re good at this, you know,”he said, voice soft as silk. “At riding. When we do the real thing, you’ll thrash me.”
“I almost fell three times.”
“But you didn’t.”
His thumb barely ran over my skin again, and my breath caught.
And I ruined it by leaning around him to down some more of the water. My mouth was so dry.
“Sorry,” he said, stepping back to lean against his bike. “I’msorry if this was too much.”
“It wasn’t.” I capped the bottle, focusing on it. “It isn’t.”
“I’m trying to be careful around you,” headmitted, nudging the sand at our feet with the toe of his boot. “It’s getting harder.”
“I know,” I whispered.“You’ve been annoyingly nice when we’re alone.”
He breathed a laugh, and his eyes met mine again. Piercing. Gentle.“You’re annoyingly hot when you’re covered in dirt.”
“That’s a weird kink,” I laughed and found myself standing between his legs.
“You think?”he asked, head cocked to the side as his fingers ran up my forearm.“You’re smiling. You seem keen.”
