Page 44 of Spearcrest Knight

She gives me a little fake smile and answers tritely, “Healthy body, healthy mind.”

She kicks herself into a quick crawl to the edge of the pool and climbs out of the water. It’s hard to not look at her, with her black swimsuit sticking to her body, water running down her long limbs. But it becomes quickly obvious how much my body appreciates the sight of hers, because blood immediately rushes to my cock.

I’m not about to irrevocably embarrass myself in front of Sophie Sutton by being caught in the pool with an erection, so I make sure my eyes rush to her face and stay stuck to it.

“Don’t leave on my account,” I tell her. “Plenty of space for both of us.”

“Oh, I couldn’t possibly swim next to an elite of the swim team,” she says, dry as dust.

She walks up to her towel and picks it up. She’s not going to stay if I’m here. Why would she? She can’t stand me.

But the look of sadness on her face when I spotted her is like a fucking dagger to the chest. It’s stuck in my ribs, too painful to ignore, and I can’t repress the impulse to be nice to her.

“I’ll go if you want,” I say, glancing away, keeping my voice light and casual. “If you want the pool to yourself or whatever. I’ve not even gone in the water yet. I’ll go.”

She pauses, towel wrapped around her shoulders. Her brown eyes, almost black in the dim light of the pool, fix me with a long, searching gaze. It’s difficult to tell what she’s looking for, or whether she finds it. But she retraces her steps to the edge of the pool and sits down, facing me across the water.

“Don’t be stupid,” she says, but there’s definitely a lot less of the usual impatience and irritation there normally is behind the words. “You came here to swim, didn’t you? So swim.”

I drop off the edge of the pool and sink to the bottom, letting the temporary shock of cold travel through me before I kick myself back up. Once I break through the surface, I swim slowly towards her.

“I didn’t come here for swim team practice,” I admit to her. Something about the fact that she’s staying melts me like butter, making me softer, sweeter. Not something I can explain, just something I can feel in my chest. “Swimming just helps take my mind off things.”

She gazes at me with the same searching gaze as before. Maybe she’s trying to work out how sincere I’m being. I meet her gaze with a frank grin.

“Same,” she says after a moment of silence. “What could possibly be troubling you anyway? I thought your life was just a series of carefree adventures, girlfriends and parties?”

I laugh. “And that doesn’t sound stressful to you?”

She smiles. It’s only a tiny lifting of the corners of her mouth, but it’s sincere. A sincere, shy little Sophie smile. It makes my chest tight and warm. I can’t help but wade slightly closer to her.

“It sounds appalling,” she says. “Never realised how harrowing your life actually is.”

“The worst.”

I stop until I’m only an arm's reach away from her. She sits with her feet in the water, her towel around her shoulders. Droplets fall from her hair like tiny raindrops, sliding down her face and neck.

“What brings you here, then? What could possibly be troubling the perfect Sophie Sutton?”

“I’m overwhelmed by the enormity of what lies ahead,” she answers quietly, her eyes intently fixed on mine.

I can’t believe she’s opening up like that. For a moment, I’m frozen in shock. Then I swim to the edge, placing my hands on either side of her legs to bring myself closer to her.

“What do you mean? What lies ahead?”

She leans down until her face is so close to mine droplets from her wet hair tickle my forehead and cheeks.

“My Everest, my white whale,” she murmurs. “Getting you to pass that fucking English exam.”

All the tension leaves my body and I let out a groan of annoyance. I can’t believe she got me so easily.

“Oh, fuck you!” I say, pushing myself away from the wall and splashing water up at her.

“No thanks,” she retorts. “I can do better.”

“Are you sure?”

“Absolutely certain.”

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