Chapter 276: equestrian stands II
"Hi."
Vivienne stared at him.
For a moment, she genuinely couldn’t believe he was sitting beside her.
Damian looked entirely too pleased with himself.
The afternoon sunlight caught in his blue eyes, making them seem even brighter, while the breeze stirred his black hair just enough to give it that effortlessly disheveled look that somehow suited him perfectly.
He had changed out of his full polo gear, though he was still wearing the team’s shirt with a pair of dark trousers.
And he looked—
Very good.
Annoyingly good.
Vivienne blinked.
"What are you doing here?"
"Watching."
She glanced toward the field.
Then back at him.
"You’re watching the equestrian event?"
"Apparently."
Vivienne laughed.
"But you didn’t tell me you were coming."
"I didn’t."
"Why?"
Damian shrugged, his smile still lingering.
"I wanted to surprise you."
She stared at him for a moment.
"You actually came looking for me?"
"I remembered you said you had to attend this."
Vivienne’s eyebrows lifted.
"You remembered that?"
"Of course."
He nodded toward the field.
"After the parade, I checked the schedule. I saw the equestrian event was today, so I figured you’d be here."
Vivienne smiled.
It was such a simple thing.
He hadn’t known for certain that she would come.
He had simply remembered what she had told him, checked the schedule, and decided to look.
And somehow, that made her feel strangely pleased.
"You really did come looking for me."
"Maybe."
She laughed.
"You’re very pleased with yourself."
"Maybe a little."
Vivienne shook her head.
Still, she couldn’t deny that she was happy to see him.
She had been thinking about Christopher all morning.
She still intended to watch the fencing later.
But seeing Damian sitting there, clearly pleased to have found her, gave her a different kind of warmth.
Vivienne glanced toward him.
"I thought the polo teams were playing today."
"They are."
"So don’t you have a match?"
"We do. Just not yet."
"Oh."
Damian nodded toward the field.
"There are several matches scheduled today. A few teams play before us."
"When is yours?"
"Three."
Vivienne nodded.
"So you have a few hours."
"Exactly."
He looked at her.
"And I figured I could spend them with you."
The answer came so naturally that Vivienne’s smile softened.
"Well..."
She turned toward the field.
"I’m glad you came."
"Good."
They settled back into their seats.
For a while, neither of them spoke.
The equestrian event was beginning, and the crowd’s attention shifted toward the field.
Vivienne leaned forward slightly, watching the riders.
Beside her, Damian did the same.
At least, he pretended to.
After a few minutes, Vivienne felt his fingers brush against hers.
She glanced down.
His hand rested beside hers.
She looked at him.
He was watching the field.
"You’re doing that on purpose."
"Doing what?"
"You know what."
He finally turned toward her.
A faint smile tugged at his lips.
"Maybe."
His fingers slipped between hers.
Vivienne let him.
Their hands settled together.
Damian barely thought about what he was doing.
That was the strange part.
He had never done this before.
Not with any girl.
Girls had liked him before. More than a few had made their interest perfectly clear. He had always turned them down politely, never seeing any reason to encourage something he didn’t feel.
He had never understood what all the fuss was about.
Until Vivienne.
With her, everything seemed to have arrived at once.
The attraction.
The curiosity.
The wanting.
And, apparently, the sudden urge to touch her whenever she was close enough to reach.
He didn’t even recognize this version of himself.
Yet somehow, sitting beside her now, reaching for her hand felt completely natural.
So he didn’t stop himself.
His thumb moved lazily over the back of her hand.
Vivienne tried to focus on the competition.
She really did.
Then Damian lifted their joined hands slightly.
Before she could ask what he was doing, he pressed a brief kiss against her knuckles.
Vivienne’s eyes widened.
"Damian."
He lowered her hand again.
"What?"
"You’re impossible."
"I missed you."
Vivienne stared at him.
"We were together yesterday."
"I know."
"And you saw me this morning."
"I know that too."
She gave him an incredulous look.
"Then how exactly did you manage to miss me already?"
Damian’s mouth curved into a slow smile.
"It’s been a while."
Vivienne almost laughed.
"It’s been less than a day."
"Still."
He couldn’t really explain it.
He had seen her only hours ago, yet the moment he’d spotted her in the stands during the parade, he’d wanted to get closer.
Now that he was beside her, he wanted even more.
Apparently, this was what happened when he finally found that the lady he wanted actually wanted him back.
It was rather inconvenient.
And he wasn’t particularly interested in fixing it.
She shook her head, though she couldn’t stop herself from smiling.
"You’re becoming very needy."
"Maybe."
His gaze lingered on her.
Vivienne caught it.
She knew that look.
"Oh."
"What?"
"That look."
Damian’s smile deepened.
"What look?"
"You know exactly what look."
He didn’t answer.
Vivienne narrowed her eyes.
"And here I thought you came here to watch the horses."
"I can do both."
Vivienne rolled her eyes.
"You’re shameless."
"Only with you."
She looked toward the field again, trying not to smile.
Then she felt his hand move.
His fingers slipped from hers and settled lightly against her thigh, hidden beneath the line of the seat in front of them.
Vivienne’s breath caught.
She immediately looked at him.
"Damian."
He looked completely unbothered.
"What?"
"What are you doing?"
"Watching."
"With your hand there?"
He glanced down briefly.
Then back at her.
"I like sitting beside you."
Vivienne stared at him.
He knew perfectly well that wasn’t the whole reason.
And judging by the small smile playing at the corner of his mouth, he had no intention of pretending otherwise.
"You’re really taking advantage of the fact that no one’s sitting around us."
He looked around.
The seats beside them were empty.
The spectators in front were completely absorbed in the competition.
And there was no one behind them.
He smiled.
"You chose a good seat."
"I chose it so I could leave quickly."
"Even better."
Vivienne laughed quietly.
"You’re ridiculous."
"And you’re still letting me."
She glanced down at his hand.
Then back at him.
She should probably tell him to move it.
Instead, she smiled.
"Don’t get too comfortable."
Damian’s smile widened.
"Too late."
Vivienne turned her attention back toward the field.
𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺
But she couldn’t stop the smile from lingering on her lips.
She had come here intending to fulfill her obligation, watch the equestrian event for a while, and then find a way to get to the fencing tournament.
Instead, Damian had found her first.
And judging by the way he was looking at her, he had no intention of wasting the opportunity.
--
Tbc