6. Alejandro
ALEJANDRO
WHEN I DIDN’T see Gabriel at the polo field the next day, I had to pat myself on the back. Evidently those bhut jolokia had worked even better than I’d planned, because the precious prince of Valoria wouldn’t miss an opportunity to schmooze a crowd on a day like today.
I smirked to myself, not feeling even the slightest bit of remorse over the fact that he’d probably had to lock himself in the bathroom all night. If he’d just stuck to his schedule and stayed in the dining hall instead of pestering me, his digestive tract would be in working order today.
?Ay, qué tragedia!
“Your gloves, sir,” my footman said, holding them out to me.
I’d started to put them on when the volume of the crowd rose suddenly, and I lifted my head to see…
“You’ve got to be kidding me.”
Leave it to Gabriel to make a late but grand entrance to the polo field looking like he was about to grace the cover of a magazine. He didn’t look at all like he’d spent all night trying to expel the ghost peppers, and I found myself growling loud enough that my footman took a step back.
I narrowed my eyes as the crowd cheered and Gabriel waved, wearing one of those broad smiles that annoyed me.
It was the smile of a self-assured man, one who’d spent his life walking into rooms and charming his way through them.
Much like myself, though I wasn’t about to admit similarities with the Valorian prince.
He was headed in my direction, unfortunately, wearing white trousers and tall black boots, same as me—but instead of the red Team Solterra shirts, he wore light blue to represent our opposing team of players from surrounding kingdoms. His hair was perfectly styled like it wasn’t about to get messed up by the helmet he casually swung by its strap at his side, and I hated to admit that the man was in any way attractive.
There was a certain flair to him that his brother didn’t have, a swagger, perhaps, and it intrigued me as much as it pissed me off.
He’d been sent here because Nicholas thought his charm would work on me like it did on everyone else, but he had another thing coming.
I’d tried to test the bounds of all that supposed charm since Gabriel had arrived, filling his time with every tedious, soul-numbing activity I could think of.
I thought for certain if he hadn’t fainted from boredom during the first half of his morning yesterday, that surely the dowager Duchess of Maravilla would terrify him back to his own palace.
After all, she’d made the last visiting ambassador bite back tears and bow out of the trip early after she chided him for not having anything useful to say.
Not Gabriel, though. He hadn’t suffered at all. No, the bastard had flourished—until he’d made the mistake of crashing my dinner last night.
The fact that he was here meant I hadn’t fully scored the point that round, though, so today, I intended to win. I had it on good authority that although the prince had been a spectator at polo games, using it as an excuse to drink with his buddies, he’d never actually played.
Considering he couldn’t flirt or charm his way into winning, since a mallet didn’t care whether you smiled at it, I felt confident that today would be a humiliating day for the king’s twin, and I fully planned to enjoy it.
Gabriel’s smile grew wider as he joined me down near the sidelines, where a number of grooms stood, readying the horses for the first match.
“Magnificent day for polo,” he said, stopping beside me, his blue eyes scanning the field. Up close and in the sun his irises were a bright blue, so bold they were almost distracting, which was probably why he didn’t wear the sunglasses tucked into his shirt.
I glanced away and adjusted my glove. “Familiar with it, are you?”
“I would be a disgrace to the royal family if I weren’t.”
A disgrace was exactly what I was hoping for.
“Surprised I’m upright?” he said.
“More like disappointed.”
“Ah, well, your suggestion of milk was helpful, and after a loaf of bread, and, surprisingly, several spoonfuls of sugar, I’m good as new. But I do appreciate the introduction to the spicier side of Solterra.”
I stared at him, waiting for that fake cheerfulness to crack, but he only smiled at me as he held my gaze.
“Sounds like you got lucky,” I finally said. “I wonder if that luck will hold out today.”
Before he could respond, the groom was back, handing me a helmet, and it gave me a reason to look away from Gabriel’s hypnotic stare.
Around us, the grounds were already full of well-dressed spectators and ladies in enormous hats, all of them carrying glasses of champagne as they mingled.
Photographers lined one side of the field, several cameras already aimed our way, like they were just waiting to see if Gabriel and I would be friendly or feud.
“So tell me,” Gabriel said, his gaze traveling to the tent where hors d’oeuvres and drinks were being passed around, “is this just a normal Saturday for you, or is there a point to this match?”
“I take it you didn’t read your itinerary this morning.”
“No, I didn’t. After yesterday’s delightful activities, I didn’t want to get my hopes up about what today’s schedule would bring.”
“Then I suppose you’ll enjoy the element of surprise today…Your Highness.”
Could I tell him it was a match to benefit several of Solterra’s charities? Sure. But having Gabriel unsure about anything could only work to my advantage.
“I do love a good surprise,” he said, winking at me as a bay mare was brought forward to him. “Is this mine?”
“For the first chukka, Your Royal Highness,” the groom said.
“Oh, yes, of course. You switch out the horses between each chukka.”
“Ponies,” I said.
Gabriel glanced at me over his shoulder. “Where?”
I snorted out a laugh, wondering just how much attention Gabriel had actually paid to the polo matches he “watched.”
“Horses are almost always called ponies in polo, sir,” the groom told Gabriel.
“Wouldn’t you get a better performance out of them if you called them big, handsome studs instead?”
“Probably, sir,” the groom said with a chuckle.
I rolled my eyes and swung onto the saddle of my own pony while Gabriel put his helmet on and adjusted the strap under his chin. Then he climbed up, took the reins in one hand, and accepted the mallet from the groom with the other.
He definitely looked the part of accomplished polo player, or at least comfortable in a saddle, but he was holding the mallet wrong.
“Like this, Your Highness,” the groom said, adjusting his grip on the handle to the correct position.
He gave Gabriel a quick rundown on how to use it while my pony shifted beneath me, eager and familiar to get things going.
I let her wander a bit, getting away from my nemesis to join the others on my team.
We moved out onto the field, the crowd quieting as we took up our positions, my team facing off against Gabriel’s at the center mark as we waited for the umpire.
Oh yes, I’d take great pleasure in swinging my mallet at the ball today. I’d just envision the prince’s smirking face on it. Should make winning this game, and all the ones that followed, a breeze.
My goal today was to raise as much money as possible for charity. If that meant driving the ball toward Gabriel’s all-too-handsome face more often than not, oh well.
The whistle sounded and the umpire tossed the ball between the two teams, and then…it was on.
Eight ponies moved into action, each surging forward, except for Gabriel’s. It whinnied and jerked back at whatever command he’d given it, and Gabriel lurched forward. I couldn’t help my snort as the sound of pounding hooves met my ears, and I swung my mallet.
The first satisfying crack had my adrenaline spiking as I sent the ball downfield and chased after it.
The crowd got on their feet, cheering as I went. At least, that was what I thought they were cheering for—until Gabriel moved up beside me, finally having gotten control of his pony.
He grinned at me, revealing how thrilled he was to be close to the ball, but that wouldn’t last. Not if I could help it.
I nudged my pony in his direction, the horses leaning shoulder to shoulder in a perfectly legal move, then I hooked my mallet and stole the ball.
“Hey!” Gabriel shouted over the beating hooves. “Umpire. Illegal move.” He pointed at me, and when the umpire merely shook his head, I shrugged.
“Whoops.”
“You shoved me.”
“No.” I winked at him. “I just wanted our horses to meet.”
Gabriel narrowed his eyes as his horse decided to show him another part of the field and veered off in the wrong direction.
It was almost comical, really, just how bad he was at riding. I would’ve thought he’d spent just as many hours being taught as I had. But from what I was witnessing today, that was definitely not the case.
I leaned down over my pony’s neck with my mallet in hand and rode up the field, moving into position so my teammate could send the ball my way and I could take my shot. I was determined to get this first goal, and nothing and nobody was going to get in my way.
A loud crack sounded, the ball headed in my direction, then my mallet whistled through the air and whack.
Score!
The crowd got to their feet, cheers and thunderous applause filling the air as they raised their glasses.
I brought my pony around and spotted Gabriel’s trotting my way.
“Nice point.”
“I know,” I said, head held high. “If you’re looking to score one, it helps to keep your pony on the playing field.”
Gabriel smirked, and I had to hand it to him: nothing seemed to faze the guy. It was as annoying as it was challenging.
“I’m not in the habit of making something perform against its will. If he wants to run wild and free, who am I to stop him?”
“You might not say that if he heads toward the cliffs and stops last second. Then again, that would make getting rid of you easier.”
“You wish.”
“Every second of this day.” I moved back onto the field, ready to start round two. Gabriel brought his horse up opposite mine, shifting in the saddle.
I wasn’t sure if that was due to what he’d been through last night, or right now here on the horse. Either way, it made me smile.
“Feeling a little uncomfortable this morning, Your Highness?”
For the first time since I’d met him, Gabriel’s laughing eyes turned serious as he straightened and tightened his grip on the reins.
He’d opened his mouth, about to reply, when the whistle sounded and the ball was thrown out.
Just like the first round, the ponies immediately moved into action, but this time Gabriel’s team got possession of the ball. Not Gabriel himself, because, well, he was hopeless. But one of the other members—Henry.
He swung his mallet and drove it down the field, sending us all after it and hoping to steal it back. The crowd went wild as the field erupted with activity. I could see Gabriel coming up the side in my direction, his eyes on the ball as it was passed between players, his goal clear.
But I wasn’t going to let him get the better of me. I directed my pony his way, my shifting weight all my horse needed to know about what I wanted from him. But as I approached, I realized Gabriel would get there first, and he did.
Then he swung his mallet in an awkward arc that…totally missed. The mallet whistled through empty air, and I was right there to steal the ball.
As I sent it downfield in the opposite direction, half the crowd booed while the other cheered on the steal, and I moved in close to Gabriel and shouted, “Nice miss there. Worked out well for me.”
Gabriel glared daggers as I rode off toward our goalposts and watched as one of my teammates sent the ball racing between them.
The rest of the match went on much the same as we switched out ponies and continued to the end, and my team won—of course.
It was a thrilling, and supremely satisfying, feeling to hear the umpire call out the final scores and award my team the win for charity—and because I believed in all of the organizations today, I offered to match the winnings for each and every one of them.
It was one thing to raise money for those in need, but the other satisfying layer of this win was kicking Gabriel’s smug ass.
Something I was happy to rub his nose in as I directed my pony off the field.
“Better luck next time, Valemont.”
Gabriel looked at me from where he’d just dismounted. “I don’t know. The fact I managed to stay on the horse is all the win I was looking for today.”
“Is it?” I raised a brow and dismounted, not believing for a second he wasn’t embarrassed or disappointed by the complete and utter ass-whooping I’d just given him out there.
“Yes. Considering you all but tried to poison me last night, I’d say I held my own out there. If I’d known you were feeling so insecure about having to compete with me—”
“Insecure?” I took a step toward him. Gabriel merely reached for the clip at his chin and unfastened it.
“Why else would you try to keep me from today’s match?”
“I wasn’t trying to keep you from it. I gave you the peppers last night because…” My words left me as he removed his helmet and that usually perfect hair of his appeared all mussed.
Like he’d just rolled out of bed.
“Because?”
I stared into his blue eyes, and all the arguments I’d had at the ready vanished, replaced by images of him rolling around naked in the canopied bed in his guest chambers.
“Alejandro?”
My name on his lips snapped me back to reality, back to his devilish grin, and I scowled and spat out, “I don’t need to poison you to take you. I could do it with one hand tied behind my back, blindfolded.”
Gabriel slicked his tongue over his lower lip then leaned forward just a fraction. “That a threat or a promise?”
My jaw tightened, and fuck me, my cock began to throb at the desire I saw in his eyes.
No. I was not doing this.
Not with him.
But, not trusting myself not to strangle him, I spun on my heel and stormed away, not about to let another Valemont get under my skin.