Page 16 of Duke of Bronze

CHAPTER 16

A nna snapped her mouth shut and gave him a firm nudge with her elbow. "You certainly seem determined to master the art of surprises, Your Grace."

Colin grinned, his expression as smug as ever. "That impressed, are you?"

Anna scoffed, crossing her arms as she settled more comfortably. "Being surprised does not necessarily equate to being impressed, Your Grace. Do mind your vocabulary."

His eyes gleamed with mischief. "Ah, but if you are not impressed, then why is there laughter in your voice?"

She let out a mock sigh. "Perhaps I simply find amusement in your relentless fishing for compliments."

Colin chuckled but did not argue, for they both knew he had been caught in his own game.

This time, she did not protest when he extended his hand to assist her into the boat. His grasp was steady, warm, and—drat it all—entirely too reassuring. As he paddled them into the center of the lake, she could not help but observe the effortless strength in the motion of his arms. The rhythmic pull of the oars against the water, the way the muscles in his forearms flexed beneath his rolled sleeves?—

Anna felt a warmth creeping up her cheeks and immediately admonished herself. Foolish girl, you are merely appreciating fine form, nothing more.

Unfortunately, Colin was nothing if not astute, and his eyes danced with knowing amusement. "Something the matter, Anna?" he drawled lazily.

She straightened her posture, lifting her chin. "Not at all. Only wondering if you intend to steer us into oblivion, or if there is indeed a destination in mind?”

He smirked. "Patience, my dear. You might try acquiring some."

They fell into an easy rhythm of banter, their words flowing as smoothly as the water lapping against the boat. That was until Colin made a most grievous error.

"I must say, Titan the thimble has far too much spirit for something so small," he remarked, eyes alight with mischief.

Anna gasped in mock outrage. "You take that back, Your Grace!"

She playfully shoved him, though perhaps with a touch more enthusiasm than intended. Colin guffawed—at least until his amusement was his downfall.

With a startled yelp, he tipped backward, his arms flailing in a most undignified manner before?—

Splash!

Anna clapped a hand over her mouth as peals of laughter overtook her. "Oh, that was glorious!" she gasped between fits of mirth. "Serves you right for maligning my dear Titan."

Yet as the moments passed and the surface of the water remained undisturbed, her amusement wavered.

"Colin?" She leaned forward slightly, gripping the edge of the boat. "Colin, this is hardly amusing."

Silence.

A prickle of unease slithered down her spine. Surely he is jesting.

"Colin, enough!" Her voice rose in alarm as she bent over the water, searching for any sign of him beneath the rippling surface. Her breath came quicker now, her pulse thrumming in her ears. What if ? —

Before she could finish the thought, strong hands grasped her wrists and yanked her downward.

The world turned cold and dark as she plunged into the lake, water rushing around her in a shocking embrace.

She resurfaced with a gasp, spluttering, only to be met with the infuriating sight of Colin laughing—laughing!—as he treaded water beside her.

"Scared you, did I?" he said, utterly unrepentant.

Anna pushed wet strands of hair from her face, her glare ineffective against the sheer amusement shining in his eyes. "You insufferable rogue!"

Anna pressed a trembling hand against his chest, feeling the steady rise and fall beneath her fingertips. "You had me worried," she admitted, her voice breathless from the chill of the water and—if she were honest with herself—the sheer relief of seeing him unharmed. "I thought?—"

"That I had drowned?" Colin interrupted, laughter bubbling in his throat as he raked a hand through his soaked, disheveled hair. Droplets clung to his lashes, trailing down the sharp planes of his face. "I swim better than the fish in this lake, I assure you."

Anna rolled her eyes. "Then perhaps you ought to build yourself a castle beneath the water and take up permanent residence," she quipped, shaking her head at his insufferable self-satisfaction.

"Now that is an idea," Colin chuckled.

She meant to scoff—truly, she did. But as he shifted closer, the amusement in her chest gave way to something quieter and far more dangerous. Her gaze caught on the rivulets of water sliding down his skin, on the way his shirt clung scandalously to his broad frame. And then, as though sensing her thoughts, he lifted a hand and gently tucked a damp curl behind her ear, his fingers trailing down the curve of her cheek with an almost reverent slowness.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" she asked, attempting levity, though her voice came out softer than intended.

"Like what?"

"Like you're memorizing my face."

"Perhaps I am."

Her heart stumbled. She stared at him, stunned into silence.

"You keep catching me off guard," she whispered, the words slipping out before she could call them back.

He smiled faintly. "You do the same to me, Anna. More than you know."

A shiver coursed through her, though it had nothing to do with the water or the cool air.

His fingers found another damp curl on the side of her face, brushing it back with a gentleness that startled her. They lingered a moment longer than they ought to.

Anna held her breath, and her pulse sang in her ears.

"You're trembling," he murmured.

"From the cold," she lied, though they both knew better.

He was close enough now that she could see the flecks of green in his eyes; the way they darkened as they searched hers. His gaze dropped to her lips, then flicked back up, waiting.

Then he leaned ever so slightly toward her. The space between them shrank, the air growing thick with something unspoken. Anna's breath hitched, and before she could stop herself, her eyes fluttered closed in anticipation.

But instead of the warmth of his lips, she felt his hands—strong and sure—suddenly grasp her waist, lifting her from the water in one swift motion. Before she could so much as gasp in protest, she found herself deposited back onto the boat.

Mouth parted in stunned disbelief, she barely had time to process the mortifying turn of events before he hoisted himself up and settled across from her.

They paddled back to shore in silence, and the lake's tranquility did little to calm the storm brewing within Anna.

Despite her drenched state, an odd warmth clung to her skin, seeping through her limbs and settling somewhere deep in her chest. And though the sun was steadily drying their clothes, her cheeks only grew warmer with each passing moment.

They settled on a blanket on the banks beneath the mellow afternoon light, and Anna hugged her knees, staring resolutely at the rippling lake before them, willing herself not to look at him. Not to let her thoughts wander back to the near-disastrous moment in the water—the moment she had lost herself, yet again, to his pull.

She had failed. Miserably. What was meant to be a simple test of her resolve had instead become undeniable proof of her weakness where Colin was concerned.

Her fingers clenched around the damp fabric of her skirts.

"I see the fish have left you with a souvenir," Colin drawled. He reached over and plucked a thin strand of weed from her sleeve, holding it up between his fingers with a bemused smirk.

Anna let out a breath she had not realized she was holding, grasping onto the distraction with all the enthusiasm of a drowning woman clutching at driftwood.

"It is a sign, you see," she said, tipping her chin upward in mock self-importance.

Colin quirked a brow. "A sign?"

She nodded, making a grand show of inspecting the weed as though it were a treasured relic. "A most distinguished token of favor. I had been a memorable guest—one whose company they found most agreeable."

Colin let out a low chuckle, shaking his head. "And what does that make me, then? An unmemorable guest?" He glanced down at himself. "I returned with nothing but soaked boots."

Anna pursed her lips, feigning deep contemplation. "A regrettable oversight, to be sure. Perhaps we ought to go back and inquire?"

"Years ago, I might have been foolish enough to dive straight back in for another chance at glory. But alas," he leaned back on his elbows, gazing up at the sky with a wistful gleam in his eyes, "I am far too weary for such recklessness now."

"Ah, so we are to blame age for your lack of adventurous spirit?"

"Indeed. My years now bear heavily upon me," he sighed, and glanced at her.

Anna let out a laugh, shaking her head. "You speak as though you are old and wilting already."

Colin exhaled in mock weariness, stretching his legs before him. "Why, I feel like a creaky old cart half the time," he admitted, though his voice was light with humor. "Gone are the days when I could leap into lakes without fearing the consequences."

She arched a brow. "Am I to believe you were once a reckless youth, then?"

A slow, reminiscent smile played on his lips. "More reckless than you might imagine," he admitted. "There was a lake much like this one near my childhood home in the country. I spent many summers there with an orphan boy I befriended. We fashioned ourselves as pirates, amassing wealth and treasures."

Anna tilted her head. "Treasures?"

"Rocks and shells," Colin admitted with a chuckle. "A peculiar currency, to be sure, but we were rich beyond measure in our own minds."

Anna found herself smiling at the image he painted—two boys, sun-kissed and wild, conquering the world one pebble at a time. "And what became of this orphan boy?" she asked, intrigued. "It sounds as though you had quite the friendship."

Colin's smile deepened, but this time, there was something softer in it, something unmistakably fond. "He is my valet now."

Anna blinked, momentarily caught off guard by the simplicity of his response. Of all the answers she had expected, that had not been one of them. She studied him, noting the quiet pride in his voice, the way his usual air of jest had been replaced by something altogether more genuine.

"You have kept him by your side all these years," she murmured. "That is… rather remarkable."

Colin shrugged, as if dismissing the significance of it. But Anna was not fooled. There was something deeply steadfast in his loyalty; in the way he spoke of his valet—not as a servant, but as a friend.

And it struck her then, quite suddenly, that she admired him. Truly admired him.

The realization unsettled her, sending a flutter through her chest that she could not quite suppress. It was dangerous, this unfamiliar sensation, this shifting of the ground beneath her feet.

For the first time since their acquaintance, she felt as though they were not locked in a perpetual battle of wits, and were good friends instead.

Yet, her heart beat far too quickly and her breathing far too shallow. Anna looked away, willing herself to regain her composure.

She feared—deeply feared—that their friendship came too late.