Page 25 of Duke of Bronze
She had not realized how much time had passed until the sun began its slow descent beyond the horizon, bathing the landscape in warm hues of amber and rose. A gentle breeze stirred, rustling the wildflowers and sending a delicate shiver skimming across her skin.
"Oh, perhaps you do require your shawl after all, my lady," Miss Watson observed, her voice pulling Anna from her momentary reverie.
Anna turned to find her lady's maid watching her with a perceptive gaze. "I shall fetch it from the carriage," Miss Watsonadded as she rose gracefully, brushing a few stray petals from her skirts.
"Thank you, Miss Watson," Anna murmured, watching as her maid made her way toward the waiting vehicle.
The moment she was out of earshot, Colin leaned in ever so slightly, seeming to feign indignation. "Are you this well-mannered with everyone but me?"
Anna turned to him with an arched brow, the amusement in her eyes unmistakable. "Do I detect jealousy, Your Grace?"
He scoffed, though there was a gleam of mischief in his gaze. "Hardly. I merely marvel at your valiant attempt to resist my charms."
"Valiant attempt?" Anna let out a most unladylike snort. "That implies effort on my part."
"Precisely," he said, reaching for a plump strawberry and biting into it before popping the remainder into his mouth, chewing with evident satisfaction. "Resisting me must be terribly exhausting for you."
Anna narrowed her eyes, though the corner of her mouth twitched in reluctant amusement. "And I suppose these famed charms of yours have proven most effective within your rakish world, have they not, Your Grace?"
The words had barely left her lips before she realized she had spoken out of turn.
There was a pause—brief but unmistakable.
His expression faltered—just for a moment, so brief she might have imagined it. But then, as quickly as it had appeared, the crack in his ever-confident demeanor vanished beneath an effortless smirk.
"You always have an answer to everything, do you not, Anna?" His voice was warm, edged with amusement. "Ever full of challenges. And I rather like that about you."
She opened her mouth to respond, but he was not finished. His voice dipped, turning softer, more deliberate. "But I should think you are sensible enough to know when to temper things. Would you not agree, Anna, dear?"
The endearment sent a ripple through her, but before she could gather herself, before she could fire off the sharp retort perched on her tongue, he shocked her.
His fingers brushed against her cheek.
Anna's breath hitched. The touch was featherlight, teasing, as he traced an idle path along her jawline. Heat spread beneath her skin, as if awakening to the press of his fingertips. She should have pulled away, should have demanded he cease thisimpropriety—and yet she remained motionless, captive to the moment, to the way his gaze darkened as it held hers.
He leaned in, slowly, deliberately, and the air between them grew charged. Anna should have stopped him. She should have said something, anything.
Instead, she found herself wondering if he was going to kiss her. And worse—if she wanted him to.
The realization struck her with the force of a tidal wave, stealing the very breath from her lungs. And that shattered the spell. She pulled away, rising swiftly to her feet.
Her heart pounded a frantic rhythm against her ribs. But it was not anger toward him that made her tremble—it was fury at herself. For allowing him to unravel her so easily. For losing control. Forwantinghim.
Still flustered, she straightened, forcing her voice into something resembling composure. "If you think I shall fall prey to your shallow charms and become another conquest in your long, tiresome list, then you aregravelymistaken, Your Grace."
Her words were sharp, but her breathlessness betrayed her.
Colin barely had time to respond before the sound of approaching footsteps broke the tension. Miss Watson reappeared, shawl in hand, entirely unaware of the tempest she had just interrupted.
"We are leaving, Miss Watson," Anna said.
"Oh," the lady's maid let out before following Anna, who'd already turned on her heels and was walking away.
CHAPTER 11
Anna huffed and squinted at the letter on the page she had been trying to concentrate on for the past two hours, for she had been diligently trying to forget the fact that she might have wished Colin had kissed her the day before.
"There you are," her father said as he stepped into the library.
