Page 2 of The Heir's Bargain

My hands froze as his gaze met mine and then dipped down to my legs while I stood in nothing but my undergarments and the unbuttoned shirt.

Indifference soaked Fynn's face as he quickly returned his gaze to mine. Chuckling, he wiped his forehead with the back of his hand.

"Aren't we too old for this?" Terin asked as he joined the rest of us. "The spring equinox only just passed. The water is going to be freezing."

Fynn and Graeson looked out toward the water and then back at each other as if they, too, were questioning this choice.

I propped a hand on my hip and turned my attention to Fynn. "What say you, Fynn? Is the water too cold for the prestigious prince of Pontia?"

Fynn scoffed. "Don't get too cocky just yet, Sergeant Ferrios."

My gaze scanned over him, assessing him. "Is that a challenge?"

"Your Highness," Fynn corrected.

I waved a hand in the air. "No need for such formalities. Sergeant is perfectly fine," I said with a wink.

His lips parted. But before he could respond, I ran straight for the water, sparing only a single glance back.

With quick precision, Fynn unbuttoned his white cotton shirt.

I snapped my attention forward, my breathing quickening.

With each step, I reinforced the mental shields I had spent the past decade perfecting. Fynn might have been one of my closest friends, but even friends kept secrets from each other. And some things were better left unsaid.

The thin layer of ice from the winter had melted a few weeks ago, yet the cold water nipped at my toes as I bounded into the lake. Water splashed up my calves, sending shivers up my body and cooling the unwelcome heat that seared my cheeks as Fynn's shirt fell to the ground with a soft thud behind me.

Feet pounded against the wet sand, but I didn't look back. I didn't give him the chance to catch up to me.

I was faster than him. I always had been.

When the water hit my waist, I inhaled, then dove. The frigid tendrils of water rolled over my body as I swam beneath the waves. The deeper I swam, the warmer the water became, enveloping me as I tried to wash the flush from the silly childhood crush coloring my cheeks.

But before the cool kiss of the water could wipe it away completely, a hand wrapped around my ankle and tugged. I tried to shake it off, but as if I was a fish caught in a net, I was forced to succumb to its pull.

I tried to swim away, but instead of swimming, I flailed. I was dragged up and out of the water.

But not for long.

Before I could escape from his grasp, Fynn threw me further into the lake. When I hit the bottom, I pushed off with my feet and swam up to the surface. I spun around to face him, daggers flashing in my gaze.

Fynn simply smiled, the gold flecks in his chocolate brown irises dancing in the sunlight.

The invisible daggers dulled as my heart thundered in my chest. Because, by the gods, Fynn was beautiful beneath the spring sun. Strands of hair stuck to his sun-kissed forehead, now soaked and dripping. He pushed them back, his fingers digging into his hair, his biceps flexing. Water droplets ran from his cheek, down his neck, and over his bare, bronzed chest. Down, down?—

A rush of water smacked me in my face. I screeched, rubbing the water and the previous daze from my eyes.

"You're going to pay for that!" I shouted before jumping and grabbing onto his shoulders. Using my weight, I tried to force Fynn under the water, but he resisted with that godsforsaken smirk nudging at the left corner of his mouth.

The bottom of my core hummed, and my brows twisted together.

For years, I begged for this crush to go away. For years, I reminded myself that we would only be best friends—two people who cared deeply about each other and would do anything for the other. But we would never be more than friends.

For years, I kept the truth buried within the safety of my mind, tucked away so far back even he would not be able to reach it.

Would it have been so wild if I had told him the truth, though?

I blinked, my eyelashes brushing the tops of my cheeks. My lips parted?—

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