12. Mahogany
Baited Breath
It could've been the constant rocking motion of the boat that caused the sudden weakness in her knees.
Anya was almost certain it was. Or she could've been just a little giddy from the feel of the smooth, clean cotton of her new blue dress against her skin.
But when Dimitri reached out and gently took her hand, the unexpected bolt of lightning that shimmied up her arm at the first brush of his fingertips suggested something else entirely.
They glided together over the wet planks of the upper deck as they executed the steps of their waltz. Their world was nothing but the blood red sunset at the edge of the sea and the salty spray that moistened their skin. And from the background came the low murmur of Vlad's love song, floating somewhere in the front of Anya's mind unheard.
It's one-two-three, and suddenly,
I see it at a glance
Dimitri was stammering something about Anya being beautiful in her dress. He was so uncharacteristically nervous. She could feel the slight trembling in their hands, but she couldn't tell if it was her hand that was shaking, or his.
She's radiant, and confident,
And born to take this chance
The breeze off the icy water ruffled the hair that constantly fell into his face. He was staring at her, hardly blinking. She couldn't look away even if she wanted to. Before this moment, his eyes had been brown, like the color of dead leaves. Now they were a rich mahogany, warm, male, filled with the promise of something so tantalizing she was almost afraid of him.
I taught her well, I planned it all
I just forgot…romance
She could feel herself warming around the edges, feel the wall she'd built up against her feelings for him begin to crumble in earnest. Her heartbeat had become a slow thump in her chest. She needed to close her eyes. She had to break the spell, or she was a dead woman.
Vlad, how could you do this,
How will we get through this?
I never should have let them dance…
She swallowed hard to keep the battle of her emotions out of her voice.
"I'm feeling a little…dizzy."
When he spoke, his voice was like smoke and honey.
"Kind of light-headed?"
"Yeah."
"Me, too. Probably from spinning. Maybe we should stop." He didn't let go of her hands, only unconsciously caressed her palms with his thumbs.
"We have stopped…" She was so outside of herself, she could hardly breathe. It took a moment to realize that she'd spoken out loud.
"Anya, I…"
Her throat was dry; it was all she could do to whisper, "Yes?"
He was leaning in. Deep down, didn't she know that this would happen? He was a man; she was a woman. He was a scoundrel, however, and she didn't trust him. Not completely. But how could she think of that now, with his mouth so close to hers? It would be so easy to surrender completely when he kissed her. She could close her eyes and melt into his arms and never think of being alone again.
But he didn't.
She didn't realize her eyes were closed until she opened them to see him walking away.
