Renna copied his stance.
Trev’s eyes scanned slowly up and down her figure. “Your body looks good.” He gave her a wicked smile.
Renna quickly lowered her arms. “Ezra Trevenna! Are you a gentleman or not?”
“What?” He raised his hands in innocence. “I was talking about your form. I feel completely violated now.”
She gave him a warning look.
“I promise.” He smiled. “I am all about business.”
Her incriminating expression melted into a slow smile.
“Now, go back into your stance,” he said, making some adjustments to her hand placement before he explained about sights and how to aim at the target. When he had given all the instructions, he said, “Okay. Let’s see what you’ve got.”
She released the safety and fitted her finger over the trigger. Her breath stilled as she pulled the lever, sending a bullet flying through the air. It pierced the bottom left corner of the target ten yards away—not close to the bullseye at all.
“I did it!” she squealed with delight, spinning to face him, the gun pointing in all directions as she turned.
Trev scrambled to get his hands on the weapon. “Whoa! What happened to safety first?”
“Oh! Sorry.” Her eyes and mouth went wide like she was just as shocked as he was that she’d forgotten the rules. It was another adorable expression to add to his list. “I forgot.”
“This time, let’s see if you can hit the target.”
“But I did hit the target.”
Trev shook his head. “You hit the paper.”
Renna lined up again and fired bullet after bullet. Some shots were way off, but some circled the center of the target. When there were no bullets left, she handed the gun back to him, this time with the safety on.
“Let’s see you do it now,” she challenged.
Trev reloaded the gun and fired one after another with every single shot piercing the center of the bullseye.
“Wow! You’re amazing.”
“I’m all right.” He picked up the second gun and handed it to her. “Do you want to have a friendly competition?”
“Absolutely not! You would destroy me.”
“What if I shot with only my left hand and moved my target ten yards farther?”
“What does the winner get?”
“If I win, I get to dance with you once at the tournament festival.” Dancing was a normal thing. It would look bad if Trev didn’t dance with his fiancée’s stepsister.
She folded her arms across her chest. “You said I was a terrible dancer.”
“Well, someone has to teach you.”
“And if I win?” she asked, pursing her lips together.
“What do you want?”
Renna thought for a moment before deciding. “More chocolate.”
Trev laughed. “I should have known it would have something to do with food. Deal.”
They shook on it.
Trev turned and asked the young man behind the desk to move his target ten yards farther than Renna’s. Off-duty soldiers began to notice something exciting was happening, and it didn’t take long for word to spread through the training field that Prince Ezra had challenged Renna to a target shooting match. A crowd of men started to gather around to watch.
The bet was unfair, even if Trev did shoot with his left arm. He was one of the best gunmen in Albion, next to Drake. But that was the whole point. He counted on his skills to get him that dance with her. Never in his life had he been so grateful for all of the long days he had put in practicing.
She leaned in so only he could hear. “I feel nervous with all of these guys watching.”
He whispered back with a smile, “You should feel nervous. They’re not here to watch me.”
“Well, in that case, I’ll give them a show.” Renna stepped up to fire. The bullet landed low on the target but was well within the second ring. She grinned at the crowd of men applauding behind her.
Trev raised his left arm, releasing his first bullet. Shooting with his opposite arm felt awkward, but he managed to hit the target closer than Renna had. She shot another that landed even closer than her first. The soldiers cheered even louder for her. She looked at him with raised eyebrows, daring him to match her shot. He couldn’t back down from those green eyes. His bullet landed right next to hers.
“It looks like we’re even. Whoever has the best shot on this next one is the winner,” he said. “Don’t mess up.”
She pulled the trigger and was disappointed to see the mark in the upper right corner of the paper, not touching the actual target
It would be easy to finish her off now, and Trev wasn’t going to hold back. He raised his arm, but just as he released the bullet, Renna’s soft fingers tickled the back of his neck behind his ear, burning his skin with her simple touch. The bullet sailed through the air high, missing the paper target completely.
The men laughed and cheered as Renna raised her arms in victory.
Trev couldn’t believe he had lost. He never lost unless it was on purpose.
“Poor Prince Ezra. How embarrassing to lose to a woman, and in front of so many of your comrades!” Renna said, her voice full of sarcasm.
Trev lowered to one knee in front of her. “Renna Degray, I am your humble servant of chocolate.”
She threw her head back as a burst of contagious laughter bubbled out of her throat. Both her arms raised above her head in victory. He smiled, watching her until his stomach squeezed with frustration. She was not his, and she never could be.
As they strode back to the palace, Renna gloated about every detail of her win.
“Even though the gun was light, I worry my arm will be sore tomorrow from shooting so much,” she said.
“I could always rub it for you,” Trev joked, stepping toward her, impeding her way.
Renna’s eyes dropped, and she stepped around, continuing forward. “Instead of chocolate, I should’ve said that you couldn’t flirt with me anymore.”
He shook his head. “I wasn’t flirting with you.”
She dipped her chin, giving him a pointed look.
Was he flirting with her? He hadn’t meant to, but whenever he was around Renna, the line between friends and more than friends blurred.
“Okay, fine. I was flirting with you. But I didn’t mean to.” He matched her pace again.
“Well, stop.” She looked nervous, keeping her focus straight ahead until she abruptly stopped and looked at him. “It’s just . . .” She paused, indecision visible on her face.
He knew what she wasn’t saying. Who she wasn’t mentioning. Seran’s kind face flashed through his mind, reminding him of her honesty, her vulnerability; he closed his eyes and tried to shake away his shame.
“You’re right. I won’t flirt with you anymore.” They continued walking. “But can we still be friends?”
“Of course,” she said too quickly.
Trev turned to face her but continued to walk backward. “Friends with no accidental flirting. I got it.”
He wondered if he really did get it.
He stopped walking, making her nearly bump into him. “I’m glad we’re still friends. I like having you as my friend.”
Her breath stilled at his nearness, making him smile.