Time for Love (14 page)

She scurried off the bed before he could see her reaction and moved toward the trunks where he kept clean linens. Occasional coughs came from the bed, but otherwise he remained still and silent while she gathered towels, dry clothes, and ointment to treat the rope burns.

He didn’t look up until she stood over him and offered the towel and clothes. He appeared to have mastered the urges of his body and seemed too tired to do much more than struggle to an upright position.

Taking pity on him, she said, “I’ll help you with your shirt and see to your rope burns, but I’m afraid you’ll have to deal with the rest yourself.” She unbuttoned his shirt in a businesslike manner, dried his upper half as best she could, and left the towel over his hair for him to continue.

When she reached for the ointment, he grabbed it from her and said in a raspy voice, “I can handle the rest on my own. Thank you.”

She nodded and headed to the door but paused when she heard the ointment slip from his fingers and saw his head drooping on his shoulders. At the sight, her reticence vanished, and she returned to help before he toppled out of bed.

He was sound asleep the moment his head hit the pillow. What should she do? She didn’t want to leave him in his wet pants but all the men would be busy fighting the storm and wouldn’t be able to help him for quite some time.

After a few minutes of tugging and cursing, she managed to strip him down and anoint his cuts and abrasions. Then she rolled him more toward the center of the bed and flipped the comforter over him to keep his now naked form from getting cold.

She should have left immediately, but she couldn’t resist looking at him resting so peacefully. He looked younger and carefree with his face relaxed in sleep. She sat next to him and tenderly brushed a lock of hair out of his face.

Or, at least, that was what she meant to do, but the ship hit another massive wave, and she lost her balance, pitching forward to land straddled across his body, her face inches from his. She watched his face breathlessly before trying to wiggle off him when he didn’t open his eyes.

As she started to move, a small smile spread across his sleeping face. He shifted slightly so she lay more comfortably across him, reaching up a hand at the same time to grasp the back of her neck. Then he slowly brought her lips to his as she froze in panic and perhaps a twinge of anticipation.

His hand on the nape of her neck was cool, and while he exerted enough pressure to move her forward, it felt more like a caress than force. In contrast to his hand, his mouth blazed with heat. She tasted the salt of the sea on his rough, chapped lips and practically melted into him.

The kiss started slow and slightly hesitant, as if he were unsure whether it would be welcome. When she yielded and her mouth opened with a sigh of pleasure, he deepened the kiss. The touch of his tongue, first against her lips and then upon her tongue, stoked the fire within her.

He started to roll over, but the comforter caught between them, preventing the movement. As he tried to free himself, his lips slid off hers, and Alex, coming to her senses, leapt from the bed, narrowly avoiding the arms that reached for her a second too late.

Amazingly, he still didn’t wake up but continued to roll over onto his stomach and lay still, his breathing deep and even. Alex watched him for a full minute in disbelief, before tiptoeing to the door and out into the hall.

Rain continued to pound hard against the hull, but the pitch and roll of the ship felt as though the storm was starting to break up. Before, the sounds of the crew hard at work had been drowned out by the ferocity of the wind, but were now faintly audible.

She breathed a sigh of relief once she’d fumbled her way back to her lonely hammock in the hold. She could hardly believe she had been tempted to give herself to a man who wasn’t even awake!

It took a long time for sleep to claim her, what with the storm surrounding the ship and the even more ferocious storm within her traitorous body. Gradually her pulse slowed, and she was able to rein in her thoughts and return them to her earlier contemplation of how to make Nicholas regret his decision to play with her.

Slowly a plan formed, but when she finally dozed off, her dreams were not of the lesson she would teach Nicholas but of the kiss they had shared.

****

Nicholas opened his eyes slowly when the door banged shut. He let out a frustrated sigh. If he weren’t so exhausted, he might not have bungled things so badly.

At least he hadn’t completely lost all sense of reality and had managed to feign sleep when she slipped from his grasp. He had used all his willpower to stay still when he desperately wanted to go after her. Finding her on top of him had nearly been his undoing, and even though he was in no shape to take full advantage of the fact, at least one part of his body had been willing to try.

The feel of her had been intoxicating. He could have made it to his cabin on his own, but the chance to touch her without suspicion had been too much to resist. She was tall and strong for a woman, her body fit perfectly to his, though had he been asked previously, he would have stated he liked small, delicate women.

He tried to imagine the figure she disguised. Padding surrounded her waist, and he was in an agony to know how she would feel stark naked against him. Was her waist as narrow as he envisioned? Her breasts as full?

Had he not just nearly drowned and been on the brink of exhaustion from saving his crewman, he would have been able to take better advantage of the opportunity of having Alex in his bed. Though his appearance may have displeased his mistresses, his prowess in the bedroom had not. At the very least, he wouldn’t have scared her off by being such a clumsy oaf and tangling himself in the bedding.

What had come over him?
No woman had ever made him lose control over himself like that. He was in no condition to make love to her, so why had he risked scaring her off for a simple kiss?

Nicholas groaned and rolled onto his back. That kiss was definitely not simple. The blood in his veins sang with the memory. He ached to find her and continue what they had started.

But no. He wanted to prolong the masquerade, it had so much potential. Tipping his hand too early could ruin everything.

She believed he had kissed her in his sleep and was unaware of what he was doing, and to whom he was doing it. On the morrow, he would act normal and proceed as planned.

Exhausted as he was, it took a long time to fall asleep and when he did, his dreams were consumed with images of bright green eyes and a treasure hidden beneath men’s clothes.

Chapter Twelve

April 22 (37 Days Remaining)

The next day dawned bright and clear. Everyone set about the tasks of cleanup and repairs.

Alex meant to avoid Nicholas as much as possible. If he remembered their kiss at all, he would probably think it had been a dream. Why she was so nervous to be around him, she wasn’t sure.

As she joined in the cleanup, she realized she had a legitimate reason not to want to be near him. He was all over the ship, overseeing everything personally, and nothing pleased him. He barked orders at everyone, and the atmosphere on the ship degenerated. The crew was tense and grumbling whenever he was out of earshot, anxious and silent when he was near.

Never having experienced a storm at sea, she feared the damage to the ship must be extensive—his mood reflective of his worry over getting them to London safely. Cook quickly relieved her of this worry.

“Is it that bad?” She kept one eye on the door in case Nicholas decided he’d had enough topside. She could hear him stomping around as she and Cook put the galley back together.

She heard a muffled, “What?” coming from the vicinity of her feet and looked down to see Cook rummaging through a number of bags on the floor.

She squatted beside him, arms resting on her knees. “The storm. How bad’s the damage? Will we make it to London?” She linked and unlinked her hands waiting for his answer. She hadn’t been this nervous during the storm.

“Nah, that storm weren’t nothing,” Cook said. “Been through worse. Though it’s a good thing the captain didn’t pitch Mr. Duff over the side after all. We’ll need him to fix that rail and a few other items what were damaged.”

“So Mr. Duff’s been set free?” she asked, one worry gone but another stacked firmly in its place.

“He’ll be allowed out to make repairs but locked up any time he’s not working. Don’t worry none. He’ll be on his best behavior, hoping to be set free when we reach London.”

“Go free! That bastard should be locked up for a long time.” She huffed.

“Well, I said that’s what he’d be hoping, not what the captain were likely to do.” He went back to work.

After she finished in the galley, she went to find Evelyn, who hadn’t endured the storm very well. Being confined in a small dark room while the ship rocked violently around her had left her bruised and exhausted.

Alex sympathized with her misery. After all, hadn’t she gone on deck in the middle of a violent storm just to avoid what Evelyn had gone through?

Alex had visited her immediately after the worst was over and, against Evelyn’s feeble protests, had cleaned up the corner of the room where the poor girl had been sick the night before. Alex had left her tucked in bed before setting to work and hadn’t had much chance to look in on her since.

She peeked into the room, and sure enough, Evelyn slept soundly. She eased the door closed and almost ran into the Adonis.

“The captain is ready to start those lessons you discussed. He’ll expect you in his cabin in half an hour.” He rubbed the back of his neck, head tilted down. Someone called his name, but he made no move to leave.

“Is there anything else?” she asked, when he didn’t say anything immediately.

He continued to stare at his feet, avoiding eye contact. “I love Nicholas like a brother. He saved my life and the lives of many others on this ship. He is an honorable man, and I have never questioned his motives before…” He stopped suddenly.

“But?” she prompted.

“He’s not himself where you’re concerned. I think he…desires you.” He blushed and shifted his weight from one leg to another.

“He said that?” She hid her amusement at his obvious discomfort at discussing such a topic with her.
He’s such a prude.

“No. He hasn’t said anything, which is why I am nervous about his intentions. His behavior in regards to you is unusual. I’m unsure what it means.”

“Well, thanks for the warning. But I can take care of myself.” She smiled at him, touched by his concern. How sweet of him to worry and warn her when it was obviously so hard for him.

If only Nicholas showed even a fraction of that concern.

****

Alex made her way slowly to Nicholas’s cabin. His foul mood made her nervous. What could he want from her? Just a simple karate lesson?

Did he realize they had kissed, or perhaps remember it as though in a dream? Could their kiss be the source of his bad mood? She got the feeling he wasn’t a man much used to suffering from unfulfilled desire. If he wanted something or someone, he would get it. She doubted he would have much trouble with women. He could certainly pour on the charm when it suited him. She couldn’t begin to guess why he was going through such trouble with her. It would have been much simpler for him to expose her disguise and then try to charm her.

He must be one of those men who simply enjoyed the hunt. Having to treat her like a man made it more of a challenge. At the very least, she doubted she’d be bored. This could get interesting.

She wanted to deliberately entice him, make him desperate to have her, and then leave him cold. A karate lesson could be a good place to start. It would give her the opportunity to be subtle and keep him from catching on to what she was doing.

She could find plenty of excuses to flaunt her body and innocently touch him while showing him the various stretches and movements he wanted to learn. A simple stretching demonstration would show off the curves of her body and her flexibility, while she would need to touch him here or there to correct his own position. It should be simple.

Or maybe not. She tried scratching an itch on her stomach and met the thick padding of her disguise. Shit. Her figure wasn’t exactly enticing, hidden as it was.

Doubts crept in. What made her think she’d be able to turn him on? She looked like a chunky boy. She sniffed the air, her nose wrinkling. A smelly, chunky little boy. Not exactly playmate of the year material.

And did she really want to mess with him when he was in such a crappy mood? She was a bit afraid of facing him after how he’d been ranting and raving all morning.

No, if she were honest with herself, that wasn’t the real problem. She was more afraid of her attraction to him. For a moment during that amazing kiss, she had lost all sense other than the feel of him. If he hadn’t broken off the kiss when he had, how far would she have let things go? All the way?

She was worried about herself, not him. He wasn’t the kind of man who would resort to rape. He seemed too honorable. He’d been genuinely enraged at Mr. Duff’s attempt with Evelyn. No, she was more afraid he would so befuddle her senses that she would forget to say no until it was too late. And she knew from experience what that was like. She wasn’t keen to go through it again.

****

Lost in thought as she was, Alex reached Nicholas’s door before she’d had the chance to work out what she planned on doing. She knocked quickly and firmly before she could lose her nerve. She didn’t want him to find her out in the hall, afraid to knock. Could she go through with her plan? Could she even face him?

He pulled the door open a scant second or two after her knock and stepped aside to let her in. He wore the same scowl that had been on his face all day, and she quailed slightly. She didn’t have much choice though, so she walked past him into the room.

She kept her face averted from the bed, which seemed to occupy a much greater space in the room than she had thought previously. To avoid facing him any sooner than absolutely necessary, she looked around and assessed the rest of the space to see where they should set up.