Chapter 4 #2
Luke almost had to check that he had not thrust his hand into the fire, the feeling of flame was so real. But no: it was just Adena’s hand.
Just Adena. How could he even think such a thing, feeling the warmth flowing from him as her touch inflamed him. Oh, if he only had the self-control not to feel this passion for her – or the complete lack of self-control to do something about it.
“I think I saw an abandoned fishing net over there,” he said hurriedly, drawing his hand away from hers and jumping upwards, as though putting a few feet between them would dampen down the heat that was rising in his body.
Luke glanced down at her, and was almost gratified to see a corresponding flush in her face. So, she felt it too.
“I will stay here and, and tend the fire,” she managed to say before Luke strode off into the darkness.
This was complete madness, he told himself. Madness! He was the Marquis of Dewsbury, he could not go around hoping to seduce another man’s fiancée!
Every step took him into greater darkness, but the memory of her face in the light, the firelight making her hair look even more fiery than it already was, that look of intensity that she had given him as their hands had touched –
Luke could feel the physical effects on his body, and stretched his shoulders irritably. With every other young woman he met, he had had complete self-control – and now this Adena Garland had removed all ability for him to calm himself!
He did not find the net again, but instead tripped right over it. Cursing into the darkness and hoping beyond hope that Adena had not seen him, he threw the net into the ocean and threw himself down onto the damp sand to wait.
It could have been five minutes, or an hour, he could not tell, but eventually he heard the splashing that indicated a fish had been trapped in the net. Not one, two. Pulling it in, he enwrapped the struggling fish in the net and strode back towards the glint of the fire in the distance.
“Luke?”
He smiled. It felt good to hear her call out his name like that. Now, if only he could have her crying out his name for quite a different reason…
The power of his imagination rocked him, stopping him in his tracks. No, he told himself firmly. No. You have taken this island deception far enough: you will not touch her, for she is at your mercy.
Or I am at hers, he thought wryly as Adena once more came into sight.
“What do you have there?” She had not moved from the spot where he had left her, it seemed, but she looked pleased to see him. “Oh, those poor fish – why have you not put them out of their misery?”
Luke glanced down at them, and saw the two fish still wriggling in the net. “Oh, I – ”
“Come here,” said Adena firmly, holding out her hand so decidedly that he did not question her.
After taking the net with the struggling fish entangled in it, Luke watched as she picked up a heavy stone, carefully aimed, and –
“There,” she said matter-of-factly. “Do you have a penknife, or something, to gut them?”
Luke laughed, and shook his head. “Nay, my lady, for you truly are a lady of complete wonder to me. ‘Tis you that has the penknife, it is in my pocket here.”
What a woman. She certainly had not been exaggerating when she said that she ran wild with her brothers. Luke watched, fascinated, as she carefully drew out the guts of the fish and threw them into the fire, causing it to smoke a little.
“There,” she said finally, glancing up at Luke with a nervous smile on her face. “Have I shocked you sufficiently yet?”
Tempting as it was to give his real opinion of her, which was that he wanted to utterly possess her for a good few hours into the night, Luke nodded with a smile. “Now, will you let me cook them?”
He had no idea what possessed him to offer; the last time he had cooked fish on a fire, he had been but thirteen and even then, he had done it badly. Perhaps it was seeing just how independent she was. Perhaps it was time for him to contribute something to their little wilderness.
Within minutes, the regret was complete. He had no idea how it was possible that the outside of the fish were burned but the inside was still raw, but he persevered in silence, and tried not to notice those dark green eyes watching his every movement.
She felt something. He knew that she did, no one could react like that to someone’s touch and not feel something. But what was it: intrigue, interest, lust?
And dare he find out?
“There, that should do it,” he said hopefully after what must have been another twenty minutes. “I am afraid that my dining service is a little lax this evening, but I hope you will not mind.”
Adena smiled at him, and reached out her hands for the partly charred fish, flinching slight at its heat. Though he could not have said why, Luke was careful that he did not touch her skin again.
Throwing himself down beside her, and perhaps a little closer than was necessary, Luke took his own fish and made an exploratory bite.
There was no use beating about the bush: it was disgusting. Attempting not to gag, Luke forced half of it down, knowing that he would be glad to have something in his stomach when morning came, and hoped beyond hope that the other fish was somewhat better.
By the look of Adena’s face, it was just as repulsive – but she caught his eye, and smiled. “Thank you for the fish, Luke, it really…it really is delicious.”
Luke was not sure what made him happier: the fact that she was lying to him to prevent his feelings from being hurt, or the flirtatious way that she did it.
“You are the worst liar I have ever met,” he said with a broad grin, and to his utter surprise, Adena burst into giggles.
“And you are the worst cook I have ever met!”
Luke stared at her, and then joined her laughter. “I am sure that there is someone out there worse than I!”
“I cannot think how!” Adena’s laugh reached to her eyes, which were fixed on his own. “My goodness, Luke, how can you eat that?”
Grinning broadly, Luke swept out the remainder of his fish, and threw it spectacularly into his mouth – or it would have been into his mouth, if it had not disintegrated into chunks of badly cooked or overly burnt fish which rained down on him.
His look of surprise must have been hilarious, for Adena was clutching her sides with laughter.
Thankfully, Luke was able to see the funny side. Joining with her laughter, he nudged slightly closer to her, and his arm brushed against her shoulder.
Adena kept laughing, but she shifted herself slightly too – towards him.
Luke tried to ignore the desperate instinct to lean over and kiss those laughing lips, knowing that if he was not careful, he would soon attempt it – and God only knew how Miss Adena Garland would react to her honour’s besmirching.