Chapter Sixteen
Lieutenant Caldwell paused, his hand resting on the doorknob and Josephine tightened the grip around her knees, her pulse mirroring the pounding rain against the window.
Sitting alone for the last few hours had been agonizing.
Anything not secured went clattering to the floor as the ship violently rolled back and forth, each crash making her tense.
After extinguishing the lantern for fear of starting a fire, she’d sat in darkness, flashes of lightning casting their ominous glow through the windows.
Every story she’d ever heard told at the tavern of storm-wrecked ships played through her mind, and as the storm grew worse, her imagination created a wide range of scenarios that either ended with her clinging to a piece of wreckage or being pulled into the dark depths of the sea.
Unable to keep her balance, she’d retreated to the lieutenant’s bed, the sandalwood scent of his sheets providing little comfort.
He stood still, the light from his lantern reflecting from a puddle forming at his feet.
Please.
She repeated it in her mind, again and again.
Or perhaps she said it aloud. She wasn’t sure.
He turned, his hand dropping from the door, and her muscles slackened, causing her back to sag against the wall.
“Alright.”
That one simple word might be the sweetest one she’d ever heard.
He reached up and clipped the lantern to a hook in a rafter, where it swung safely. Raising the bundle in his arms, he gave her an apologetic smile. “I need to get out of these wet clothes. Do you mind if I at least change my shirt?”
“No. Of course not.” She shook her head at her hoarse voice and turned toward the wall.
Silence fell around them, punctuated by the wet slap of clothing hitting the floor. Her pulse quickened at the thought of him standing there, bare from the waist up. The need to put a picture to the thought warred with her sense of propriety.
To hell with propriety.
Ever so slightly, she tilted her head to the side until he came into sight.
Her breath caught. He stood with his back to her, his coat and shirt lying in a wet heap at his feet.
Lantern light shimmered off drops of water running down the smooth valley between his shoulders, and honed muscles wrapped around his sides, disappearing into his breeches.
He lifted his arms, rubbing a towel through his hair and her ability to breathe ceased to exist. Oh, glorious biceps.
She stared as they bunched and corded with each movement he made and her mouth went dry.
He twisted his head her way and she jerked her gaze back to the wall.
A soft chuckle reached her and heat shot up her cheeks. She’d been discovered.
The rustle of cloth over skin came and a moment later, he spoke, amusement lacing his words. “You can look now.”
She turned, grateful for the shadows hiding her face. He had not put his coat on and stood with a plain white shirt untucked. Damp curls framed his face, still mussed from the towel.
“Alright, Miss Montclair. How can I ease your fears?”
Slowly, she stretched her cramped legs out, wincing as blood began to rush back through them. “I’m not sure you can.”
“Nonsense. Fear is like a shadow; it nips your heels when you try to run from it. You must face it before it will shrink away.”
“Easy for you to say. I can’t even stand up.”
“Well then, maybe that’s the first step. It takes a while to get true sea legs, but come, let me show you.”
She gave him a skeptical look. “This is going to end up just as embarrassing as my mishap in Christian and Samantha’s fountain.”
He grinned. “I promise, it won’t.”
She waited for a slight break in the near constant up and down movement before swinging her feet to the floor. Standing, she wrapped a blanket around her shoulders while keeping one hand on the bed.
“No cheating.” The lieutenant motioned her forward. “See how I’m standing? Right now, your feet are too close together, which makes it easier for you to lose your balance. Try moving them apart.”
The ship pitched to the side and Josephine’s hands curled into fists. “I’m not… I’ve never…” She took a steadying breath and widened her stance to match his. “It doesn’t feel like the ship can withstand such wild movements.”
He nodded. “I know it feels that way, but you must think of the waves as if they were a solid landscape. Picture a road traveling over rolling hills. A carriage will go up and down with every little change along the route.”
The ship shuddered and she pressed her eyes shut. “But the sea is not solid.”
“To the Tempest, it is. Her shape allows her to cut through some of the smaller swells. But in a storm, if she passed through towering waves, she would be overcome. Just as the carriage would crash into pieces if it tried to go through the hill instead of over it.”
Visions of splintered wood brought her heart racing again. She took a deep breath. “You must think I’m a coward.”
A warm weight settled on her shoulder and she startled. Her eyes snapped open as his thumb rubbed a comforting circle. “You’re not.”
She searched his gaze, but it hid no mirth or condemnation. Tension slowly began to drain from her as he took a step back.
“You look much better already, almost like you’re starting to get used to it.”
A shaky laugh escaped her. “I wish. I think it’s only because you’re distracting me.”
As soon as she spoke, the ship rolled on a swell and she gasped, her stomach lurching.
Her feet lifted slightly, slipping on the wet floor.
The sudden movement threw her off balance, and she staggered forward, tripping on the blanket.
It tangled around her ankles as Lieutenant Caldwell jumped to meet her, strong hands closing around her waist. She grabbed at his arms, trying to slow her momentum, but it didn’t help.
“Oof!” Her face slammed into his chest.
One of his arms slid behind her back and the other lifted to brace against the ceiling. He held her tight against him as the ship finished its descent and began the next rise. “I forgot to tell you to bend your knees when that happens.”
Sandalwood filled her nose as she breathed in, her cheek resting on the soft linen of his shirt.
Beneath it, his heart beat in her ear, the strong thrum reverberating against her.
In slow succession, the rest of her body began to react to being plastered against him.
Every inch of him was hard muscle, from the planes of his stomach all the way down to where one of her legs twined with his.
With awareness humming through her, she lifted her face. “I told you this wouldn’t end well.”
His eyes burned into hers, like they had in the garden earlier. A rush of warmth spread through her and her breath caught as his lips parted. The lieutenant didn’t move, his arm still holding her tight. She pulled her bottom lip between her teeth and his gaze dropped to her mouth.
“I rather like how this ended.” His voice came out hoarse, each puff of his breath brushing across her forehead.
“Oh.” She swallowed as his eyes met hers once more.
“Our kiss in the tavern…” He trailed off, his grip loosening just enough for the movement of the ship to rock her back a half step. “It wasn’t proper.”
“I…” Her gaze dropped as a pressure built around her heart. “I’m sorry.”
She tried to take a step back, but his arm remained in place, fingers splayed across the small of her back. “I meant I didn’t get a chance to properly kiss you. It ended too soon.”
Her face jerked up. “Too soon?”
The intensity in his gaze sent a shiver through her. “I thought to make up for it in the garden, but we were interrupted.”
Each beat of her heart hammered in her ears as he lowered his head, his mouth separated from hers by a sliver of air. “May I?”
Yes.
A roll of thunder reverberated through the ship.
She opened her mouth to answer, but no words came out.
He held his position, eyes searching hers, his breaths coming slow and steady against her cheek.
A thread of panic coursed through her as he waited.
If she didn’t do something, the moment would pass.
With her voice still trapped, she gave a breathless nod.
The hand at her back tightened, pinpoints of heat spreading from his fingertips as his head dipped, lips brushing hers.
A pulsating warmth curled in her belly and her eyes fluttered shut.
Earlier, in the tavern, with all the distractions, their kiss had passed in a blur.
Not now. She wouldn’t let it. This kiss, she would sear every bit of it into her memory.
The soft weight of his mouth covered hers, and all thoughts evaporated.
She stopped trying to balance, letting her body fall into him once more.
A low groan rumbled from the back of his throat and a moment later, the slick heat of his tongue pressed against her lips.
Her own parted in a heady gasp and he groaned again, louder.
He flicked his tongue forward, meeting hers in a brief exchange before retreating.
Her hands lifted, fingers tangling in his shirt as he repeated the motion—this time, in a languid stroke, tasting her with deliberate, aching sweetness.
She met him with a tentative brush of her own, every nerve in her body drawn to where their mouths met.
The sharp brine of the sea lingered on his lips, mingling with the warmth of his breath.
A thrill ran through her as the Tempest plunged down another wave, the vibrations running through their bodies where they pressed together.
Lieutenant Caldwell shifted his stance, his hand sliding up her back.
Strong fingers wrapped behind her head while his thumb grazed a path below her ear.
A fire began to burn inside her, spreading from his touch.
The dance between their tongues slowed and he pulled his head back.