Chapter 10
When Caro awoke, she frowned at the slanted patch of leaves in front of her nose for a few moments, utterly disoriented. Her whole body ached, and she had a vague recollection of being cold in the night, but now she felt deliciously warm—at least along the back side of her body.
The rosy glow of sunrise warmed the inside of the shelter and recollection returned with a flash of alarm. The heavy weight slung over her waist was Hayworth’s arm. The pleasantly warm feeling behind her was his body, pressed against hers, full length.
Caro sucked in a scandalized breath. Was Hayworth already awake?
She strained her ears, her heart pounding, and identified strong, even breathing that suggested he was still deeply asleep.
Thank the Lord! She had no memory of how they’d ended up in this situation, but they’d clearly become entwined at some point during the night.
Her cheeks heated in mortification, even as she tried to stay absolutely still to catalogue the extraordinary sensations.
He was hard, and warm, and all-encompassing. He was pressed against her back so closely she could feel the rise and fall of his chest as he breathed, and the tickle of his exhalations against her neck. His knee was pressed against the back of her leg, and—oh, God!—her bottom was nestled quite wonderfully in the lee of his lap.
She’d never in her life expected to wake in his arms. Hayworth undoubtedly had no idea of what he was doing; he was probably so used to sharing a bed with a woman that his body had automatically reached out to hers in the night.
Determined to extricate herself from this mortifying situation, she slid out of his embrace as quietly as possible. She paused, pulse racing, when he mumbled something incoherent and rolled over onto his back, but thankfully he did not wake.
When she was fully out of the shelter, she risked a glance back at him, giving into the urge to watch him as he slept. It was such a privilege, a secret moment she’d keep with her forever. The dawn’s rays highlighted the slope of his nose and the stubble on his cheek. Caro took one last longing glance and forced herself to go for a head-clearing walk up the beach.
She felt more awake when she’d taken off her stockings and paddled in the sea. She gathered a few more coconuts, and when she returned to camp it was to find Hayworth sitting on an upturned log with his penknife in one hand and her stays in the other.
She dropped the coconuts and rushed toward him.
“Hoi! What on earth are you doing?”
He continued merrily ripping through the stitching of her stays with the blade. “I’m taking them apart so we can use the steel wires to make a fish hook.”
Caro’s whole body flushed at seeing her private underwear in his big hands. “What? No!”
“You’re going to have to make sacrifices for survival. You can either have fish for dinner or a well-supported bosom. Which is it to be?”
His unrepentant gaze flickered to her breasts, and Caro cursed the way her nipples seemed to tingle in response. She crossed her arms in front of her. “Fine. Fish.”
“Good choice,” he grinned, even though she hadn’t really been given a choice at all. With a rip and a tug, he pulled one of the thin metal strips from its setting, and proceeded to bend it into a curve. With his knife he cut it down to size and sharpened the end into a point.
“What are you going to use for string?” Caro groused.
He pointed behind him, at her petticoats, and she cursed herself for leaving them behind. She should have known better than to trust him with anything.
“I’ve already pulled a good long piece of thread from the bottom,” he said, clearly relishing her displeasure. “Don’t worry, it’s still perfectly wearable.”
With an irritated huff, Caro sank down onto her own piece of driftwood. The sun had risen, but clouds dotted the sky. Still, there was hope that they might disperse as the day wore on. She might be able to make a fire after all.
She nibbled on a bit of coconut and watched with silent appreciation as Hayworth set about making a rudimentary fishing pole from a stick, the length of cotton thread, and his newly-made hook.
Not wanting to be accused of idleness, she wandered to the rocks and inspected the rock pools, then pried a limpet from its home. She tried to catch some crabs, but the little devils were too fast.
“Here,” she held the limpet out to Hayworth. “You’ll be needing something for bait.”
His smile of thanks made her stomach somersault. She told herself it was hunger, not attraction.
She’d thought he’d try to catch something immediately, but instead he placed the rod inside the shelter. “No point catching a fish until we have a fire to cook it on. I don’t fancy eating it raw.” He glanced at the sky. “When those clouds move off, we can try your idea with the watch. Until then, how about we follow the stream inland?”
“Excellent plan.”
Caro pulled on her boots, and he did the same, and together they set off into the trees, following the trickle of water.
