He’d come out to the beach to let the breeze clear his head.
And there she was, striding away from him across the beach with great purpose.Why was she carrying a lit torch?
Even in her surprise, she did not drop the torch.“My lord!”She took several deep breaths.
He forced his gaze from the tantalizing sight of her rapidly rising and falling bosom to her face.“Feeling adventurous today?”
She briefly dropped her gaze to his mouth.He wanted to kiss her again, too.“Perhaps.”She gave her head a slight shake and gestured at the cave entrance nearby.“I wanted to, ah… I wanted to be certain smugglers aren’t using another cave nearby.”She gave a sharp nod, as though convincing herself.“Miss Burrell’s work site is just over there.”She vaguely gestured at the dig site, situated between this cave and the one that led to Hobart Grange.
“Then by all means, let’s be sure.”He only just restrained himself from reaching for her torch, and instead gestured for her to enter first.
He hadn’t played in these caves as a boy nearly as much as those closer to Hobart Grange, nor had he been inside them in years, but what little he recalled of the space left him confident smugglers were not using it.Miss Walden should be safe, and he could enjoy the view of watching her pick her way over the rocks.Several times she had to lift her skirts with one hand, revealing embroidery on her stockings.
Well above her boot tops, the colorful designs were almost halfway up her shapely calf, where they were unlikely to be seen by anyone but her.How intriguing.So many times an enterprising young lady had let him “accidentally” glimpse her clocked stockings to show off her shapely ankles.More than one widow had shown him explicit images she’d embroidered, depicting the acts she wished to engage in with him.
The cave floor sloped sharply up.As they climbed, the sound of the wind and waves quickly receded, leaving behind a hush in the cool darkness as they explored the recess.The briny scent of salt and seaweed did not diminish, however.Instead of branching off into tunnels and other caverns, the cave twisted, narrowing and following the path that water had worn away in the rock, and abruptly came to an end.
“Oh.”Miss Walden turned in a circle, holding her torch out to expand the flickering circle of light.“It’s quite different from the other cave.”
“No sign of smugglers using it.”He made a show of walking around and examining the floor, the entire space about as large as his bedchamber.“No contraband, nor melted candle wax or torches left behind.”
Her back to him, he couldn’t see if she blushed but did hear her clear her throat.“Well.”She coughed again.“Then I suppose Theo will be safe when she returns to her dig site.”
“Shall we head back?Or is there something else you’d like to … see?”He hadn’t intended the suggestive pause, at least not consciously.He couldn’t help staring at her lush mouth when she turned to face him, recalling how her lips had felt against his.Had that been only a few hours ago?He definitely wanted to repeat that experience.At the earliest possible opportunity.
She stared at him as though weighing her options, then let out the tiniest of sighs.“I need to get back to the library.I should transcribe more pages before I stop work for the day.”
He magnanimously gestured for her to lead the way again.A quirk of her brow let him know she suspected he was enjoying the view, before she threw her shoulders back, chin up, and began marching back down the cave toward the beach.
She stopped so abruptly he nearly knocked her over.He grabbed her shoulders to steady them both.He’d been so intent on watching her shapely backside, er, strong back, he hadn’t noticed how loud the waves had become while they still walked in darkness.
Water lapped at their feet.
The tide was coming in.
Now he remembered why he had not played in this cave often, and was confident smugglers were not using it.“Oh, hell.”
Miss Walden stretched out her torch and walked over to examine the waterline on the cave wall.“I don’t think it’s very deep yet.”She leaned the torch against the wall, dropped to one knee, and reached for the lace of her half-boot.
“What do you think you’re doing?”
With one hand pointing at her foot, she looked at him askance.“I think it’s rather obvious, my lord.Taking off my boots and stockings so I can wade out of the cave.”
“No, you’ll ruin your dress.”Much as his base nature would enjoy nothing more than seeing her bare legs, he couldn’t let her do it.He should have noticed the waterline on the cave walls before.At high tide, they’d have to swim.
At this point he thought he could still walk out without getting thoroughly soaked.“By the time you reach the cave entrance, the water will be at or above your waist.Are you really going to lift your skirts that high?”He shook his head to dispel the lovely, licentious image that came to mind.“I’ll carry you.”
Her jaw worked as she stood up, but no sound came out.
Taking advantage of her surprise, he swept her up into his arms.One arm under her knees, the other around her shoulders, he held her tight against his chest.She was a tidy little bundle, light enough he could carry her with ease, her luscious mouth now in tantalizing proximity to his.
She sputtered a protest, floundering on where to place her hands.Finally she tucked one arm around his neck.“This is… No, put me down.”
“You’re right.”He set her on her feet, then bent over to take off his boots and stockings, and tucked each stocking into the toe of a boot.She stared at him, mouth agape, while he unbuttoned his breeches at the knee and rolled them up his legs as far as the material would allow.“You carry my boots, and I’ll carry you.”
She stared at his bare feet, then trailed her gaze up his shins to his knees.“No,” she said after a lengthy pause, drawing out the single syllable.She finally looked him in the eye.“You won’t be able to see where you’re going.We’ll both end up soaked from head to toe, and probably bruised when you inevitably drop me as we fall.”
“Never had anyone so resistant to letting me carry them,” Vincent muttered.“It’s not like you weigh more than a bag of Guernsey potatoes.”He heard her indignant gasp even as he rested his fists on his hips.The next wave licked his toes, and he withdrew a step.“I could see where I’m going if I slung you over my shoulder like a sack of turnips.”
