Page 74 of A Rake's Revenge


Font Size:

“You will not get any argument from me,” Stephan replied. He had to admire Caroline for being able to maintain a sense of humor. She had nearly died and she looked somewhat like a drowned cat. Although a pretty cat. He noticed her shiver again. “You need to get out of those wet things.”

Caroline hugged her arms close. “And what do you suggest I wear?”

Nothing, he almost said and then gave himself an inward shake. Obviously, a death-defying experience did nothing to decrease his libido. The last thing he needed to be thinking of right now was having Caroline snuggled under warm covers in the V-berth below wearingnothing. She had nearly died. But she did need to get warm before she caught a chill.

“There are towels below. I have some dry clothes in the hanging locker and a fisherman’s wool sweater in there as well. That should get you toasty in a few minutes.”

“But what about you?” Caroline asked. “You need to get dry, too.”

“I will, once we anchor,” Stephan replied. “I have been wet before, so do not worry about me.”

“I do not like leaving you alone on deck,” Caroline said, “especially in these conditions.”

Stephan smiled, touched by her concern. “I have singlehanded before and I still have my tether on. If I fly over the rail, all you have to do is pull me back in, like reeling in a fish.”

Her eyes widened. “Do not even jest about that.”

Instantly, he was contrite. He should have known not to joke about falling overboard after what had just happened. He’d only been trying to lighten the conversation. “I am sorry. That was ill thought of me.”

“It…it is all right. I just…do not want anything to happen to you.”

Something stirred inside his chest. Did Caroline actuallycarefor him? He knew people often felt emotionally close to someone who’d just saved their life—he’d seen it often enough with fishermen caught out in storms—but was that what this was? He would have to sort that out later. “Well, right now, I do not want you to become ill, so please go down below and get out of your clothes.”

Caroline arched a brow, and Stephan felt his face grow warm as he realized how his words sounded. Evidently, his libido hadn’t quite finished vying for the upper hand. “I meant, get into some dry clothes. Nowgo.”Go, before I say something else stupid.

This time, she didn’t argue, but simply disappeared down below. Stephan let his mind roam freely then, picturing her removing the wet things, drying her naked body with a towel, slipping into one of his shirts that would carry her scent after she returned it. How adorable her bare feet would look sticking out of his too-long trousers…

Boom!The sound of a rogue wave hitting the hull snapped Stephan’s attention back to the boat. He pulled the tiller hard to starboard as theLadyheeled sharply to port. She righted herself as Caroline’s head popped up in the companionway, her eyes round as an owl’s and dark in her blanched face.

“You are all right?”

“I am fine. Just a big wave.” He couldn’t see if she had started undressing yet. “Just stay below. I do not want you getting wet again.”

She looked doubtful, and he wondered if she would heed him. Obedience wasn’t exactly in her character, but with his wayward thoughts, he didn’t need to be ogling the object of his indiscriminate thinking. “Please.”

“All right.”

Caroline disappeared again, and this time Stephan forced himself to concentrate on sailing. By the time he reached Beachy Head a half hour later, he had his lecherous feelings in check. The wind had also lessened and the sea was lying down. The worst seemed to be over.

Stephan dropped the anchor and made sure it took hold, then secured the sails. He removed his boots and placed them in the storage locker where they could dry and then did a final check of the deck before he went down below. He reminded himself that Caroline had had a bad shock this afternoon and he needed to act like a gentleman.

But that thought took wing like a startled covey of quail when he stepped off the ladder and turned around. Caroline was propped on the long settee, wearing nothing but his shirt.


“What…what are you doing?” Stephan asked as he stared at her.

Caroline hid a smile. Several expressions flashed across his face in such rapid succession she would have missed them if she hadn’t been watching intently. Surprise was replaced with confusion followed by speculation and finally—the look she’d been waiting for—the beginning of desire.

She glanced casually around. “I am sitting on your sofa…or whatever it is called.”

“Settee,” he answered automatically and then pulled his brows together as he removed his wet coat. “And you know that is not what I mean.”

Caroline couldn’t resist teasing him a bit. After her near-drowning, she needed to laugh or, at least, smile. “Perhaps you could be clearer?”

He stood as though he were hewn out of stone. Not a single muscle flexed, but his eyes burned into hers. “Allow me to rephrase. Why are you wearing only my shirt?”

His statue pose did not change, but Caroline sensed the underlying tension in the question. “You had only one pair of breeches in the locker. I figured you would need them.” She got up and walked toward him. “Let me help you out of these wet things.”