hell and damnation! So much for any lustful ideas his body might have. “Yes,” Joaquim yelled back.
Marina blinked up at him blearily. “What?”
“Shhh,” he said. “I’ll be up in a few minutes, João,” he called toward the ladder.
The shadow at the head of the cabin’s hatch disappeared. Joaquim let loose a frustrated breath. He had Marina to himself, but the situation wasn’t what he wanted.
He’d been thinking of a fine wedding, a small one, with just their families. Perhaps taking her to Sintra and Lisboa in Southern Portugal for a week afterward, down to see the Algarve, or up to the mountains of the Douro River Valley. Instead they were on a cramped yacht, and not alone. Joaquim gazed down at Marina’s face.
She still seemed only halfway awake. Her delicate scarred hand came to rest on his chest, and he wrapped his own around it. “I have to go help João,” he said. “You can come up on deck if you want.”
The corners of her mouth turned down as if she wanted to frown, but she nodded quickly.
What am I supposed to say now? And how was he supposed to escape this bunk? He was pinned next to the hull of the boat. Crawling over her wasn’t a graceful option. Joaquim huffed out a sigh, reflecting then that his breath must also be far from perfect. “I need to go up there, Marina. Would you let me past?”
Her cheeks flushed. She jerked her fingers out of his and struggled with the blankets to free herself. But instead of rising to her feet, she overbalanced and slid from the bunk onto the decking with a dismayed cry.
Cursing under his breath, Joaquim swung his feet over the edge. He got out of bed without stepping on her, and then hauled her upright. Her face was red and she looked on the verge of tears again. Leaning down to meet her eyes, Joaquim cupped her cheeks with his hands. “We’ll work this out,” he promised. “Just be patient with me.”
She nodded again wordlessly.
Yes, I’ve done everything wrong . But he didn’t know how to fix it, so he grabbed his portmanteau off the floor, set it on the unmade bunk, and dug out a clean shirt. “I’m going to use the water closet and then head upstairs,” he said. “You can join us when you like. Did you bring any clothes with you?”
Marina shook her head, her lower lip enticingly caught between her sharp teeth.
Seeing that, he felt his heart thumping a little harder. For a moment, he actually considered ignoring João. “You’re welcome to dig through this and see if anything of mine would work for you. Or I can ask João if you can borrow something of Aga’s.”
“No, don’t do that. I’ll just . . .” She made a vague gesture in the direction of his bag.
“Very well, then.” He leaned down and pressed a kiss to her cheek, then went off to the water closet before he said anything else stupid.
* * *
M arina sat down on the unmade bunk. What she’d wanted to do was urge Joaquim to stay with her, but João and his wife had been on deck all night. That was one thing she’d learned on the English ship she’d been on. Someone had to be on duty at all times, even when the sails were down and the motor quiet.
She considered his bag, so trustingly left open. Does he have any more secrets? She could go through his things, find out what was in there. Perhaps there was a journal in which he confessed his love for her. Or perhaps there was a journal in which he didn’t . Given how poorly things had gone so far, she probably didn’t want to know.
But her borrowed garments smelled now, both from the stench in the closet and from a day’s worth of sweat. She could wash these when they arrived on the islands, but while she was on this boat, she didn’t want to stink. She should have brought a bottle of fragrance.
I’m going to make the best of this, she told herself firmly. There was no excuse for maundering on about a situation she’d created herself. She had crept aboard this ship during the night.
Marina blinked up at him blearily. “What?”
“Shhh,” he said. “I’ll be up in a few minutes, João,” he called toward the ladder.
The shadow at the head of the cabin’s hatch disappeared. Joaquim let loose a frustrated breath. He had Marina to himself, but the situation wasn’t what he wanted.
He’d been thinking of a fine wedding, a small one, with just their families. Perhaps taking her to Sintra and Lisboa in Southern Portugal for a week afterward, down to see the Algarve, or up to the mountains of the Douro River Valley. Instead they were on a cramped yacht, and not alone. Joaquim gazed down at Marina’s face.
She still seemed only halfway awake. Her delicate scarred hand came to rest on his chest, and he wrapped his own around it. “I have to go help João,” he said. “You can come up on deck if you want.”
The corners of her mouth turned down as if she wanted to frown, but she nodded quickly.
What am I supposed to say now? And how was he supposed to escape this bunk? He was pinned next to the hull of the boat. Crawling over her wasn’t a graceful option. Joaquim huffed out a sigh, reflecting then that his breath must also be far from perfect. “I need to go up there, Marina. Would you let me past?”
Her cheeks flushed. She jerked her fingers out of his and struggled with the blankets to free herself. But instead of rising to her feet, she overbalanced and slid from the bunk onto the decking with a dismayed cry.
Cursing under his breath, Joaquim swung his feet over the edge. He got out of bed without stepping on her, and then hauled her upright. Her face was red and she looked on the verge of tears again. Leaning down to meet her eyes, Joaquim cupped her cheeks with his hands. “We’ll work this out,” he promised. “Just be patient with me.”
She nodded again wordlessly.
Yes, I’ve done everything wrong . But he didn’t know how to fix it, so he grabbed his portmanteau off the floor, set it on the unmade bunk, and dug out a clean shirt. “I’m going to use the water closet and then head upstairs,” he said. “You can join us when you like. Did you bring any clothes with you?”
Marina shook her head, her lower lip enticingly caught between her sharp teeth.
Seeing that, he felt his heart thumping a little harder. For a moment, he actually considered ignoring João. “You’re welcome to dig through this and see if anything of mine would work for you. Or I can ask João if you can borrow something of Aga’s.”
“No, don’t do that. I’ll just . . .” She made a vague gesture in the direction of his bag.
“Very well, then.” He leaned down and pressed a kiss to her cheek, then went off to the water closet before he said anything else stupid.
* * *
M arina sat down on the unmade bunk. What she’d wanted to do was urge Joaquim to stay with her, but João and his wife had been on deck all night. That was one thing she’d learned on the English ship she’d been on. Someone had to be on duty at all times, even when the sails were down and the motor quiet.
She considered his bag, so trustingly left open. Does he have any more secrets? She could go through his things, find out what was in there. Perhaps there was a journal in which he confessed his love for her. Or perhaps there was a journal in which he didn’t . Given how poorly things had gone so far, she probably didn’t want to know.
But her borrowed garments smelled now, both from the stench in the closet and from a day’s worth of sweat. She could wash these when they arrived on the islands, but while she was on this boat, she didn’t want to stink. She should have brought a bottle of fragrance.
I’m going to make the best of this, she told herself firmly. There was no excuse for maundering on about a situation she’d created herself. She had crept aboard this ship during the night.
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