"Is that where I am?" he asked. "Maine?"
He yanked a bandana from his back pocket and pressed it to his forehead. A swell of warmth moved through me, and I itched to snatch the fabric away and care for this man myself. That was another one of my problems: for all my curmudgeonly ways, I gave a shit. I didn't know how to turn off my feelings or shutter my concern. It was always there, waiting for someone to smother. Someone to drive away with my endless desire todote.
"You're thirty miles north of Bar Harbor," I said. "So, yes.Maine."
"Bar Harbor is the opposite of my speed." The captain chuckled, but his words spoke nothing of humor or levity. "Is there anything closer? Look, I know I'm a pain in your ass right now and I admire your loyalty to the mollusks and plovers. Honestly, I do. But you can't even imagine the ration of shit I'll get if I wander back to civilization like this." He gestured to his injured face, and then the deck. "Not tonight. Just, I…please. There has to be anotherway."
I couldn't help myself. "I can tow you to the townharbor."
The captain's body sagged in relief. "Thank you. Seriously. I'm a fan of conservation, and if I could've prevented it, I never would have drifted into this cove." He lifted the bandana and palpated his forehead, frowning when his fingers came away bloody. He folded the fabric in on itself before returning it to the contusion. "Any chance I'll find a grocery store open at this hour?Motel?"
I glanced at my watch, the hands glowing in the inky night. Sure, I could wake up the young couple who ran the village's one and only inn, but…No. They had a new baby. They had enough on their hands without me banging on their door. There was no need forthat.
"Unlikely," I said. I rasped out an impatient breath. There was no way this would end well. Not for me, not for my cove, not for my cock. "I have…some extra room. It's not much but you're welcome to it," I said. "Though you should know I keep my firearms under lock and key. I'll expect the same ofyou."
"Yes. Yes,of course," he replied. "I can't believe you'd do that for me. Thankyou."
I waved away his comments. "It's nothing," I said. I meant it. I wasn't one for houseguests but I wasn't one for turning away folks in need either. "Just—just don't be irresponsible on the water. You're not the only one you're putting at risk, youknow."
He shook his head slowly, his fingers still pressed to the injury. "I know. I'm an idiot. That's probably obvious by now," he said softly, almost to himself. "My systems failed, and I was lost andconfused."
"Lost and confused is one way to put it," I said under mybreath.
"I've never pulled a gun on anyone before. That's gotta count for something,right?"
"Not as much as you'd think," Ireplied.
"I thought you were a pirate," he continued, his words dissolving into a groan. "Last month I listened to a podcast about the rise of pirate activity around the world, and that was the first place my mind went. An idiotic place, but thefirst."
I laughed then. A deep, true laugh, and my houseguest's lips turned up in a rueful smile. "How about you get some gear and then you come with me? Soundgood?"
"That sounds amazing," he said, his voice loaded with relief. "Thankyou."
"Don't mention it," I said with a quick shake of myhead.
I meant that. If he offered even one more drop of vulnerability, I was bound to wrap my arms around him and claim him as my own. And that wouldn't do. Not at all. I couldn't pour all of myself into a man who was certain to up and leave without as much as a backward glance. Just like the rest ofthem.
I returned to the skiff in search of a winch, and kept my back to the captain. I didn't want him to see the smitten smile tugging at mylips.
3
Back and Fill
v. Trim the sails of a vessel so that the wind alternately fills and spills out of them, in order to maneuver in a limitedspace.
Cole
I wokeup with a skull-ringingheadache.
It took me a moment to place my surroundings, but the wash-worn linen under my head smelled of soap and sea in a rough, humble way that brought to mind the great redwood of a man who boarded my boat lastnight.
He'd said his name was Owen Bartlett when he ushered me to thisroom.
Owen of the big, capablehands.
Owen of the quiet, knowingeyes.
Owen of the "Good night, and…we'll need that head of yours looked at if it doesn't stop bleedingsoon."
