He pushed a wet strand of hair from his eyes. “God help me, Red, I don’t know.”
She blinked at his honest response.
“Ever since I first laid eyes on you, I haven’t been able to get you out of my mind.” He stepped closer to her and she swallowed at the intensity of his gaze. “I don’t know if I want to arrest you for your crimes...” He closed the distance between them and grabbed her shoulders. “Or kiss you senseless.”
Everything around them faded away until all she could hear was the roar of her pulse.Breathe in. Breathe out.TheRavenpitched down a swell and a spray of water smacked into them. Still, he stared at her, even as water dripped down his face.
Her throat went dry. And suddenly, she couldn’t lie to herself anymore. This was why she’d wanted him to come with them. This was who she wanted. What she wanted. When she closed her eyes, he was who she saw.
He stood still, inches from her, his eyes filled with intensity. His jaw ticked. Could she do it? Should she? In three days, they’d be backin Savannah. Back to being enemies.
All the more reason to.
She let go of the railing and pulled his face down to hers. Several days’ worth of dark stubble rubbed against her cheek as he caught her mouth with his. He tasted of salt. Of raw energy.
One of his hands tangled in her hair as his tongue pressed against hers. When he caught her lower lip between his teeth, she let out a little moan and pressed her body against his solid form. His other hand closed around the small of her back and he pushed against her until her back hit the railing.
The heat pouring through her body began to consume her, tearing through her at an alarming pace, and her kiss became frantic. He kept up with her frenzied movements, licking and sucking and biting until she could hardly breathe.
A whistle came from somewhere above in the rigging, piercing through her foggy subconscious, and she jerked her head back. He kept his hands in place, keeping her pressed against him, and his breaths came hot and ragged against her forehead.
She twisted from his grasp. “I—I need to go.”
Ducking beneath his arm, she fled past several wide-eyed crewmates. So much for winning their respect. Griff glared at her as she ran across the main deck. How much had he seen? With burning cheeks, she fumbled with the door to her cabin and slammed it shut behind her.
Taking a few deep breaths, she sank into her chair at the desk and leaned back to stare at the ceiling. Not good. All her life, she’d avoided falling for anyone. She’d been able to focus on her sailing. Been able to ignore Abigail’s attempts at matching her with random gentlemen.
And now she had feelings for Lieutenant Thompson.
She groaned and dropped her head to the desk. Banged it once. Twice. Of all the people in the entire world, him. And she had kissed him in front of her crew. Her stomach still fluttered from it. Evennow, an uncomfortable warmth bloomed in her belly.
Good God. Was this yearning?
She rubbed the smarting spot at her temple. Yearning or not, she had work to do.
Pulling the bit of parchment from her pocket, she gingerly unfolded the damp wax-coated paper and breathed out a sigh. A few lines of ink had gone blurry, but the coating had preserved the majority of it. Opening a drawer, she lifted a fresh piece of parchment and found her quill and ink.
Time to make a copy.
Whoever had torn the map had done it very strategically. The line on this half snaked back up to the coast, but quite far to the south.
Her parents had never been close.
With a shaky breath, she stood and retrieved the big conch, peeling the wax plug free. Slipping her half of the map out, she unfolded and pressed it to Thorne’s half. A little thrill went through her. She was the first to lay eyes on the location of the two-hundred-year-old treasure.
Now, to get it before Thorne caught up to them.
A grim smile settled on her lips as she dipped her quill into the ink. With painstaking movements, she slowly drew the black stained tip across the paper. Each scratch, each dip into the inkwell brought the map into clarity.
After at least an hour had passed, Samantha threw down the pen and stared down at the completed map. Her breath blew out and she lifted it into the lantern light. Not bad. A few shaky lines and a blot of ink here and there, but certainly good enough to guide her to the treasure.
She carefully folded the new map along with her original half and slid them into the conch before pressing the soft wax back into place. Thorne’s half went back into her pocket. It didn’t feel right to put it with her parents’ half. She’d find somewhere else to hide it.
Clearing her desk, she pulled out a few nautical charts and made some calculations. Once they made it past The Bahamas, it would be a straight shot to Savannah. Three days of sailing with the wind in their favor.
Before her hand closed around the handle of her door, she paused and took a deep breath. She needed to focus and sail this ship, and she couldn’t afford any more distractions. Hopefully, Christian would be below by now.
He wasn’t.
