“What are you doing?”
“I just want to feel the water sweep over my toes.” He pulled off his stockings next and bent to roll up his trousers, exposing those muscled calves that she had admired this morning. He straightened and winked at her. “Don’t you want to dip your toes? No one is here.” He swept a hand to indicate the empty stretch of beach in each direction. Then he turned and walked into the water.
Susanna stood with her mouth hanging open. She could not believe Miles Weston had just waded into the water with his trousers rolled up indecently to his knees. He turned to look over his shoulder at her with a wicked smile. His hair blew around his face and she realized that he had left the house without his hat. Who was this relaxed, smiling man?
He kept surprising her at every turn. He had fully shed his formal persona as the Marquess of Hawksridge and he stood in front of her just as Miles Weston. The past week he had given her glimpses of the man he kept so tightly under control, the passionate man who had kissed her senseless, who had instructed her to pleasure herself in front of him. And now with boyish charm he stood staring out to sea his toes buried in the sand and lapping waves. He was irresistible.
All this time he was the one. The one she was meant to love. How long had she loved him but hadn’t wanted to consider it? She sat down in the sand and quickly removed her boots and unrolled her stockings. Now that she had discovered her heart’s true desire, she didn’t want to waste even one moment of the way this made her feel. When Miles regained his memory and his walls and iron control returned, she would deal with the consequences then. But for now, she would follow her heart. She gathered up her skirts with both hands and waded into the water next to him.
“Eeep! Miles the water is freezing.”
“Come now, it’s refreshing.” He laughed and bent to trail his hand in the water. The water rushed back out and left her feet half buried in the sand. He froze staring down at her feet. “You have beautiful toes.”
“You’ve mentioned that before. You have hairy toes.”
He scooped a handful of water and splashed her.
“Miles, my dress!” she laughed. She had no way to retaliate with her hands full of skirts so she did the only sensible thing and ran away.
She had barely made it past where their shoes lay before Miles grabbed her up around the waist from behind. He pulled her snug against his chest his breath warm against her ear. “Why does it excite me so much to see you run? And to capture you?”
Susanna’s breath caught in her throat as his words sent a jolt of lust straight down to her core.
He placed a kiss to her racing pulse, and his tongue flicked out to lick her overheated skin. She turned in his arms and their lips met. His kiss was fervent and tinged with desperation. A desperation she shared. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed herself against him, nothing would be close enough until they were skin to skin. She moaned his name and his tongue slid into her mouth to explore and tease.
But then the kiss slowed. Miles sipped at her mouth; each press of his lips unhurried like he was savoring the taste of her. She melted as he took his time to taste her, his lips slowly moving across her cheek, up to her temple, and peppering small kisses back down to her chin. He nipped at the pointy end and she giggled. “Miles, what are you doing?”
He ran a thumb down her cheek. “Relearning the curves of your face, the taste of your skin.” He pressed another soft kiss on her lips.
She sighed and gently traced the angles and planes of his face. So familiar but somehow brand new now that her heart was involved. Her finger grazed over his bruised temple and he winced. “Sorry,” she exclaimed.
His fingers circled her wrist and he turned his head to press a kiss to the palm. “It’s fine.”
But she felt guilty. He was still hurting no matter what he said about feeling fine and it was entirely her fault. “Let’s sit here for a bit. You can ask me anything you want to know about your life.”
He sat facing the water and held out a hand to her. “You mean our life?”
She nodded as a small ache grew in her chest. She took his hand and let him settle her in between his legs, her back against his chest. The rhythmic tumble of the waves against the shore filled the air. She leaned back and drew in a breath of the fresh salty air. Their life. What could that be like?
Chapter Twenty-Nine
When they returnedto the house with windblown hair and sandy toes, Mr. Kent, the doctor, was waiting in the drawing room with Mr. Marlow. Both men stood at their arrival. Mr. Kent was the first to speak.
“I’m heartened to see you looking so hale, with good color in your cheeks. When I received the note that you had awoken, I did not expect to see you on your feet.”
“We went for a walk to get some air. I am feeling much improved, except…” Miles slid a hand through his hair trying to smooth it back, a trait he often did when he was uncomfortable.
“Except that he cannot remember who he is or any memories from before the incident,” Susanna finished for him.
Miles nodded solemnly.
“Hmmm. Have a seat, Lord Hawksridge, and let me ask you a few questions.”
Miles sat down on the settee and he looked tired all of a sudden. Why hadn’t she noticed those dark circles under his eyes before? His shoulders slumped as though his spine could not keep straight a moment longer. His energy appeared to drain the minute he sat down. Perhaps walking to the beach had been a poor idea. The doctor stood in front of him and gently turned his head to examine the bruising at his temple.
“What is the pain level of your headache would you say, on a scale of one to five?”
“Four maybe? But it was much better earlier this morning.”
