He shifted in the water, turning his back to her, and her breath caught in her throat again. Not just because of the muscled, sinewy curve of his back, but because of the scars.
She couldn’t count all the scars. They crisscrossed his upper back and shoulders mostly, but a few lashed across the lower curve of his spine. The scars were raised, pinkish-silver, some with ragged edges, others with clean lines. There hardly seemed an inch of unblemished skin left.
It was a strange thing to notice, perhaps, but Amelia found herself focusing on two divots at the very bottom of his back, just above the curve of his buttocks. They seemed like natural divots, and she imagined,very vividly, herself tracing a fingertip over those divots.
Good Lord, woman! Time to go.
Keeping the lantern well hidden, Amelia stepped back, trying to move as carefully as she could. Retreating into the undergrowth, she put her back to the lake and set off at as brisk a pace as she dared.
Just a little farther should take her to the hedge around the grounds. Surely there was a gap she could squeeze through, and then she’d be free. Maybe he’d come after her, but this time she was ready. And then she could?—
She did not even hear footsteps following her. The first warning was a curl of fingers around her wrist, cool and lake-damp, hauling her back and whirling her around to face him.
Of course, it washim.
Amelia yelped in panic, the lantern falling from her hand. He grabbed it, quick as a flash, and the stuttering light evened out, casting a halo over the scene.
Stephen faced her, his eyes unreadable in the gloom. He wore a pair of breeches, hastily thrown on and damp, clinging to his skin. His linen shirt was translucent, so wet it almost dripped. The collar, in particular, was soaked from the water dripping from his hair.
“Well, well, well,” he murmured, his voice raw and thoughtful. “Tell me, do you enjoy having me chase you? Perhaps this is a game to you. Is it as thrilling as you imagined?”
Amelia gulped audibly. “I did notwantyou to chase me. I was trying to escape.”
“I guessed as much.”
He leaned forward, and she flinched backward, knocking into the wide, unforgiving trunk of a tree. He did not stop, continuing to move forward until his nose nearly brushed hers.
In the dark, strange shadows moved across his face, but his eyes were still so bright, so vivid and unblinking. She fancied that she could almost see the ridges of his scars through his damp shirt.
“I’d thank you to keep your distance from me,” Amelia stuttered.
She’d intended to speak plainly and confidently, but the words got tangled up between her brain and her lips, coming out as a nervous squeak.
Stephen gave a wide smile, his teeth glinting in the moonlight. He set the lantern aside on a relatively flat tree stump. Wobbly yellow light slid over him.
A water droplet dripped from his hair, sliding down his temple all the way to the edge of his jaw, where it dripped off. It glittered gold in the light, and he swiped absently at his cheek with the back of his hand, as if it tickled. The droplet disappeared.
He smelled fresh and earthy, and she wondered briefly if that was how the water smelled. It looked fresh and clean.
Amelia found herself remembering how the moonlight glinted over the surface of the water and Stephen’s wet skin. What might the water feel like against her body? Silky and cool, or breathtakingly cold?
What would his skin feel like on hers in the water? Would it be a bloom of warmth in the cold lake, or would he feel indistinguishable from the rest of the water?
No, no, no, heavens!
The rush of panic at her own desire shocked her back to the present. Swallowing, she pressed her fingertips into the roughbark of the tree and forced herself to meet Stephen’s gaze squarely.
His expression was unreadable. She had a feeling that even in broad daylight, she still would have struggled to guess what he was thinking.
“Not a spy after all, then,” he murmured. “Not spying onme.”
A quick image of his body, white in the moonlight, flashed through her mind, and she gave a quick shake of her head to banish it.
“I would never spy!”
He gave a short bark of laughter. “Oh, I knowthat, don’t fret. I know you’re keen to get away. I hope I don’t frighten you.”
“Frighten me? No, I’m not so easily scared,” she shot back, lifting her chin.
