She had given him confusing, mixed signals. Did she indeed want his touch, his kiss? Did she enjoy them, or was she like the women who enjoyed teasing a man to insanity?
“What smells so tasty?” Maxey asked without meeting his eyes.
He lifted the cover to one of the plates. “Looks like fish and some elegant potato dish.”
She climbed off the bed and came toward him. Her lips held the swollen proof of his ardent kisses. He wanted nothing more than to pull her back into his arms and finish what they had started. Unfortunately, the moment had passed, and he knew Maxey would never allow it to continue.
Without looking his way, she moved to the chair and sat. Poking the fork in the tender meat of the fish, she licked her lips. She brought the utensil to her mouth and slipped the food inside, closing her lips around it.
His chest ached from knowing that she was being so difficult. It would be easier for her if she admitted her true feelings and trust him.
“Are you going to eat?” she muttered with her mouth full of food as she nodded toward the empty chair.
“No, Maxey. I have suddenly lost my appetite.” He walked to the door and rested his hand on the doorknob.
“Nash?”
He glanced at her, and hope flowed inside him. Would she invite him back to partake of her passion again?
“Promise me you won’t kiss me in that manner again.”
His dreams plummeted, dissolving in front of him.
“We shouldn’t have done that.” She dabbed her napkin to her mouth. “I shouldn’t have let you, and I’ll try really hard to resist you from here on out. I want to help you prove your innocence, but when you get too close to me, it’s very distracting. If I’m to assist you in any way, I’ll need to have my wits about me. So please, Nash, promise you’ll not touch or kiss me like that again.”
He folded his arms and casually leaned against the door. “Will you believe me? If I recall, you have doubted my word since we first met.”
She lowered her attention to her plate. “If you promise as a gentleman, I’ll trust your word.”
He squeezed his eyes closed, clenching his fists. If he made that promise, he would stick to it. But blast it all, he wanted to hold her again and kiss those sweet lips. She’d nearly admitted her fascination for him, but her stubborn streak wouldn’t let him win.
“Nash? Will you promise?”
He looked her way, but she still remained focused on her food. “No, Maxey, I will not.”
She looked up and gasped. “You won’t?”
“I cannot deny my attraction for you. I hunger for your smile, your touch, and especially your kind words. If one day you decide to allow my caresses, I will hold you and enjoy doing so.” He shook his head. “And because of my weakness, I cannot make that promise. If I cannot touch you, steal a kiss from you, and feel you in my arms, I would rather someone kill me and put me out of my misery.”
He walked out the door, slamming it behind him.
*
Maxey strolled onstiff legs beside Nash across the deck. The evening’s cool wind teased the tendrils near her ears and nipped at her nose. She bundled the cloak tighter around her neck as she glanced across the sea. The sun had made its departure beyond the horizon, leaving shadows to dance across the water in a soothing motion.
Her bout with seasickness earlier must have disappeared, because it hadn’t disrupted her day since this morning. Then again, a lot had happened to keep her mind off her stomach.
Nash must be her cure.
Frowning, she silently scolded herself. She mustn’t think that way about him, or she would become weaker.
Maxey kept herself from accidentally bumping into his arm, mainly because she didn’t want him to accuse her of teasing him. And he would. He knew how she felt, and she certainly would never forget his words.
Why was he so attracted to her? Could it be because he wanted to seduce her, and she wouldn’t allow it? Men were fickle when it came to women, and so far, Nash had proven to be just like every other man she knew.
Poor, pathetic creatures.
First things first, she needed to introduce him to Raúl Zamora. Once she’d had time to think about her new friend, she wondered if their meeting earlier today wasn’t planned. The more she thought about it, she realized something didn’t add up. He had obviously seen her with Nash, believing they were married. And why had he seen her at all, enough to become interested in her? Seasickness had kept her at the railing since they boarded the ship, so why would any man want a woman who continually embarrassed herself when she couldn’t keep anything in her stomach?
