He kissed her forehead again then looked into her eyes. “I am not lying. I haveneverlied to you.”
“I shall miss you terribly,” she said, her voice breaking.
“And I shall miss you just as much.”
She rose on her tiptoes and pressed her mouth to his. Nash tightened his arms around her and kissed her with great urgency. As quickly as he began, he stopped and rested his forehead against hers, his breath ragged with pent-up emotion.
“My sweet Maxey,” he said, “before you leave, I must tell you something.”
“What?”
“It is something I have been withholding from you for a couple of weeks.”
Her hopes sank. She didn’t want to hear bad news now. Not before she left him forever. “What is it?”
He looked into her eyes and smiled. “Strange, how others have noticed the way I feel before I realized it myself, but it seems you are not the one who has fallen in love.”
She held her breath, and her heart picked up rhythm. Happiness filled every inch of her soul, making her want to sing—and cry at the same time. “You love me?”
He nodded. “Yes. I think I fell in love with you that very first night we met.”
“Nash.” She sobbed and buried her face into his chest and relished the few earth-shattering moments before they were torn apart.
“Please forgive me for not saying it sooner.” He chuckled lightly. “I, too, am very stubborn.”
She lifted her face and smiled. “I love you, Nash.”
He crushed his mouth over hers for a kiss so wonderful that it made her want to stay in his arms forever. She had almost forgotten about the other person in the room until a loud knock sounded at the door. She jumped, and Nash’s arms tightened around her.
“Who is it?” Nash called out.
“It’s Captain Bushwell.”
Nash sighed, placed another sweet kiss on her lips, and pulled away. “It is time for you to go.”
She nodded, tears slipping from her eyes again. Using the back of her hand, she wiped them away.
The cabin boy opened the door. When the captain looked at Maxey, he nodded. “Your disguise will work, but you better splash water on your face to get rid of your swollen eyes…and lips.”
Maxey hurried to the washbasin and did as she was told. When she turned back to the men, she squared her shoulders and held herself strong. “I’m ready.”
Nash came to her and held her hands. Smooth skin rubbed against hers, causing warmth to spread through her.
“I will return for you. I promise,” he said.
She gave him a weak smile. “Now that I know how you feel, I will wait forever if I have to.”
He kissed her again, then let her go. On stiff legs, she made herself move beside the captain. As they walked out of the room, she forced herself not to look back. If she did, she would run into Nash’s arms. She took deep breaths to keep her emotions from showing.
“I must admit,” the captain said after about five minutes, “you could pass for my cabin boy. If you would like to stay in disguise until we are halfway through our voyage, I’ll let you. It’s just a precaution, of course.”
She chuckled and swung her attention to him. “And will you expect me to clean your room, bathe, and dress you, too?”
“No, of course not. I’m thinking about protecting you, Miss Littleton.”
“I shall definitely consider your most tempting offer.”
He scratched his chin as he slowly inspected her. “You know, if you kept your hair covered and wear those clothes, you could go unnoticed for a very long time.”
