“You need help. Walk with me, Monia.”
His warm body was solid and reassuring. I found myself leaning against him as he half-dragged, half-carried me towards the ship.
“I told you not to drink too much green serum.” His tone was concerned rather than accusatory.
“I didn’t mean to drink more than a sip.” A hiccup escaped me. “But you knocked on my door and gave me a fright. I swallowed more than I wanted.” My head was so heavy that it bobbed back and forth on its own.
He nudged me when I stopped talking. “Keep talking and keep moving. Say something. Don’t fall asleep.”
“I don’t know what to say.” I shuffled my feet forwards. A quick laugh shook me.
The impossibly blue sky of Tunis seemed to fall on me, and the palm trees bent towards the ground. The white houses were closing in on me, and the road stretched and contracted in front of me. I had no idea how far we were from the ship, or if it was hot or cold. Sweat trickled down my neck, but goosebumps pebbled my skin. The only thing I was fully aware of was Rennie’s body pressing against mine and the strange pleasure it was giving me.
“Tell me what you did in my room,” he said, a desperate note in his voice.
Another giggle came out of me. “What’s the Royal Occult Bureau? Funnily enough, it sounds familiar.”
He paused, his muscles tensing under his clothes. “You read my contract.”
I tilted my head up towards him. The only clear features on his face were his big emerald eyes burning down at me. The rest was an indistinct blur of harsh lines and masculine features.
“It’s a terrible contract if you ask me. I’m ashamed of what my father made you sign.” Somehow, my hand was on his chest, exploring the hard wall of muscles. “I don’t want you to be flogged because of me.” Giggle. Giggle. Giggle. “But then again, there’s no chance you’ll become romantically interested in me. That’s ridiculous.”
He resumed walking, taking almost all my weight. “Why do you think so?”
“I’m not your type. You don’t like me.” His heart was thumping underneath my palm, a steady pounding that calmed me.
“To start with, I told you I find you pretty.” There was a strained note in his voice as he sped up.
I waved a dismissive hand, resting my head on the crook of his neck. “That’s only my body. You don’t likeme, who I am.”
“You’re wrong.” He gathered me in his arms, fully carrying me now. The fact that he was holding me distracted me from his words.
“You’re carrying me,” I said, resting my cheek against his hard chest as I touched his neck. What a strong neck he had. Kissable. Biteable.
“Don’t make yourself too comfortable. I’m going to drop you to your feet as soon as we’re onboard. You need to walk and move.”
The subtle up-and-down movement suggested we were walking along the gangplank. The familiar wood-polish scent of the ship reached me. True to his word, Rennie put me down on the main deck.
“I’ll take you to my cabin, all right? I need to lower your temperature. You’re burning up.” He coiled an arm around my waist and led me down the stairs.
“My temperature?” Now that he mentioned it, heat was bursting out of me. Sweat trickled down my back. The fabric of my shirt chafed my sensitive skin, and my drawers were wet, and not the good kind of wet. “You’re right. I am a bit hot.”
“It’ll be worse in a few minutes unless we take care of it.” He actually gathered me in his arms again and carried me below deck. I sighed. I quite liked being in his arms. He nudged me with his shoulder. “Don’t fall asleep, please, darling.”
Darling? I forced my eyelids up. He was breathing hard, and even his pulse was racing. “Darling,” I muttered. I liked that.
The semidarkness in his cabin was a welcome change from the brightness of the day. He kicked the door shut and then we were alone. Only him, me, and my rising temperature. We shouldn’t be alone in a locked room. But I didn’t really care.
He took my face and angled it, so that we stared into each other’s eyes. “Monia, I’m sorry, but I have to undress you.” His fingers worked on the buttons of my shirt.
“Rennie, what are you doing?” I didn’t have the energy to swat his fingers away and to be honest, I liked how he was unbuttoning my shirt.
“Trying to save your life.” He untied my overskirt and petticoats with speed and efficiency.
The clothes slipped down my body and pooled at my feet until I stood in my chemise and drawers. The moment the cool air hit my clammy skin, I sighed in relief. “Ah, thank you for that. I need it. Sod propriety.”
“Lie here.” Rennie picked me up again and laid me down on his bed. “I’ll be right back.”
