by Amelia Grey
She slipped her hands behind his neck, pushing his damp hair aside. As if she'd always known what to do, Chelly opened her mouth and allowed his tongue to enter when she felt it nudging past her lips. His arms tightened. His hands roamed up and down her back, making her skin sing with life. He wasn't just warm. He was hot. His lips were moist, soft, and she loved the feel of them against her own.
The pressure increased. His hands slipped around to cup her face in his palms. His lips left hers and traveled down her neck, kissing her fevered skin. Chelly held each side of his head and gave her body over to the wonderful feelings Austin was creating inside her. She didn't remember the boy down the street ever making her feel like this.
A small tug on the ribbon of her robe parted the bodice and Austin pushed it aside. With nimble fingers he pulled on the neckline of her nightgown, exposing the mere hint of her breasts. His lips moved to the freshly bared skin and he kissed it, licking it with his tongue. His hands slid down her chest and cupped her breasts beneath the cotton gown.
Chelly moaned.
Austin groaned.
Thunder crashed.
Chelly jumped.
Sanity returned.
"Oh," she mumbled and scrambled off Austin's lap. She wiped her lips with the back of her hand and swallowed hard. "Yes, well, thank you for making me feel safe. I'm sure I'll be fine the rest of the night." She glanced over to the bed where Bo continued to sleep peacefully.
Slowly, Austin rose from the chair, his arousal showing clearly beneath his breeches. His eyes questioned her, but she remained quiet. She had no answers.
"You're always safe with me, Chelly," he said, then walked out.
Chapter 9
Either the storm had passed them or they had passed through the storm, Chelly wasn't sure which. When she awakened, the first thing she realized was that the ship no longer rocked back and forth. It had settled back down to its gentle swaying. She looked out the porthole and saw light-blue skies and dark-blue water cresting with choppy whitecaps.
Chelly told herself she was pleased Austin wasn't sitting in the dining hall when she and Bo walked in for their morning meal. But she immediately asked herself, if she were happy about that, why did a prickle of disappointment stab through her?
She wasn't sure she was ready to look him in the eyes after their passionate kisses last night. Yet, there was a need, a hunger inside her to see him, to be near him, that she didn't understand. What shocked her more than anything about their embrace was that she wasn't sorry it had happened. She'd wanted to kiss him. She'd been attracted to him since that first night in the tavern when he'd propositioned her and it had fleetingly crossed her mind to consider his offer.
The fluttering desires his kisses had started in her last night were still with her. She hadn't gotten the taste of him out of her mouth, the feel of him off her hands, or the scent of him out of her mind. Austin had stayed with her all through the night.
Reluctantly pushing those thoughts from her mind, Chelly remembered the doubts she'd had, too. She hated the fact that she'd had to search Austin's cabin and lie to Bradley when she'd gotten caught.
Chelly led Bo over to the table where they always had their meals. She gasped in surprise. Sitting in front of her was an elaborate checkerboard carved out of cedar. In their proper places sat the game pieces made out of dark and light pieces of corn cob.
She looked up at Jubal with delight in her eyes. "It's so impressive, Jubal. I had no idea you could do such work. Thank you."
A wide smile stretched across his face. His ebony-colored eyes beamed and sparkled with pleasure at her words. "I stained the squares with a mixture of coffee grounds and some red wine Mr. Radcliffe gave me. The captain made the checkers for you."
She picked up one of the round disks and examined the smooth sides. Her heart swelled with appreciation. "He did an excellent job, too. I'm so pleased at how well it turned out. Jubal, thank you. And I'll thank the captain as soon as I see him."
"Can we play now?" Bo asked, looking up at Chelly with expressive eyes lit with excitement.
She looked down at Bo and asked, "Do you know what game this is?"
"Of course. Checkers. I already know how to play. Mama taught me."
Chelly smiled. "Did she, now? Well, tell me, do you usually win, Bo?"
He rubbed his nose as the gleam faded from his eyes. "Sometimes Mama lets me win."
The mention of his mother had dampened his enthusiasm. She had to get it back. "Well, guess what? I'm going to teach you how to win. You'll be able to play with anyone and beat them. How does that sound?"
Keeping his head down, he nodded even as his lips formed a pout.
Chelly's heart went out to him. She knew how much he missed his mother. "Let's eat so we can work on our numbers and letters this morning. Maybe by this afternoon the sunshine will have dried the deck and we'll be able to sit out in the fresh air and play our new game."
"No. I want to play now," Bo said in a petulant tone Chelly hadn't heard him use before.
His display of temper surprised her, and her gaze shot up to Jubal. He was watching her. She took a deep breath. If she let Bo get by with that tone this time, she was afraid he'd use it against her again to try to get what he wanted. Chelly laid a calm, firm hand on Bo's shoulder.
"No, not yet."
He whipped his head up and looked at her with a determined expression on his face and in his eyes. He demanded, "Why can't I play now? I don't want to eat. I'm not hungry."
Quietly, she answered, "No, we're going to eat first, then play."
"Why?"
"Because I said so." She hated relying on that standard line, but she couldn't allow his rude behavior. There was a good chance that if she backed down now, she'd have trouble with his obeying her in the future. She couldn't allow that. But she couldn't alienate him either. He had to trust her completely if she were to manage an escape.
"Why? Why do I have to do it because you said so? You're not my mama." He huffed and folded his arms across his chest.
Embarrassed, Chelly said, "No, but I am in charge here. First we eat, then we study, and then we play."
Bo started to speak, but she gently placed a finger on his lips to keep him quiet. He brushed her hand aside but didn't try to speak again.
"But," she continued, "I will let you look over the board and game pieces and decide if you want to be the light color or the dark while I get your breakfast. Then, we'll have our meal, do our lessons, and this afternoon we'll play. I won't change my mind about that." Chelly kept her voice soft, her tone even but firm.
Bo looked at her for a moment as if trying to decide if he wanted to test her further. Obviously deciding not to, he nodded, and picked up the first game piece and turned it over in his hand, carefully looking at it.
Chelly glanced at Jubal again. "Thank you for this beautiful checkerboard. I know the time will pass much faster with this game to keep us occupied."
"Yes, Miss. I'm mighty glad you like it."
* * *
Later that afternoon, it was difficult for Chelly to look Austin in the eyes when she and Bo made their way on deck with their checkers game. Somehow she had managed to miss seeing Austin the entire morning. When their eyes met, she quickly looked away.Austin wore the dark breeches and knee high boots. His white shirt, open at the neck, revealed the smattering of hair that covered his broad chest. Her breath grew short just looking at him. Of all the men in the world, she didn't know why fate had decided this man should be the one who could make her tremble with desire with just a look.
She should never have allowed him the liberties he took with his hands. But at the time, touching and exploration had seemed so right. Just as it had seemed natural for her to initiate the passionate kiss they'd shared and to allow him the freedom to touch her so intimately.
Her gaze strayed back over to where Austin stood near the stern with Bradley and Robert. When the tall, lanky lad looked up and saw her and Bo, he came running over
to help them set up the make-shift table to put the checkers game on.
"Let me help you with that," the sandy-haired youngster said, grinning at her.
"Thank you, Robert. That would be nice—if you're sure Austin doesn't need you right now."
His brown eyes blinked rapidly, and he brushed his stringy hair away from his face. "No, Miss. I asked him before I came over."
She smiled and nodded. Bo took hold of Robert's hand and pulled him toward the table.
While pretending to be interested in what Bo and Robert were doing, Chelly moved a little closer to Austin and Bradley.
Sunlight brightened the afternoon and skimmed shimmers and glimmers off the dark-blue water. Clear-blue skies had chased away every trace of the darkness of the storm. Looking out over the turbulent water now made Chelly wonder how she could have been so frightened last night.
Her gaze drifted over to Austin again. Why did it please her to just look at him, be in the same room with him, or be near him? He had many good traits, and there were many things to admire about him; but how could she ever get past what he was doing to Bo and Betsy Patterson?
She moved closer to Austin, stopping when she heard their voices.
"It was dreadful! We tossed and turned so much last night I thought I was going to be sick," Bradley complained to Austin. "Even now, my stomach feels as if it's still rolling from side to side. I don't understand. I did all right the first few days. No problem at all."
"It's not unusual for people to get sick when sailing through the choppy waters of a storm."
"I don't know how sailors stand it day after day on these blasted ships. I think I'm going crazy sometimes. What I wouldn't give to be back at home with Winifred and my practice. Now I remember why I never liked sailing when I was younger."
Bradley continued to talk, but Austin's focus turned to Chelly. She looked especially pretty to him this morning in her dark-gray dress. He wanted to walk over to her and take her in his arms. He wanted to brand her with his kisses so everyone would know she belonged to him. He'd never felt so possessive about a woman. Maybe it was because he had held her and tasted her last night. Maybe it was because he'd seen her with her honey-gold hair flowing down her back. Maybe it was because she was working her way into his heart and life, finding a place to live.
When he'd held her and kissed her last night, he'd felt something different. There was more feeling to his kisses than just the desire to bed her. He hadn't wanted to hurry his time with her; he'd wanted to spend time with her.
He'd wanted to take his time and kiss her slowly. He'd wanted to kiss her lips, her eyes, her cheeks, and the base of her throat. He'd wanted to expose her breasts and feast upon them with his eyes, with his hands, with his lips. Because what he felt for her was so different from any woman he'd ever desired.
His heart and his body were telling him this lady was special, but would she ever be his? Would she ever understand and forgive what he was doing on this journey to France? She hadn't mentioned it the last few times they had talked, but he knew it was on her mind.
"Are you going to answer me or just continue to stare at her?" Bradley asked in a quarrelsome tone.
Austin was forced to return his attention to his companion. "What did you ask?"
"I want to know more about this little boy you're taking to Europe."
"It won't help you to know who he is or anything about him."
"Don't be absurd, Austin. I don't want to know because I think it will help me. I want to know so I can help you. You're in real trouble."
"Do you plan on turning me in to the authorities when we return, Bradley?"
"Heaven forbid! But someone might put two and two together and come up with Aloof sailing the same night the boy disappeared."
"We've been over this so many times it's become tiresome. I will explain that I had to sail to Portugal and Spain to discuss the possibility of building more ships for some of my customers."
"Can you prove that?"
"If I had to, I could call in some favors. Surely, Bradley, you realize the less you know about this, the better off you'll be once we return should there be questions."
"Well, yes, of course you're right about that, however—"
Austin's gaze and thoughts drifted away as Bradley continued to talk. Bo dropped a game piece and Chelly hurried over to pick it up for him. He liked the way she moved. He liked everything about her. From the way she walked and talked to the way she held her head and shoulders so proudly.
"The storm, Austin. Are you listening to me?"
Austin was forced to give Bradley his attention again. "Yes, Bradley, the storm blew us off course, but we should only lose a day or two at the most. We're making excellent time. If the wind holds and we don't have to spend too much time delivering Bo, you would do better to wait for us to resupply the ship and sail back to Baltimore with us. Aloof will make better time than any of the passenger ships."
Bradley rubbed his chin. "I've been thinking, Austin. God knows there's nothing else to do on this prison ship. Have you given any thought to dropping anchor in England and allowing me to depart from there? I'm sure I'll be able to find a ship to take me directly back to Baltimore. Then you'll no longer have to worry about me—or your dear sister, I might add."
A pang of guilt assailed Austin. He'd tried not to think about Winifred. He had no doubt she'd be angry and hurt for a long time. There were some things a man just didn't look back on, and making a decision such as this journey was one of those things.
As if with a will of its own, Austin's gaze strayed back to Chelly. It was funny how, if she were in the room, he had to look at her. It had been that way since the first night he'd seen her. "We can't make any stops. I want to get Bo settled with his father as soon as possible."
"You said we were sailing to Europe. Where exactly are we going? You mentioned Portugal and Spain. Won't we encounter Napoleon's warships?"
"I didn't say we were going to either of those countries, and there's always a possibility we might encounter a warship before this journey is finished."
"My word, what have you gotten us into?"
Austin rubbed his forehead, shielding his eyes from the sun. "Don't be alarmed, Bradley. I've heard rumors about blockades, gunboats, and battleships, but we don't know exactly what to expect. I can assure you I don't plan to be on any coastline any longer than needed to deliver the boy and resupply the ship. If all goes according to what I've been told, we'll be leaving two or three days at the most after arriving, and there shouldn't be the need to put you on another ship."
Bradley's eyes narrowed. "I hear a but in there, Austin. What gives?"
"But if for some reason there has been a mix-up in the plans and no one is there to take the child when we arrive, we might have to wait. If that happens, I'll look for another ship for you. Because—" Austin stopped.
"Because you can't very well take the boy back to Baltimore with you, right?"
Austin remained quiet. He didn't want to think about that possibility. If Le Camus was wrong and his brother wasn't there to meet him at the l'Aueerge Guerin, Austin didn't know what he'd do.
"That's another thing we need to discuss," Bradley said. What is going to keep the warships from blowing us out of the water when we get near the coastline? All of Europe is at war, you know."
"I know. It's been taken care of." Austin watched Chelly's movements. If he didn't know better, he'd think she was deliberately moving closer to him and Bradley.
"What are you looking at?" Bradley turned and saw Chelly standing nearby. "Oh, it's her again." Bradley sniffed. "I might have known." He looked her up and down. "It appears she and the boy weathered the storm. There's something about kids. This kind of thing never bothers them. My girls could—"
"Excuse me, Bradley. I need to speak to her," Austin said and walked away.
"Wait a minute! What about my question?" he asked, but Austin continued to walk toward Chelly. Bradley followed, huffing. "Damnation, Aus
tin. You haven't let me have a full five minutes of your time since we left Baltimore. How can I be of any help if you don't fill me in on all the details of this mission?"
"Good afternoon, Chelly," Austin said, letting his gaze scan her face. She looked at him, and his stomach muscles tightened. She was so beautiful with the wind blowing loose strands of hair about her face. The background of blue sky behind her made her eyes more brown than green. "I see you and Bo have suffered no ill-effects from the storm."
"We're both fine. Thank you." She turned to Bradley and said stiffly, "Hello, Mr. Thornhill."
"Miss Worthington." Bradley immediately turned to Austin. "You were going to tell me how you're going to assure our safety along the coastline."
Bradley's comment was snide, and Austin didn't like the way he'd snubbed Chelly. "No, I wasn't." He turned back to Chelly. He'd made a crack in her armor last night, and he didn't want to lose the ground he'd gained with her. They had too many things going against them. They couldn't lose touch with the attraction that kept them aware of each other. "I'll ask the cook to prepare a special dinner for us all tonight. I'd like for you and Bradley to join me in my cabin—say six o'clock. We'll have dinner just the three of us."
" I couldn't do that, but thank you," Chelly hurried to say. "I'll have my hands full taking care of Bo this evening."
"Bo won't be a problem. I'll ask Robert and Jubal to dine with him and free you for the evening. You've hardly been out of his sight since we left Baltimore. I think you need a break."
Her gaze darted from Austin to Bradley. "No, really I—"
"I won't accept 'no' for an answer." Austin turned to Bradley. "Assure her we'd like the pleasure of her company tonight, Bradley."
Bradley opened his mouth to speak, closed it, faked a smile, and then said, "By all means, Miss Worthington, please join us. I'm sure you are as eager as I to hear how we're to fair in coastal waters with the madman Napoleon on the loose. Besides, your presence will give me another intelligent person to talk to. The men on this ship can't carry on a decent conversation if it's not about sailing, ships, or seas. And I'm bored stiff with that subject."