Page 28 of Good Duke Gone Wild

“You’re just going to go to sleep?”

“I might read first.” Tired, his body sunk into the mattress, and with the laziest tone he could muster, he asked, “Pass me that book on my desk?”

Which, in hindsight, was not his most intelligent request, for in a second the book came hurtling at his head. Spine first.

“What the—”

“I can’t believe you,” she muttered at him as she began disrobing.

Not sure what was going on, he cracked the book open and began to read. Read? Well, that wasn’t even close to the truth because hecould not focus on the book long enough to decipher words and their meaning as she removed layer after layer out of his peripheral version. And it was in a moment like this that he wished he had the ability to read her because that would prove far more valuable than being able to read all of the books written in history to date.

When she climbed into bed with him, he was still unsure of what to expect. The contradiction being that she was nearly naked, yet she was grumbling about him. And the look in her eyes, he would swear he was looking down the bore of a canon. At any moment, a projectile might fly out of the muzzle, and he wanted to be prepared for it. His legs tensed. His heart stilled. His lips straightened out to a thin line.

But no such projectile was launched.

She merely turned her back to him, and—assuming she closed her eyes—began to fall asleep.

And he realized that he could safely anticipate no action for tonight. Strangely, he wasn’t convinced that that realization calmed him or frustrated him even more.

Chapter 15

SO READING A CHAPTER didn’t happen. Not even a page. It was absolutely pointless to try and focus his attention on words, especially words that meant nothing to him. That were completely irrelevant to his predicament. Reading, or rather, staring at black shapes on a contrasting cream background, offered no reprieve from the tension he felt. He couldn’t detach from his bewilderment of Agatha. Instead, he figured the only method that might work to eradicate her from his mind was sleep.

Not more than five minutes into his slumber, a loud crash sounded. Jude woke with a jolt and listened to the rain beat down on the ship.

He threw the blankets off and was just about to tear out of bed when he felt Agatha quaking beside him. She was shaking in her sleep. The ship rocked and she rolled into him. Her hands reached out and clutched at his forearm. In a daze, her voice trembled.

“Jude?” Vulnerability laced her simple plea, and clawed at what he imagined was his heart.

“I’m here.” His voice was hoarse. Two simple words but they felt like more. He was here. For her. He should leave. He should go check on his crew, man the ship, take charge. But something about herbeckoned to him, called him, pulled him in. He wanted to take charge of her. He had the oddest inclination that if he couldn't’ take care of her that he would never be able to take care of anything else in his life, including his ship.

Knowing he couldn’t shirk his duties but not wanting to leave her, he was torn.

“I’ll go check on everything and then return as soon as I can.”

She would be far more terrified than anyone else onboard, so he would do his damndest to make it quick.

When he turned to gauge her response, she nodded, holding the coverlet close to her chest.

Damn, never more did he hope that this storm’s bark was worse than her bite.

He threw on an outer layer of clothing and dashed out of the room. When Sprat met him on deck.

“I’ve got it under control, Captain,” Sprat shouted over the rain.

“I’ll check—”

“Go back to your woman.”

“She’s not my—”

“Get back to bed, you idiot.

“I’ll just go see how Big John is holding up with Bruno.”

“They’re fine. Bruno has fit in just fine. Just like the rest of us. You picked a good one.”

Jude shook his head. Glad to hear that Bruno was settling in well. Only time would truly tell, but at least there were no issues to speak of yet.

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