Page 30 of Desert Island Duke

“I’m feeling a little—”

“Hold on.” He caught her under the knees and lifted her. Caro put her arms around his neck and held on, praying she wouldn’t faint.

Her leg hurt like the devil, and she pressed her face into his chest and inhaled deeply. The wonderful musky scent of him filled her nose, and the racing of her heart slowed a little.

Back at camp he deposited her gently on the palm leaves she’d spread in front of the shelter, then rushed to fill one of the coconut bowls with fresh water.

“Here, drink this.”

She sent him a wobbly smile of thanks.

A line of pale welts, like a beaded necklace, had now appeared within the red lesions on her leg. Max winced when he saw them, and he looked so worried that Caro felt the bizarre need to reassure him.

“It’s not so bad,” she said. “It just feels like I’ve been stung by a hundred stinging nettles.”

He raked his hand through his hair. “God, if this was a musket wound, I’d know what to do, but I’ve never treated a jellyfish sting before. Any ideas?”

Caro took another sip of water and stretched out her leg. “Father was stung once, in Spain. I think they poured vinegar on it.” She frowned. “Or maybe be it was wine? I was only ten, I can’t remember.”

“Well, we don’t have either of those,” Max growled. “Damn it.”

“I seem to remember they also tried hot water.”

“Now that I can do. Lie down.”

Caro lay back weakly and watched as Max filled another of the coconut shells and nestled it among the glowing embers.

“Hold on, brave girl. It will take a while to heat.” He bent to brush her hair back from her forehead. Caro closed her eyes and tried to concentrate on anything except the searing pain in her leg.

She heard Max moving around, and then felt the gentle brush of his hand on her arm. “Caro, sweetheart. The water’s ready.”

Max’s unexpected endearment made her open her eyes. She found him leaning over her, the shocking blue of his stare unexpectedly close.

He sent her another of his heart-stopping smiles and his knuckles brushed her cheek. “Come on, soldier, sit up.”

He’d folded his cravat into a makeshift pad, and she bit back an unladylike curse when he dipped it into the warm water and pressed it to the sting. Eventually, however, the pain subsided, and she sent him a relieved smile.

“It’s working. It’s not so bad now.”

He let out an audible huff. “Thank God. It’s too hot to dig you a grave.”

Caro chuckled.

“I expect it’ll hurt for a while, though” he continued. “Still, you can consider this just one more exotic injury to add to your tally. Was it worse than being bitten by a tarantula?”

“Definitely.”

He shook his head. “You are a remarkable woman, Caro Montgomery. I’ve seen soldiers with a tiny splinter make more fuss than you. I swear, some of them cried for their mothers if they even grazed a knuckle.”

Caro’s cheeks heated at his compliment.

He rose to his feet. “Now, you stay right there while I go and get us some dinner.”

True to his word, he managed to chase two silver-blue fish into her rock pool, and by the time the sun began to set the delicious scent of grilled fish made Caro’s stomach rumble in anticipation.

The throbbing in her leg had almost completely subsided, so she hobbled over to the ‘table’ and sliced up the mangos and bananas. They ate the fish with their fingers from banana leaves, and Caro decided she’d never tasted anything so good in her life.

“Well, what a day.”

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