Page 52 of Storm over the Caribbean
The icy look he sent me in response, as well as his still reddened nose, was answer enough.
All right. Vengeance important. Cooking recipes not so much. Got it.
Quickly, I pushed myself to my feet and hurried off into the palm forest, doing my very best to ignore the crunching sounds from behind me.
Get cracking indeed.
Half an hour later, in the warm light of the sinking sun, we sat around a campfire on the beach, each holding skewers of meat over the crackling flames. Above us, the shelter Mr Ambrose had built out of sticks and palm leaves sheltered us from the sea breeze. I smiled, and snuggled into him. Over the years in Mr Ambrose’s employ, I had stayed in dozens of luxury hotels and famous inns. But somehow, not a single one felt as homely as this tiny little hut. Relishing his warmth, I pressed myself more firmly into his side.
“You know…this is kind of nice. We should do this more often.”
“Indeed.”
“Except the getting shipwrecked and slaughtering innocent animals and stuff.”
“Indeed.”
“And getting bitten in the nose.”
“Indeed.”
It was amazing how many different meanings a single word could convey. Stretching, I yawned and put my head on his lap. Considering who it belonged to, it was amazingly comfy. Plus, it provided me with a spiffing view of his chiselled jaw and sublime visage.
“So…” I mumbled. “What now?”
“Now?” One of his hands reached out, gently stroking my hair. I wondered whether I should point out that he was wasting valuable time and calories performing a superfluous action. Onthe whole, I decided not to. “Now we hunker down for the night. We’ll have a busy day tomorrow.”
“Yes. Yes, I suppose we will.”
Through the small opening left in one side of the impromptu shelter, I could see the sun gradually making its way to the horizon, its light slowly dimming. The warmth of the campfire was similarly fading. Only a last few tenacious flames were still flickering, and soon those, too, were gone.
I shivered, snuggling closer against my husband.
“Bloody hell! I thought this was supposed to be a tropical island. Why is it getting so cold all of a sudden?”8
“Come here.”
I felt him shifting. Moments later, he slipped out of his tailcoat and put it over the both of us as best he could. Underneath the tailcoat, his arms came around me from behind, holding me close to his warmth.
Very,veryclose.
I felt heat rush through my body. Slowly but surely, it started gathering in one particular spot. And to judge by the hard thing pressing into my back, it wasn’t only happening to me. Swallowing, I shifted, incredibly aware of Mr Rikkard Ambrose’s rock-hard muscles with every single movement.
“You know…” For some reason, my voice suddenly sounded rather breathy. “On second thought, I don’t think keeping warm is going to be so difficult after all.”
“Indeed?”
Maybe it was just my imagination, but the tone of his voice also seemed to be changing. Becoming darker. More intense.
“Oh yes indeed, Mr Ambrose, Sir.”
Turning around to face him, I slid my hand between the two of us, placing it against his pectorals. “You don’t mind me warming my hands a little, do you?”
“No. It is efficient. Logical.”
“Good to know.”
My fingers curled against his muscled chest, stroking, caressing.
