Page 22 of The Sapphire Child
‘I’d be happy if you did.’
They stood very close at the railing, their arms touching. Stella’s heart drummed so hard she thought he must be able to feel the vibration through their arms. Her throat was tight with nervous excitement at being so close.
Hugh said in a low voice, ‘Last night we also talked a lot about you, Stella.’
Her heart lurched. ‘Did you?’
‘Andrew is very fond of you, and...’ He stammered slightly for a moment and she turned her head to look at him. ‘I find I am falling under your spell too.’
‘My spell?’ Stella laughed gently. ‘You make me sound like a witch.’
Hugh shifted his weight to be sideways on. He ran a finger down her bare arm that made her tingle all over. ‘Perhaps you are. I’m certainly quite bewitched by you. I could drown in those gorgeous green eyes of yours.’
Stella shivered. No man had ever made such bold comments to her before. Monty Gibson had once held her hand and called herpretty and his twin brother Clive had kissed her at a Boxing Day party and said she had sweet lips. But none of the young men of her community had ever made her feel as desirable as Hugh Keating did by merely touching her arm and gazing into her eyes.
‘Maybe it’s the beautiful night that’s gone to my head,’ he murmured, ‘but I’ve never felt this way about a girl before. You know what I really want to do, Stella?’
She swallowed, unable to speak, and shook her head.
‘I want to kiss you so much. Will you allow me to kiss you, Stella?’
She glanced around in case they were being overheard, but there was no one close by and they stood in the shadows.
‘Yes,’ she said, breathlessly.
They leaned towards each other and he kissed her gently on the lips. It felt like butterflies and set her whole body tingling again. He ran a hand across her hair and then kissed her again, this time more firmly. She wasn’t sure how he managed it but somehow, he was able to prop himself against the railing and slip his arms around her. He ran his fingers through her hair again and down her back, pressing her body against his as they continued to kiss.
When they broke away, Stella felt wobbly at the knees and had to hold onto the rail.
‘God, Stella, you’re beautiful,’ he murmured. ‘I can’t believe how lucky I am that you’re on the same ship as me. The stars above must have decreed it.’
Trembling, Stella laughed.
‘I’m serious,’ said Hugh. ‘Don’t you believe in fate, Stella? I think we were destined to meet.’
‘I don’t know if I believe in fate,’ she replied, ‘but I’m very glad that we’ve met.’
He brushed her cheek with his hand and ran his thumb over her lips, which made her yearn for him to kiss her again.
‘Are you courting anyone in Pindi, Stella?’ he asked. ‘I asked Andrew but he wasn’t sure.’
‘No, I’m not,’ she whispered.
‘That’s hard to believe,’ he said, his full mouth twitching in a smile. ‘The boys in Pindi must be mighty slow off the mark.’
Stella gave a soft laugh. ‘My father’s very protective – he doesn’t encourage boyfriends.’
‘Well, I’m glad he’s not chaperoning you now.’ Hugh gave a roguish grin.
‘So am I,’ she said.
He trailed a finger down her neck and traced it across the bare flesh at her heart-shaped neckline. Stella thought she would faint at the ecstatic sensation it sent right down to her toes. They kissed again and this time she opened her mouth as he did and tasted him on her tongue.
‘Hughie! Is that you over there?’
Moira’s cry had them breaking apart. Stella moved away from him as her friend approached a little unsteadily along the deck towards them.
‘Stella, there you are. I’ve been looking for you everywhere.’ Moira looked between them. ‘Oh, have I interrupted something? Stella, you look very pink in the face. Is everything all right?’
