Page 24 of The Captain of Betrayal
Just the same old set of lips she had lived with for nine and twenty years...except now they had been kissed.
Not that she had never been kissed before, for the fisherman who had wanted to marry her, and a rather amorous customer in an inn she had worked in, had already seen to that. But her lips had never been kissed in the same way as James had kissed them.
Had kissedher.
Polly flushed at the memory of it still, and her reaction most of all. She—the daughter of a boxer—had not put up any kind of fight. She had simply allowed James Black to take liberties...and had enjoyed every second of it. His strong arms wrapped around her, his masculine scent, the feeling of his powerful, muscular body pressed against her own; their kiss was positively one of the most overwhelmingly sensuous moments of her life.
So overwhelming, that she had not trusted herself to be alone with him since.
"Good morning, Polly," James said with a bow, as she opened the door of the boarding house to him a few days later. She had agreed to go for a ride with him, in a barouche borrowed from Pemberton Hall.
"Good morning Captain Black," a trio of voices called in reply, from behind Polly's shoulder.
Alexandra, Poppy and Emily all stood in the entrance hall, wearing bonnets, shawls, and looks of excitement.
"It was so kind of you to invite us for a drive, Captain," Poppy said, without a hint of awareness to the actual circumstances of her invitation.
To James' credit, he did not even blink at her words.
"What would a ride be without the delightful company of my favourite set of twins —and of course, Lady Emily."
Emily flushed pink with pleasure as James gave a florid bow, designed to elicit a giggle, which of course it did. Polly hid a smile behind her hand, as she watched her sister's delighted reaction. Emily adored James, who in turn doted on her. Their friendship was such, that in unreasonable moments, Polly sometimes felt a little excluded by them.
Which was ridiculous, but when it came to James, Polly had begun to understand that all her feelings were ridiculous, unpredictable, and, worse, completely beyond her control.
"Your carriage, ladies," James gestured to the barouche, which gleamed in the afternoon sunlight, its driver dressed in a sombre, black uniform.
As Poppy, Alexandra and Emily hurried forward, James caught Polly by the elbow.
"I have only packed lunch for two, you'll have to perform some sort of miracle to stretch the picnic to feed your extra trio."
"Well, if it's loaves and fish that you've packed, I'll try my best for a miracle. Though I make no promises," Polly replied tartly, secretly delighted that he had shown a little chagrin at their private drive becoming an outing for five. She was still so unsure of him; yes he was here, yes he showed no intention of leaving, but still she wondered of his sincerity...
James still held vestiges of the boy he had once been, but his time in London and at sea had changed him utterly. His accent was no longer steeped in the Tyne, like her own, and he appeared so confident--nothing at all seemed to unsettle his outwardly composed veneer, except perhaps Polly herself. He had the look and clothing of the aristocracy, and because of his status as a Captain, he had a tendency to be rather overbearing and commanding.
In fact, he could verge on frustrating some days, but then he would catch himself with a laugh, or wink at her, his blue eyes dancing, and she knew that he was still the same boy he had been.
"Where to, Captain?" Poppy asked, as Polly and James took the seats opposite the three young women. Technically, a barouche only sat four people vis-à-vis, but Emily and the twins had squeezed themselves onto the second bench. Polly suppressed a sigh of relief; she had not wished to sit opposite James, who she knew would spend the entire journey sending smouldering looks her way. Her relief was short lived however, when James sat down beside her on the narrow seat.
She had not appreciated before just how big her friend now was. He was well over six foot, with broad shoulders that seemed to take up an obscene amount of room and his muscular thighs occupied so much space that they pressed against her own. She was quite as squashed seated beside him, as the three girls were opposite her--with the added discomfort of her every nerve tingling with desire for the man beside her.
"I thought that a drive along the cliff road, followed by a stroll down to Smuggler's Cove might be nice?" James replied to Poppy, who wrinkled her nose at the dull plan, before catching herself and giving a smile.
"Wonderful," she said firmly, with the polite manners of any society Miss, "What fun."
It was a rather tame adventure by the twin's standards, though they could not have known that James' wishes for the quiet stroll had originally only been intended for two. Polly blushed as she imagined what might have transpired between them down on the secluded cove, had she trusted herself to be alone with him.
They travelled along the coast road, chatting amiably between themselves. Poppy and Alexandra, who spent most afternoons roaming the countryside around St Jarvis, knew every hedgerow, stone and fence, and were quick to point out areas of interest for James, the newcomer amongst them.
To Polly's surprise, James already knew a lot of the stories behind the twin's tales, and she realised for the first time that James had no other occupation in St Jarvis, bar his perusal of her. How was he surviving, she wondered, feeling suddenly nervous for her friend.
When the barouche halted to allow its passengers clamber down the steep path to Smuggler's Cove, Polly lagged a little behind her sister and the twins, so that she might speak privately with James.
"Enjoying yourself?" he asked, raising a dark eyebrow. He had slowed down to allow her catch up with him, and once she had fallen into step beside him, the others were a suitable enough distance away for her to speak freely.
"It is a lovely afternoon for a walk," Polly conceded, nervously placing her hand on the arm that James gallantly held out for her. "Though I am a little troubled..."
"Has someone done something?" James came to a dead halt, a dark frown upon his handsome face. He looked quite fierce, and Polly was glad that there was no person to blame for her troubles, for she sensed that that person would be in imminent danger.
