Page 20 of Caged in Desire
“It’s a map,” he says without looking up.
“Thank you, Sherlock.” I roll my eyes. “What's the map of?”
This time, he does look up. “My, er,ourproperty.”
I squint my eyes, hoping that will help, but looking at it upside down, it’s impossible to read. I make my way around the desk and try looking over Henry’s arm, but that’s no good either. Finally deciding to just go for it, I bend down slightly and shimmy under his arm to get a front row view of this map.
The moment our bodies align, I feel him tense up. Luckily, he can’t see my face right now because I’m sure he wouldn’t appreciate the way my eyes roll back briefly at the feeling of his large body behind mine. He’s so close, his scent so strong. I take a deep breath, inhaling the scent of mint and vanilla, his after-dinner scotch, and something unique to him, but something is missing. I’m not sure if it’s just my imagination running away with me or him actually smelling my hair, but I swear I feel his head lower slightly as he inhales as well.
To my disappointment, Henry adjusts to allow some space between our bodies, then clears his throat, clearly requesting an explanation for my actions.
“Sorry, I couldn’t see it properly before. So what’s upset you?”
A moment of silence passes us while I survey the map, immediately noticing several familiar landmarks, until Henry finally concedes with a sigh. “A neighbor of ours passed away recently and—”
“Oh yes, Mr. Crowley. I sent his family some baked goods last week. It’s so sad what happened. I know he was elderly, but to just pass out of the blue like that has to be hard on his…”
The sound of Henry’s fingers strumming on his desk makes me realize that not only am I rambling, but I interrupted him to do so. “Oh God, I’m so sorry. Please continue.”
“Like I was saying, his children sold the property, and the new owners insist that we have our property lines mixed up. Their surveyor is claiming an additional three hundred acres,” he says, pointing at a spot on the western side of the property.
I run my fingers along the paper, imagining the hike I took last week on this part of the land. Cross-referencing the distance key on the map with how many miles I hiked, I confirm there’s an error on their end. “What year is this map from?”
Henry pulls back the corners of the map, looking for a date. “I’m not sure, this is the one they brought me.”
I walk him through to the corner in question with me still calculating what could take an extra half of the distance when it hits me. “I think they’re missing the entire peach orchard. This must be an old map. There has to be something in the family archives letting us know when this land was annexed.”
Henry lowers his head to get a better look. “You’re right. How did you...?” Turning to look at me, he pauses when he realizes how close we are now. I track his gaze from my eyes to my parted lips, to my neck, then back up. “How did you know that?”
“I like to walk…” I breathe, barely a whisper.
“And the archives?”
“I like to read…”
Henry’s gaze traps me in place as his gray eyes search mine. When he finally breaks the silence, his voice is lower than usual. “Very good,Katarina.”
Arousal floods my core. I’m not sure how he knows my panties are soaked, but he must. His expression turns almost devious as he raises a brow, the corner of his mouth lifting to form a smirk. “Should we start searching for them?”
“Huh?”
His smirk transforms into a smug grin. “The maps? In the archives?”
All I can do is nod and dazedly allow him to lead me to the library.
After hours of research and stacks of books from the archives, I’ve finally found the information we’ve been looking for.
I’m sprawled out on the floor, barefoot, with a blanket wrapped around me, and my hair pulled back in a braid.
“I think I found it!” I call to Henry, who’s propped against the wall reading a book of his own, his attire even more relaxed than earlier.
“The peach orchard was annexed by your grandfather in 1962, the same year they built the greenhouses.” I hand the book to him, then grab another one from the stack. “The property lines were surveyed later that year, and a new map was commissioned, including the additional acreage.”
Flipping back a few pages, I find a picture of the map that was drafted five years prior and match it to the one on Henry’s desk. “I think the map they gave you must be from 1957.”
Henry follows my lead, taking up his earlier position of enveloping my body in his long arms, as he joins in comparing the maps. “This is it!” Without warning, I’m being lifted in the air and spun around. The smile on his face is one I’ve only ever seen once before, briefly, as we were dancing at our wedding.Caught up in the moment, I wrap my arms around him and laugh.
I stumble when he sets me down on my feet. At his full height, he’s a good foot and a half taller than me. Throwing my head back to look up at him, I’m met with awe painted on his face as he stares down at me. “Thank you, Katarina, you don’t know how much time and trouble you saved me tonight.”
