Hiding Rose (Saved By Desire 5)

Noah rolled his eyes. “You can try my good man,” he warned with only a hint of teasing.

Barnaby’s smile dimmed. He sensed there was more that Noah wasn’t telling him and wondered if it was because of Rose’s presence but didn’t push for details. It wasn’t necessary for Noah to know what they were going to do next and the captain should understand that.

“I will take a look at the maps and see if I can find somewhere you can go ashore that is not too far away from a town or a village,” Noah sighed as he walked to the door.

“Thank you,” Barnaby murmured, turning toward Rose.

“I’ll send the boy in with some food for you. Get plenty to eat. I will arrange for a basket to go with you so you don’t starve on your way,” Noah said and closed the door behind him.

“It sounds dangerous,” Rose said when they were alone again.

“It is, but we have been through worse,” Barnaby sighed. If he had any other woman with him except Rose he would never suggest it, but she was about the only woman he had faith in and knew she was strong enough to get through it. “How does your head feel?”

“A lot better now that I have had some sleep,” she assured him.

“Let’s get something to eat and then we will get ready.”

“I can’t go in this dress,” Rose said firmly.

“You need to keep it on,” Barnaby teased. “I have never seen anything so beautiful in my life.”

Rose’s cheeks flushed. She looked somewhat shyly at him. “It is hardly appropriate for climbing on and off boats.”

“All the more reason for me to help you then,” Barnaby warned, tugging her into his arms for a very thorough kiss.

“Should we be doing this?” she whispered when he lifted his head and rested his brow against hers.

“Given how close we have been over the last couple of days, Rose, I think it is inevitable, don’t you?” he murmured.

Rose knew it was only natural for her to be drawn to Barnaby given the dangers they faced. He was commanding, strong, and nothing short of a warrior. In his presence she sometimes felt that they could fight the world. The thought of him being nearby certainly got her through her ordeal at Chadwick’s hands. She just didn’t know what this growing, apparently mutual attraction meant to their future.

“It isn’t really appropriate, though, is it? I mean, if anyone found out about it they would ruin me,” she whispered. She wasn’t asking him for any promises, and didn’t want him to make him any, but felt pressed to mention it.

“Well, we will just have to make sure that nobody finds out about it then won’t we?” he replied. “The men on board this ship are too busy with their work to notice you are even here. Noah is hardly likely to tell anybody, and neither will Reg nor Ben. Nobody else knows where you are, so it is not a concern right now.”

Rose nodded, vaguely disappointed. She would rest easier with the feelings tumbling through her if she had any degree of self-control around him and was able to maintain at least some distance between them. Unfortunately, whenever Barnaby looked at her with that deep and meaningful glint in his eye and then touched her she simply lost all willpower and could deny him nothing. It didn’t help that curiosity was positively burning her to relish each and every new experience being with him brought her no matter what the consequences.

Before Barnaby could hint at a future with her, a discrete knock on the door broke them apart. At any other time he would have teased Rose for the speed in which she moved away from him. As it was, he merely sighed and let her go.

“Ready,” Noah murmured when he shoved his head around the door. “We leave in an hour.”

Barnaby nodded but Noah had already closed the door. He looked at Rose and opened his mouth but, before he could speak, the cabin boy appeared with a tray of food. Realising that the moment had gone he turned his attention toward the delicious array of foods Sal brought into the room.

Almost exactly an hour later, Rose had barely finished eating when Reg poked his head into the room. She looked at him in trepidation – the moment was upon them. The wonderful repast she had just consumed suddenly sat like lead in her stomach. She looked nervously at Barnaby, who went to fetch their cloaks.

“We will be alright,” Barnaby assured her as he draped a cloak around her shoulders. “Just drape your skirts over your arm and climb down the same way you went up. I will go down first and will catch you if you fall. Ben and Reg will release the boat and row with me. It will be fine, don’t worry,” he assured her with a smile.

Rose nodded and followed him out of the room. She glanced back into the room before she closed the door and almost wished she could go back inside and stay there for the rest of the night with Barnaby right beside her. Slowly, reluctantly, she closed the door and followed him to the deck instead.

Stepping out into the night air made her shiver, but it had nothing to do with the chill in the air. The black outline of the ship on the horizon was horrifyingly sinister and a warning of the dangers that lurked if anything went wrong.

“Thank you,” she murmured to the captain as she stood beside the rail.

“Good luck, ma’am,” Noah replied heartily.

Rose tugged the hood of her cloak up and tried not to look down but found her gaze drawn to the small rowing boat anyway. It looked so incredibly tiny against the huge vessel she was on that she wanted to ask if it was safe to use it, but she knew it was.

“Just sit on the side of the boat and copy me,” Barnaby instructed her. “I will climb down with you.”