‘I wish that there was nothing to stop us.’
He knew what she meant. Every line of his body hinted that this could so easily be a seduction, if they’d only let it.
‘Is there anything? What happens at sea might be persuaded to stay at sea.’
‘We’re not exactly at sea.’ Nell clung to the last vestiges of her sanity. Even if stars were dancing in the sky, the lights of land were closer than that.
‘We’re not on dry land either. We might be able to see them, but they can’t see us.’
It was tempting. Very tempting. Surely she and Hugo could leave everything behind, just for one night?
‘I can’t leave myself behind. I brought my baggage with me, and you brought yours.’
‘You’re right. As always.’ He kissed her again, warm and unhurried, as if to show that being right didn’t mean that she could escape his tenderness.
‘Thank you for a wonderful day, Hugo. And a wonderful evening...’ The thought that this wonderful evening might so easily become a wonderful night was tearing at her resolve. Nell broke free of his arms. She had to go now, while sh
e still could.
* * *
What...what...had he been thinking? Hugo put his head around the galley door to thank the chef for his efforts tonight, and walked to his cabin.
It had seemed so natural. Taking her in his arms, letting the breeze take them with it, away from the land and into a place where only desire mattered. But Nell was always the more sensible of the two of them. He should heed her judgement, and remember that there was no possibility that they could make a future together, however tantalising tonight might be. He sat down on the bed, slowly unbuttoning his shirt.
And there was another thing. Hugo rose, walking into the en suite bathroom, pulling his shirt to one side, as if seeing the scar could finally convince him. However many times Nell told him he wasn’t, he still felt flawed. And Nell deserved only the best.
A knock sounded, and he dragged his gaze away from the mirror, closing his shirt before he opened the cabin door. Hugo froze.
‘You’ll keep me standing here?’ Nell smiled up at him. Her hair was still gathered up around her head, stray curls escaping around her face. Her eyes were as bright as the moonlight, as if she’d brought a little of it below deck with her.
‘No! Come in.’ He stood back from the door and she walked into his cabin. For a moment, all he could think was that her feet were bare, and that she walked as if she were floating on air.
Hugo closed the door behind her and leaned against it, as if somehow that might stop this dream from escaping.
‘I came to ask you if you’d like to come to my cabin. We could...see the sunrise tomorrow.’
He reached out and touched the sleeve of the ivory-coloured wrap that covered her body. Even that seemed unbearably erotic, since it was clear that she had little else on.
‘I would love to come to your cabin. Although I can take or leave the sunrise.’
She nodded. ‘Me, too.’
Suddenly she was in his arms, and Hugo found his strength again. He kissed her, tracing his fingers across the soft, silky fabric of her wrap. It was so thin that he could feel her response, the heat of her skin and the sudden tightening of the muscles of her back. He could do this. He could make her cry out for him.
Wordlessly, he wrapped his arm around her and opened the door, looking out to make sure that no one was in the corridor outside then hurrying her forward to her own cabin door. When they were inside, she turned, twisting the lock. The sharp snap seemed to echo through his senses.
‘I’m at your mercy now.’ Hugo could feel that his own body was ready for hers, and if it let him down, then he knew she’d be kind. Nell was always kind.
‘And I’m at yours...’ She began to undo the knot in the sash at her waist, leaving the last twist in place, as an obvious invitation for him to finish the job. Hugo stepped forward, taking her in his arms and pulling the sash open.
It seemed unlikely that Nell could be prey to the same madness that he was, but he felt it. Her whole body was trembling, moving against his. When he pulled the wrap from her shoulders, finding a narrow lace strap underneath, she let out a little gasp and he heard the same need as he felt.
Moonlight slanted across the bed. He wanted so badly to be a part of that moonlight, making love to her in its cool gleam. No sooner had the thought occurred to him than he felt Nell’s hand, bunched in his shirt, pulling him towards the bed.
His heartbeat seemed to ramp up, leaving him almost breathless. Suddenly she was still.
‘It’s okay, Hugo.’ She laid her hand on his chest. ‘It’s not going to let you down.’