Loving Sarah by Sandy Raven

fetch the cat,” he said before he noticed her captivating state of undress. “Ah, bolt the door until I return.” He quickly shut the door before any other curious eyes came to see what the fuss was over. Ian didn’t want anyone else seeing her dressed, or rather undressed, as she was.
    Finding the ship’s resident rodent exterminator curled up on the table in the galley, he lifted her and carried her back to his cabin. He pounded on the door again, and when she threw the bolt, he entered, making sure to close the door behind him.
    “Here is Mouser.” He set the cat down on the floor and petted her head. “She can sleep in here if the mice are a problem for you.”
    “Mice?” Sarah squeaked. “You mean there might be more than one?”
    “I’d venture to guess that there are quite a few on board,” he replied. Do not look at her , he told himself. Not any part of her. Don’t look at her bare feet and shapely calves. And most especially do not lift your eyes to that span of bare flesh just above those lovely knees. To do so would be his undoing. He’d lose any restraint he still had.
    “How can that be? You’d think out here on the water that they’d have a hard time getting aboard, having to swim and all. I didn’t think mice could swim.”
    “They don’t necessarily swim out to the boat and climb the hull. When we load cargo, they’ll sometimes be hiding in the boxes. They also run along the mooring lines when we’re docked. They’re just a fact of life everyone has to deal with. Even out here.”
    As he said that, his gaze wandered, totally against his will, up those twin alabaster legs he was sure led to heaven. They were bare from midway down her thighs to her dainty little toes. She had fine, shapely legs, too. Knees, calves, ankles and feet, were all delicate, feminine and curvy. She was temptation incarnate. And every bit of her was perfectly proportioned for passion.
    God help him, he wanted her.
    Lucky would kill him. After, of course, her brother the duke killed him first.
    He had to leave. Now. Or the increasing bulge in his trousers would give away his lust for her. If he acted on said lust, he’d be twice dead.
    That would be very dead , he reminded himself as his feet still did not move. He couldn’t seem to tear his eyes away from her slender form peeking at him through the worn material.
    A groan rippled through him, and their eyes met, as the cat pounced on a moving creature in the corner behind him. It was enough to break the spell. “I’ll leave you two to figure out the rodent situation.” He reached for the brass handle. “Bolt this door,” he said. Then almost as an afterthought, he added, “And whatever you do, do not open it for anyone.” After she closed the door, he whispered, “Including me.”
     
    W hen Ian was gone again, Sarah reflected on what had just occurred. Earlier in the day, she’d wondered if there might be a connection between them, but now there was no doubt. He felt it just as she did. As she had from the moment they’d met the night before. Truth be told, she’d thought the year prior that he was handsome enough, but the past year had changed him in build and appearance. He’d grown more rugged-looking from an extra year of working outdoors. His dark blond hair was streaked with sun-kissed strands, and when he raked it with a nervous hand, it sent an odd sensation coursing through her innermost parts. Almost as though she were the one touching his hair, not he. She could imagine the feel of its texture and curl as the separate strands wove through her fingers. But she could not know this, as she’d never touched him in such an intimate manner. So, how could her body react in this way?
    Now she was in a fine predicament. She had to spend the next several weeks in his company. How was she going to comport herself, knowing her attraction was likely reciprocated?
    She certainly had not planned to have him catch her so scantily clad. The mouse did