time she tried to lie down, the edges simply closed over her as if she were a fish caught inside a net.
“Here, let me sit beside you and hold it open.”
Sean sat. That was a mistake. He so outweighed her that she tumbled into his waiting arms as if it had all been planned.
“Whoa!”
They were both snarled in the swinging net.
“I’m sorry,” she said, trying to separate herself by twisting in Sean’s arms. But the more they struggled, the more entangled they became. Sean’s fingers inadvertently found Carolina’s ticklish spot. She jerked and began to laugh. It was as if her earlier dream of swinging in a hammock with a lover had come true. Sean was silent for a moment; then, as she began tickling him back, his laughter joined hers.
“All right, already,” she heard him say. “You’ve got me at your mercy. What is this, death by tickling?”
“You started it.”
Hands touched, legs grazed. The hammock turned, finally dumping them unceremoniously to the deck, his strong body landing first, cushioning the blow as she landed on top.
“Are you all right?” he asked from his position beneath her, his smile quickly replaced by a scowl.
“I think so. You don’t have to be ashamed of having fun. You have a nice laugh, Sean Rogan. I don’t think you laugh much.”
There was a breathlessness in her voice.
“I don’t have much to laugh about.”
“But of course you do. You have this wonderful boat, and the freedom to live any way you choose, to be—to be here. You can’t know what that means.”
Freedom was important to her. He didn’t yet know why, but he could understand. And she was right—the boat
was
important, not because it was his, but because it had been wounded and he’d given it life again. There was something wounded about Carolina Evans too.
“You’re here too,” he said, his eyes searching for something that he couldn’t name.
“Yes, I am. What happened to your face?” She couldn’t stop her fingertips from tracing the scar that ran from his hairline to his eyebrow and to the corner of his frowning eyes.
“I slipped through a hole on deck and caught a splinter as I fell.”
“Did it hurt?”
“Like hell.”
“You curse a lot, don’t you?”
“I guess you’re not used to hearing such language from the men you know.”
“No, the men I know are more … refined, they’d say. I’d call it more controlled. They don’t allow their emotions to show quite so strongly as you do.”
“What makes you think I let my emotions show?”
She allowed a playful smile to part her lips. He could see her small pink tongue and white teeth.
“Don’t you?” she asked, and gave a wiggle to her body, the body that was pressing against the part of his anatomy that continued to defy his control. “I’d say your emotions are very strong, and very obvious.”
With a growl, he came to his feet, bringing her with him. “Stop it, witch, or you’re liable to find out how strong I really am.”
“I think, Captain Rogan, that I might like discovering the extent of your strength.”
He held her arms, pushing her away as he took a deep, calming breath. “No, Carolina. And you’d do well not to tempt me. You don’t even know me. I’m not what you think. I“m not some safe haven in the storm. I hurt people; that’s why I prefer inanimate objects that don’t resist my control.”
“ ‘Hurt people’? I think you’re the one who’s been hurt. Now you’re a recluse, Rogan, a rough, quiet man who avoids people. But you’re not violent. Ida, the woman at the inn, told me how kind you are, how you contribute money to the town, how much they depend on you.”
“I’m just buying my privacy. That’s self-defense, not kindness. I can’t imagine why Ida told you anything. She knows better.” His moment of lightness was gone. “Let’s eat, before the stew burns.” He deftly turned her around and pushed her toward the galley.
Carolina didn’t think she was hungry,
“Here, let me sit beside you and hold it open.”
Sean sat. That was a mistake. He so outweighed her that she tumbled into his waiting arms as if it had all been planned.
“Whoa!”
They were both snarled in the swinging net.
“I’m sorry,” she said, trying to separate herself by twisting in Sean’s arms. But the more they struggled, the more entangled they became. Sean’s fingers inadvertently found Carolina’s ticklish spot. She jerked and began to laugh. It was as if her earlier dream of swinging in a hammock with a lover had come true. Sean was silent for a moment; then, as she began tickling him back, his laughter joined hers.
“All right, already,” she heard him say. “You’ve got me at your mercy. What is this, death by tickling?”
“You started it.”
Hands touched, legs grazed. The hammock turned, finally dumping them unceremoniously to the deck, his strong body landing first, cushioning the blow as she landed on top.
“Are you all right?” he asked from his position beneath her, his smile quickly replaced by a scowl.
“I think so. You don’t have to be ashamed of having fun. You have a nice laugh, Sean Rogan. I don’t think you laugh much.”
There was a breathlessness in her voice.
“I don’t have much to laugh about.”
“But of course you do. You have this wonderful boat, and the freedom to live any way you choose, to be—to be here. You can’t know what that means.”
Freedom was important to her. He didn’t yet know why, but he could understand. And she was right—the boat
was
important, not because it was his, but because it had been wounded and he’d given it life again. There was something wounded about Carolina Evans too.
“You’re here too,” he said, his eyes searching for something that he couldn’t name.
“Yes, I am. What happened to your face?” She couldn’t stop her fingertips from tracing the scar that ran from his hairline to his eyebrow and to the corner of his frowning eyes.
“I slipped through a hole on deck and caught a splinter as I fell.”
“Did it hurt?”
“Like hell.”
“You curse a lot, don’t you?”
“I guess you’re not used to hearing such language from the men you know.”
“No, the men I know are more … refined, they’d say. I’d call it more controlled. They don’t allow their emotions to show quite so strongly as you do.”
“What makes you think I let my emotions show?”
She allowed a playful smile to part her lips. He could see her small pink tongue and white teeth.
“Don’t you?” she asked, and gave a wiggle to her body, the body that was pressing against the part of his anatomy that continued to defy his control. “I’d say your emotions are very strong, and very obvious.”
With a growl, he came to his feet, bringing her with him. “Stop it, witch, or you’re liable to find out how strong I really am.”
“I think, Captain Rogan, that I might like discovering the extent of your strength.”
He held her arms, pushing her away as he took a deep, calming breath. “No, Carolina. And you’d do well not to tempt me. You don’t even know me. I’m not what you think. I“m not some safe haven in the storm. I hurt people; that’s why I prefer inanimate objects that don’t resist my control.”
“ ‘Hurt people’? I think you’re the one who’s been hurt. Now you’re a recluse, Rogan, a rough, quiet man who avoids people. But you’re not violent. Ida, the woman at the inn, told me how kind you are, how you contribute money to the town, how much they depend on you.”
“I’m just buying my privacy. That’s self-defense, not kindness. I can’t imagine why Ida told you anything. She knows better.” His moment of lightness was gone. “Let’s eat, before the stew burns.” He deftly turned her around and pushed her toward the galley.
Carolina didn’t think she was hungry,
Similar Books
