what I read.”
“Or you don’t want to believe it. Is it your grandfather’s handwriting?”
Patience nodded.
“Are you finished?”
“No, I just started. I’m just so tired.”
“Of course. Let me take you to bed.”
She looked up at him in confusion, and her eyes filled. Did he mean what she thought he meant? No. But his lips were so close. So close she could feel his hot breath against her face. And she felt so warm in his arms. So safe. So protected. She didn’t have the strength to struggle. She had no fight left. She simply couldn’t move. She felt as if she were enveloped in a fog. And he was calling out to her.
****
“Patience,” he murmured softly. He placed a gentle kiss on her lips. It wasn’t right to take advantage when she was so vulnerable. He couldn’t disguise the fact that he wanted her, which made no sense, because he had just met her.
But he felt like he belonged here, with her. He was drawn to her with a yearning that was physical. And even though he hardly knew her, he wanted to protect her. He tried to lead her down the hall, but she wouldn’t or couldn’t move.
She was practically asleep on her feet. He lifted her up and carried her into her bedroom, where he looked around. It belonged to a fairytale princess, floral chintz fabric on the windows for an English Country look and a soothing color scheme of lavenders, the palest blues, and yellows. Fresh, fragrant island flowers were everywhere. He had a flashback of a woman who might have been his mother, although he barely remembered her. Her room had smelled like this, like spring.
Nathaniel pulled back the crisp blue-striped duvet cover and placed Patience on the cool white satin sheets beneath it. Her clothes were constricting her. To make her more comfortable, he took off her bunny slippers and placed them on the floor. Then he removed her skirt, slipped her T-shirt over her head, and folded both neatly on the settee at the foot of the bed. He thought about removing her bra but resisted the temptation. Tucking her snugly under the cover, he placed a kiss on her forehead, and she stirred. He thought he detected a touch of fever.
“Patience. You’ll sleep now.”
“You can’t stay here,” she pleaded, nodding off.
“Sssh,” he said. “We’ll talk about that when you wake up. I’ll be close by.”
Her lids fluttered shut and she grasped for his hand.
“Don’t leave me alone.”
“I won’t,” he answered.
Nathaniel sat down on the side of the bed and held her hand until she fell asleep. She was a wreck. She had probably not slept and had hardly eaten for the entire week.
Then she’d worked so hard helping him douse the flames on the Fair Winds . She needed complete bed rest. They would talk about other things when she woke. Soon he heard her rapid breathing as she slipped into slumber.
Once, in the middle of the night, she cried out. Nathaniel shot out of his bed in the guest room down the hall and rushed into her room.
She was sobbing, so he slipped under the covers with her, gathered her in his arms, and soothed her, smoothing her hair and rubbing her back, fighting the growing urge to kiss her.
“I’m here, Patience. I’m here.”
Soon she was resting calmly. He stayed in the bed briefly—to be near her in case she needed him, he told himself.
He apologized to her, although he knew she couldn’t hear him, as he repeated a line from her grandfather’s diary: “I fear I have unleashed the evil, and we cannot turn back from this path.”
Chapter 6
Nathaniel woke early and went into the kitchen to fix breakfast. He was greeted by stainless steel appliances and hanging pots and pans, much like a ship’s galley. The polished Blue Pearl granite countertops and modern European sail-white cabinets trimmed in satin nickel hardware reinforced the nautical theme, enhanced by dazzling views of a restless ocean beyond the large windows.
The kitchen was well equipped and the refrigerator and pantry
“Or you don’t want to believe it. Is it your grandfather’s handwriting?”
Patience nodded.
“Are you finished?”
“No, I just started. I’m just so tired.”
“Of course. Let me take you to bed.”
She looked up at him in confusion, and her eyes filled. Did he mean what she thought he meant? No. But his lips were so close. So close she could feel his hot breath against her face. And she felt so warm in his arms. So safe. So protected. She didn’t have the strength to struggle. She had no fight left. She simply couldn’t move. She felt as if she were enveloped in a fog. And he was calling out to her.
****
“Patience,” he murmured softly. He placed a gentle kiss on her lips. It wasn’t right to take advantage when she was so vulnerable. He couldn’t disguise the fact that he wanted her, which made no sense, because he had just met her.
But he felt like he belonged here, with her. He was drawn to her with a yearning that was physical. And even though he hardly knew her, he wanted to protect her. He tried to lead her down the hall, but she wouldn’t or couldn’t move.
She was practically asleep on her feet. He lifted her up and carried her into her bedroom, where he looked around. It belonged to a fairytale princess, floral chintz fabric on the windows for an English Country look and a soothing color scheme of lavenders, the palest blues, and yellows. Fresh, fragrant island flowers were everywhere. He had a flashback of a woman who might have been his mother, although he barely remembered her. Her room had smelled like this, like spring.
Nathaniel pulled back the crisp blue-striped duvet cover and placed Patience on the cool white satin sheets beneath it. Her clothes were constricting her. To make her more comfortable, he took off her bunny slippers and placed them on the floor. Then he removed her skirt, slipped her T-shirt over her head, and folded both neatly on the settee at the foot of the bed. He thought about removing her bra but resisted the temptation. Tucking her snugly under the cover, he placed a kiss on her forehead, and she stirred. He thought he detected a touch of fever.
“Patience. You’ll sleep now.”
“You can’t stay here,” she pleaded, nodding off.
“Sssh,” he said. “We’ll talk about that when you wake up. I’ll be close by.”
Her lids fluttered shut and she grasped for his hand.
“Don’t leave me alone.”
“I won’t,” he answered.
Nathaniel sat down on the side of the bed and held her hand until she fell asleep. She was a wreck. She had probably not slept and had hardly eaten for the entire week.
Then she’d worked so hard helping him douse the flames on the Fair Winds . She needed complete bed rest. They would talk about other things when she woke. Soon he heard her rapid breathing as she slipped into slumber.
Once, in the middle of the night, she cried out. Nathaniel shot out of his bed in the guest room down the hall and rushed into her room.
She was sobbing, so he slipped under the covers with her, gathered her in his arms, and soothed her, smoothing her hair and rubbing her back, fighting the growing urge to kiss her.
“I’m here, Patience. I’m here.”
Soon she was resting calmly. He stayed in the bed briefly—to be near her in case she needed him, he told himself.
He apologized to her, although he knew she couldn’t hear him, as he repeated a line from her grandfather’s diary: “I fear I have unleashed the evil, and we cannot turn back from this path.”
Chapter 6
Nathaniel woke early and went into the kitchen to fix breakfast. He was greeted by stainless steel appliances and hanging pots and pans, much like a ship’s galley. The polished Blue Pearl granite countertops and modern European sail-white cabinets trimmed in satin nickel hardware reinforced the nautical theme, enhanced by dazzling views of a restless ocean beyond the large windows.
The kitchen was well equipped and the refrigerator and pantry
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