Time for Love (16 page)

Then his mouth covered hers and swallowed her gasp as he found that private part of her she would have sworn was too sore to be aroused so soon after last night. To her surprise, his skilled fingers brought her quickly to an explosive climax, which left her pleasantly drained and relaxed.

“Oh my.” She breathed, and then laughed at the smug expression on Nicholas’s face. “Proud of yourself, hmm?”

He laughed in response. “Yes,” he said and lathered her hair.

As he gently massaged her scalp, her mind drifted in and out of focus. “Do you think anyone will notice that I’ve taken a bath?” she asked, wondering what people might think and not caring in the least.

He snorted and picked up a bucket of clean water from the floor beside him.

She missed his response as water cascaded past her ears. “What did you say?”

“I said I doubt anyone will care that you’re clean. They’ll be too busy wondering how they never realized you’re a woman.”

She tensed as she realized what he was saying. “How will they find out?”

“I think they will figure it out when you move into my cabin and stop working with them,” he said, amusement evident in his tone.

“And what makes you think I plan to do either of those things?” She tried to keep the anger out of her voice as she asked the question.

His hands stilled on her shoulders, and she turned to look him in the eye. It probably never even occurred to him she’d be anything but thrilled at the idea. He wanted her at his beck and call. No point in taking her feelings into account.

“Of course you will move in here.” He smiled and patted her shoulder. “Don’t worry about how the crew will act once they know about us. They would never question me or mistreat my mistress. And they won’t think any less of you; they know I’m pretty hard to resist.” He gave her a cheeky grin. “Besides, you will barely have a chance to see them. With fair winds, we will arrive in London within the week. I plan to monopolize all of your time from now until then. Once we arrive, I will find a nice place for you to live, and I can begin showering you with the beautiful gowns, rich furs, and expensive jewelry I long to see you in.”

She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. How dare he plan her future without talking to her, as if she was bought and paid for with no say in the matter. Were all nineteenth century men so domineering, or was she just lucky?

“Oh, so I’m your mistress now, am I? Or should we just say whore? Get your hands off me you pompous ass. It’s like dealing with a dinosaur!”

She pushed his hands off her shoulders and tried to stand. Unfortunately, rather than her vision of a dramatic, graceful exit reminiscent of a naked Venus rising from the surf, her right foot landed on the bar of soap at the bottom of the tub, and she lost her balance, falling backward with a large splash and hitting her hip and elbow in the process. She let out a loud yelp and cradled her aching arm gently while rocking back and forth.

“Are you hurt?” He reached for her, but she flinched away.

She winced when her movement pushed her bruised hip into the side of the tub. “I’m fine,” she snapped. “Hand me a towel, please,” she gritted out between clenched teeth.

He handed her the towel and grabbed her arm to help her safely out of the tub, where she dried herself with rough, jerky motions while he watched.

“What is a dinosaur?” he asked finally.

She stopped in the midst of wrapping herself in the towel. “You’re joking, right?” When he simply continued to look at her without responding, she finished covering herself and set to work drying her hair with a second towel. “You know—Great big lizards, roamed the earth millions of years ago, extinct…” She trailed off.

Had dinosaurs been discovered yet?
She couldn’t remember, but judging from the confused look on his face, apparently not. “Well, don’t worry about it. Just trust me when I say it was not complimentary. You’re behaving like a jack-ass. You do know what they are, right?” She turned away to look for her clothes.

He grabbed her arm and swung her around to face him. She quailed at the look on his face but refused to be intimidated and glared back at him.

“What exactly did you expect would happen after we made love? Did you expect I would just walk away and not speak to you again?”

He abruptly dropped her arm, walked away, and then whirled back to face her once there was a little distance between them. She could tell it was taking quite an effort for him to keep control of his temper.

“You cannot judge all men by that scoundrel you once knew. I would never treat you that way.”

He wrenched the door open, pausing to look back at her. “We will discuss this, but I do not have the time now. Be back here tonight. And I warn you, I do not tolerate disobedience on my ship.”

He walked out, slamming the door behind him.

****

Alex shivered in her damp towel for a few moments before sinking into the nearest chair, burying her face in her hands and crying. She struggled to keep her sobs quiet so none of the crew would hear her distress.

It took a while before she was able to pull herself together, drying her tears on the towel. As she pulled on her clothes, she went over and over the morning in her mind and didn’t understand what had come over her.

Why did he affect her this way? Her reaction had been completely over the top. His assumption that their lovemaking would lead to something wasn’t unreasonable. In fact, wasn’t it nice that he would want to continue to be with her? Weren’t her friends always complaining that men ran the minute sex ended? Granted, she wasn’t thrilled with the word
mistress
, but then again, casual dating wasn’t exactly the norm at this point in time.

Dating! What was she thinking? She wouldn’t be dating this man. Dating implied a future, and they had none. She didn’t belong in this time, and he sure as hell didn’t belong in hers. They would arrive in London in a few days, and they would part. He would take up his new title and responsibilities, and she would find her sister and return home. She’d already arranged to accompany Evelyn to her house. As luck would have it, her mother worked for a family with ties to Alex’s ancestors, the Creswells.

Her plans for their arrival in London were set. Probably why she was so upset and had acted so insane. When Nicholas started to detail his plans for setting her up as his mistress, she was only slightly insulted. The idea didn’t appeal to her because she was too independent to be taken care of in that manner, but he didn’t mean it as an insult, and she didn’t really see it that way. But speaking of the future brought it home to her that they had none.

So why was she so upset at the idea of parting from him so soon? After all, they’d known each other less than a month. It’s not as if they were in love or something ridiculous like that.

Her stomach plummeted.
Oh no. Love.
She was in love with Nicholas. How had this happened? When had it happened? This was a disaster. Once they arrived in London, they would never see each other again.

Why hadn’t she seen this coming? She’d been in love once. She should have recognized the signs. But no, she was completely blindsided. Nothing had prepared her for this.

She shook herself and used the damp towel to dry her hair. It didn’t matter how it happened. The important question was—what was she going to do?

She should just cut herself off from him and try to minimize the damage. But could she do it? She wouldn’t be able to avoid him.
The Reliant
was his ship after all. He was in complete control here. She’d have to make him want to leave her alone.

Her hands stilled, and she dropped the towel on a chair. Or, she could just enjoy the little time they had left. She would be devastated when they parted whether it was today, tomorrow, or next week. They could at least create a few memories for her to cherish when she returned home.

Yeah, that’s what she would do. No need to suffer more than necessary. She would just avoid discussions of the future and not promise anything. When they arrived in London, she would certainly be able to slip away in all the confusion of their arrival.

She tied back her hair and wiped her face once more to dry her tears. She straightened her shoulders, lifted her chin, and then left the cabin to begin the day.

****

Nicholas stormed out of his cabin and went straight above deck. A long look at the endless ocean usually worked to calm him whenever he was upset, but this time it did nothing to ease his aggravation.

That woman was going to drive him insane! They spend an incredible night together, and then she acts offended when he speaks of a more permanent arrangement. In all his experience with women, he had never experienced a problem such as this.

His life at sea precluded keeping a long-term mistress, but there were several women, in both America and England, whom he visited regularly whenever he was in port. He paid them handsomely, and everyone benefited from their arrangement. Any one of them would have been thrilled with the proposal he had just made.

Proposal. Was that it? She could not possibly have expected a marriage proposal, could she? She wasn’t some simpering little society miss on the market for a husband. She acted completely uninterested in any relationship with a man, let alone marriage. And while Evelyn was convinced Alex was a lady, there was no real evidence. The few glimpses he had of her past would indicate otherwise.

No, that could not be the problem, but he was at a loss to understand her anger. She had such strange ideas. No telling what she was thinking.

He had to admit he didn’t know much about her, and this bothered him tremendously.

He tensed as someone approached from behind, hoping she had followed him to apologize and beg his forgiveness, but knowing that was wishful thinking. The step was too heavy and the looming shadow too large. He glanced angrily behind him, saw Grayson approaching, and turned back to the railing, unsure whether he wished to speak with anyone.

Grayson grabbed hold of his shoulder and swung him around to face him. “What did you do to her?”

“What are you talking about?” Nicholas replied, although he knew the answer well enough.

“I just saw Turner, and she’s obviously been crying.” Grayson looked angrier than Nicholas had ever seen him.

“We had a disagreement.”

“A disagreement? Hah! You seduced her, didn’t you? I cannot believe you would do such a thing. And I just sat back and allowed it to happen. I had my suspicions, but I didn’t care to believe it of you.” Grayson shook his head and paced the deck, speaking in a low voice, so only Nicholas could hear. “I was an idiot. I should have protected her, but I didn’t want to think I needed to protect her from you. So what are you going to do now?”

Nicholas flinched at the scorn lacing his best friend’s question. “I don’t know.” He must have sounded as forlorn as he felt, because Grayson stopped pacing and took a sharp look at Nicholas’s face.

“She wasn’t just some conquest, was she? You actually care about her.” Grayson sounded amazed.

“Yes. I believe so. But I am at a loss to figure out how to handle the situation in which I find myself.”

“Sounds like we need a plan. Let’s go.” Grayson grabbed his arm and dragged him back to his cabin. They passed the galley on the way and grabbed a bottle of scotch. A good plan could always use the help of good scotch.

Chapter Fourteen

April 23 (36 Days Remaining)

Alex went about her duties in a daze, heartbroken and embarrassed. She wasn’t sure how she was going to face Nicholas that night.

Could she just blow off discussions of the future or would he insist on finalizing everything? He wasn’t the kind of man to let things go, but she didn’t want to lie to him any more than necessary. She really hoped she could get him to drop the subject.

These thoughts occupied her throughout the day, but she pushed them aside when Evelyn joined her at the rail in the late afternoon. She couldn’t bring herself to discuss her love life with a fourteen-year-old girl, even if she was the closest thing she had to a friend in this time.

“Are you all right?” Evelyn asked quietly.

“I’m fine,” she replied in surprise. “Why? Don’t I look okay?”

“To be honest, you look a little pale and not quite yourself.”

“I guess I’m just a little preoccupied. Don’t worry about it. I’ll be fine.” To distract her, Alex asked, “Are you sure no one will mind if I come with you when we arrive?”

When Alex had mentioned the Creswell name, Evelyn had jumped in delight. She knew the family well, if only from the distance of servant to employer.

Alex had said the Creswells were distant relations whom she’d never met. Evelyn had understood her reluctance to show up on their doorstep unannounced and had suggested they travel to Evelyn’s home together before deciding how she should approach the Creswells, if at all.

“It will be fine. My mother will love you, and the Thorpes are a wonderful family. They’re much nicer than most peers. They won’t mind if you spend a few days there until you find a place to stay. Besides, mother will find you a place in the servants’ quarters, so they may not even notice you, if that is your wish.”

“That would be great. I—”

Evelyn continued chatting, not noticing Alex had started to speak. “The Thorpes are very well connected. They know everyone and are on intimate terms with Lord and Lady Downing. Their sons are close friends. If you wish, I am sure they could arrange an introduction. They have always been so kind to my mother and me…”

Alex smiled at her, barely listening as she rambled on. Evelyn obviously adored this Thorpe family and couldn’t seem to sing their praises highly enough.

When Evelyn stopped to take a breath, Alex asked, “Why did you ever leave?”

Evelyn’s smile faded, and she glanced out at sea for so long, Alex thought she might not answer.

“It’s rather a long story. Suffice it to say, it felt as though the time had come for me to set out on my own. I managed to secure a position with Miss Elizabeth.” She paused and a tear came to her eye. “She was a lovely girl. I was happy with her for a while, until she married that scoundrel. He swept her off her feet. She was so in love and happy, but the moment they were married and he had her money…” Tears ran silently down her cheeks.