and decided to put it all back into the sea. If you know what I mean.”
The woman’s eyes widened, and this time she coolly assessed Victoria, staring at her hat, which was rather plain with only a few ribbons and flowers, and trailing down her serviceable traveling outfit. When Tom had come for her earlier that morning, he’d told her the gown was too fancy for the trip but hadn’t made her change, since they’d been in such a hurry. She’d tried to explain that the lavender outfit was one of her oldest from last summer season. She was rather appalled to be wearing it and had only managed to don it by reminding herself that it was merely a disguise. Not one of her acquaintances would ever suspect that she would wear something so outmoded, and now Victoria prayed this older woman didn’t know enough about fashion to tell she was a fraud.
Tom squirmed against her hand, but she grasped it more firmly. “Yes, my darling has such a weak stomach. He can’t stand the smell of poached eggs. He goes green in the face every time our cook makes them.”
Tom suddenly jumped to his feet and tugged her up after him. He plastered on a false smile for the older woman. “Will you excuse us for a minute?” Without waiting for the woman to respond, Tom propelled Victoria toward the nearby window that he’d closed for her. Once they were a safe distance away from the couple, he hissed through his fake smile. “What do you think you’re doing?”
She smiled too brightly in return and whispered back. “I’m trying to pretend we’re married. Which is more than you’re doing.”
“Sailing? Yacht? Shrimp? Cook?” His eyes flashed with anger. “You might as well just tell her your father is the wealthiest man on the East coast.”
Her retort died. She supposed she had given too much away. “You’re right. I need to act poor.”
Tom’s smile grew more forced. “Just sit quietly.”
“She’s growing suspicious.” Victoria chanced a sideways glance at the woman, who was still staring at them. “She doesn’t think we’re married. She thinks you’re my hired help.”
He raised his brow. “I am the hired help.”
“But we still need to act our roles around other people.”
“Then let’s be a couple who’s been married for a while and doesn’t like each other anymore.”
“You did hear me tell her that we just got married, didn’t you?”
The strong lines in his jaw flexed, and he took a deep breath. Then before she knew what was happening, he pulled her into an embrace. Not just any embrace, but a full body hug, his arms wrapping around her and pressing her against his long torso.
“What are you doing?” She pushed away, but he held her tight.
“Acting,” he whispered. “Now hug me back.”
She didn’t waste any time arguing, not that she particularly wanted to. She slipped her arms around him and rested her head against his chest. For a man of his power and strength, he exuded a tenderness that was unexpected. Yesterday she’d been too frightened and upset to consider exactly how it felt to be in his arms. But today she was all too aware of his presence, his nearness, the pressure of his body against hers.
His hands were on her lower back. She was conscious of each finger touching her, as well as the hard contours of his back beneath her hands. The steady rhythm of his heartbeat echoed against her ear, and she caught the faint scent of bay rum from his aftershave lotion.
He moved his hands to her hips and shifted her away enough so that he could look into her face. Something in his eyes sparked a fire in her belly, and again she was sensitive to his fingers, almost as if they were brushing her bare skin instead of layers of skirt. Then he laid on her a grin so devastating that her body began to melt and her knees weakened, swaying her toward him.
Speechless, she allowed him to lead her back to the bench, where he sat next to her and draped his arm across her shoulders.
The older woman hadn’t taken her sights from them during the entire exchange, and now she watched, her eyes growing rounder by the second.
Under normal circumstances, Victoria might have smiled in amusement. But with Tom’s arm brushing the back of her neck, she couldn’t think of anything else, especially when his fingertips skimmed her shoulder. She wasn’t sure if he’d done it on