the wind lifting her and let her go with it.”
When she came, the tension wires of longing, grief, and anger binding her snapped, and in her release, she began to sob. He pulled her against him and let her cry until she finally stilled, overcome by a deeper exhaustion than she had ever experienced. Her mother’s revelations had hollowed her out and the sea had rushed in, rinsed every cell in her body, and poured its salt out through her eyes.
Liz got up and tucked the spread around her. “I always make one last safety check before I turn in,” he whispered.
“Good principle,” she said.
She was asleep before he returned.
As rosy light rimmed the curtains, Els rolled onto one elbow and watched Liz sleep. She kissed him awake and they made love again, taking their time, learning.
Afterward, she rested her sticky leg on his thigh. “Challenge you to a skinny dip.”
She rolled off the bunk and opened the curtains. The sun was still hiding behind the mountain, giving it a golden rim, and the sea was glassy. She let him chase her to the cockpit. Her dress hung limp from the mizzen in the still morning. Standing on the stern deck, she hesitated at the sight of the purple-mauve water. Liz came up behind her and held her shoulders, but she flashed a brave smile and executed a perfect dive. She sliced through darkening purple, righted herself, pawed toward the surface, and broke into the air.
Her breathing labored, she tread water and gasped out, “You coming or what, Captain?”
While he watched her with an expression of wonder, she stretched out on the surface and let the water spread her hair into a russet mane. He dove, his splash washing over her, and she inhaled some water, began to cough, and lost her float. He rested one hand under the small of her back, steadied her at the surface, and kissed her nipple. The clouds over the mountain turned from pink to white, and she closed her eyes and felt the first rays warm her lids.
Back on the boat, they wrapped themselves in Iguana’s terry robes and Liz made coffee and hummed as he squeezed local grapefruit. The spicy citrus scent filled the saloon, and the juice he handed her was thick with pulp and sweeter than anything she’d imagined such speckled and dented fruit could produce. Mallo had given her sweet orange juice, but since life had ripped away sweetness and replaced it with bittersweetness, she’d come to crave the taste of the limes, bitter oranges, and grapefruits that were the bounty of this land.
They foraged in the galley and took bread, cheese, and mango to the cockpit. Though her immersions in salt water had washed away the taint of smoke, they’d turned her cuts and scrapes lurid against her pale skin.
He ran his finger over them. “What dragon were you slaying last night?”
While she nibbled a slice of mango, she considered her reply. Too many dragons to choose from, and she wanted none of them crowding into the cockpit. The idea of arson and its implications made her shudder. Whatever the cause of the fire, she was in deeper than she’d thought. Liz caught her change in mood, moved closer, and took her hand. “We had a minor fire last night,” she said. “Some embers from the grill.”
He looked at her in alarm.
“Pinky took care of it. Just an expensive nuisance.”
“And that propelled you to beard me in my den in the wee hours?”
“It shook Mum into telling me what I’ve been dying to know,” she said. “It turns out near drownings have rerouted my life more than once.” She squeezed his hand. “But I can’t talk about all that until I’ve sorted it a bit.”
“Remember, I don’t ask unless I really want to know.”
“And so you shall.” She squinted up at her dress. “Would you haul that down, Captain?”
“I’d like to keep it,” he said. “My version of your flag.”
“If I walk home in this robe,” she said, “tongues will wag.”
He lowered the dress, slipped off her robe, and looked at her before easing the dress over her head and smoothing the smocking across her breasts. He pulled her close. “Will you give it back to me when I get home next week?” He kissed her earlobe. “And the girl in it?”
“With a bow?”
“Only if it’s easy to untie.” He licked the salt crystals off her shoulder and kissed her again.
She tasted the salt on his tongue and