so.”
He boosted her to the railing of the crow’s nest, and she caught it, climbing over. “Made it!”
He let out a sigh of relief before he remembered they still hadn’t settled anything. He got up on the beam holding the mainsail and reached up to catch the railing on the crow’s nest. He pulled himself up and over, landing right next to her.
The sea breeze blew through her dark-brown hair, the sunset adding a touch of fire to her green eyes. He shook off the spell she was casting over him and crossed his arms. “You got me alone. What do you want?”
“I was trying for a grand gesture.” She sighed. “I’m screwing this all up. I can come back later if you’re not ready for this.”
“You’ll come back?” He raised a brow. “Are you expecting some kind of supernatural scandal to break in Savannah and you’ll be knocking at my door again?” He shook his head. “If yer worried we won’t help you, don’t be. I’ve moved on. As long as you’ve got the gold, we’ll steal whatever you need.”
The wind caught her hair, blowing it across her face, but even the fine veil of her silky hair couldn’t hide the shine of tears in her eyes. He wanted to be happy about it, to know she was hurting like he was, but seeing her in pain only added to the ache in his chest.
She tucked her hair behind her ear. “Then I’m too late.” She swallowed and lifted her gaze to meet his. “But I’m going to say what I came here to say anyway. I wanted to tell you back in Scotland, but I didn’t get the chance. Then I got to Washington, D.C., and I tried to focus on work, but nothing filled the hole in my heart. Even target practice was…boring.”
He frowned. “Why are you telling me this?”
“Because…” She wet her lips. “I’m trying to tell you…I’m in love with you.”
The protective wall he’d struggled so hard to build around his battered heart cracked. He ground his teeth, reminding himself how good she’d been at pretending to be his wife. “Yer in love with your job, not me.”
He leaned his forearms on the railing, watching the sunset. There was no way to put any distance between them up here, and it was taking every ounce of his strength to keep from touching her.
She settled on the railing next to him. “I envisioned all this going differently.”
He swallowed and chuckled, stealing a glance her way. “Did ye think I would see yer beautiful face and forget I told you I loved you and you didn’t feel the same way?” He expected a pang of bitterness, but it didn’t come. Just being near her again soothed the hurt. He shook his head, taming the swell of emotion. “Ye probably convinced yourself I’d take you in my arms and all would be forgiven.”
“Maybe.” Her lips curved into a wistful smile. “Sounds silly when you say it out loud like that.”
He blinked, his brow furrowing. Had she really been expecting that? Did she want him to touch her? He faced the horizon again. “Why are you really in Savannah?”
She bumped his shoulder with hers. “I couldn’t spend another minute in my empty apartment in D.C. The only face I wanted to see was yours.”
He frowned, digesting her words. “Long drive just to come down and stare at a pirate.”
She laughed, but it wasn’t full of joy. It bordered on a sob as she met his eyes again. “I asked Agent Bale to make me the new head of the field office in Savannah or I’d turn in my resignation. Sooo…” She looked up at the twilight sky—anywhere but his face. “I guess I’ll be around Savannah if you ever want to do some target practice or get a beer or something.”
His jaw went slack as he turned to face her. She’d moved here for…him? He cleared his throat, searching for his voice. “Did you think I’d just be here waiting for you?”
“No.” She shook her head. “But I couldn’t keep pretending I was the same person I was before I stepped onto the boat. I’m not.” She finally met his gaze. “I guess I have the rest of forever to try to earn your trust. I know I made you believe our relationship was only a cover for my work, but I was wrong. I’m through lying to you and to myself.”
“You were willing to lose your job.” He