across the water, her lips parted, her eyes wide with awe.
“All right,” I say under my breath. “That’s long enough.”
Amalia resists for a moment, but then she shakes her head as if clearing it. Together, we step back into the daylight.
She turns to me, blinking. “It’s…”
“Beautiful?”
Still awed, she nods. “I tried not to study them too closely, but I felt as though I couldn’t look away.”
“The first time is the hardest.”
“Thank you,” she says softly.
“Do you trust yourself to keep your eyes closed?”
She glances back at the night, drawing her bottom lip between her teeth. “To be honest, I don’t know.”
I nod toward Lewis, asking him to bring me a blindfold. He immediately complies, and I turn back to Amalia, raising my brows in question.
She studies the dark fabric with a frown, perhaps wondering why Lewis carries such a thing—a good question indeed.
After a long moment, she nods.
“Brush your hair back,” I say as I step close, my voice low and gruffer than I would like. “I don’t want to accidentally catch it.”
Her fawn-colored eyes meet mine for half a second before she does as I ask, pushing her long, loose hair behind her ears.
Satisfied, I reach around her to tie the fabric. Her breath is against my neck, warm and soft. It’s distracting, and I fumble with the ties.
The simple task ends up taking far longer than it should, especially when I can feel my men’s hard gazes at my back.
“How’s that?” I ask, stepping back.
“Dark.” She licks her lips, and there’s nothing to keep my eyes from following the movement.
My mind returns to the heated moment we shared on the stairs back at the manor in Saulette. I didn’t kiss her when the clerk declared us husband and wife. I didn’t want to steal that from her, not when there are so many secrets between us.
But I wish I had.
“I trust you,” she adds.
I swallow. “All right.”
Lewis steps up next to us, impatient. “If you are done, can we go?”
I flash him a look, silently reminding him who I am. He holds up his hands in mock apology and steps back.
“Are you ready?” I ask Amalia.
“No…” She smiles. “But let’s go anyway.”
31
I’m not sure what’s more terrifying—the sea and its hypnotic stars or this artificial darkness.
Rhys takes me securely by the shoulders, directing me down the dock. He guides me forward exactly fifty-seven steps—I know because I’m counting—and then tugs me to a stop. “I’m going to pick you up so you won’t have to attempt to step in blind. Is that all right?”
“Yes?” The answer comes out as a nervous question.
I stand as still as a statue, a little too eager. A soft gasp slips past my lips when Rhys wraps one arm around my back and his other behind my knees. I allow myself to be scooped up and loop my arms around the knight’s neck to hold myself steady—all the while, reveling in the sensation of being pressed close to him.
It’s sadly temporary.
Too soon, Rhys steps into the rowboat. Our weight causes it to sway under us. Disoriented, I tighten my grasp around the knight’s neck, silently cursing the wretched blindfold. Once he finds his balance, Rhys places me upon a flat wooden seat.
He then sits next to me and takes my hand, letting me know he’s close. The boat continues to sway as more of the men board. No one speaks, and the silence is disconcerting.
“Are we all here?” I ask Rhys under my breath.
“Yes,” he answers softly, leaning close to whisper the words next to my ear. “Us, the captain, and a few of his men. The boat holds twelve. Most of the crew is already aboard the ship, and the rest will come after us.”
It’s not a romantic move, but despite our surroundings, the feel of his warm breath tickling my skin sends a delicious shiver down my spine.
Embarrassed by my reaction, I simply nod, though I’m not sure how well he can see me in the sea stars’ dim light.
Several minutes later, one of the men pushes us away from the dock, sending the boat rocking. Shortly after, the movement morphs to the rhythmic rowing of the oars.
A sudden breeze blows over the quiet waters. It lifts my hair and caresses the back of my neck with an icy touch.
The sea is winter cold, a sharp contrast to the warming morning beyond the shore.
I shiver and shift closer to Rhys, thankful he told me to wear my cloak before we left