Page 71 of Nothing Compares to the Duke
“It’s the only way to feel the water on your toes.”
“We’ll be cold,” she said, rallying practical arguments. The sun had been out all day, but the breeze was brisk.
Rhys stared out at the horizon and imagined returning to the cozy cottage with her and getting warm. “There’s a fireplace in the cottage. We can use Radley’s letters as kindling.”
Laughter burst from her lips, genuine and terribly unladylike.
Rhys smiled proudly. Letting go of her rules and control didn’t come easily, but he liked it whenever she tried.
“Who goes first?”
“You’re the expert in frivolity,” she quipped.
“Very well.” He strode toward a rocky outcropping near the beach’s edge and sat on one of the sandy rocks. After toeing off his boots, he bent to roll off his socks and patted the stretch of stone beside him, beckoning her to join him.
Bella let out a little gasp when she sat down. The stones had been warmed by the sun but they were still cold against one’s backside. She bent to unlace her boots at the same moment Rhys leaned forward to roll up his pant legs.
Their arms brushed, then their gazes met. Or rather she looked over at him. He found himself focused entirely on her legs. She’d lifted her dress to get at her boots and the sight of her ankles and calves wrapped in delicate white stockings made his throat dry.
“May I help you?” God how he wanted to.
“I’ve been removing my boots on my own for years,” Bella told him as she tugged at her laces.
He forced himself to stop staring, but out of the corner of his eye he caught her examining him as she had at the cottage. Her gaze flickering to his arms, his thighs, his bare feet.
“I suppose you could help.” She sat up, kept her skirt raised, and waited for him.
Rhys knelt in front of her and tugged at her laces. She bit her lip when he slipped his fingers inside to slide each boot off. The flowers embroidered at the edge of her ankle marched in a line along the outside of her leg, and he traced them with his fingertips up and up until Bella stopped him by placing her hands on his.
Rather than push him away as he expected, she lifted the bunched fabric of her skirt and let him slide his fingers higher. He licked his lips and wished he was tasting all the soft warm skin he was exploring with his hands but couldn’t see. At the top edge of her stocking, he stilled, stroking her thigh, savoring her heat and softness.
“Take them off,” she whispered.
Rhys’s body responded as if she’d just asked him to remove the last stitch of clothing on her body. He wanted to, and he wanted her to ask him exactly the way she was now. Her mouth slightly open in anticipation and wonder, her breath coming quick.
He rolled one stocking down, taking his time, dragging his fingertips gently along her leg. Then he did the same with the other. By the time her feet were bare, both of them were drawing in sharp breaths and he was hard and aching and wished they were back at the cottage.
“Will it be very cold?” She stood up from the rock and looked out at the waves lapping at the beach.
“Let’s find out.” He strode toward the shore and she followed at his side.
Before they could reach the water’s edge, a low wave built and rushed up to meet them.
“It’s freezing,” Bella said on a gasp that turned into a giggle.
“Arctic.” Rhys jolted at the icy cold rush of seawater against his ankles. Whose bloody idea had this been?
Bella let out a yelp and he turned a worried look her way, only to discover it was a shout of joy.
A few feet away from him she splashed along the water’s edge, kicking the seawater high enough to dampen the skirt of her dress, though she held the fabric bunched up above her knees.
This part of the beach was protected by a natural embankment and so they had this little slice of the English seashore all to themselves.
Rhys braced himself and waded a bit deeper into the water, as Bella had. He felt the current tugging at his ankles. “Take care with the waves.”
She squealed and burst into laughter when a low wave built higher. “It’s invigorating.”
“Yes.” Of course he wasn’t talking about the icy seawater but about Bella. Her joy and delight were infectious.
