Page 38 of One Bed for the Bluestocking
He led them around the edge of a rocky outcropping.Hidden within was a cave with two diamond-shaped openings.In truth, the inside of the cave was nothing impressive.It was damp, slimy, and foul-smelling.
But the contrast it presented when you looked out of the cave toward the brilliant white beach and crystalline sea was stunning.One could not have conceived a more perfect frame for the picturesque view.
Kit apparently agreed, because he gave a cry of delight.Heedless of the greenish-blackish slime sloshing over his boots, he rushed to the back of the cave and began searching for the perfect vantage point.
Nathaniel peered into the pools scattered around the cave’s floor, hoping there might be some crabs or other sea creatures he could observe.Finding nothing, he selected a rock near the back of the cave and settled in to enjoy the view.
After a quarter of an hour, he wandered across the cave to peer over Kit’s shoulder.He noted that, in addition to the general outline of the cave, Kit had scrawled a combination of numbers and words all over the sketch.“What are these notes?”Nat asked, pointing.
Kit’s pencil did not so much as pause as he answered.“The names of various pigments, and the percentages to use.I’ve spent enough time mixing colors to know which ones match what I’m seeing.This way, even if I don’t get around to adding the watercolors for another month, I’ll be fairly confident that I’ve accurately captured the scene, even if it is no longer perfectly fresh in my memory.”
“Clever.”Not that Nathaniel was surprised.Kit was the consummate professional.You would think that he’d been doing this sort of work for years, and that he had trained under an experienced naturalist.How was it possible that such an astonishing talent had come out of nowhere?
He supposed that rather than questioning it, he should be grateful that he was the one fortunate enough to discover the young man.
Eventually, Murdo came jogging into the cave to announce that he’d spotted Mr.MacGumbry on the horizon.They packed up their things and climbed into the rowboat.The surf had picked up, so this time, Nathaniel insisted upon manning the oars.
As they pulled away from the beach, he reflected that today had been an unequivocal success.Not only had he been able to spend the day observing an interesting group of animals, but he and Kit also showed every sign of working well in conjunction with one another.And more than that, there had been no sign of the awkwardness that had plagued them after the unfortunate incident this morning.It was a tremendous relief to know that they could put it behind them and focus on the scientific observations they were here to complete.
It would not happen again.Nathaniel was sure of it.
Chapter17
The dream was even more potent the second night Kate shared a bed with Nathaniel.
The events of the previous two days had somehow swirled together in her nocturnal imaginings, rendering Nathaniel shirtless, as he had been at the washbasin.But this time, he was shirtless on the beach, his arms rippling with muscles as he pulled at the oars.Then, he was grinning at her over his shoulder as he jogged down the beach, his warm brown skin glistening in the sunshine.
And then, alarmingly, they were lying together on the sand, his limbs tangled with hers.She ran her fingertips over every inch of his sun-warmed skin, which formed a tantalizing contrast with the cool waves lapping at her toes.They were bare, because in this dream, Kate wore nothing but a shift.Which would presumably indicate that dream-Nathaniel knew that dream-Kate was, in fact, a woman.But dream-Nathaniel didn’t seem to mind.He was holding her close, his big, warm hands encircling her waist.She threw a leg over his hip, and he groaned, low and aching, into her hair.Suddenly, he started pumping his hips against her, fast and urgent.Which felt… strange.But it was thebestsort of strange.Kate’s breath was coming in gasps.Her pulse was flying.She was afraid she might come apart, might shatter into a thousand shards.But, as much as she feared… whatever this was, this thing that was thundering toward her like wild horses… she longed for it in equal measure.“Nathaniel!”she gasped.
His body, which had been warm and pliant, turned to stone beneath her hands.“Kit?”he asked, his voice laced with panic.
Kit?Should it not have beenKate?After all, this was naught but a dream, and?—
She sat bolt upright in bed.Or at least, she attempted to.She didn’t make much progress on account of Nathaniel’s arms, which were wrapped tightly around her waist.
Suddenly, they weren’t.Wrapped around her waist, that was.Nathaniel sat up abruptly, eyes wide, and scooted back all the way against the wall, taking the blankets with him.
Disoriented by both the sudden turn of events and the sudden shift of the mattress, Kate swayed and went tumbling off the edge of the bed.
She managed to grab onto the bedpost, saving herself from any real harm.But her hips made an impressivethumpagainst the wooden floor.
“Kit!”Nathaniel cried, heedless of their sleeping neighbors.
“I’m all right!”she squeaked from her undignified position on the floor.
She was too embarrassed to look at him, but his voice was thick with frustration.“God, I’m so sorry.I…ugh.What iswrongwith me?I didn’t mean to… I’ve never… I…” He trailed off.For the first time Kate had witnessed, the eloquent academic was at a loss for words.
“It’s quite all right!I know you didn’t intend to, er…” She trailed off, clearing her throat.She was not entirely certain what it was that they had not intended to do.“I didn’t, either.”
“To be sure!”Nathaniel exclaimed.
Kate rose, grateful to find him facing the wall.She made a clumsy grab for her coat and yanked it around her shoulders.“We’ll just forget it ever happened.”Which was a bald-faced lie.Kate realized how ridiculous the words were as soon as they left her mouth because she was never going to forget the way Nathaniel Sterling had just made her feel, not even if she lived to be two hundred.
But, judging by the tremulous quality of his voice, her words meant something to Nathaniel.“That’s very good of you, Kit.You’re too kind.”
Kate cleared her throat.“Think nothing of it!”She grabbed her boots, which were positioned by the door.“I’ll see you at breakfast!”
She had closed the door behind her before he had a chance to answer.
