He grinned at her.
'But I am exactly those things, sweetheart,' he said. 'I just happen to have had an interesting childhood and to have got myself hopelessly entangled in a pile of nonsense before I left here. It has caught up to me now, it seems, and must be dealt with once and for all. But this is a minor hiccup in my frivolous life.'
'I wish I could believe you,' she said, sitting up and hugging her knees.
And he wished Prue had not suggested to him that Freyja was lonely. He wanted to think of her as strong and independent and contemptuous of all lesser mortals. Yet she had lost the man she had grown up to marry, and she had lost the man she had loved passionately. No, he had not really wanted to get to know Freyja Bedwyn any more than she had wanted to know him.
Their light flirtation in Bath had been so very enjoyable.
He grinned at her, and she continued to look haughtily back at him. But the usual light, flirtatious antagonism was no longer there between them. Something subtle had changed. He thought desperately of a way to lighten the atmosphere. But she foiled him by lifting one hand and setting her fingertips feather-light against his cheek. For a moment he had the absurd feeling that there was not enough air in the hollow to be drawn into his lungs. He lifted his hand to take hers, and turned his head to kiss her palm.
'Are you sure you do not want me to invite anyone else to join us on this island excursion?' he asked her.
'I am sure,' she said. 'No one else.'
Lord! He was fit to explode. Much more of this and he would dive off the cliff to cool himself in the sea-except that the tide was out.
The devil of it was, Joshua thought as she leaned forward and set her lips against his, that he could no longer remember why their betrothal was fake, why they were going to have to end it sooner or later. There was a reason, was there not? Something about his not being ready to settle down? Something about her loving someone else?
But his thought processes were made sluggish by the fact that they were embracing. Somehow he was lying on his back and she was half lying on top of him. They were kissing each other, not with wild passion, or even with lusty hunger, but with soft, almost lazy kisses that seemed far more dangerous to Joshua. He was holding her face cupped in both hands. Her hands were in his hair, her fingertips lightly stroking his head. Both of them had their eyes open.
Lord!
A passionate Freyja was a keg of powder exploding. A tender Freyja was far more deadly.
'Mmm,' he said against her lips. 'My memories of this hollow will forever be changed.'
How long they would have continued to exchange soft kisses he did not know. Someone was clearing his throat above them.
'Lovely view, Morg, would you not agree?' Alleyne asked. 'Though I would advise you to look outward rather than downward. You may get vertigo.'
'I would advise you to find another lookout point,' Joshua said as Freyja sat up and Morgan laughed. 'This one is taken.'
'Tut, tut,' Alleyne said. 'Such a gracious host. We are not wanted, Morg. But Davy has caught a sheep, I see, and is attempting to ride it. I had better go to the rescue.'
'Of Davy or the sheep?' Morgan asked.
They disappeared.
'That excursion is going to be very dangerous, you know,' Joshua said, lacing his fingers behind his head while Freyja pushed her hair back from her face and tucked it behind her ears before clasping her knees again.
'I know,' she said.
'But you are not afraid?'
'No,' she said. 'Are you?'
'Mortally.' He chuckled, though he was deadly serious. 'I may not be able to keep my hands off you, sweetheart.'
The sun came out behind her head as she turned it to look down at him, and converted the untamed waves of her hair to a golden halo all about her face. She looked strangely and suddenly beautiful to him.
'Perhaps I will not be able to keep mine off you,' she said, looking steadily down at him.
The hollow felt airless again.
'It should be an interesting day,' he said.
'Yes.'
God help them, he thought, now what were they getting themselves into? Deep waters, no doubt, in more ways than one.
There had to be a reason why they were not going to marry. They had both been so adamant about it.
What the devil was the reason? He might be able to save himself if he could remember it.
'When I say my prayers tonight,' he said, 'I will offer one up for no rain.'
He grinned at her.
CHAPTER XIX
F reyja prayed for rain or-better yet-snow. Then she caught herself playing coward and petitioned the divine weather-maker for cloudless sunshine and midsummer temperatures instead.
Some time very early-it was not even light-she tossed back the bedcovers, crossed her room to the window, and looked out. There was not a cloud in the sky-which did not mean, of course, that it was going to be a lovely day. Often a bright start gave way to clouds and rain later. And a sunny day at this time of year often came with
