“You’vegot a nasty habit of getting lost in time,” he said.
I grabbed atHenry’s black leather collar and pulled his face to mine, takinghis warm mouth. My lips brushed against his as I spoke, “I knewyou’d find me.”
“Ofcourse,” he replied and kissed me again. “I would have found a wayto drain the oceans if it meant finding you.”
Exhausted, Idipped my head and pressed it against his chest. He cradled me inhis arms and we lay in comfortable silence until a knock sounded atthe door. Henry carefully removed me from his body and stood towalk over and open it. It was Lottie.
“Here’sthe water Dianna wanted,” I heard her say. “And I brought somefood.”
“Thankyou. The table’s fine,” Henry replied and let her in.
I craned myneck and watched her walk over to the table and set down a largetray with a steaming basin and a smaller tray on top. How the womancarried such heavy and awkward things, I’ll never know.
“Thanks,Lottie,” I told her.
“It’s noproblem,” she smiled and made her way back to the door, peeringover her shoulder before she left. “I’ll speak with you later?”
Of course,she’d be itching to ask me all about what had happened. But Isimply couldn’t. Not yet. And I was thankful she seemed to getthat. I nodded. “Definitely.”
When shewas gone, I peeled myself from the bed and began to remove myclothes. Three of my five fingers on one hand were definitely sprained. I could movethem, but not without a bolt of pain shooting through my hand.Henry saw me struggle and immediately had his hands onme.
“Here,let me help you,” he said and slipped my coat off. Then my boots.His eyes squeezed at the sight of my feet. “Christ, this kills meto see.”
“It looksfar worse than it is,” I lied. “I just need a goodwash.”
Without anotherword, Henry chucked off his black leather coat and rolled up hissleeves before he began removing the rest of my clothing. Everylast soiled garment, until I stood there, completely naked. Ablanket was thrown over one of the chairs and he guided me to sitdown. Ever so gently, he took my beaten feet and placed them in anempty wash basin before filling it with fresh, warm water. Thesensation of relief anchored me in the chair and I closed my eyesas I tipped my head back.
“Oh, God,you have no idea how good that feels,” I told him. “Thankyou.”
Slowly,he poured more water down my dirty legs and then dipped a cloth inthe basin, wringing it out on my knees and gently scrubbing thegrime from my skin. He peered up at me from the floor wherehe knelt and smiledas he continued to work.
“No thankyou is needed, Dianna. It’s the very least I can doafter what Idid.”
“What youdid?”
Henryinhaled deeply through his nose and never faltered from his task.“I’m responsible for losing you. I’m the reason you went overboard.If I hadn’t… if we hadn’t had that fight, you would have beendown belowdecks.Safe. With me.”
I sat upstraight and leaned forward, pushing my fingers through his silkyblonde hair and moving it from his saddened face. “Henry, look atme.” I tipped his chin upward and his eyes begged for myforgiveness. “It was not your fault. Do you hear me?” He wouldn’trespond. I gripped his chin harder. “Do you hear me?”
Reluctantly, henodded. “I do. But it doesn’t erase the guilt I carry, Dianna.”With a shrug, he continued cleaning my skin. “Part of me wasterrified to find you for fear that you’d leave me. That youwouldn’t want me anymore. I know that’s a selfish thing to think,but it’s the truth.”
I grabbed theman before me and pulled him to my naked body. “It’s not selfish. Ihave those same fears.” He leaned away and gazed up at mecuriously. “Before… everything. You had retreated so far into yourown mind about what happened on Kelly’s Island that I thought I waslosing you. I worried every day that you’d leave me the second ourfeet touched English soil.”
Henrystretched, so our faces met. “Nothing could make me leave you,Dianna. Nothing. I’m underyour spell and the only thing that would break it is your word. Ifyou wished me to leave, I would. If that was truly what youwanted.”
I kissed himdesperately. “I will never want that. I belong to you.”
I felt hismouth smile happily against mine. “And I belong to you, TimeTraveler.”
He stood then,helping me to do the same. My feet remained in the basin as hiseyes hungrily raked over my naked form, delighting in the show. Iwatched him scoop up a pitcher of warm water and closed my eyes ashe slowly poured it down over my head.
The warm waterwas like a comforting blanket, washing away my pain. Rinsing thesorrow from my skin. I moaned in delight as Henry used the cloth towipe all over, paying delicate attention to my tender areas, andholding my gaze when his hand dipped between my legs. It was themost intimate thing I’d ever done with another human being and Ifelt even closer to the man than ever before. As if that were evenpossible. But it was.
One more pourof hot water over my head and I was done. It felt freeing to haveclean water soaking through my long, matted curls and I stepped outof the wash basin a different person. A stronger person.
He leanedback, taking in the sight of me and clucking his tongue. “Glorious.I’ve yet to see your pregnant body like this. In this lighting.In its entirety.” Isaw his eyes raking me over and circle around my curvedbelly.
I turnedsideways to him and smiled as I glanced down. “I think I’m finallystarting to show, and not just look like I ate too much.”
Henry beganunbuttoning his white shirt, eyes on me the whole time. My heartskipped a beat when he swiftly removed the garment over his head,revealing a tall, broad, and muscled chest. My fingers twitched,wanting to touch
