“Don’t worry,” she says. “We all care about you, too. And your secret is safe with me.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
Sleep is hopeless in this heat.
Stassia was right, a heat wave was on its way, and I was not prepared for it. At least on deck there was a breeze off the water making the heat tolerable, but the captain’s quarters are hot and stifling, and I cannot relax.
Laying under the bedding is out of the question, so instead, I’m sprawled out on top, the sleep shirt sticking to my skin. Sweat dampens my scalp and my waves are wild as I toss them off of my neck. Staying still is impossible, and I’m constantly having to readjust my limbs, seeking a cool spot on the sheets.
Nothing is comfortable.
I roll onto my back and let out a frustrated sigh into the quiet dark before jolting to attention when the silence is interrupted.
“You’re going to rock the entire ship and wake the crew if you don’t stop tossing and turning,” Weston grumbles from his side of the bed.
“It’s too hot,” I groan. He hadn’t moved for a while, so I didn’t think he was awake, yet it wasn’t implausible that he was awake too. He must be suffering as much as me in this humid room.
“Maybe if you try not moving, you won’t be as hot,” he says.
“I tried that. Doesn’t work.”
He rolls onto his back and it’s then I notice he isn’t sleeping under the bedding either. The pants he normally wears to sleep are gone, replaced with some that are cut off at the knees. Otherwise, he’s unclothed, and it’s easy to see the sweat on his skin glistening in the moonlight.
He lets out a deep sigh. “I have an idea, but you don’t have to agree.”
“If this involves me taking my clothes off, that’s never going to happen.”
He chuckles. “Good to know, princess. But that wasn’t what I was going to suggest.”
“What then?” I ask.
He throws his feet over the side of the bed and stands before turning to face me. “I could teach you how to swim.”
“Now?” I say, sitting up.
He shrugs his shoulders. “What better time than when it’s too fucking hot to function?”
“I’m terrified of the water.”
“That’s the entire point,” he says. “If you learn how to swim, you won’t be scared anymore. There’s nothing to worry about. I’ll keep you safe, princess.”
My belly stirs and I blame the heat.
“But it’s dark. We won’t be able to see.”
He nods at the line of windows above the bed. “There’s a lot of moonlight tonight, and it’s not like we can do it during the day.”
I slide off the bed and bite my lip. Learning to swim is a skill I should have, especially living on a ship, but do I really want Weston teaching me? I’m sure Sig would, if I asked her, but he’s offering now. He already spent the day teaching me how to disarm someone, so what is another lesson?
And it’s so fucking hot.
All I can think about is cooling down, and that outweighs any negative arguments about being alone with him again so soon.
“Alright. What do I wear?”
He grabs a loose shirt and slides it over his head. “What you have on is fine.”
“But I sleep in this. And I need pants.”
