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‘Exactly. You’re learning.’ She squeezed him tighter. ‘And cuddling is easy and fun. So, what’s not to love?’
‘You’re right.’ He placed a long kiss on her temple. She leaned up and their lips met again. The urgency was quelled and they softly consummated each sublime second. Calum’s fingers slipped into her hair and he held her firm, only breaking apart to breathe. ‘I wonder what time it is.’ He rested his forehead on hers while his lungs caught up. ‘I’ve lost track of everything.’
‘We’ll be really late back.’ Rhona gently kissed his shoulder. ‘Maybe I should phone my parents.’
‘There won’t be reception here,’ Calum said. ‘Where did you tell them you were going?’
‘On a friend’s boat. They thought I meant Kirsten. I didn’t enlighten them.’
‘There’s a chance we might not get back tonight. It might be safer to wait it out and go back in the morning. If this is the tail end of that storm, it should blow out overnight.’
‘That sounds like an adventure. But how will I let my parents know?’
‘Do they need to know?’ He looped her hair round his finger again. ‘If they think you’re with Kirsten, won’t they assume you’re staying with her?’
‘They might. But they’d expect me to send some kind of message. If it gets late and I’m not back, they’ll worry.’
‘I can radio the coastguard and explain the situation. They might pass on a message.’
‘Isn’t that abusing the emergency services?’
‘I won’t call the emergency number, just the local one. I should log our position anyway and let them know we’re safe.’
Rhona let out a sigh. ‘Ok. Let’s do that.’
‘It means I’ll have to get out of bed.’ The corners of his lips turned down. ‘Sorry.’
She screwed up her face.
‘I don’t want to but it’s important.’
Her grip slackened and he clambered out. It wasn’t freezing but the air outside the bed was nowhere near as cosy as under the covers with Rhona. He ducked into the tiny bathroom and sorted himself out before searching the spare room for the warmest clothes he had with him.
Chilly blasts and stinging rain battered him as he climbed on deck to give the boat a quick check. Every sensation was sharpened after the heat of Rhona’s embrace. He shivered, pulling the collar of his Trespass jacket high.Just a brief interval.The boat rocked this way and that. He stumbled up to the cabin. His head was light, almost dizzy. He wasn’t just working with a Lamond now. Christ, he’d had sex with her. Damn good sex. Nothing like his usual cringy encounters.
He pulled out the radio.Focus.His pulse quickened as he waited for a connection. The local coastguards knew his dad. Ron was well known in nautical circles. What Calum was about to tell them might raise eyebrows, but this wasn’t a time for nonsense. He gritted his teeth as he puzzled out how to word it without it sounding too suspicious.
He recognised the voice as soon as the man spoke. Calum relayed their coordinates and explained the situation in brief.
‘I’ve got you on the tracker,’ the coastguard said. ‘And are you safe?’
‘Yes, we’re fine at the moment. We’re in a sheltered area and we’ve got enough supplies to keep us going for a couple of days if necessary.’
‘Great. But if anything changes, let us know immediately.’
‘Listen…’ He swallowed. ‘You couldn’t do a favour for me, could you?’
‘What’s that?’
‘Rhona Lamond is on the boat with me, she’s doing an archaeological trip.’ He cleared his throat. ‘We expected to be back this evening, so her parents won’t know where she is. You couldn’t get a message to Alister Lamond, could you? I have his number here.’
‘No worries, Calum. I’ll give him a call and let him know. And remember, if the situation changes, call us straight away.’
‘I will. Thanks.’
He signed off and stowed the radio, then slumped into the seat. That coastguard would know about the Matheson/ Lamond feud. He’d been the consummate professional but how could he let Rhona’s family know she was safe without saying who she was with?
Back below deck, Calum dropped onto the bed and ran his hand over his hair. ‘I’m sorry, I can’t guarantee he won’t say who you’re with.’
