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“How is your knee?” she asked with concern. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t even think—”
“It’s fine.” He curled his hand around the nape of her neck. “Don’t worry.” Then he planted a soft kiss on her lips. Even six months ago such a question would have raised his hackles considerably—not that he had been engaging in such activities. Heavens no. But he most definitely hadn’t been able to stomach the thought of being seen as incapable by anyone. Now, though, now Henry saw himself much differently. Yes, he was not the same man he had once been in a number of ways that went far beyond the visible. But perhaps that wasn’t such a bad thing.
“I would tell you if it bothered me,” he said truthfully.
“Are you all right?” Georgiana had pulled on her robe and was holding a towel out to him. Henry was still standing stark naked before her.
He gave her a grin as he took the towel. “Never better.”
And that too was the truth.
Chapter Sixteen
Their encounter in the bathtub was followed by another longer interlude, this time in the bed. For though Henry maintained his knee was fine, his neckwasa bit sore. And Georgiana admitted that her own knees ached after pressing against the rather unforgiving tub bottom.
“Yes, I do believe beds are far superior for lovemaking,” Georgiana said drowsily while they lay in a tangle of limbs under the sheets.
“Noted.” Henry nuzzled the top of her head and pressed a kiss against her golden curls. She still smelled like that delicious bath oil. He would need to take some with him before they left.
What for?
The idea of returning to his small gray flat with the water spot and the shared bath sank through him like a stone. He did not want to go back there. Between his Monte Carlo winnings and the bill for this assignment, he could certainly afford to move into something nicer now. A place with a decent ceiling and its own bathroom—a tub, even! But while that would be very nice, it wasn’t enough.
For Georgiana still would not be there.
His shoulders immediately tensed, but Georgiana was too busy drawing lazy circles in his chest hair with the tip of her index finger to notice.
“You don’t have any tattoos. I thought all navy men did.”
Henry smiled against her hair. “Not the ones who have an aversion to needles. And unnecessary pain. Are you disappointed?”
She lifted her head. “Not at all! But I had wondered. Sylvia says Rafe has several.”
“My God. The two of you talk about such things?”
“Sometimes.” She shrugged. “Don’t you?”
“Absolutely not.” And especially not withRafe. Henry probably wouldn’t be able to sleep afterward. “Any other questions you’d like to ask?” He said it lightly, but he could see her hesitation. “Georgie, what is it?”
Her deep blue gaze flickered with uncertainty. “Who was that older man you were talking with in the casino?”
Here was his chance to change things between them. To take a new path. He hovered at the edge, puzzling out the various possibilities: lie to her, tell her part of the truth, or reveal all. But if he couldn’t be honest with her now, what would be gained by waiting? Henry took a deep breath and stepped off the ledge:
“Commodore Perry. He was my superior.”
“You didn’t look very happy to see him.”
Henry huffed a dry laugh. “I was not.”
Georgiana was silent, most likely mulling this information over. He knew what she would ask next, and God help him, he would answer as best he could.
“Does it have to do with Turkey?”
The tone of the question indicated that she already suspected something.
“I wasn’t there on leave, like the papers said,” he began. “That was just a story. The truth is that I worked for Naval Intelligence. And Commodore Perry wanted me to scout out a fortress outside Constantinople he suspected was being used to store illegal weaponry. It was a pet mission for him. Some personal rivalry with a Turkish general—I never did find out the particulars. So I asked for it to be postponed, as it seemed unnecessarily risky at the time. Our alliance with the Ottomans was already tenuous at best, and there wasn’t any immediate threat. Why do anything that could potentially jeopardize it just to find out whether or not this general was lying about how many cannons they had?”
“That sounds very reasonable,” Georgiana replied.
