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She scooted forward and dropped her feet off the edge of the bed and bent, reaching for her boots.
“No, you don’t need them.”
“What?”
He reached down and grabbed her hand, tugging her upright from the bed. “Come. Come now.”
Suspicion spiked her brow. This was where it happened. Where he tossed her overboard in the dead of the night so his crew wouldn’t question him on her disappearance.
He gave her a moment to get her shirt, jacket and skirt on, then grabbed her hand before she could fully clasp together the row of gold buttons up her middle.
Her feet slow behind him, she let him drag her onto the main deck. The deck was quiet, not a soul atop. The moon sent dips and shadows of light onto the wood.
Her finger pointed to the ship’s wheel above on the quarterdeck. “Shouldn’t someone be at the helm?”
Roe shrugged. “Without the wind, there’s not much to steer so I sent Fredrick to take a nap against the rear rail.”
He grabbed her hand and he pulled her along the main deck. The half-moon shone just enough light onto the wood planks so she didn’t stumble over the rope that was coiled in intervals along the deck.
Blinking the sleep out of her eyes, Torrie looked up at the back of his head, at his dark hair curled along the white of his shirt glowing in the moonlight. “What is this? The moon? I’ve seen the moon before, Roe. It’s pretty but not worth waking me up for.”
“No—no one is awake.” He looked over his shoulder at her. “Just us. And maybe Fredrick if he’s not asleep yet.”
“And?”
He stopped and turned to her, dropping her fingers as his hand swept outward along the deck. “And this is the most amount of open space on the ship. We have an hour before dawn. So this is your chance to walk—stretch your legs like they need to be stretched.”
Her head snapped back, her bare toes curling under her skirts. “No. I—I couldn’t.”
“Yet you can. I’ve seen you do it in the park. I’ve seen it once, I can see it again. It’s not at all an oddity. Not on this ship. But I gathered you wouldn’t do it in front of the men, so this is what I can offer. This hour, this clear deck—it’s yours.”
Her brow furrowed and her gaze tore away from him to sweep along the deck. There was a circular path cleared along the outer perimeter.
Her legswereunbearably tight.
She looked up at the sky. Half-moon. Stars still pinpoints in the darkness.
There was no telling when she would get another chance like this.
Without looking at him, she nodded and stepped away from him to the side by the railing. Heat burning the back of her neck, for she knew his eyes were fixed on her, she took her first long step forward with her right foot. She bent down far on her front leg, while stretching the back of her calf on her left leg.
Pain, then sweet relief as her skin started to loosen. The tendons along her heel stretched along the bone, pulling from her toes. She pushed up, taking her next deep step. Forward, she moved in the circle around the deck, and with each step she dipped deeper as her skin started to become more malleable.
Three times around the deck and she avoided looking at Roe each time she stepped past him. He had moved to the main mast in the center of the ship, leaning back against it, his arms loosely clasped across his ribcage. Bare feet for him, as usual.
She noticed him, even if she refused to look in his direction. Doing the awkward movements with her legs spread wide was fine as long as she pretended he wasn’t there. As long as she averted her eyes every time she rounded the starboard side and had to pass him. It felt too good on her legs to stop. The more rounds she did, the longer and deeper she could stretch her legs.
On her fourth pass, he cleared his throat, standing up straight.
Her look flickered to him before setting directly ahead.
“Mind if I join your stroll?”
Her gaze centered on him as she dipped into a step. “It’s not necessary.”
“I know. But it will pass the time. I don’t stand in one spot very well.”
She looked at him as she brought her rear leg up. “You don’t?”
