“Sick again, love?”
Katerina—who had been perched on the edge of the bed in her shift and
bloomers, her head in both hands—flopped onto her back, groaning.
Christopher set the bottle and glasses on the table and joined his wife, shifting her so her cheek lay on his shoulder. She nuzzled into his neck.
“In planning this trip, it seems we forgot to take the possibility of seasickness
into account.”
“I suppose so,” she said in a thin, uncomfortable voice.
“Lie still, then. Doesn't that help?”
“It does.” Already, she sounded stronger. “As long as I'm prone, I feel
normal, but the second I get up…”
“Your belly begins churning?” he suggested.
He felt her nod against his body.
“What a shame there's nothing to be done about it.”
“How long to Livorno?” she asked.
“A few more days,” he replied. “We passed Gibraltar the day before
yesterday, and the winds are favorable.”
At the mention of wind, Katerina groaned and hid her face in his neck. A sensation of moist softness suggested her lips on his skin.
“Love?”
“Hmmm?” her voice vibrated against his throat.
“Did you kiss me?”
“Hmmmm,” she hummed again.
“I must say, your illness hasn't dimmed your ardor, has it?”
Katerina didn't respond. Confident at last that he treasured her passion, she touched her lips to him again, taking a flirtatious bite, one that might just leave a mark.
“Oho, is that how it's going to be?” he asked.
“Please?” she begged, leaning back to flirt with wide, brown eyes.
Who would have guessed her shattered heart could learn to trust at all, letalone so quickly? She's made such marvelous progress. It humbles me, Christopher thought as he tossed aside Katerina's undergarments to reveal her slender curves—now noticeably fuller as she had learned to care for herself.
“How beautiful you are, my darling,” he told her as he reclined beside her on
their bed, attempting yet another seduction. He had complete confidence in their
mutual success. “Look at this lovely face.” He reached for her slowly, and instead of recoiling from his hand, she leaned her cheek into it. His other arm slid beneath her, pulling her up against him. She leaned forward and boldly pressed her lips to his, kissing him tenderly and letting her tongue snake out to
taste his lips, then easing between.
Christopher let her explore, enjoying how comfortable she had become in
bed with him. She nibbled his lower lip and then pulled back, looking deeply into his eyes. He caressed the uneven skin on her back.
“Don't do that, love,” she said, grasping his hand and pinning it on her hip.
“Why not? I want to embrace you.” He slipped his hand from beneath hers
and headed for her back again.
“I'm not very nice back there,” she insisted. “This skin is much smoother.”
She guided him to her front, planting his wandering fingers squarely on her breast. “Hmmm,” she hummed as he caressed her nipples, “taste me here.”
Christopher allowed himself to be distracted by one of his favorite parts of her body, lowering his mouth and tugging one sweet peak and then the other.
Katerina squirmed and sighed as Christopher played with her breasts. He's so good at this. I still feel like a hussy, but how can I complain? She lay back, enjoying the surges of pleasure while running her hands up and down his arms,
