softened. “You really believe all this, don’t you?”
“It’s true; I swear to you.” She had to make him understand. “I’m not lying. The Nereids are real.”
“You said these creatures need time to recover. Did raising the storm weaken them?”
“Yes,” she said, and begged forgiveness of the Goddess for the lie. If she told him a crocodile had fought to save them, he’d surely think she’d lost complete hold of her senses. She knew she wasn’t thinking logically, but she didn’t care.
“Well, we can’t leave now. The men have had no rest, and I cannot ask them to load everything back on again without risking their just wrath.”
“Tomorrow, then. We can leave tomorrow.”
“No.”
Imi could have wept.
“The day after. That’s when we’ll go—the men will have had some rest, we’ll make the small repairs, mend the sails. It won’t be as good as a proper careening, but it will be better than nothing. Will that do?”
“It will have to since you refuse to go now.” She’d meant to sound gracious, but it came out surly. Seleucus grinned.
“Strange these Nereids waited until you left Rome to attack you instead of trying to get you while you were there or when you were on your way in.” He raised his eyebrows at her, inviting a response.
Imi shrugged. He was clever. Very clever. She must never forget that.
“There’s no accounting for the will of spirit creatures,” she said, demurely.
“Nor of humans,” he agreed. She caught the twinkle in his eyes before he strode away. Imi took a deep breath, indulging herself with this most ephemeral of pleasures before the pirate’s scent was completely dispersed by the wind.
Later, after they’d eaten a supper of fresh baked fish, he took some rough linens from a chest that had been in his cabin and made a sleeping area for them apart from the others not far from where she’d seen the old woman.
“Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” he asked, his hand linked in hers.
“What are you thinking?”
“That I’d like few things better than a sea bath right now.”
“No more than a few things?” she teased.
“Actually only one,” he replied, pulling her into him. “And I think, if you are willing, I can have my honeycake and eat it, too.”
“Oh?” She pretended not to understand him, but his closeness, his words, had already lit the flame of desire in the pit of her stomach.
“Take off your clothes,” he said, his voice thickened with need. “I want you to bathe with me.”
“As you command.” But she wanted it, too. All day she had longed for this, for him.
In seconds they were naked and walking into the water. It was warmer than she’d expected, but her nipples tautened and goose pimples rose along her arms.
“Have you ever gone at night into the sea like this?” he asked. “With a lover?”
“No.”
Her answer pleased him. He still doubted she was a temple whore, but he couldn’t deny her sexual experience. Not after the way she’d pleasured him, so it pleased him to think that swimming naked below the stars was something new to her. If she left him at Ephesus, if he couldn’t hold on to her, at least she would remember this night and think of him.
“Come.” He drew her out of the shallows. “Can you swim?”
“Not well. But I can float.”
“Show me.”
Without a word she pushed herself back, allowing the water to cushion her like the softest of mattresses. Her breasts bobbed gently as her arms floated out from her side. Seleucus’s breath caught in his throat.
“Are you sure you’re not some spirit creature yourself?” he asked, his voice guttural, almost harsh.
She laughed and fiddled the water with her fingers. Floating had come naturally to her as a child, but the water had to be calm or she couldn’t do it.
“Why would I have let you capture me if I am?”
“Like you said, spirit creatures doubtless have their own reasons for doing things. As a mere mortal, I couldn’t hope
“It’s true; I swear to you.” She had to make him understand. “I’m not lying. The Nereids are real.”
“You said these creatures need time to recover. Did raising the storm weaken them?”
“Yes,” she said, and begged forgiveness of the Goddess for the lie. If she told him a crocodile had fought to save them, he’d surely think she’d lost complete hold of her senses. She knew she wasn’t thinking logically, but she didn’t care.
“Well, we can’t leave now. The men have had no rest, and I cannot ask them to load everything back on again without risking their just wrath.”
“Tomorrow, then. We can leave tomorrow.”
“No.”
Imi could have wept.
“The day after. That’s when we’ll go—the men will have had some rest, we’ll make the small repairs, mend the sails. It won’t be as good as a proper careening, but it will be better than nothing. Will that do?”
“It will have to since you refuse to go now.” She’d meant to sound gracious, but it came out surly. Seleucus grinned.
“Strange these Nereids waited until you left Rome to attack you instead of trying to get you while you were there or when you were on your way in.” He raised his eyebrows at her, inviting a response.
Imi shrugged. He was clever. Very clever. She must never forget that.
“There’s no accounting for the will of spirit creatures,” she said, demurely.
“Nor of humans,” he agreed. She caught the twinkle in his eyes before he strode away. Imi took a deep breath, indulging herself with this most ephemeral of pleasures before the pirate’s scent was completely dispersed by the wind.
Later, after they’d eaten a supper of fresh baked fish, he took some rough linens from a chest that had been in his cabin and made a sleeping area for them apart from the others not far from where she’d seen the old woman.
“Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” he asked, his hand linked in hers.
“What are you thinking?”
“That I’d like few things better than a sea bath right now.”
“No more than a few things?” she teased.
“Actually only one,” he replied, pulling her into him. “And I think, if you are willing, I can have my honeycake and eat it, too.”
“Oh?” She pretended not to understand him, but his closeness, his words, had already lit the flame of desire in the pit of her stomach.
“Take off your clothes,” he said, his voice thickened with need. “I want you to bathe with me.”
“As you command.” But she wanted it, too. All day she had longed for this, for him.
In seconds they were naked and walking into the water. It was warmer than she’d expected, but her nipples tautened and goose pimples rose along her arms.
“Have you ever gone at night into the sea like this?” he asked. “With a lover?”
“No.”
Her answer pleased him. He still doubted she was a temple whore, but he couldn’t deny her sexual experience. Not after the way she’d pleasured him, so it pleased him to think that swimming naked below the stars was something new to her. If she left him at Ephesus, if he couldn’t hold on to her, at least she would remember this night and think of him.
“Come.” He drew her out of the shallows. “Can you swim?”
“Not well. But I can float.”
“Show me.”
Without a word she pushed herself back, allowing the water to cushion her like the softest of mattresses. Her breasts bobbed gently as her arms floated out from her side. Seleucus’s breath caught in his throat.
“Are you sure you’re not some spirit creature yourself?” he asked, his voice guttural, almost harsh.
She laughed and fiddled the water with her fingers. Floating had come naturally to her as a child, but the water had to be calm or she couldn’t do it.
“Why would I have let you capture me if I am?”
“Like you said, spirit creatures doubtless have their own reasons for doing things. As a mere mortal, I couldn’t hope
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