Page 29 of A Scandal In July
Lenore didn’t wait to her Rhys’s reply. She lifted her skirts and leapt over their tangled legs and raced onward.
The pale stone pillars of the temple came into view between the trees and she quickened her pace, fearful that Harriet would be right behind her.
She’d just reached the lowest of the curved steps that ringed the base of the circular temple when a dripping and shirtless Gryff Davies emerged from behind a pillar with a whoop of triumph.
“No!” she gasped, her chest heaving with exertion.
Gryff waved the little blue flag down at her. “Give Rhys my thanks for taking care of Morgan.”
With a grin, he trotted down the steps and plunged back into the trees.
Rhys arrived just then, panting as he reached her side. His cheeks were flushed, and his hair was a tangled mess, but her heart gave a traitorous little flutter all the same. She liked him all mussed and disreputable.
“What’s the matter?” he demanded. “Why have you stopped?”
“Gryff got here first.” She pointed to the incriminating wet puddle in the middle of the temple.
Rhys bent over and braced his hands on his knees, trying to catch his breath.
“Bugger and arse. That was well played of him.”
The words were more stoic than angry, and when he straightened back up his eyes were glinting with good humor. He clearly didn’t bear either Morgan or Gryff a grudge.
“Gryff beat both of us to it!” he called back to Morgan, who offered a muffled curse of his own through the trees.
Lenore heard a murmur of commiseration from Harriet, and then the rustle of undergrowth as the other couple started back to their boat.
Rhys, however, seemed in no particular hurry to leave. He leaned against the nearest column, and Lenore’s tummy fluttered at the sight he made.
She ascended a step to they were almost eye to eye and reached out towards him. He stilled, his eyes darkening in surprise, but she merely pulled a stray leaf from his hair.
“You had a leaf,” she muttered.
She’d stepped close to him, close enough to see the flecks in his dark eyes and the way his pupils expanded at her nearness. His gaze flashed down to her lips as if he was remembering them against his own, and she leaned forward even more, hoping he’d take the hint and close the distance between them, but he cleared his throat and pushed off the pillar, breaking the spell.
Her spirits plummeted. He didn’t want to kiss her again.
What had she done wrong?
“I think that was the last flag,” He glanced up at the sky, where the sun’s low position indicated the lateness of the afternoon. “We should probably head back to Newstead Park and find out who’s won.”
Lenore hid her disappointment with a wide smile. “Yes. Of course.”
They walked side by side back downhill, with Lenore’s thoughts a jumbled whirl, but Gryff’s outraged gasp snapped her from her introspection.
“They’ve stolen our oars!”
They both squinted out across the water, to where Morgan and Harriet were making a rapid escape. Harriet lifted one of the purloined oars above her head and sent them a cheeky salute.
“All’s fair in love and war!”
Rhys’s growl of irritation did funny things to Lenore’s insides.
“Bloody brilliant. We’re stranded.”
Chapter Fourteen
“Iwish I could say this is a new experience,” Lenore said lightly, determined not to appear downcast at being stuck with a man who’d obviously changed his mind about her. “But I’ve been stuck on an island before. That one was quite a bit bigger than this one, of course. More tropical, too.”