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A lex was as excited as a young boy.

It was morning, and after some convincing… ahem … kissing, she finally agreed to join him on the cutter that Charles had arranged.

“I can’t believe you would take me on a boat after my near-drowning experience in this very ocean!”

Alex grinned at Sera. “It’s a big ocean.”

“The Atlantic… hmpf!” Her grip on the bench was so tight that the cutter could topple, and the ocean couldn’t pry her away.

The wind tugged at his shirt as he adjusted the mainsail, the cutter slicing through the waves with practiced ease.

Water stretched endlessly around them, and with Sera in the backdrop, he could scarcely take his eyes off her.

He leaned against the gunwale, the faint salt spray cooling his cheek as he turned to her with a wry smile. “Think of it, if you must, as your most agreeable abduction.”

Her eyes narrowed, the wind catching loose strands of her hair as she squared her shoulders. “Agreeable? How are you going to make it more agreeable than we did on land?”

His chuckle was low, an amused rumble beneath the rush of the waves. “Do you trust me to surprise you?”

Her lips parted, ready with another sharp retort, but the ocean breeze stole it away before she could speak. For a moment, neither spoke, the untamed vastness of the sea mirroring the uncertainty sparking between them.

“So, you planned to abduct me and then…” She drew circles in the air with one hand, then quickly fastened her grip.

Alex chuckled. “Only if you threaten to outwit me,” he replied, glancing at her again. Outwit my heart.

She sent him a hot look. “Abduction is a rather extreme method for dealing with your lack of confidence, don’t you think?”

He laughed outright. “Well, be that as it may, it is certainly the best way to regain your perspective about the ocean.”

“Don’t be so sure about that.”

“Seduce with a glance, confuse with a word, refuse with a smile—then watch as the game truly begins.” He grinned as he skilfully adjusted the rigging.

The boat tilted slightly, and the pristine white sails billowed gracefully, perfectly harnessing the wind’s pull.

“See, Sera, it’s all about feeling the rhythm of the boat,” Alex said with a grin as he leaned effortlessly into the motion.

“You move with it, letting your body flow instinctively.”

“Flow instinctively? It’s a test of my survival instincts!”

“You’re surviving quite admirably,” he said, his gaze flicking to her white-knuckled grip on the bench.

“Relax a bit, and you’ll get the hang of it,” he encouraged.

“Admire the beauty of the ocean. Or just the cutter if you prefer. After all, every inch of the vessel speaks of craftsmanship and power. A regal beast in a disguise of elegance.”

“Sure. Very regal.” Calling her tone unconvinced would mean that Alex had mastered the art of the English understatement.

His gaze caught her other hand lifting to press against her stomach, while her eyes darted between him and the horizon, her usually bright complexion several shades too pale.

“Are you well?” he asked, glancing at her between tying a knot and adjusting the mainsail.

The sea required his attention for the moment, though he couldn’t resist stealing a glance at the woman perched in his boat like an uncomfortable bird.

He itched to crouch before her and take her hands in his.

“Fine,” she said tightly, her eyes darting to the horizon. “Just… acclimating.”

“You look like you’re plotting my untimely demise,” Alex remarked, his lips twitching. Amidst the ebb and flow of the boat, he couldn’t help but admire her. Despite her unease, she remained resilient.

Sera released her grip just enough to shoot him a pointed look. “Perhaps I am. Just keep the boat from tipping. That won’t win you any favors.”

Alex leaned against the mast, finished with the knots. “I thought I’d already won your favor. Or was I mistaken?”

“Why do you look so utterly unrepentant asking that question?”

“Why are you blushing asking yours?” Her eyes widened, and her cheeks flushed, though whether from indignation or the wind’s kiss, he couldn’t tell.

“You’re too smart for a skipper or whatever term one uses for the crew,” she muttered, looking out at the waves with a touch of irritation and amusement.

“How about Captain?” he asked, his tone teasing.

“Too young.”

“But you have to admit, this is quite something, isn’t it?” He gestured expansively to the endless blue surrounding them.

Her gaze tilted toward the horizon, where the sun was beginning to rise. “I’ll admit… It is a bit breathtaking. As long as I don’t have to hold my breath underwater.”

Alex grinned. “Good. I wanted to share this view with you. Because it is the perspective from where I love to see the world.”

And you.

She blinked, her lips parting in surprise.

For a moment, she seemed at a loss for words, a rare occurrence that Alex drank in greedily.

But she quickly recovered. The sea breeze tangled through her hair, scattering dark strands across her cheek, and he couldn’t help but stare, transfixed by the way the sun gilded her skin.

He wanted to know her—truly—and that desire filled the air between them like a silent demand.

He wanted to understand her essence.

Circumstances seemed unimportant against the vastness of the sea, as he was flooded with a more fundamental need to know her deeply and completely.

“They say Proteus, the old sea god, could take on any shape to guard his secrets,” Alex mused, his gaze lingering on her.

“What form would you choose, if you could?” It was an unrefined question, one he hadn’t meant to ask, but when her gaze flicked to him—startled yet intrigued—he didn’t regret it.

Sera tilted her head, a slow, contemplative smile curling her lips. “A tigress,” she replied at last. “Then no one would dare tell me what to do.”

“And yet, even tigresses can be coaxed closer,” he said softly, a smirk playing against her playful defiance. “Though I suspect it takes a clever hand and an endless supply of patience.”

Her laugh carried over the waves, light yet edged. “And I suspect you think you’re clever enough to try?”

It wasn’t a question so much as a challenge, and Alex accepted it with a slight tilt of his head. He leaned lazily against the mast, though his eyes tracked her every movement like a hawk. “Perhaps. But fair’s fair, Sera. Your turn.”

Her eyebrow arched, but she didn’t hesitate. “If you weren’t bound to the sea, what life would you choose?”

Alex blinked, the question catching him off-guard, and in that moment, her smile deepened, as if she had scored a small victory.

Where to begin? Bran Castle was set aside for his oldest brother.

London didn’t hold the same allure for him as Stan.

The only calling he had at this moment were her lush pink lips.

And yet, she mustn’t know who he was—not until he was free to ask her what had become the inevitable question on his mind.

Not yet. “You ask as if the sea is all that binds me,” he countered, buying himself a moment.

The wind tugged at her skirts as she leaned casually against the gunwale. “Isn’t it?” she asked, her voice softer now, curious.

For a moment, all he could hear was the rush of water against the hull. “Almost,” he admitted. “But there’s something freeing in the chaos. No maps to follow, just the horizon ahead.” He paused, eyes gleaming. “What about you, Tigress? Would you choose the forest over a ballroom?”

“Without question,” she said quickly, and then, “Though there is a certain power in a well-played waltz.” Interesting. Odd, actually, for he hadn’t expected Sera to be familiar with the formality of ballrooms and waltzes.

“And a tiger paces just as gracefully as any lady,” he murmured, his tone charged, though the smile tugging at his lips betrayed him. “Come now, I believe it’s my turn.”

Sera’s chin tipped, almost daring him. “Ask away,” she said lightly, though the flicker of her lashes revealed a spark of anticipation.

“If you could grant one wish to anyone, who would you give it to—and what would it be?” His gaze held hers steady, curious but not prying, and he knew, somehow, that her answer would carry weight.

Her smile faded slightly as she glanced toward the horizon, quiet for a long moment.

The silence stretched, though he didn’t dare interrupt it, not when he saw flickers of something untold moving across her countenance.

Finally, she replied, “I would grant it to my younger self… a wish for freedom.”

His chest tightened unexpectedly at the soft honesty of her tone. “I find it hard to believe that you’ve lacked freedom here in Cornwall.”

She turned back to him, her mask of confidence slipping back into place.

“I have been free in some ways, but not in the way that matters. Not free to fight for what you wish to keep, even when it hurts.” Her eyes sparkled.

“But I don’t think we’re playing honestly.

That was two of my questions answered for one of yours. ”

Alex barked out a laugh, the tension easing as he took her obvious bait. “Caught me,” he admitted, responding to her light-heartedness with ease. “Then here’s a simpler one to even the score—what’s your least favorite word?”

She straightened, crossing her arms with theatrical solemnity as if preparing for a duel. “Obedience,” she said flatly, the word sharply emphasized.

His lips twitched as he tried to suppress a laugh. “Figures. I’ll have to remember never to say it within earshot.”

“Your turn,” Sera said quickly, fixing him with a pointed look. “Spill it—what’s your greatest flaw?”

Alex pretended to ponder, rubbing his jaw as if sorting through a laundry list. “I suspect my fatal flaw is this very habit of questioning bright, sharp-tongued women who seem to enjoy making me work for every inch of conversation.”

“Good.” Her grin widened. “A man ought to work for what he gets. Don’t you agree?”