"Holly Lisle - Secret Texts 2 - Vengeance Of Dragons" - читать интересную книгу автора (Lisle Holly)

Hasmal. “Up you go, both of you,”one man said. “We have work to do down here.”

Kait nodded. “We’ve just finished.”

Hasmal met her eyes. “The rest of what we have to do willwait.”




Chapter 9
A hundred awkwardnesses, a thousandembarrassments: Kait carried her few belongings into the
tiny cabinshe would share with Ry, conscious of the stares of the crew, hismen, and her own
comrades, and stopped just at the door. Ry stoodbeside the bunk beds, the expression on his face
carefullyneutral.

“Don’t just stand there,” he said. “Bringyour things and come in.”

She nodded and took the extra step that carried her across thethreshold. The hatchway closed
behind her with a muffled thud— a sound that echoed the beating of her heart.

She looked around the cabin. Ry hadn’t been there long— the little room lacked his scent, and his
belongings wereall in his chest or a bag on the bottom bunk. “Where shall Iput my belongings?”

“You don’t have much, do you?”

“Not much.” She was still looking around the roombecause it was easier than looking at him.
Well-done woodwork, awashbasin built into the starboard wall with a pitcher beneath it,a tiny
skylight, the two narrow bunks one on top of the other (andshe was relieved that they were so
narrow — two peoplecouldn’t hope to sleep side by side in them with any comfort),a built-in
armoire, a tiny table hinged to the wall and stowed atthe moment, two small plank benches also
hinged to the wall on oneend, also stowed. The floor was clean and polished, the wallssmelled of
citrus and wax, the linens were clean and tucked neatlyinto place at the corners and smelled only
of soap and sunlight andfresh air.

“You can have the drawers beneath the bottom bunk.” Hemoved away from the bunks.

She didn’t want to step any closer to him, but shecouldn’t just stand there holding her bag until he
left. Soshe took a deep breath, walked over to the bunk bed, and knelt onthe floor. She gave the
drawer a tug and it slid out smoothly; shewas so tense she pulled it clear to the end of its run, and
onlythe fact that the carpenter who’d built it had included stopskept it from landing in her lap. He
was behind her, so close shecould feel the warmth of his body, so close his scent became adrug,
and her vision grayed at the edges and narrowed into a tunneland she could hear only the rushing
of her blood in her veins andthe quick, sharp pace of his breathing.

She stiffened her back, dreading his touch and half-expecting itat the same time. But he kept his
distance. She shoved the bag intothe drawer, not bothering to unpack it, shoved the door closed,
andmoved away as fast as she could.

Through the wall, she heard someone begin to pluck the stringsof a guitarra. “My cousin Karyl,”
Ry offered, noting hershift in posture as she listened to the music.