"Probably just wants to get close enough to her to steal her purse."

Sparrow laughed. "Opal would cut off the rest of his fingers, believe me."

"Did I tell you how beautiful you look tonight?"

"Yes," she gazed at him through her lashes, "but you can tell me again."

He kissed her hair. "You're beautiful."

"Eh, Lock!" Janos called over his shoulder. "It's a sailor's sky tonight, ain't it?"

The group looked at the stars and moon gleaming brightly in the clear sky.

"I'd say so." Lock took Sparrow's hand as they walked.

"What do you mean, a sailor's sky?" Opal asked.

"No storm in sight. Perfect for navigatin'," Janos explained.

Lock smiled slightly. "Imagine being at sea right now. Cool, salty breeze. The ship rocking like a cradle. What a night to stare at the waves."

Sparrow felt a twinge of apprehension. "You miss the sea."

"I miss the sea, but it's not forever. I'll have enough for a ship soon, and-"

"A ship!" Janos eyes widened. "You're going back to pirating? And you had me buying all that rubbish about honest livin'. I knew you didn't really turn in to a woman, Lock the White!"

Lock gently smacked the back of Janos's head. "What do you mean a woman? I'm not going back to pirating, and neither are you. It's going to be a ship for fishing and trade."

"Ah s.h.i.t," Janos muttered. "At least it'll be a ship. And if it ain't a pirate ship, I guess you won't be cuttin' off any more of me fingers." Janos turned his big, green eyes to Opal. "He cut off me pinky finger, you know."

"So I heard."

"Ain't that brutal?"

"Yes, it is." Opal shot Lock a disgusted look then turned the same face to Janos. "But don't expect too much sympathy. He could have killed you for stealing, and you still haven't learned your lesson, even after losing a finger."

Janos whistled and turned to Lock and Sparrow. "She's a rough woman, ain't she?"

"I think you should stay at our camp tonight," Opal suggested to Lock, "especially since all your belongings have been stolen. You can have a good meal, share our fire. The others would like to meet you."

"We've met, remember?"

"Yes, but that wasn't a social visit. You practically tore apart our camp looking for Sparrow."

"I hardly call that tearing apart a camp," Lock said. "I just looked around a little."

"You looked under the beds in our caravans."

He shrugged. "She could have been there. Who knew you'd have her dressed like a fat, wrinkled old man?"

"Sea Storm knew me." Sparrow patted the stallion's flank.

"I should have paid more attention to him." Lock tickled her, and she playfully slapped his hands away. "Thanks for the offer, but Janos and I will be fine at our own camp."

"Speak for yourself," the boy snorted. "If I can get a good meal and better company than you, I'm takin' it."

"Meal? You haven't stopped eating since we got to the tavern."

"I wish you'd stay." Sparrow looked up at Lock.

"You do?"

She nodded and slipped her hand into his.

"If you want to be a stubborn fool, go ahead," Janos stated. "I'm spendin' the night with them."

"Then I guess I'll have to stay to keep you out of trouble."

"Me? Trouble?"

At the top of the next hill, the gypsy camp was visible below. The caravans and wagons stood in a semi-circle. Several fires burned, a few people seated by the flames.

"Almost everyone is in bed," Sparrow said.

"Sounds good to me." Opal yawned. "After a snack."

"I'm for that," Janos said.

"That's a surprise," Opal glanced at the boy. "Come on. I'll see what's left over from supper."

"Opal, would you take the horse with you? I want to show Lock the river."

Janos winked at Lock. "I'll take Sea Storm, so all you'll have to worry about is looking at the river."

"That boy is almost more trouble than he's worth," Lock muttered, watching Opal, Janos, and the horses hurry toward the camp.

"You like him very much, don't you?" Sparrow tugged him toward the next hill.

"He has potential but hasn't had much of a chance."

"I think you're feeling guilty about cutting off his finger."

"I am not. If Rino had been Captain, the boy would have been shark food."

"So you did him a favor by maiming him?"

"Can't you let anything go, girl?"

"Then why did you help him, if not out of guilt?"

Lock shrugged. The truth was, Janos reminded him a little of himself as a boy. No guidance, no one who gave a d.a.m.n about him. Maybe if someone had showed him a different way of life, he wouldn't have grown into the sort of man who thought it was acceptable to lop off people's appendages.

"So what did you want to show me at the river?"

"Just follow me."

The field was well lit until they reached the woods. Moonlight even shone through the trees, allowing them to pick their way down a path. As they walked, Lock enjoyed the sensation of Sparrow's small hand in his, the sound of her voice when she spoke, and the simple feeling that they were truly together again. Since he'd found her, she hadn't once looked at him with the hatred he'd seen on the ship, and for that he was grateful to whatever power ruled the universe.

Ahead Lock saw a clearing in the moss-covered trees. A cascade emptied into a basin that ran into a small brook.

"Isn't it pretty?" She slipped off her cloak, sandals, and vest. Her arms covering her bare b.r.e.a.s.t.s, she cast him a coquettish look over her shoulder before stepping beneath the cascade.

Lock watched her for a moment. Her eyes closed, her face upturned to the dark water pouring from the overhanging rocks, she reminded him of a water sprite spoken of in eastern legends.

Sparrow had changed since they'd parted. She seemed more free somehow, as if a part of her had bloomed and he was lucky enough to experience the full beauty of the flower. Still, he knew part of her didn't trust him, and she had trusted him once. She wasn't as innocent as when they'd first met, and he knew he was responsible.

"Are you coming in?" she called. Her long, fawn-colored hair hung in wet tendrils over her shoulders and down her back, pieces clinging to her firm, full b.r.e.a.s.t.s.

Lock removed his clothes and stepped into the water. It felt cool but refreshing against his skin. Though it wasn't the ocean, even such a small cascade filled him with excitement. The only thing he loved more than the water was Sparrow.

He tugged her close and kissed her, water gushing over their heads. Her arms slid around him; her soft b.r.e.a.s.t.s pressed against his chest.

"The gypsies will be moving on sometime next week," Sparrow said.

"Are you going with them?"

"Yes."

"Then it looks like I'll be going with you."

"You still plan on following me?" She opened her eyes, blinking through the pouring water.

"I'm going to follow you until you either tell me to go or consent to marry me."

"I know you want to go back to sea."

"I want you." He took her face in his hands and kissed her again. "I'd rather spend the rest of my life in a desert as long as you're beside me than spend another moment at sea without you."

"I want to believe you, Lock." She rested her cheek against his chest. Her palms splayed against his back, her fingers gripping muscle.

"I know I lied to you. I know I hurt you and I wish I could take back what I did. I wish I could change so many parts of my life, but I can't. All I have is the present and the future. I want to share them with you."

"I just need some time, Lock."

"You'll be well worth the wait."

When they finished swimming, they walked back to camp. Almost everyone was asleep. Sparrow took two blankets from the caravan she shared with Opal while Lock rekindled one of the fires outside. They lay on the blankets, Sparrow snug in his arms.

"This is almost too much to ask of me, you know," he murmured in her ear before kissing the hollow between her shoulder and neck.

Sparrow shivered with desire and sighed. "It's not easy for me either, Lock. Especially when you...do...that..."

Her voice drifted off as his hand slipped beneath her vest and fondled her breast. His thumb rolled one of her nipples. He smiled when he felt her pulse quicken.

"We can't Lock," she whispered, turning to him. Her beautiful eyes held his, wide with pa.s.sion that seemed as difficult for her to restrain as it was for him. She tried moving away, but he held her fast. "If you don't stop, I won't be able to resist you, so I have to go back in the caravan."

Disappointment washed over him. His c.o.c.k ached with desire and his lips longed to taste every inch of her, but if she wasn't ready, he wouldn't force her and risk losing her again. The idea of life without Sparrow was too painful.

Brushing a kiss across her brow, he held her to his chest and closed his eyes. "I'll stop, so don't leave."

Sparrow snuggled close to him, one of her arms wrapping around his waist. Her breath fanned his chest, her eyelashes tickling one of his nipples. His erection pressed against her hip, arousing him more than he wanted to admit. Sighing, he prepared himself for a sleepless night of magnificent torment, holding the woman he most desired yet unable to claim her as his own.

Chapter Twenty Six.

Over the following month, the gypsies traveled through two more towns, finally stopping at the seaside village of Rose Cove on the southern most tip of the continent. Though small, Rose Cove possessed an active marketplace, being located near several major kingdoms as well as within fairly close sailing distance of the Isles of Kenna.

The gypsies decided to stay for a while, considering how well their goods sold in the marketplace. Lock and Janos set up their camp nearby. The boy had a talent for woodcarving, in particular creating lovely wind chimes that sold so well in the village he was offered a permanent job working with one of the local craftsmen.

"You should take it," Lock told the boy one evening when they sat around a fire in the gypsy camp, sharing a meal with Opal and Sparrow.

The boy shrugged. "Don't know if I'm one for settlin' down."

"Maybe it's about time," Lock said. "You haven't stolen anything in months, and you're making a good living selling those chimes."

"I guess. It's nice knowing the money in me pocket is really mine." The boy stared hard at Lock. "And what about you? This seems like the kind of place you've been talking about movin' to, the kind of place you wanted to build your ship. I know you got enough money to do it."

Lock glanced at Sparrow. "Not sure I'm ready yet."

"Maybe you should," Sparrow said quietly. "It's what you said you want."

"It's one of the things I said I want, not the most important."

She held his eyes, a slight smile tugging the corners of her fine lips.

"It would be profitable," Janos said. "When you go off tradin', you can take some of my chimes, then we could both make more money."

"This would be a nice place to settle," Lock admitted. "Eventually. What do you say, Sparrow?"

"It's very nice."

He glanced at the fire and leaned back on his elbows. He rather hoped she'd sound more enthusiastic. Perhaps she'd changed her mind about him completely and he'd been making an a.s.s of himself following her all over the continent. Well, it wouldn't be the first time you've been an a.s.s, Lock the White. And she's well worth the risk.