Now it was his turn to think about it. “No,” he decided, and lifted her chin to kiss her mouth.
Twining her arms around his neck, she pushed him back and wriggled, allowing her dress to fall off her shoulders. “Shall I lock the door?”
“He would dare not enter.”
“I am not worried about the captain—Eugenie does not knock.”
With a swift movement, he pulled her over so that he was now atop her, his mouth on her throat. “She will have to wait her turn, then.”
Laughing, she punched his arm in mock outrage. “I thought you had so little time.”
But he became serious, and paused to rest his cheek against hers. “There is indeed little time—I have never missed anyone so much in my life, and there is so much more to come.”
It was nothing more than what she had thought a thousand times these past few days, but instead she stroked his hair and responded as she knew she must, “It cannot be helped, Dimitry. I would not change a single thing if it meant I was not married to you, and so I will accept whatever comes with a grateful heart.”
He lifted his head and brushed his lips against her mouth, the moment of vulnerability over. “You are extraordinaire.”
“I suppose that is true,” she teased, to match his changing mood. “Only ask the crowd at the British consulate in Cairo.”
“So, you can make light of it, now.” He pressed his curved nose against her straight little one as he worked her gown down her body. “At the time, it was not so amusing.”
“No, it was ridiculous; I am the last person anyone should confuse with a goddess.”
With an impatient gesture, he lifted off her for a moment to draw his shirt over his head. “The goddess of fertility, perhaps—we shall see.”
With a delighted giggle, she pulled him to her.