He let out another masculine grumble, the sort that made her ache. “I hate how often you’re right.”
She faced forward again, mostly to hide her smile. That had always been Bennet’s way. He’d never considered her less for being a woman. He’d celebrated her talents even as he protected her with his.
She sighed to herself. No wonder she hadn’t found anyone else. What man could compete with someone like Bennet? “Who is that?” She pointed to a man who directed the movement of crates.
“The quartermaster.”
She nodded as the quartermaster gestured for several crates to be loaded onto a wagon near where they hid.
“Oh, excellent,” she whispered. “I’ll be able to see so much more.”
“You’ll keep your head down low,” Bennet ordered. “This is not like spying on my father as children. There are real consequences for being caught.”
She glared at him before she turned her gaze back to the ship being unloaded. Had she thought that he was the only man who treated her like a competent person? “I’m aware I’m not a child, Bennet,” she snapped. “Why do you insist on forgetting that I’ve made a profession of this?”
He remained silent as the sailors began to load goods onto the wagon not twenty feet away from where they hid. Several crates were placed before the driver stepped down and moved to the quartermaster, giving his hand a shake.
The quartermaster tucked his hand into his pocket after they shook. “What was that?” she asked, her voice so low she wasn’t certain that Bennet even heard her.
But finally, he answered. “What was what?”
“The driver handed him something. I’m sure of it.”
“I didn’t see anything.”
She looked over her shoulder again, trying to decide if Bennet really hadn’t seen the exchange or if he was just attempting to protect her. “Don’t you dare minimize my investigative abilities again. I saw him pass something into his pocket.”
Bennet looked back at her as he let out a long breath. “Even if he did…”
“What?” she asked. The last of the crates were loaded and then sailors made their way back onto the boat. The wharf grew quiet as she waited for his answer.
“There’s nothing to be done for it.”
“What does that mean?” She planted a hand on his knee to spin around and look at him. Glare, really.
“The only way to know is to wait until he’s asleep and then sneak in and search his pockets. But I can’t do that with you here.”
“Why not?” Her chin rose as she did her best to scowl. “I’ve been taking care of myself for the last three years. I don’t need you to suddenly step in and—”
“Yes. You do. Nothing you’ve done the past three years has been as dangerous as this.” He leaned closer until his cheek pressed to hers, his lips close to her ear. His warm breath tickled her skin, causing the hair to rise in her excitement. “If something happened to you, I wouldn’t survive it.”
How did he manage to find the words that chipped away at her resolve? She’d not allow him to break through to her heart. Not yet, and maybe not ever. He’d broken her so thoroughly…
She shook her head. “The best way to protect me is to finish this entire business.”
He touched her shoulder then, his nose coming to the top of her head. “If I agree to go on that boat and search for this scrap you saw, do you promise to stay right in this spot and not move a single muscle?”
“I promise.” His hand skated up her arm, leaving a trail of tingling flesh.
“You won’t move?”
“Not an inch,” she whispered back. “When I make a promise, I keep it.”
“Right,” he murmured into the mass of her hair. “Unlike me.”
She winced. She hadn’t meant that, but it was the issue that stood between them.
He rose and disappeared into the shadows before reemerging next to the boat. She hadn’t realized how tall the ship was until seeing that the rail had to be six feet over his head.