Captain Gualtiero followed slowly as she led them back toward the ladder. “I agree, Mrs. Watkins.”
She motioned for him to go ahead of her. “You go first.”
“That goes against my code of chivalry,” he replied.
“Oh, go on.” She nudged him, hoping to get another look at his well-muscled bottom while he climbed, something she’d never considered before meeting this man.
“What if you fall?” He placed a foot on the lower rung and grabbed a rung above his head.
“I haven’t fallen from a ladder in the nearly seven years I’ve been here, Captain. I won’t be falling today, I assure you.”
“Before I go up, I have to ask how you came to know so much about naval architecture and mechanics. I took courses in both at University and would never have thought of half the innovations you have.”
She return
