Capturing the Pirate's Heart (The Emerald Quest Book 1) (12 page)

“Pray that you live to tell the tale, you cur.” Sébastien’s deep
voice sent a shiver through Madeleine and she looked up at him. He was
shirtless and the powerful muscles in his chest and shoulders flexed as he held
the man securely in his arms.

As she watched he turned the sailor around in one swift movement and
pulled the man’s hands up behind his back as the sailor let out a strangled
yelp.

“Mr. Abrahams, see that this cur is locked securely in the hold for
the remainder of the voyage.” He looked to Madeleine as he spoke and she
shivered at the hardness of his expression. He looked nothing like the man who
had kissed her earlier.

When the sailors came running from the lower deck, he released the
man into their hold. “You may walk the plank, yet, you dog. No man touches my
woman and lives to tell the tale.”

“No, Captain. No. Please no. I swear I didn’t know she was your
woman.” The rough voice was now a sniveling plea, but to Madeleine’s relief he
did not mention the treasure.

Sébastien crouched down beside her as the two crewmen took the man
and held him securely. Sébastien’s dark eyes stared into hers as if he were
trying to warn her of something and then the sun was blotted from her view as
he dropped his head to hers and claimed her lips.

Despite her fear and her shaking body, an exquisite sweetness rushed
through Madeleine’s veins. Never before had she felt the power that coursed
through her as Sébastien’s warm lips clung to hers. Instinctively her mouth
opened and she laced her arms around his neck as his tongue slowly explored her
mouth. Not knowing what to do, she let her body guide her and relaxed against
him. His arms went around her waist and he held her close; her legs were still
trembling too much for her to stand. If she were to be honest and if she could
think sensibly, the weakness in her limbs was more from the feel of Sébastien’s
mouth on hers than the fast diminishing fear of the man who had accosted her.
Sébastien stood and pulled her up with him, his mouth not leaving hers.

Rational thought came back quickly as Madeleine opened her eyes. The
man was still standing beside them and his hands were now tied behind his back.
A malevolent gaze held hers and she pulled away from Sébastien.

The man knew about the necklace. He had overheard her talking to
Jake. Ice replaced the warmth running through her veins as the possibility of
losing everything she held dear filled her thoughts.

“Take him away.” Sébastien held Madeleine against him as he
instructed the sailors to deal with the crewman. He spoke to Jake who was now
sitting up and looking around dazedly. “Are you hurt, lad?”

The African had been examining Jake’s eyes and turned to face him.
“He is all right. He hit his head on the keg when he was thrown across the
deck. That is what caught my attention.” His deep voice held authority and he
held Sébastien’s gaze. “He has a slight concussion and a small cut above his
eye. I will see to him if that is all right with you…Captain?”

Sébastien nodded and the man helped Jake to his feet. Slowly
Sébastien became aware that he was still holding Madeleine tightly to him and
he eased up slightly. Her scream had awoken him, and he had run straight for
the deck, not knowing what he would find. He cursed himself for allowing the
crewman, Dirk, to stay aboard. From the moment the rigging had been fouled, he
had had a bad feeling about the man, and he should have put him off at
Barataria Bay, but the need for as many hands as he could muster had swayed his
decision. He had made a wrong choice and it could have resulted in Madeleine’s
death.

Now he looked down at Madeleine. Her face was white, but her lips
were red. Good Christ, he had an insane urge to lean down and kiss her again.
His intent had been to merely stake his claim on her in front of the crew who
were watching, but the simple kiss had shaken him to the core. He could still
taste the sweetness of her warm lips as they had opened beneath his and
welcomed him. Her soft breasts had pushed against his bare chest and the blood
had rushed to his groin unbidden. Sébastien fought back a groan; he could not
allow that to happen again on this voyage. There was too much at stake and he
had her innocence to consider.

“I’ll take you down to my cabin? Can you walk unaided?” She was
trembling and her skin was cold beneath his fingers.

Madeleine’s eyes were wide but she stepped away from his hold and
nodded. “As long as I know that…that man…is confined, and will stay away from
me, I shall be all right.”

“You have my word. Come.” He held his hand out to her and she looked
at him, before curling her soft fingers in his. Sébastien tried to ignore the
satisfied warmth that shot though him as she looked up at him with trust in her
green eyes.

Now he had to keep her safe to keep that trust. Not only ensuring
her physical safety on this mission which was fraught with danger, but safe
also from the rampant desire that coursed through him every time he looked at
her. Once he had Madeleine safely in his cabin, he would stay well away from
her. And not only to keep her trust. He could not afford to be distracted in
the days ahead or there would be more danger for all aboard this vessel.

***

Sébastien opened
the door to his cabin and stood back to allow Madeleine to enter. She had
waited quietly beside him while he had instructed the African man to put Jake
in the small cabin adjacent to this one and watch him while he slept. His hand
still held hers tightly, and his voice was kind and full of concern. Madeleine
watched as the tall, dark man carried Jake into the small cabin and placed him
on the bunk. His educated voice had surprised her and she sensed that he knew
what he was doing as he examined Jake’s head wound. In the quick glance she had
of the cabin, it showed an austere space with none of the ornate furnishings
that were in the captain’s cabin.

Her thoughts whirled and she put her fingers to her brow. It was
becoming more difficult for her to reconcile this kind and concerned Sébastien
with the pirate captain who had pulled the assailant from her. His expression
and stance had been full of barely restrained violence.

But no matter what she thought he was, she could trust him and she
was safe from harm while she was on his vessel. The kiss they had just shared
had firmed her certainty. It had been shared. She may be an innocent virgin,
but her feminine instinct told her that he had been affected by their kiss as
much as she had. Madeleine let out a small sigh of relief as Sébastien finally
let go of her hand and closed the door behind them. His cabin had become a safe
haven for her and at the moment she would have happily stayed below deck until
the vessel berthed back at the quay in New Orleans.

He leaned back on the door and observed her without speaking as
Madeleine ran a shaking hand through her hair. She needed some time to herself
and she kept her voice controlled as she lifted her gaze to meet his.

“I…I’m going to have a wash.” Without waiting for him to answer, she
crossed to the privy and lifted the curtain to the small, private space. After
it dropped behind her, she stood for a moment with her hands clenched in front
of her until she heard Sébastien moving about the cabin. A clink of glass and
the sound of liquid being poured preceded the scraping of a chair leg on the
wooden floor and then all was quiet.

Slowly Madeleine peeled off her clothing, piece by piece until she
stood naked behind the curtain. Her hands shook as she poured water from the
pitcher into the bowl and soaked a wash cloth before scrubbing herself until
the skin of her chest was red. She pressed the damp cloth against her face
trying to let go of the fear that had filled her when the rogue crew man had
grabbed her. She dipped the wash cloth in the cold water and scrubbed at her
breast again to wash away the feeling of his hand against her skin.

Her thoughts were whirling—full of fear that her conversation with
Jake had been overheard— but she was still confused by the reaction of her body
and her traitorous emotions. Her reaction to Sébastien’s kiss claiming her as
his woman had set tumultuous feelings surging through her veins, even while
feeling the taint of the crewman’s touch.

“Madeleine, are you all right?” His voice was soft but she knew he was
close, a whisper away, just on the other side of the flimsy curtain. She
grabbed for her clothes and held them against her bare breasts as Sébastien’s
voice came through the thin curtain.

“Are you almost done?”

“Yes, just give me a moment…please.” She pressed the damp cloth
against her burning cheeks and neck, and then let the cool air dry her skin for
a moment before pulling her chemise back on.

After she had dressed, she quickly braided her hair and coiled it at
the back of her head. She paused and swallowed before taking a deep breath and
lifting the curtain.

Madeleine held her chin high and let determination flood her as she
stepped out into the cabin. She had gotten herself into this situation and she
would deal with it. No one else was to blame. No one else could help her.

She would ignore these strange feelings when she was in Sébastien’s
presence.

He stood by the table and he had put his shirt on. Madeleine hitched
a thankful breath. If she’d had to look at his magnificent chest again, she did
not know what she would have done.

“Come and sit with me.” His expression was friendly, and his voice
was calm, and a measure of confidence came back to her. Sébastien gestured to
the table and she crossed the room.

“We must talk.” His deep voice sent a shiver running down her back,
but she nodded silently as she sat at the table. She folded her hands in her
lap and she dropped her eyes, not yet ready to meet his.

“Madeleine, look at me. Don’t be frightened.” Sébastien’s voice was
kind, and she lifted her head slowly. His expression was full of concern as
well as something else that she couldn’t understand. No man had ever looked at
her like that before, with the same hunger that was in Sébastien’s eyes. She
recognized it because the same need, unfamiliar yet exquisite, was still
coursing through her body, overlaying her worry about the necklace and the fact
that the scurrilous crewman had overhead her conversation with Jake about the
diary. No matter what else was in her thoughts, Sebastian’s mere presence sent
the blood coursing through her veins, warming her and taking over her thoughts.

He spoke slowly and his voice was calm as his gaze locked on hers.
“I am going to speak the truth to you because I do not want you to be scared of
the unknown. I deeply regret that you had to experience the attentions of that
scoundrel, Dirk. I will not add to your fear by having you wonder what is going
to happen in the next few days on this voyage.”

Madeleine watched, fascinated as he reached his hand out across the
table.

“Give me your hand.”

Slowly she unclenched her fingers and slid her hand across to join
with his. His thumb caressed the back of her hand as he held her gaze.

“Can I trust you, Madeleine?” His dark eyes bored into hers and she
nodded. “Over the next few days I will do my utmost to ensure that there is no
bloodshed on this vessel. I have a task to complete and I will be honest with
you. Having you on board has made my task much more difficult.”

Tears pricked at her eyes as uncertainty spiraled through her.

“But I will keep you safe.” His voice lowered and was full of
kindness. “Many years ago, when I was a young man I made a rash decision and a
young woman lost her life. It has taken me many years to forgive myself.”

“Did you love her?” Madeleine kept her voice soft, too. This was a
very different man to the swaggering pirate who had teased her, frightened her,
and plundered her mouth. He was trusting her with his story and a fragile
connection held them together in this cabin.

Sébastien didn’t answer for a few moments and her heart picked up a
beat as his eyes locked with hers. Finally he ran his hand though his hair and
sighed. “I thought I did, but I believe I was too young to truly understand
what I was feeling.”

His voice hardened and his dark eyes glittered. “But I will tell you
now when I saw that cur with his hands on you and the knife in his hand, I
thought it was going to happen all over again and I will not be placed in that
position again.”

Madeleine opened her eyes wide. “What? What position?”

“I was afraid he would kill you.” As she looked into those dark
eyes, it was the pirate who stared back at her. The man of the soft voice had
disappeared but his words belied his expression. “If he had hurt you…or Jake… I
would
have thrown him overboard myself.”

Madeleine hitched a breath as she stared back at him. She had no
doubt that this man was capable of doing just that and a shiver ran down her
back. This world at sea was far removed from her quiet life in a country manor
house with people at her beck and call. It was the first time in her life she
had had to fight for what she wanted and her knowledge of the world, and human
nature was growing. Her goal of returning to that life had been overshadowed by
the fight to merely stay alive. Her fear and uncertainty must have been clear
to see on her face because Sebastian pushed one of the glasses which sat in the
middle of the table across to her.

“Drink of that. It will settle your nerves.”

Madeleine lifted her chin higher. “I am not afraid.”

“I am pleased to hear that. Courage is an admirable trait, but it
would be advisable if you were a little fearful.” He held her eye but while his
face was expressionless, she sensed a smile was tugging at his lips. “Now
drink. It will settle your nerves.”

She would not allow him to see the fear deep inside her. The fear
that the sailor knew her secret was overshadowed by her fear of the feelings
she held for this pirate. When she was in his presence all thoughts of home and
what she wanted to achieve fled from her mind. Reaching for the glass, she
lifted it and watched as the golden liquid caught the light. The cut glass was
heavy in her hand as she lifted it to her lips, wrinkling her nose as the sharp
smell of brandy wafted across. Tipping the glass, she opened her mouth and
drank the contents in one gulp. Fire burned down her throat and to her belly
and she took a deep breath.

For an instant, she thought she’d surprised him as Sebastian frowned
and leaned forward. She would show him she was strong and not afraid.

“May I have another?”

This time his lips did tilt in a smile as he lifted the bottle and
half filled her glass. “I suggest you sip it this time, Madeleine, as I would
imagine you don’t want to pass out and have me put you to bed?”

Madeleine hesitated as she lifted the glass and sensibility won out
over trying to impress him with her nonchalance. She sipped and allowed the
brandy to warm her before asking the question that was plaguing her thoughts.

“You assure me that man is locked away securely, and you tell me I
do not have to be afraid of you, so my only concern is that I get back to New
Orleans. Can you promise me that you will take me back after your…task…is
done?”

“I will tell you again so that you understand me. You have no need
to fear me. I will not lay a hand on you.”

Madeleine bit down the angry retort that rose to her lips. Provoking
him would not get her anywhere. She would use her feminine wiles to ensure she
got her own way. She knew he was far from immune to her. It may be difficult,
she admitted to herself as she had no idea what they were or how to use them.
She had little experience with the opposite sex; some harmless flirting with
the local village boys had not prepared her for dallying with a man of his
experience. Dropping her gaze, she put her hand to her forehead and let out a
small troubled sigh as she relied on her instincts.