Finding Bliss (31 page)

“You gave up your rights when you had your little tryst with
him in the dark corner of that greenhouse. Now you’ll accept your sentence or
pay the consequences,” the captain sneered.

Then he grabbed Admiral, not forcefully but not too gently
either, and pulled her close enough to say something for her alone. Admiral
paled and choked a low curse. Her father left the cabin, slamming the door with
undue force as he did. From outside, he called in to them.

“I am locking this door. You both made a vow before God and
witnesses. Therefore you will not leave this room until this marriage is
properly consummated. When you have done so, I might consider letting you out!
Until that time, get comfortable and be ready to set sail in one hour.”

The sound of the angry captain’s
boot heels striking the boards of the deck above their heads signaled that the
ship was leaving port. Russ secured his duffel so that it wouldn’t shift all
over the floor when the ship’s decks began their gentle sway. Admiral sat
dejectedly at the desk, looking at her hands in her lap and scheming.

Russ made to lie down on the bed by removing his boots and
coat. He stretched out with his hands behind his head as the candles dripped
wax and the room remained silent. When they reached the open bay, the boat
began to rock gently in the tide.

“Say something,” Admiral said quietly.

“What would you have me say?” Russ kept still on the bed,
waiting her out.

“Whatever you’re supposed to say to an errant wife I
suppose. Do your worst and claim the spoils. It’s the only way he’ll give up, and
he told me so just before he left.” Admiral sighed in defeat.

“You actually expect me to demand my husbandly rights? Well
here’s some truth, honey, I don’t force women into bed with me. And I’m too
tired to argue my case this evening. It’s going to be a bloody long trip, but
I’m used to going through drier spells than a quick sojourn to Spain. So don’t
trouble yourself. It doesn’t mean a thing,” Russ said in disgust.

Admiral turned her head slowly to stare at him. Her throat
caught at the sight. His form was almost too long for her single bed. The dim
light played against the tight fabric of his trousers and made him look rangy
and lean. It made her stomach flip seeing the dark-haired devil in the bed
where she’d slept her entire life.

“I need to get undressed. Close your eyes,” Admiral said in
a low demand.

“I don’t think I will. If I’m to be denied my wife, at least
I can have the pleasure of seeing her lovely form,” Russ’s near sinister voice
spoke of seduction. Admiral had to swallow a gasp. Her flaming face gave away
her fear.

“I’d rather drown in this dress than show you any inch of
me,” she replied when her voice returned.

“Suit yourself, sweetheart. I’m going to get ready for bed.”
Russ announced. He leaned up and began unbuttoning the four buttons at the neck
of his shirt. Untying the cuffs last, he pulled it unceremoniously over his
head.

Without meaning to, Admiral glanced sidelong at his naked
chest. She could see a few scars on his shoulders—probably from a few lashes
from his errant youth as a cadet or hazards from working with fast moving,
unforgiving ropes. She saw that his chest was not covered in hair, but a little
on his abdomen and down the path beneath his navel leading to his …

Admiral shook her head like a swimmer trying to clear water
from the ears. She knew not to look at him. That’s obviously what he wanted.
But the worst was yet to come. He dropped his feet to the floor and removed his
stockings.

When his feet were bare, he began unbuttoning his trousers.
Admiral turned her head and faced the wall of maps above her desk. She studied
the coastlines of France and Spain with meticulous care in order to avoid being
tempted to look at Russ. She heard his bare feet making soft sounds as he moved
to put his clothing away.

She heard the sounds of the bed ropes groaning under his
weight and assumed he had gotten into bed. Turning to see where he was, Admiral
shockingly discovered Russ lying naked and unashamed on top of the covers.

Hot blood flooded her face. She whipped her head back to the
maps so fast her neck cracked. Russ chuckled softly from his side of the room.

Admiral sat stone still for ten minutes before trying to appear
aloof to the naked man on her bed. She moved to her wardrobe cabinet and opened
the door on the left. Removing her netted rope hammock from the peg in the
back, she began the task of untangling the twisted mess.

“Need any help, dear?” Russ called from
behind her. He watched Admiral’s spine stiffen. She was trying to appear
unaffected by his brazen display of naked maleness, but she was failing
miserably. Russ was finding that he enjoyed making her squirm.

He’d given up blaming her. Two important things he’d gained
from Bliss’s warnings: one, his bride was terrified, and two, he needed to
exhibit patience. But patience didn’t mean he couldn’t at least try to shake
her loose a little.

Then Russ wondered if there was something else, some far
worse reason why being intimate put her off. His entire body tensed in
recognition of it. He suddenly wanted blood from anyone who’d ever laid a
finger on her. A ridiculous reaction, given her less-than-accommodating
behavior, he decided to opt for a more gentlemanly approach.

“Are you planning to sleep in that uncomfortable hammock in
that gown? Looks like a bruised body waiting to happen. Perhaps you’d consider
a truce,” Russ offered gently.

“What truce?” Admiral still didn’t turn to face him.

“You could sleep in this bed with me?”

“I’d rather drink bilge water.”

“Then let me at least loosen the buttons so you can slip
into a nightgown. No sense being a martyr, you know,” Russ replied.

Admiral considered his suggestion for a minute then she let
her shoulders go limp.

“Fine, but don’t touch me. Just loosen the top few buttons
and go back to whatever you were doing before.”

Russ eased up and moved in behind her, stopping within arm’s
reach but going no further. His fingers touched the satin of the dress and he
plucked eight buttons loose before she knew he’d even put a hand out. The dress
began to sag from her shoulders, giving him a delicious view of the upper half
of her back.

“Thank you,” she mumbled under her breath. Her voice was
reedy and dry.

“What’s a good husband for, my lady,” he said with only a
hint of sarcasm.

Russ returned to the bed and watched her search through a
few hooks until she found what she needed. She held her wedding gown up with
her left hand while she struggled with the right to put the tangled nightgown
over her head. Russ watched without remorse as her clothing eased to her hips
long before the nightgown covered her.

The shape of her bottom was evident in the clinging fabric
of her chemise as she pulled the tapes of her petticoat loose and it slid away
to the floor with the dress. Russ’s mouth watered at the thought of touching
the smooth curve of her buttocks with his tongue. He didn’t think she realized
the torture she could inflict with her own display of flesh.

When she stepped out of the dress, she yanked the nightgown
downward before he got a good enough look at her stockings. A flash of green
ribbon was the only reward.

His body grew tense and his traitorous manhood thickened in
appreciation. Not wanting her to see how she affected him, he rolled to get
beneath the covers and lay on his side facing her, concealing his nudity and
his erection from view.

Admiral took her chair over to the desk and lifted one end
of the hammock to the hook secured in the ceiling. Then she hopped down to secure
the opposite side to a similar hook above end of the wardrobe.

The hammock looked very uncomfortable, but without waiting,
Admiral opened a spot for her body and rolled into the mesh of ropes. She
curled tight into a ball and rocked in her suspended swing with her eyes
screwed tight. The room was cool in the mid-spring evening, though without
windows it was sure to warm with their body heat.

“I’m covered. But I’m wondering how warm you’ll be in the
open air. Do you have any extra blankets?” Russ asked her.

Admiral opened her eyes to slits and tested his statement
for proof. Seeing that he was suitably covered, she let out a sigh.

“This room is an old lastage as you probably know already, and
therefore it’s directly above the stokehold. The heat rises, so it’s usually
very warm. Don’t worry about me. This isn’t my first night in the hammock.
Sometimes when Marie would visit me in a port, we’d sleep this way—her on the
bed and me in the ropes,” Admiral told him.

Russ felt uncomfortable making such a show of stealing her
bed. But if she refused to lie with him as his wife, he likewise refused to
allow her the comfort of the mattress. There was no need to be so stubborn. He
wasn’t an ogre!

“If you change your mind, you could always come to bed with
your husband,” Russ teased softly, letting the velvety sound of his voice tempt
of its own accord.

“I’ll stay here, thank you,” Admiral answered with a sniff.

“Suit yourself, my lady. Good night.”