Keeper of My Dreams (St. John Series Book 4) (20 page)

Chapter Twenty-Four

For two days, Eli battled his seasickness. During this time, Reanna discovered that she was far from a nursemaid and did not have one ounce of patience when dealing with Eli while he was ill. He tossed names at her and snapped at every movement. Nothing suited him. How she longed for the medication that Natasha had sent to make him sleep. But instead it made him somewhat delusional. He would point his fingers at the wall and shout at nothing. Occasionally he would suddenly jump out of bed and look underneath, yelling at whatever he thought was there. He frequently swore at her and at some man named Peterson. One time she returned to the room to find him thoroughly beating his pillow to the point that the feathers covered the room, all the while shouting “You bloody bastard!” She contemplated about taking a hammer and knocking him in the head more times than not. She decided if he was not better today, she might do just that.

Reanna stood outside Eli’s door, dreading to go in. She knew what awaited her—his sour mood and hallucinations. She simply stared at the door for several minutes as knots formed in her stomach. She loved this man, but hated him ill—despised him in fact.

Suddenly, the door opened and the sight of Eli well caused her heart to soar. A relieved sigh escaped her but was replaced with a faint “Oh” as she viewed his handsome face. And how handsome he looked since she last saw him early this morning after she had given him his medication.

“Good morning,” Eli said, smiling.

“Good morning. I see you are feeling better,” she said hopefully, but with a tinge of doubt.

“More than better. I feel like a human again.”

“I am glad.”

He noted her ire. “I take it you did not like tending me while I was ill?” A teasing expression crossed his face.

“No. In fact, I think I would prefer to battle pirates again. At least I knew their intentions.”

He laughed. It was a wondrous sound, causing her to fill with hope.

“I thank you for your time and patience with me.”

“Indeed. And since you are feeling better, I assume there is no reason to shoot you?” she teased.

The corner of his mouth twitched with humor. “I am thankful to say that is the case.”

“Good, because if you shouted one more profanity or destroyed another pillow I was going to coat you in oil and cover you with the feathers.”

“Feathers?” he questioned, drawing his brow together.

“Yes. I am pleased to say that you successfully protected this entire ship from your pillow. You effectively slaughtered it and we feasted upon its remains.”

He noticed her teasing smile and something inside Eli held him in place. A desire to touch her surged through his body. He needed her, wanted to hold her, to feel her near. He tenderly reached out and stroked her cheek. It was a caressing touch, light and almost nonexistent, but it caused a stirring sensation to enter her. She didn’t move—it was as though her feet were anchored in place. Her heart pounded in her ears as a strange sensation built in her loins, like the night he took her innocence.

“Thank you,” Eli huskily whispered.

He noticed her breath quicken. Despite what was told to him about her plan, he still found her desirable. It was killing him on the inside wondering if she had planned on destroying his family . . . him. To ruin them financially to the point that disgrace would follow the St. John name until the end of time. But as he gazed upon her now, he just couldn’t believe it. The night at Madison’s proved that she could not keep a secret but would not betray those she cared for. As he studied her, he decided not to ask her about Snowdon’s confession until they were nearing the end of the voyage. He wanted her to enjoy this passage. He wanted to enjoy her company without her being angry with him. If her confession revealed that Snowdon’s accusations were correct, he knew he could not tolerate being on this ship with her in such close proximity.

His eyes locked with hers. He took his large hand and placed it tenderly on the side of her face and pulled her in close. As she looked up at him, her eyes darkened with passion. Her tongue traced her lips in a nervous manner. In the next instant, she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him down to her. As her lips touched his, it felt like fire coursed through his body. Never in all his days had a kiss affected him in such a manner. He could feel his body react to her as the blood surged to his manhood. He wrapped his arms tightly around her delicate frame, holding her close.

She felt her feet leave the ground as he picked her up. She vaguely remembered hearing the door close behind her as he carried her to the small bed against the far wall. She could feel his hands on her clothing, and in the next instant, she was standing naked before him. He stepped back as he gazed upon her.

“You are so beautiful,” he huskily whispered. Before she could answer, his mouth covered hers. His hands were everywhere but not enough. His kisses trailed to her cheek, down her neck and to her breasts. Her heart raced as the pleasure surged through her.

Her body was in control of her actions. Her hands made their way to his head, holding him in place as the most pleasurable sensation flowed through her. She grabbed his face and pulled it up to hers, kissing him. Her hands let go of his handsome face and made their way to his trousers. She shoved the garment from his body and allowed her hand to explore his exposed manhood. She heard his quick intake of breath as her fingers explored every inch of him.

He picked her up and sat her down on the small table. As she felt the wood on her bare backside, a shudder of excitement surged though her. He entered her then and her back arched with pleasure. She leaned backwards and supported her body by placing her hands behind her on the table. This position caused her breasts to jut outwards. His eyes locked onto each small pert orb as they moved up and down. They beckoned him. He answered their plea and took her pebbled pink nipple in his mouth. She cried out with pleasure from the sensation as the heat of his mouth touched her flesh.

His hands held her hips and ushered her to move with him—to meet each of his thrusts. She moved her hips with his, meeting each rhythmic movement with one of her own. He pulled her legs up higher around his side as he thrust deeper inside of her. The pleasurable sensation built to the point that she thought she would go mad from desire. He could feel her change and slowed his movements. Her hands left the table as she leaned forward to grab his hips, ushering him to keep moving deep inside her.

He complied and increased his movements. She placed her hands back on the table. The feelings stirring in her loins were incomparable to any other sensations ever experienced. Her body tingled from head to toe with ecstasy. She felt the building of her release. Eli grabbed her hands and laid her body on the table. He then took hold of her hips and pulled her against him with such force that she thought he was reaching her core. Her back arched. Her hips jutted upward faster and faster, and in the next instant, shuddering spasms coursed through her entire body as she cried out his name with rapture. As she lay breathless on the table, she could feel him move her hips as he pumped her body hard against his. In the next instant he roared as he found his own release.

All was silent in the room then. The ship creaked with the movement of the waves. Eli stepped back and assisted London up from the table. He picked her up and carried her over to the small bed. He gently laid her down and covered both their bodies with the quilt that was at the foot of the bed. Pulling her to him, he breathed deeply of her scent.

“This was not what I had planned this evening, but I will not complain,” Eli whispered into her ear. “Spending an evening with a beautiful, desirable woman is far more pleasurable than ledgers and receipts.”

“Who are you talking about?”

“You, who else?”

“I have been called many things in my life, but beautiful has never been one.”

Eli propped up on his elbow as he looked down at her, his index finger lightly caressing her upper arm. “I find that hard to believe. Who would dare to insult you by not commenting upon your splendor?”

“The
ton
. They find it disgraceful that I work for my father. That we associate our name with the St. Johns. I cannot tell you how many times I have heard insults tossed my way. I have been called every name imaginable.”

“Lies. Cruel words by jealous people.”

“After a while you convince yourself that the lies are true . . . it makes the reality of life much easier to contend with.”

He tenderly caressed her cheek with the back of his fingers. “No one shall slander your name again, London. You have my word.”

A pained laugh came from her. “How do you plan on accomplishing that? You are delivering me to my father and then will return home, leaving me to face the condemnation of the aristocracy.”

As he looked at her, he realized what she said was true. He would be in England only a few weeks before he returned to the Caribbean. It would be only a matter of time before the
ton
found out she stayed in his home without a chaperone. They would tear her reputation to shreds. The thought angered him. How could anyone do that to the beautiful, kind, caring woman in his arms? He would think of a way to restore her reputation. He had a month to figure that out. But right now he only wanted to hold her in his arms and enjoy her embrace until she was lost to him forever and the only way he would be able to hold her was in his dreams.

Chapter Twenty-Five

The voyage to England was quite pleasant. Each day, Smitty would “guard” London by keeping her entertained with stories and games. She learned how to play whist, dice and darts . . . most unladylike sports. He taught her how to shoot a pistol and even how to handle a sword. He told her the tales of his pirating days and about his feelings towards Nicholas’s housekeeper, Mrs. Potts.

Reanna stood on the deck, dart in hand, concentrating on the small round target. She had the tip of her tongue sticking out the corner of her mouth. Drawing her arm back, she launched the sharp object. It sailed through the air and struck the target several inches from the center.

Smitty laughed. “Yer gettin’ better. At least yer a hittin’ the board now.”

“Keep teasing me like that, Mr. Smitty, and I will use you for the target.”

The old sea dog laughed again. “How ‘bout put Mr. Cantankerous there.”

“Who would that be?” Eli asked, silently approaching the pair.

“Eli!” Reanna nervously blurted out.

“St. John,” Smitty calmly acknowledged.

Eli raised a brow at the nervous actions of the duo. “I take it I am ‘Mr. Cantankerous’?”

“Mr. Smitty was teaching me how to play darts. Would you like to try?” Reanna blurted out, hoping to keep Eli’s wrath away from the sweet former pirate.

“I do not have time for games.”

“Fine. Then that is your name. Go be cantankerous somewhere else and do not ruin this delightful day or the game that we are playing.”

Eli took a frustrated breath. “I am not cantankerous.”

“Really? Since you recovered from your ‘illness’ a week ago, you have done nothing but sit in your cabin with your nose plastered in those blasted ledgers. You need a little fun in your life.”

“I have fun,” Eli defended.

“When?” Reanna asked.

Eli racked his brain but no moments would enter. He conceded. “Fine. I do not enjoy life.”

“Well, it’s about time you start. And there is no time like the present.” Reanna held out a dart to Eli.

Eli looked to the dart, to Reanna, then to Smitty.

“If’n yer waitin’ fer a formal invitation, you’ll be here fer a long time,” Smitty said, with humor.

Taking a frustrated breath, Eli took the dart from Reanna’s hand. He took careful aim and tossed the object. It landed several inches from the target.

“This is harder than it looks. I am normally quite excellent at darts.”

“It’s the movement of the ship,” Reanna enthusiastically replied. “Mr. Smitty says it takes lots of practice to hit a bull’s eye on a ship. But I plan on mastering it before we dock.”

“Darts are most unladylike,” Eli scolded.

“So is traveling without a proper chaperone,” she saucily replied, with a lively twist of her head.

Eli picked up another dart and tossed it at the board, hitting the outer corner.

“Yer improvin’,” Smitty acknowledged.

“So I am.” Eli handed a dart to Reanna. She took the offered object and tossed it to the target, nearly hitting the center.

A smug expression crossed her face. “Beat that.”

“Is that a challenge?”

“Yes, it is.”

“You’re on,” Eli replied. The trio stayed on the deck the majority of the day, playing darts. From that day forward, Reanna, Eli, and Smitty made it a daily occurrence. Their routine would be to play darts and then they would coerce another member of the crew to join them in a game of whist. If a crewmember could not leave their duty, Smitty would somehow convince Gladys to join them. Once several hands of cards had been played and the crewmembers had to depart for their chores, Reanna would practice her swordplay with Eli as her teacher. Eli found the activities enjoyable and the bitterness that had surrounded his heart for the past five years, completely disappeared—leaving a happy, smiling man in his place. After the games, Eli would make his way to the deck and enjoy the nighttime sea air. Mr. Smitty always seemed to find him. He took comfort in the words of wisdom the sea-weathered man had to offer. Funny thing was, Eli never asked for Mr. Smitty’s advice or opinion on any matters, but the older man seemed to sense Eli needed him. He would bring words of wisdom to Eli on a nightly basis, almost like a pastor speaking to his flock.

After his evening sermons from Mr. Smitty, Eli would return to his quarters and summon Reanna to him. They would work on the ledgers and then talk for hours. He divulged the tragedies of his life. He wanted her to know about his past. There was an intense calling to him to do so, as though a higher entity was commanding him.

As Reanna listened to Eli speak of his wife’s death, her heart broke for the strong man in front of her. She could see the pain and hear his anguish. She wanted to cry for him and she did. Her empathy only made Eli doubt David’s tale even further. After their talks, he would make love to her and then hold her close. She would drift off to sleep in his strong embrace. Her heart filled more and more each day she was with this man. She knew this delightful adventure would have to end and the thought was tearing her to pieces. She loved this man. Loved his family. She knew their time together was short and she memorized every intimate detail of the time spent with Eli.

During the voyage to England they hailed down another vessel of Emerald Shipping,
The Diamond Runner
. This ship was captained by one of Eli’s younger brothers, Noah. As Reanna studied him, she realized how fortunate it was that all the St. John brothers lived in the Caribbean. She knew that if they all resided in London no female would be safe from their charms. He looked so much like the other St. Johns in facial features with his strong square jaw and Greek nose, but where the others she’d met had dark eyes, almost black in color, his was a forest green. Unlike Eli, Noah had a carefree appearance, like Oliver and Owen.

“Is this the sea nymph?” Noah asked, addressing Reanna.

“Indeed I am,” Reanna happily replied. “And I must say it is so good to meet you, Noah. Madison has told me a great deal about you.”

“Not too much, I hope,” Noah teased.

“Like what?”

“Nothing,” Noah answered with a mischievous twinkle in his eye.

“So you are sailing to the Orient?” Eli asked, forcing his brother’s attention away from Reanna.

As the brothers visited, Reanna marveled at the size of
The Diamond Runner.
It was a very large ship, comparable to the Spanish galleons that she saw on her travels to the Caribbean. However, where those ships required crewmembers to row the large ship, this one did not—which was a feat in itself. Her eyes took in the crew. Most were rough-looking men, but all were well fed and clean. A movement by the bow railing captured her attention. A boy was standing there. He appeared out of place. He did not look as muscular or filled out as the other members of the crew—almost feminine, in fact. Another sailor smacked the young boy on the side of the head. The boy’s hands traveled to his hat and pulled it back down over his ears. The boy said something to the other sailor and then turned away from the railing—out of sight.

“It was good visiting with you, Eli, but we must be off.”

“Safe travels, Noah.”

“It was nice meeting you, Miss Hollingsworth. I hope you have a safe and
entertaining
voyage.”

Reanna blushed. Did Noah’s wish have another meaning? Even if not, she took it as such. “It was nice meeting you, too. Safe travels.”

“Do all you St. Johns look alike?” Reanna asked, as the large ship pulled away.

“Yes.”

“And you all have that dimple,” she said, pointing to Eli’s left cheek.

His black brow shot upward. “Is that an issue?”

“And you all do that brow thing.” She pointed to the arched brow over his right eye.

Eli’s eyes turned skyward, ignoring her teasing. “The clouds are thickening.”

“Very well. If you do not want to discuss your family eccentricities, let’s continue our game.” She held out the darts.

Late that afternoon, their daily activities were disrupted as they encountered a squall. The ship rocked violently in the fierce storm that lasted for two days. Reanna had never been so afraid in her life. Eli never left her side during the storm, giving her words of comfort and reassurance.

The night before they were scheduled to dock, Eli summoned her to his room. A feeling of sadness filled her heart. This was the last night she had with her lover, her love. She wondered what his reaction would be should she tell him her secret. She placed her hand on her flat abdomen and smiled. This was a secret she would have to keep. She knew Eli did not love her . . . that he was only using her to meet his carnal desires, but she could pretend that he did. The scandal that would be attached to her name would ruin her father’s company. But she had a plan. Once Eli had delivered her to her father, she would leave and visit her aunt who lived near Lincoln. She hated the colder climate of northern England, but it would allow her to have her child without the scrutiny that would come her way as being an unwed woman. Her aunt would help her hide her condition when she could no longer do so. The disappointment her father would experience at her fall from grace would be difficult to bear but once he held her child in his arms, all would be forgiven.

She entered Eli’s quarters and found him sitting at the table. Images of the nights onboard flooded her memory—the pleasure she received, the longing she felt for this man. He could easily arouse her with just a smile. During their voyage, his normal sour demeanor had disappeared and was replaced by a smiling, happy man. Even Mr. Smitty noticed the change and began giving him the respect that he deserved. As she looked at him now, she saw the happy man was gone. He’d been replaced by the former grim Eli.

“Is something amiss, Eli?” she asked as she crossed the room to him.

He gave her a tight smile. “Yes and no.”

“What is it? What’s troubling you?”

“I have something I need to ask you. I know the answer in my heart, but I must hear it from you.”

“Anything,” she replied as her hope soared. Was he going to ask her to marry him? Oh, that would be a dream come true! They would live happily ever after. Her child would have his name. They could raise their child together in the Caribbean. Her father would come visit them and all would be wonderful.

“There is no delicate way to put this, so I will just go straight to the point.”

Her hopeful dream came crashing down around her. So much for happily ever after. With a force granted by heaven, she kept her chin from quivering and tears from her eyes. “Yes, by all means,” she whispered with sadness.

“The day we attacked
The Demon
I had an encounter with Snowdon. He told me some distressing news. I didn’t believe him, but he argued the validity of his point rather well—enough so that a smidgen of doubt entered my mind as to why you truly came to the West Indies.”

“I told you. I came to find David. I’m truly grateful now that I did not.”

“That may be so. But I need to hear it come from you.”

She bristled. “What are you accusing me of, Eli?” Her voice was crisp and cold.

“Was it all a ruse?”

“What?”

“Your memory loss? You agreeing to assist me with the ledgers? Was it all an elaborate ruse in order to embezzle money from Emerald Shipping?”

“What?!” She couldn’t believe her ears.

“Snowdon said that you two concocted a plan to embezzle money from Emerald Shipping to make up for the fact that your company was about to face bankruptcy due to its association with the St. John name.”

Her shock at his accusation was apparent. “Eli! I would never dream of doing such a thing! I cannot keep a secret if my life depended on it. So what would give you the idea that I would be that good of an actress to pull off that scheme?” She turned away from him. Her eyes grew wide. “Why are you just now asking me this instead of when you first found out?”

“I—”

She whipped around to face him. The amount of rage coming from her blue eyes was alarming to Eli. “Was this planned so you would have a body to warm your bed on such a long voyage?”

“Lond—”

“My name is Reanna!” she screamed, her face contorted with anger, frustration, and humiliation. “That’s why, isn’t it? You needed entertainment on a long voyage.” Tears brimmed in her eyes. “Well, let me tell you something, Viscount St. John, you will have to entertain yourself tonight for you will no longer enjoy my body!”

“Enough!” Eli yelled as he quickly stood, causing the chair he was in to fall over.

“No!” She gestured her index finger angrily at him. “You had this information for over a month and have not once bothered to mention it until now. Why?” His silence only infuriated her more. “Tell me!”

“Because I didn’t want to believe it was true!” he answered. He took a calming breath. “I couldn’t believe it was true. If it was, I could not have tolerated this voyage knowing that . . . that you were only interested in conning my family and me,” he confessed, refusing to profess his feelings to her.