Never Trust a Pirate (4 page)

“No one will care.” They were getting closer, and she could feel some of her self-assurance fade. “Pretty thing like you—you were asking for it, that’s what we’d say. Or maybe we won’t have to say anything at all, maybe you’re just going to disappear. I know someone who’d pay good money to take you far away from here, sell you to some of them heathens who like white skin. Too bad you’re not a blonde, but you’d still fetch a pretty price.”

She started to back away from them. She could always hit one of them in the head with her valise, but it was far too light to do much damage. All right, so she’d miscalculated, and she hadn’t been paying proper attention. She’d had instructions on how to get to Captain Morgan’s house, instructions she’d merely glanced at and arrogantly assumed that had been enough. She was going to have to run for it, and while she could probably outpace the big one and the old one, the scarred one looked far too eager.

He was moving in on her, and one of his hands reached down and cupped the front of his filthy breeches suggestively. “You want to beg for mercy, little girl? I’m afraid I’m all out.”

“I want her first,” the big man said in a plaintive whine.

“You hurts ’em too much, Barney,” the old man chided. “You get her last. Once you’re done with them they aren’t much good to anyone for a long time.”

She was going to throw up. Right there in front of them. In any other circumstances it should have filled them with disgust, but these depraved creatures would probably enjoy it.

“Say ‘please,’ girly,” the scarred man taunted.

She was almost at the corner of the alleyway. Just a few more feet and she could make a run for it. “Please,” she said in a soft, breathless voice. “Please…”—her voice hardened—“go sod yourselves.”

She spun on her heels, swallowing her fear. Something grabbed her sleeve, and she heard it rip as she yanked away. Her valise went flying. A moment later her arm was caught in a grip so painful she felt as if her bones were being crushed, and she was being dragged back into the alleyway. She opened her mouth to scream, but a filthy hand slapped over it, silencing her. She fought—kicking, hitting, clawing with her hands, though trapped in her cheap cotton gloves she couldn’t do much damage. She managed to move her knee up sharply, hitting the big man in the groin, and he went down with a comically high-pitched scream of pain, writhing on the ground.

For a moment she was free, but she was so shocked that what her former maid had described to her had actually worked that she didn’t move fast enough, and then another of them caught her, spinning her around and shoving her up against the side of a building, her face pushed against the crumbling brickwork as she felt someone fumble with her skirts.

“I think you’d better get your hands off her, boys.”

The voice came from out of nowhere, and for a moment Maddy thought she’d dreamt it. Except that those crushing hands had immediately released her, and she pushed away from the brick wall, trying to catch her breath as she pulled her bonnet more tightly on her head.

“We weren’t doing no harm,” the talkative one wheedled. “You know that any woman comes around here is fair game. Only working girls walk these streets, and I’ll grant you she’s a lot prettier than most of them, but she ain’t no better off. Some of them likes a bit of a fight.”

“I don’t think she did.”

Taking a deep, calming breath, Maddy turned to face her rescuer, and for a moment everything froze within her.

She hadn’t known a man could be beautiful. She was used to pale Englishmen—this man was bronzed by the sun, with long, curling black hair, high cheekbones, and faintly slanted eyes. He wasn’t looking at her, he was concentrating on the miscreants, and when she was finally able to break the odd spell he’d cast over her she turned to look at them as well, now that it was safe.

The big man was struggling to his feet, groaning loudly, and the old man was fumbling with his breeches, presumably refastening them. She shuddered, just faintly, but it caught the stranger’s attention. “You should know better than to walk alone in this area,” he said coolly. He had a lovely deep voice with an odd accent that she couldn’t quite identify. She could recognize a bit of the London streets, mixed with half a dozen other accents that made his voice indescribable.

He wasn’t struck dumb with her beauty, a shock. In fact, he’d barely glanced at her, and what he’d seen didn’t appear to impress him. It was a novel experience, and she wasn’t sure she enjoyed it, particularly when faced with someone who could, in another life, have that same effect on her. “I got lost,” she said, with no note of apology in her voice. “You would think a girl could walk through town without being molested, but then, I’m new here. I hadn’t realized the scum of the earth lived in this city.” She realized belatedly that she’d forgotten to use the accent she’d planned on. It didn’t matter now, but she mustn’t forget once she got to the captain’s household.

“Real uppity, ain’t she?” the old one said. “She needs to be taught a lesson.”

The stranger’s slightly tilted dark eyes crinkled in amusement. “I don’t think she needs the kind of lesson you had in mind. Stupidity isn’t a crime, rape is.”

Maddy bristled. “I am not stupid, I simply don’t know this wretched town. One can walk in London without being subjected to such vile behavior. Had I known Devonport was so depraved I would have looked for work elsewhere.”

“Where do you work?” the stranger demanded, and she gave him a suspicious glance.

“I work for a milliner,” she lied glibly. “And I’m already late. If you’ve finished discussing my stupidity then I’ll be off.”

“In what direction?” His voice was lazy.

Rats. She hadn’t thought that far ahead. “I’m looking for North Water Street.”

“And you were heading south,” he observed.

It didn’t matter how bewitching he was, he was thoroughly annoying. But she’d lost everything—her father, her comfortable living, the houses in London and Somerset. She at least still had her pride, and she had manners. “Thank you very much,” she said stiffly. “I appreciate the rescue.” She paused. “But I could have fought them off myself.” The knee trick had worked so effectively that the big man was still hunched over, moaning slightly to his privates. She could have used it on the other two and then run for it.

“Oh, really?” he drawled.

She didn’t want to look at him, but she kept her gaze at his shoulder. He was dressed in plain clothes of good quality—breeches, a white shirt, a dark blue superfine jacket that was loosely tailored, and no cravat whatsoever. She noticed a glint of gold beneath his black curls and recognized a hooped earring. She shouldn’t have been so shocked—of course he was a sailor, with that bronzed skin and lean, wiry body, though he was definitely taller than most. “I don’t need help from someone who’s doubtless no better than the others. I’ve been warned about sailors on leave. Now if you’ll excuse me,” she said in icy tones. It wasn’t the wisest thing to say, she realized, but she was furious, both with them and with herself. He was right—she’d
been an idiot to get lost in this part of town. She should have paid closer attention to Mr. Fulton’s directions.

“You gonna let her get away with that?” the talkative one said, outraged.

The man had been leaning against the brick wall, watching everything with casual interest. He straightened then, and for the first time she felt the full force of his attention. It was a disturbing feeling. “If you were warned you should have listened. But then, we’ve already established your stupidity.”

At least she had the wit to bite back her instinctive retort. She glared at him instead. “I think I’ll go now.”

“I think not.” He caught her arm, his strong hand surprisingly hard on her upper arm as he pulled her around. She lost her footing, and fell against him, or maybe he’d dragged her there, but suddenly she was plastered up against a warm, male body, her eyes at the level of his bare neck and gold hoop. “I think you need a taste of what you just escaped. That way you’ll learn your lesson.” To her shock he put his hand behind her neck, tilting her head up, and his mouth came down on hers.

It was hard against her lips, and to her astonishment he used his long fingers to push her jaw apart, enough for his tongue to thrust into her mouth, and she held still, motionless with shock.

It was disgusting. Foul. He tasted of fresh coffee and cinnamon, and she considered biting him. What was he doing to her? Whatever it was, it was wrong. And yet… how very odd… it was strangely enticing. She could feel the anger and outrage in her body begin to soften, and she tried to summon her fury back. It had disappeared. She heard fuzzy noises in the distance, and she realized it was the hooting of the men who’d attacked her.

He lifted his head, looking down at her out of hooded, dark eyes. “Open your mouth, my little idiot, and kiss me back.”

She opened her mouth to tell him to go to the devil when he covered hers once more, holding her tight against his body as he continued with his shocking kiss, something she’d never experienced before. His tongue touched hers, coaxed, and for some reason she let hers drift against his, as he deepened the kiss, and she wondered idly if she was going to swoon.

That wouldn’t be a good idea, not with the three sailors making loud sounds of approval. But lord, she’d been wrong about this kind of kissing. It was too intimate, too intense, too seductive. It made her want more, and for a moment she pictured his hands on her breasts, his hands pulling up her skirts and taking her in public up against a brick wall. She wanted to dissolve into the absolute splendor of his mouth, and she moaned in pleasure.

A moment later she was released, and she fell back, putting a hand on the side of the building for surreptitious support. Her rescuer had turned from her to the three men. “She’d be a waste of time, boys. She kisses like a virgin. You’re better off paying for some companionship.” He tossed them a handful of coins, and even the hulking one caught them deftly.

“Thank you, cap’n,” they said cheerfully, backing away as if they hadn’t been about to commit rape and kidnapping. “You knew we meant no harm. Just having a bit of fun, that’s all.”

“Next time find someone willing.”

They ran off, and Maddy had finally managed to stand on her own two feet as anger washed through her, stiffening her. “You reward them for trying to rape me?” she demanded icily.

The man shrugged. “At least they’ll be too busy to bother you again. And they’ll have a much better time.”

She was so furious she could barely speak. “How lovely of you,” she said in a biting voice. “And now I suppose you’re going to insist on accompanying me to my destination.”

“No.” He glanced down the empty alleyway. “In truth I was
more concerned about those boys getting in trouble with the law than your precious hide. Water Street’s just two streets away—follow the smell of the sea and you’ll find it. And turn right if you’re looking for North Water Street.” To her complete astonishment he started walking away, as if they’d had nothing but a casual encounter and not the searing kiss that she could still feel, still taste.

She wanted to throw something at him. He’d called her stupid, something she couldn’t abide, and then he’d kissed her in that disgusting manner, as if she were some cheap doxy. Except in the end the kiss hadn’t been disgusting at all, it had been… astonishing.

She reached up her gloved hand and rubbed her mouth, trying to scrub the feel of him, the taste of him, away. It didn’t work—it only seemed to deepen the brand. She watched him go, his tall body striding through the alleyway as if he owned it, when he suddenly stopped, turning back to look at her.

His dark eyes seemed to bore into hers, and she felt her heart catch in her throat, a strange sensation washing over her skin as she stood motionless.

“Fuck it,” he said succinctly, shocking her with the forbidden curse. He crossed the distance between them in a few long strides, and before she realized it he’d caught her up in his arms again, pushing her back into the shadows.

She ought to be afraid. He was a stranger, this place was deserted, and he could do what the others had threatened. Rape by a Greek god was still rape.

But he wasn’t going to rape her. He wasn’t going to hurt her. He kissed her again, hard at first, as if imprinting his claim on her, and then more slowly, brushing his mouth against hers, softly, back and forth, and she knew her lips were trembling beneath his. Her words were her best weapon, but they were locked in her throat as she felt his tongue, his outrageous, shocking tongue intrude into her mouth and the sensations moved through her body like fire. She knew she
should protest, shove him away, use her knee again, give vent to the outrage that should have filled her. But she couldn’t lift her knee when she was already standing on her toes, trying to get closer to him, when her arms had somehow found their way around his neck, her breasts pressed against the rough cloth of his coat. She felt his hand slide down her back, cupping her bum, pressing her hips against his.

She knew what that stiff ridge of flesh was, and it surprised her. How could he respond that fiercely to just a kiss, when it had taken Tarkington…

He lifted his head, and then flicked her chin with his long fingers. “Pay attention to the man who’s kissing you,” he said in a low voice. And his mouth descended again.

Oh, God. She’d never imagined it could be like this, the burning hunger that was racing through her body, making her knees weak, and she wanted to sink into him, dissolve into a molten puddle of forbidden longing.

He released her so abruptly she almost lost her footing. “That’s more like it,” he said, staring down at her from enigmatic eyes. “You’d better get going before I totally lose my mind. And watch yourself. Next time I won’t be around to rescue you.” And damned if the man didn’t start whistling cheerfully as he strode away, forgetting about her entirely.

She stood very still. She was at a loss for words for perhaps the first time in her life, and then a clear, sharp, cleansing fury exploded within her. Spinning on her heel, she stalked away, following his directions, muttering imprecations beneath her breath, including the forbidden one he’d dared to use in her presence.