Passion's Tide (25 page)

The sun was beating down upon the cool waters of the Atlantic as
t
he
Imperial Shadow
floated stationary. It was late morning on a particularly hot day, and Amber was seeking refuge
from the sun
with the other men on the deck.
They were sailing through calm
doldrums
, and there had been
no wind for days
.
Logan had ordered them to drop the sails,
so
the ship remained motionless on the flat
water
. It was too humid to do much of anything. The men lay sprawled out, hardly moving, bored and anxious.

“How long is this expected to last?” she asked as she pulled her shirt away from her sticky skin. All of the men had stripped down to the waist by this time, and she envied their freedom to do so.

Eli gave her a pitiful shrug. “A typical calm
lasts
only a few days, but I’ve been stuck in one that didn’t end for several weeks.”

Logan threw open the door to his cabin, red-faced and glistening with sweat. “I can’t take this any longer,” he cried in exasperation. “How am I supposed to do anything, let alone concentrate on a bunch of damn nautical maps, when I can’t even move without breaking into a sweat?”

“What’s gotten into his breeches?” whispered Pax into Amber’s ear. She shushed him, her eyes trained on Logan.

“Jackson, drop the ladders. I refuse to sit here and melt when there is an ocean full of cool, inviting water. Men, do whatever you please, but I’m getting out of this damn heat.” With a nod towards Eli, he strode to the edge of the deck, stepped onto the railing and dove into the water.

All at once the quiet ship sprang into action as the crew lunged to their feet and ran to the side, desperate to cool down. Amber herself wasted no time getting off the boat. The moment she hit the water her whole body shuddered with happiness, and she spent the rest of the morning playing with the sailors, reminded of the times she would swim in the pond with her father as a child.

Pax and Deacon rigged up a rope swing, while Henry and Johnny embarked on a quest to find sharks. Fishing nets were tossed down and Jackson managed to catch two sea turtles, exciting the crew even further.

“Just don’t make them suffer,” she yelled up to the pirates who were straining to haul the large animals over the side of the ship.

“Sure thing, Amber,” Jackson called back as he disappeared over the railing, the turtle toppling over on him with a loud thump. She shook her head and continued to float on her back, closing her eyes as the sun warmed her face.

“I’d say that’s about the only productive thing that’s going to come out of today,” Logan remarked as he swam over to her.

“Hmm?”

“The turtles. With the weather staying as it is I doubt anything else will happen, so at least we can say we’re adding a bit of variety to our diet.”

“I’ve never had turtle,” she replied with a languid sigh. “Is it good?”

“It’s not my personal favorite, but the men seem to
enjoy
it. Plus, it’s convenient and a nice break from the monotony once our meat supplies run low. And if we catch more than one at a time, they can be kept alive for weeks on their backs.”

“That sounds terribly cruel to me.”

He laughed. “You’re a pirate now, remember? You can’t think of killing a man in cold blood and get upset about a turtle. It just doesn’t work that way.”

“I don’t care, it’s still mean. And besides, I’m not a real pirate. I’m only one because it was more appealing to me than the alternative.”

“Which was?”

“Being bored stiff,” she said as she closed her eyes again, letting the quiet breeze brush across her face.

Her eyes shot open. “Logan…there’s a breeze,” she cried as she righted herself in the water.

He lifted his head and sure enough, felt the slightest whisper of wind. Excitement built in him and he grabbed her by the waist, pulling her against his body. “Let down the sails
!
I want to be moving in ten minutes,” he called to his men, sending them scrambling up the side of the ship to follow his demands.

“What are you doing?” she asked, still in his arms as his powerful legs kicked with ease to keep them above water.

“Thanking you.”

“What for?”

He kissed her then, a light kiss that had her searching for breath.

“For getting us out of here. You first,” he offered as he released her. She scurried back onto the ship and was about to rush into action when Logan’s hand grasped her elbow. “You should change before you do anything else.”

“I’m fine really,” she countered. He shook his head, and directed her attention back towards her clothes, all of which were plastered to her body. The look in his eyes was unmistakably heated, and she shrank back from the intensity of his gaze, the butterflies returning to her stomach as she sought privacy in the cabin
.
When she came back outside they were moving again, the slight breeze catching in the sails and pushing the ship forward. The men were all happy to be busy
and
settled back into their regular routine without complaint.

Logan saw
Amber
standing by the quarterdeck and sent her a brilliant smile. “I hope you know how to dance,” he said by way of a greeting as he strode up to her, Eli behind him.

“I beg your pardon?”

“There’s going to be a celebration tonight
.
Abe is making turtle soup, we’re breaking into the barrels of rum, and several of the men are going to provide us with music. All of
this leads me back to my first statement: I hope you can dance.”

“
Of course I can dance,” she replied. “I am, after all, a
lady
.”

“I was hoping you would say that
.
B
ecause there are stringent rules stating that any woman attending a celebration on board a pirate ship must be dressed appropriately.”

“I’m assuming you are about to tell me what constitutes appropriate dress. Am I correct?”

“Don’t encourage him,” Eli prompted, but was shushed by Logan.

“Appropriate dress for a pirate party is…well, a dress.”

“Ay, think of all the lonely men on the ship Amber,” came Pax’s voice from behind her. “We haven’t had anything to look at in weeks, what with being stuck at sea. Why don’t you give us something pretty to occupy our thoughts?” A glare from Logan sent him scampering away.

Amber smiled. “Don’t worry, I think I understand what is required of me. May I have the afternoon off to rummage around in the hold? You did mention that I could have anything I wanted down there, and I’m hoping I’ll find something to wear.”

“Of course,” he replied, taken off guard. Amber thanked him and left, leaving Logan and Eli alone.

“You really are thick-headed,” Eli chastised him. “That or you love putting yourself in these situations. I don’t think you realize what you’re unknowingly doing to yourself. You saw what happened when you told her she couldn’t keep up with the other men, and now she’s as capable as any member of your crew. What do you think is going to come of you challenging her to be feminine?” Logan groaned. “Exactly.”

Amber was digging through her trunk for her clean white chemise when Eli poked his head into the room. “Abe wanted me to ask you whether you’re going to need some hot water this afternoon, as you won’t have a chance to bathe after dinner.”

She stood, the chemise grasped in her hands. “Well, I did swim today, so I’d say I’m pretty clean. But if he wouldn’t mind terribly, a bucket of fresh water would be wonderful.”

“Fresh water? As in
,
from our limited stores of drinking water?”

She sent him a coy smile. “I just want to look my best tonight, Elijah.”

He laughed. “Your tactics won’t work on me sweetheart, but I can see why Logan is besotted with you. I’ll tell Abe to bring you a bucket of hot water first thing.”

“Thank you.” She began laying out her outfit for the evening: on top of her chemise she was going to wear a cheerful yellow dress that she had brought from home
.
In the hold she had found a bolt of red fabric that had a decorative design on it, similar to patterns she had seen in Tortuga. She
planned
on wrapping it around her waist as a
second skirt, to add more color to her ensemble. In another crate she had found a beautiful necklace of blue beads, and a realistic looking cloth flower that she would place behind her ear.

She jumped in front of her pile of clothes as the door opened. “I thought you might like some help,” Logan offered unconvincingly as he tried to see past her to what she was hiding.

“I’m doing quite well on my own, thank you. And you should probably change now or take your clothes with you, as I’ll require privacy until the party.” He nodded and gathered up a clean outfit, then, shooting her one
last
glance, left without a word. As the door closed she turned, only to spin around as it opened again.

“Good afternoon, Miss Amber,” Anton said as he carried a large bucket inside. He was one of the only pirates who continued to address her formally. “Abe was busy making the turtle soup, so he asked me to bring this up to you. Where would you like it?”

“Over behind the screen is fine, Anton,” she said as she
walked
over to the table where she had set out a needle and thread to repair a small tear in the red fabric. “Are you looking forward to this evening’s festivities?”

“Oh, yes,” he replied. “It sure will be nice to be able to relax and have some fun. Is this a good spot?” She glanced up from her work and noted his location in the mirror directly across from the table.

“Yes, that’ll do just fine. I really only need it for…”

“Need it for what. Miss Amber, is everything all right?” His face appeared from behind the screen. She sat at the table, mouth open aghast at the unlimited view of the bathtub that the mirror provided. “Miss Amber, should I fetch Logan?”

She broke from her reverie. “Everything is fine, no need to get anyone. I just got lost in thought for a moment, that’s all.”

He didn’t look at all convinced. “If you’re sure.”

“I am.”

“Well then I’ll see you later at the party. Goodbye, Miss Amber,” he said as he made a hasty retreat.

She couldn’t shake a feeling of betrayal. This whole time she had been sitting there exposed, having conversations with the scoundrel as he watched her bathe! It explained much of his behavior, though it did not excuse it.

Excitement rose deep in her belly, but she dismissed that as the anticipation of sweet revenge. “Oh, he is definitely going to pay for this,” she muttered under her breath as she stormed over to the water and began to wash her hair. The salt from the seawater typically left a filmy residue in her long red hair, making it frizz in the humid air. Tonight she had wanted to restore it to its usual lush curls, but the movements of her hands on her scalp were less than soothing. When she was done, she used a cloth to clean the rest of her body, after ensuring that the door was indeed locked. No longer did she naively trust the screen to protect her from her Captain’s leering eyes.

Fully washed, she approached the bed and stood naked, hands on her hips, scrutinizing her outfit once again. Her desire to impress Logan by dressing up like the lady she was had disintegrated. If he insisted on treating her like a common wench, then that is precisely who she would become.

With a smirk she tossed the yellow dress back into her trunk and shrugged into the chemise. The white fabric dipped far enough below her neck to offer an enticing view of her cleavage, but the sleeves were too long for her current purpose, so she cut them off with her dagger.
Much better
, she admitted as she examined herself in the mirror. Her shoulders were now exposed, showing off the sleek muscles she had acquired over the past few weeks. She wrapped the red skirt around her and slipped the beads around her neck, then as an afterthought, added a cream colored corset that cinched along her back and succeeded in pushing her breasts up even higher. Satisfied with the result, she tucked the flower behind her ear and shook out her curls one last time, before sauntering towards the door
.

“Dear god, what the devil does she think she is wear
ing?” Logan sputtered as Amber emerged from the cabin, choking on his ale. Eli thumped his back until the coughing subsided.

“I warned you not to encourage her, didn’t I?” Eli told him. “One of these days you are going to start taking my advice, old friend.”

As the sun sank behind the horizon, Logan found himself unable to peel his eyes from Amber. At dinnertime she accepted her plate and headed towards the bow of the ship, furthest from where he had already settled down to eat. The rest of the crew gravitated towards her, leaving Logan by himself. Even Eli was torn between sitting with his Captain or the captivating redhead, and after
sending
Logan an apologetic glance, joined the rest of the men.

After dinner the men set up their instruments and began tuning them. It took a few tries, but eventually the cacophony transitioned into synchronized music. Eli had his
flute
, Piers played the fiddle, Noah found a dusty cello in the hold, and David banged along with a drum. Pax was the first to ask Amber to dance
.
He swung
her around in a wild Irish jig, her laughter carried by the wind to her
ever-present
observer, Logan, who leaned against the railing of the ship
watching
. It was painful to
see
her shameless flirtation,
and
even harder was that she interacted so easily with the other men. Every once in awhile, however, he caught her stealing glances in his direction. He dared not get his hopes up, but a part of him refused to ignore the likelihood that her dress, her flirting, her dancing…everything was carefully executed to make him jealous. He hated to admit that it was working. But if she was doing it on purpose, then she must have a reason. He burned to look inside her devious head, read her cunning thoughts and decipher the mixed signals she was constantly sending his way. Instead, he drank another flagon of ale, and continued to watch her dance. His little gypsy.