Storm on the Horizon (Fated For Love) (6 page)

“
Yes, cap’n.” Willy retreated.

“
He was only concerned for my welfare; please don’t punish him for that.” Olivia winced in the morning light. A dull ache had settled behind her eyes after lying awake most of the night.

“
I know.” An unwanted smile tugged at his lips. “He’s infatuated with you.” He could certainly relate to the boy.

“
I… I didn’t mean—.”

“
Of course you didn’t. He’s never seen a lady before. I plucked him from the ham fist of his abusive father in St. Giles. I imagine he never knew a woman could look as you do.” Christ, he couldn’t control his brain around her. “That is to say…” bloody hell how was he going to recover from that, “…compared to the dock side whores with rotting black teeth that he normally encounters, your looks are rather exemplary.” Colton winced. He was going to burn in hell for this, and Olivia would be the one holding the matches.

Olivia narrowed her eyes at him.
“Well, enlightening as that comparison is, I just wanted you to know that he is a good worker.”

“
I know he is a good lad, that’s why I brought him to my ship.”

Her face was pinched with anger and hurt, but she was standing tall with her shoulders back. God
, she looked beautiful. Rebellious curls sprang from her braid in defiance, her lips and cheeks were flushed with color again, and he could imagine her sitting high up on Olympus shooting God bolts at arrogant men. None were more deserving of her wrath than he.

“
I realize my comment was horrifically inappropriate and highly insulting. I apologize.” He back peddled.

“
Do you? Makes belly seem quite innocent, doesn’t it?”

“
Belly? He said belly in front of you?”

“
You find it more shocking than dock side whore?”

Colton clamped his mouth shut.

“Precisely.” Olivia smiled and turned away from him.

Colton coughed.
“Ugh, Olivia... your dress is unfastened.”

“
Oh, yes, I wasn’t able to fasten it myself. Do you mind?”

For a moment, she heard no movement and then she heard the
scrape of his boots draw near her. She felt his hands touch the halves of her dress, and she turned her head to look over her shoulder. She could only see half of his face, and he was frowning.

“
I’m sorry. I didn’t think it proper to ask Willy to do it.”

He grunted.

Olivia felt the unmistakable slide of his hand against her skin, and she shivered. He stepped back quickly as she turned and caught his eyes. He seemed startled; his eyes had a feverish brightness.

“
Thank you,” she said quietly.

He seemed to shake himself and focus on her.
“Perhaps you should have planned your wardrobe accordingly. I don’t have time to play the ladies maid.”

“
As a matter of fact, I did plan accordingly. The three dresses I brought are the easiest to take on and off by myself. This dress will stay on even if not hooked in the back but alas, I thought to ask for your help and be fully dressed.” She raised an eyebrow. She didn’t want to argue with him, but it seemed to suite both their moods to snap at each other. It was unnerving to face him after last night, after a kiss that he gave her thinking she was not awake. Was she brave enough to inform him otherwise? She sighed. “I feel I’m not my best this morning. I did not find the rest I sought. Did you sleep well?”

“
I did actually,” he said with some surprise.

Olivia wanted to press him for answers but her courage failed her. Her mind was muddled from lack of sleep
, and she didn’t know where to begin.
By the way, I was awake. Would you like to kiss me again?
She actually giggled aloud.

“
You find that amusing?” Colton asked in confusion.

“
Pardon? Oh, no, I was just thinking of a strange dream I had. I’m sure you have plenty of duties to attend to, so please don’t let me take up any more of your time.” She dismissed his presence and sat at the table to break her fast.

Colton watched her in puzzlement and made no move to leave. She was upset with him
, and he hadn’t the slightest idea why. Never had Olivia ever been upset with him. It was an uncomfortable feeling.

“
Is something wrong?”

“
I don’t see how it would be any concern of yours,” Olivia mumbled. She realized she was angry at him, but she didn’t fully understand why.

“
Your usual cheery disposition is absent this morning. Is it something I did?”

Olivia clenched her teeth. This was the moment she could say something. The question fell over them both like a scratchy wool blanket. She wanted to say something but
it still evaded her, so instead she chose the coward’s way. “I wish you had dined with me last night. That is all,” she said quietly.

“
Olivia, surely you understand that not spending time with you is not something I choose to do, but something I must do. This is my ship, I have duties, and responsibilities that keep me busy almost all hours of the day.”

“
I understand that, but it didn’t feel like that. It felt like you were running away from me. I can’t understand why you would not want to be around me. Lately, it seems that no one wants to be around me, except Willy. Perhaps I shall ask him to dine with me for company.”

“
Olivia.”

“
Would that be permissible, or is it imperative that he dine with the rest of the crew?”

Colton sighed.
“Why do you think no one wants to be around you? You’ve been at home with your family all this time?”

Olivia swallowed. This isn’t where she thought this morning would go, but it was better than exploring the reasons
for the kiss. At least for now. “Since Devon left, everything has been different. It’s as if he took all the joy with him. Suddenly, I’m alone all the time, and there is no laughter in my home, no talking, no smiling. The silence is suffocating and every time I try to talk to my mother and father, I’m pushed aside. They don’t even want to speak to me.”

“
Livie...” Colton felt awful. She was trying so hard to remain composed but he could hear the sorrow in her voice, and all he wanted to do was hold her and comfort her. “They don’t mean to push you away, and I’m not pushing you away. I must attend my duties. Protecting you is one of those duties, and I can’t do that if I ignore my other responsibilities. We could be over taken by pirates or swallowed whole by a giant squid.”

Olivia gave him a droll stare.
“Giant squid?”

“
All myths have some truth, you know.” He smiled charmingly and hoped she would smile too, whatever it took to erase the sadness from her eyes.

“
I’d prefer pirates. Perhaps some dangerous rogue will sweep me off my feet and steal me away to his island lair to have his way with me.” This time she did smile, especially when she looked at Colton.

Colton scowled at her.
“I don’t find that humorous and if you had any dealings with pirates, you wouldn’t either. They’re not known for their hygienic habits.”

“
Love over comes all things,” she said defensively.

Colton snorted.
“You think you could love a pirate?”

As easy as I could love a sea captain
.
“You’ve had dealings with pirates?” She stepped around his question.

“
It comes with the territory of being a sea captain.”

“
Have you ever killed anyone?”

“
That’s not really a subject I like to discuss, least of all with you.”

“
You have killed someone! Who? A pirate?” Olivia asked excitedly.

Colton sighed.
“I have never personally killed a man, if that’s what you’re asking, but we’ve put a few cannon balls through some ships, and there are bound to be casualties. It’s a risk we all take. You didn’t answer my question. Do you think you could love a pirate?”

Olivia bit her lip.
“Why not?”

“
Pirates are criminals, thieves, murderers, and they have no remorse for their actions.”

“
Most kings and politicians can be accused of the same. I could love a pirate who fiercely loved me in return. Perhaps I could change him for the better.”

“
You would not see him meet justice then, for all he pillaged and destroyed before meeting you and reforming? How is that fair to all the sailors who lost their lives at his hands, and the merchants who lost their living. I do not think you could love such a man, Livie.”

Olivia thought about what he said. He was aggravatingly correct.
“Perhaps you’re right, Colton. I was only romanticizing the idea of a man brave enough to want me and take me for his own. I really am hopelessly romantic. I want love more than anything, more than a title, or extensive manors, or all the silk in England.”

Colton was taken aback. He had never heard her talk like this before; in fact, he couldn’t remember having a serious conversation with Olivia at all. The only time they spent together was at social gatherings where talk consisted of the banal things. This was an entirely new side of her he hadn’t seen before.
“That is an admiral quality.”

“
Is it? My mother would disagree.”

“
Your parents want what is best for you. Their actions also stem from love.”

“
Colton...” Olivia stood and approached him. “I may appear naive at most times, but I understand the world very well. I am rapidly approaching spinsterhood, and if I don’t take things into my own hands, I may never find the love I am searching for.”

“
We are all searching for something, Olivia, but the truth is, we can’t always have what we want. The world is a much bigger and stronger animal than our pithy desires. We have to accept that we don’t have control; we won’t have what we want. Perhaps that is the lesson you should learn here. For all you’ve tried to shape your future you’ve forgotten one important thing. It’s your parents who will have the ultimate say until your husband takes their place. That is the world you live in, the world you were born into.” Colton could feel his temper slipping.

Olivia frowned.
“You think my parents will just marry me off to someone of their choosing?”

“
Your parents will have you wedded and bedded within a week of our return.”

Olivia froze. It was beginning to make sense now, the distance, the fear of being seen by his crew...
“Is that what you’re afraid of? You think you will have to marry me?”

Colton scoffed
. “Marry me? A lowly sea captain? I think not. Only a titled gentleman would do for Lady Olivia Brentton.”

Olivia stepped back as if struck.
“You think me so shallow? Do you know me at all?” Olivia knew she was sheltered but that didn’t mean she was all that he had said. Only this morning she was rather enamored of his profession as a sea captain. He was different then the gentlemen she knew, dashing, heroic. He was a real man who had done real things and seen exotic places in the world rather than the pampered fops who graced the ballrooms. Colton had a purpose and a dream. He worked hard to continue his father’s legacy and provide for his family. He built with his bare hands, created, and saw the results of his labor live beneath his very feet. Olivia loved that about him, but clearly, he thought that she would snub her nose at things like that. Her heart burned for him like a candle in a window waiting for him to see it, to know that she longed for him to be by her side.

“
Of course not, Livie. It isn’t what you are, but what our world is.”

“
That is a sorry excuse,” she said quietly. She was upset now and her emotions would not settle into cohesive thoughts. “You may think me naive and shallow, but I know what is worth living for, regardless of what anyone thinks I should do. I won’t let my life be led by someone else. And although this time has been difficult for my parents with Devon’s absence, regardless of what happens on this ship, they would not want to see me unhappy. What good is living if you don’t fight for the things you want?”

“
Those are foolish, romantic notions,” Colton returned none to gently.

“
Perhaps, but I’d rather be a fool than a coward.”

Colton stepped forward until she was backed up against the table.
He was stunned by the burn of anger in his veins, but he would not tolerate being called a coward, and he was sure that was exactly what she meant. After all that he had done to remain distant for her benefit, to ensure that she was protected from the scandal that would smatter her family’s name in mud because of her actions, and she had the nerve to call him a coward?

“
You insult my honor Olivia. After what you have done to your family’s good name, you have no ground to stand on. For once, listen to your head, listen to the voices of reason around you. You are in danger of—”