The Pirate Takes A Bride (14 page)

So Nick had come to her because he had needs. And yet, he had seemed to really want her, not just any woman. She’d felt the evidence of his desire, and heard the huskiness in his voice when he’d said,
I want you too much
.

Her tummy did flips even now when she remembered those words and the way he’d whispered them against her mouth. And, finally, she allowed her thoughts to turn to her leg. He had not seemed to remember it was scarred. He had not seemed to understand why she did not want him to touch it. Of course, if he had touched it, if he’d felt how ugly it was then he would not have wanted her. She’d been fortunate to stop him just in time, although perhaps she should have allowed him to touch her there. Perhaps she should have allowed him to remember why he’d rejected her all those months ago. Then he would have jumped off her in disgust and she would not now be entertaining foolish thoughts of love that made her heart beat quicker.

He was not in love with her. She’d been the only woman he could turn to on a ship full of men. And according to the law, she did belong to him. He could do what he would with her, and at the very least, he was expected to bed her. But he hadn’t bedded her, had he? He’d been interrupted at the worst possible moment. No doubt he was none too pleased with Mr. Chante at the moment.

And then Ashley shot up. Nick hadn’t needed to forgo his own pleasure, though. He could have taken her immediately. Instead, he’d thought of her first. He’d given her pleasure before taking his own. That must mean something. Would he think of her pleasure before his if he didn’t care for her?

No. She could not allow these thoughts to continue. If she allowed herself to think like this, she was going to start believing he cared for her.

The sound of men’s low voices and the creak of iron and wood roused her from her reverie, and she cocked her head to listen. The captain—Nick, her Nick—was lowering the boats. Perhaps he’d grown tired of waiting for wind. Perhaps he’d seen a threat.

She jumped up and squirmed into the stays she’d rigged so she could take them on and off without help. She could not tighten them very well by herself, but the stitching in her gown had come loose in any case, so she did not need to be cinched too tightly. She struggled into the garments and opened the cabin door.

The companionway outside was empty, and she blinked in some surprise. She was used to seeing Mr. Fellowes or another sailor standing guard. Since the attack by Johnson, she’d seen the measure as a protective one. Now it seemed not a man could be spared. With a frown, she made her way to the deck, where she spotted Nick immediately. Without her saying a word, he turned toward her. When his blue eyes landed on her, her heart jumped into her throat, and she had to gulp it back down.

So much for not falling in love with him. She feared she was halfway in love with him already. She made her way to where he stood on the foredeck, expecting him to chastise her for being out in the open, but he merely nodded at her and turned back to the water. “The men will row in search of wind,” he said to her when she was beside him. His tone was informal, as though he had been sharing this sort of information with her all along.

“I thought silence was of the utmost importance,” she said.

“Mr. Chante spotted another ship. Now escape is at the top of my list.”

“Is it another navy ship?”

He shrugged, his eyes on the water. “I couldn’t identify it in the dark and fog, but when you’re a pirate almost every ship is an enemy ship.”

“What have you done to anger so many other captains?”

He laughed, the sound rich and almost dissonant in the quiet of the night. “I’ve been successful,” he said. “The navy wants to take me as a prize, and other pirates want the privilege of saying they sunk the
Robin Hood
. I’m sure they wouldn’t mind conscripting a few of my men as well.”

“So you don’t always run,” she said more to herself than to him.

“No. My men are rich from the treasures we’ve liberated. You shouldn’t have any illusions about me, Ashley.”

She glanced at him, and his gaze was on her. “I’m no hero. I’ve killed and I’ve stolen and I’ve done what was necessary to stay alive.”

This was more than he’d told her in all the time they’d spent together. She would take advantage of his sudden eagerness to speak. “What about the rumors that you give half your wealth to the poor?”

“Those are just rumors. People like tales of adventure, and the exploits of the captain of the
Robin Hood
have been greatly exaggerated by storytellers hoping to earn their supper. I’m neither as good or as bad as the rumors would have you believe.”

“But why become a pirate at all?” she asked. “You come from a noble family and don’t need need the money. You were once in the navy. Why did you turn?”

He did not answer. When he turned back to study the row boats, she did not think he would answer. His low voice surprised her. “Revenge.”

“Against whom?”

“A Barbary corsair named Yussef. He killed someone I cared for, and the navy would not allow me to go after him. I took matters into my own hands.”

“He’s the reason we’re sailing to the island?”

He nodded. “I should have killed him years ago. Instead I followed orders. Now I give the orders.” He narrowed his eyes on the horizon. “Mr. Chante!”

“I see it, Cap’n. Wind! Retrieve the boats and prepare to man the rigging.”

Nick turned to study the activity, overseeing it as he seemed to do with all of the operations on board ship. But Ashley watched him. His blue eyes were sharp and his mouth set in a grim line. She almost found it difficult to believe this was the man who’d held her in his arms a few hours ago. This was a man who loved fiercely and was loyal to the end.

But who was it he had loved? A woman? It had to have been. Ashley felt her cheeks heat with something suspiciously like jealousy. Ridiculous considering the woman—the person—in question was gone. Still, what would it be like to have this man love her? She feared she would never know.

Worse, she feared she was going to go ahead and fall in love with the rogue anyway.

S
treaks of orange and pink fought their way through the gray of early dawn as Nick stared off the bow at the tiny land mass. The
Robin Hood
sailed at a fast clip, the wind whipping her sails, and Isla de las Riquezas was only a few hours away. Despite the obstacles, they’d made it in less than three weeks, which considering the poor weather, had to be some sort of record.

The small island near Gibraltar had long been a haven for sailors and pirates, but Nick and the men of the
Robin Hood
had claimed it for their own. They’d fought for it, and every pirate knew better than to defy Nick’s
No Visitors
policy. They left men to defend it, and the two 32-pound cannon set high on the hills overlooking the beach punctuated Nick’s command. That Yussef had the gall to attack, and that he was successful, made fury rise in Nick’s gut. He would kill the men stationed to defend the island. If they were not already dead.

He wanted answers, and he wanted the Barbary corsair’s head. But first he would see Rissa. If she was dead…he did not want to think of that. He would go on. He would have to, but life would hardly be worth living without her. He should have taken her to England long ago. He’d known she wasn’t safe here, but England was so confining, so regimented, and she was such a free spirit. The last thing he wanted was to see the laughter and spirit methodically crushed out of her by Society.

No, the last thing he wanted was to see her small, lifeless body, withering on the beach, food for crabs and seagulls. He would take her to England, to safety. It was time he gave up his adventures on the sea and did his duty. He had a wife now. Nick raked a hand through his hair, thinking of Ashley. Lovely Ashley. What would she think of Rissa? Of Zorah? Would she condemn him? Probably, but then again, one never knew with Ashley.

She was one of the few women in Society who had not had her spirit crushed. Perhaps that was why he’d always been drawn to her. She was beautiful, of course, but beauty would not have held his attention for more than the time it took to dance a set with her at a ball. She’d had his attention for far longer than that.

He would take her back to England and be a true husband to her. Jack would welcome his brother’s help managing the Blackthorne estates. And Nick was ready to submit to the yoke of that duty—as soon as Yussef was dead. True, he’d been chasing the pirate for years now, but Nick’s search had not been consuming or focused. He was a pirate. Pirates made their fortunes and those of their crew. But he found he cared little for fortune any longer. He wanted something else, something more than the quick rush of a sea battle or the adventure of sailing to parts unknown.

Perhaps he might find what he was looking for with Ashley. Not that he expected her to be content to sit by a fire on their country estate and embroider. They were kindred spirits, longing for excitement and fun. But there were many ways to appease those desires—traveling the world, hunting or hawking, and, of course, bedsport. The night they’d just shared together proved to him she still desired him. And he—he desired her. He felt he had only just begun to whet his appetite for her. Even if Chante had not interrupted them, Nick knew one night with Ashley would not be enough.

He heard footfalls behind him, and turned to see Chante approaching. “Speak of the devil,” he murmured.

Chante gave him a wide, white-toothed grin. “Good morning, Cap’n.”

“If I didn’t know you so well, Mr. Chante, I might think you planned your interruption.”

“Me, Cap’n?” Chante had the gall to look shocked. “How was I to know what you were up to?”

The man knew everything that went on aboard the
Robin Hood
. “Just give me your report, Mr. Chante.”

“The men signaled, Cap’n, and we get no response.”

“Everything looks quiet,” Nick said, eyeing the approaching land again.

“That be what I’m afraid of.”

“It’s too quiet.”

“That means two things. Either they all dead.”

“Or there’s an ambush.”

“Yes, Cap’n. Orders?”

“We drop anchor and send a scouting party ahead.” He named the men he wanted to accompany him. “On board, the men stand ready at the guns. If we’re not attacked, we’ll send word, and you lead the next group ashore. We leave half the crew, those without family on the island, on the ship to keep watch and man the guns.”

“Yes, Cap’n. What about the girl?”

“She stays on the ship.” But even as he said it, Nick knew Ashley would never obey. The woman was not made for shipboard life. Anyone with one eye could see she hated the confines of his cabin and the cramped conditions on board. He held up a hand. “Fine. She comes ashore on the second boat. I’ll speak to her and explain why she must wait. I don’t want her causing trouble while I’m away.”

“Oh, I think that be something she can hardly avoid.”

Nick gave his quartermaster a look, and Chante shrugged. “With all due respect, Cap’n.”

“You don’t like her much, do you, Mr. Chante? No, strike that. Speak to me as Chante, as a friend. You don’t like her, do you?”

Chante shrugged. “I doan like her for you, Nicholas.”

“Why?”

“Once when was a child, I walk with my father. We were hunting. Big game. Lions.”

Nick raised his brows but said nothing. Chante so very rarely ever spoke of the time before he’d become a slave. Nick knew he’d lived on a sugar plantation in the Caribe, but he’d escaped and joined the crew of the first ship he encountered in port. Nick had met him some years later in Tripoli and persuaded him to join the crew of the
Robin Hood
.

Chante looked at the rising sun, the light bathing his face with a warm glow. “We waited in the tall grass. While we wait I watch two spiders mate. The female, when she was done, she bit off the head of the male. She killed him when he wasn’t expecting it.”

“Interesting story,” Nick said finally. “And you think Ashley is like this spider? She’ll stab me in the back or shoot me when I’m not looking.”

Chante shrugged. “There be more than one way to kill a man.” He gave a short bow. “I’ll relay your orders, Cap’n.”

Nick watched him go. “Did you kill a lion that day?” he called after the quartermaster.

“No, Cap’n. I was watching the spider when I should have been watching the grass. The lion, he get away.” Chante nodded toward the stern of the ship, and the great cabin, meaningfully.

“Well, at least I understand that warning.”