A Captain's Destiny (6 page)

“Sweet Katherine, I want you so very much. You can’t deny that you want me too,” he said confidently, his voice hoarse and tight, as though his self-restraint was causing him great pain.

He wanted her, and Katherine felt his need. Indeed, she felt a need of her own, and, without a worry about the consequences, she placed her hand over his. “Yes, I want you, but…I’m afraid,” she admitted.

“I know. It will hurt at first, but I will be as gentle as I can be,” he promised her, as his fingers feathered through the tight curls at the apex of her thighs, swirling around her clitoris, driving her to new heights of desire.

The feeling was so new and so enjoyable that Katherine had no doubt it was what she wanted. She turned to him, and his much larger body covered half of hers, his left knee pushing her thighs apart, as his fingers slid between her nether lips. Wetted in the juices of her arousal, his invading digits easily found the entrance to her womanly secrets, and as he circled it, she gasped.

“I have you now,” he whispered, as he nibbled on her earlobe.

Katherine’s stomach clinched in expectation. She had never been touched down there before, and suddenly she wasn’t certain she could go through with this. “Jack, I…”

“Hush, my sweet. You have nothing to fear; I’ll take very good care of you, just as I always have,” he vowed.

*

Though she was untried and exceedingly tight, she was so drenched between her thighs that one of his fingers easily slid inside her silken shaft…at least until it met the barrier that protected her inner sanctum. She let out a little mew—of pain or fright, he wasn’t sure. He would be as gentle as he could be.

“Take a deep breath,” he told her. And then, as she inhaled, with one quick, upward thrust, his long digit punctured her hymen. Her startled cry of pain was swallowed up by Jack’s fervent kiss. And as he kissed her, he withdrew his finger and added another, drawing them both in and out repeatedly, stroking her tender passage until no barrier remained, and she was humming in sweet surrender. Swimming in a sea of passion, Jack felt Katherine put her hand over his, helping guide him, as he worked her into a frenzy with his loving digits.

When she exploded the first time, clawing Jack’s arm with her nails, her back arching off the ground as she cried his name, Jack smiled to himself. She was wet and ready for him now, and he wasted no time mounting her, pressing his cock inside her snug channel until he could reach no farther. Then, pulling her legs up over his hips, he began moving—in and out, back and forth, filling her with all nine inches of his tumescent cock.

Panting and grunting in unison, they climbed the heights of erotic fulfillment. It was unlike any sexual encounter Jack had previously experienced. He was astounded. He had always known Katherine was a lively, adventurous soul, but in bed she was even more. She was a treasure; quick to excite, willing to learn, and eager to experience all he had to offer. Lifting his upper body, he held her hips high on one hand, while supporting his weight on the other. At his suggestion, Katherine put her ankles on his shoulders for support. In this manner his one hand was free to pleasure her, and he did. Using the pad of his middle finger he rubbed her clit till it was swollen and peeking from its hood, and she was writhing in ecstasy. It wasn’t long before Katherine climaxed a second time.

Next, he turned her over and urged her onto her knees. In one quick motion he slid back inside her slick passage, plowing her hard and fast, as he reached under her to massage her already engorged clitoris, making her come two more times.

Even though it was her first time, Jack was not gentle with Katherine. But he gave her the most satisfaction possible before finally succumbing to his own need, emptying his life force into her and then collapsing beside her on the blanket. Before he fell asleep, he had just one thought—at long last Katherine was his.

They took shelter in the cave for two more nights, until the storm had run its course. When lookouts, posted on the highest point of the island, reported no sightings of the navy ship, they all went back aboard the
Lady Elizabeth
. Katherine was relieved to finally be out of the cave and on their way to Jack’s home in Turtle Bay on the island of Oahu.

However, they hadn’t gone far when all hell broke loose. The British ship had been laying in wait for them, and when they reached the island’s southwestern tip, the big man-of-war approached them from the north side of the island. Two shots were fired across the
Lady Elizabeth’s
bow, and though no damage was done, the message was clear—surrender or die.

“I’ve no wish to go back to jail. I intend to fight. I’ll understand if any of you want to surrender,” Jack told his men.

Without hesitation, every one of his men responded, “We’re with ye, Captain!” Several ran to man the guns, while others stood by the rail, awaiting the approaching vessel.

The very next volley tore a hole in the
Elizabeth’s
main deck, and two men were wounded by flying debris. Jack’s men returned fire with all the guns they had at their disposal, but they were no match for those of the navy. The mizzenmast was hit and the sails caught fire. Katherine cried as the men worked to douse the flames with buckets of water, before going back to their posts.

“You must surrender, Jack, or you will surely be killed!” Katherine sobbed. He wasn’t a hardened criminal. He was still the same good person she’d known as a child. She felt it in her bones. She also knew she still loved him, though not as a child loves an older brother. Now she loved him as a woman loves a man.

Grabbing the front of his shirt she pleaded with him. “The theft can be cleared up, I’m certain of it. And I’ll say there was no abduction and that I went with you willingly. With the proper representation you’ll be a free man in no time,” Katherine added, hoping to reason with him.

But her cries fell on deaf ears, and it wasn’t long before more rounds were fired on both sides. Jack pried her hands from his shirt and gave her a shove. “Get below!”

“No, I won’t leave you, Jack.” She had to see what was happening.

From her position in the bow at Jack’s elbow, Katherine watched as the navy ship continued to approach the
Lady Elizabeth
. Finally it was close enough for her to be boarded.

After one quick kiss and a plea that she get below, Jack left Katherine crouching in the companionway, shouting orders as he ran toward the bow. “Arm yourselves, men, and have at them!”

She heard his words, but they gave her little comfort. She knew that most of his men didn’t normally carry weapons—they were laborers and not soldiers after all—and now they had to scramble to find something with which to defend themselves. As she looked on from her hiding place, the cook ran on deck carrying a large knife he’d obviously gotten from the galley. Jim was armed with a wooden mallet. Though they were not experienced in the ways of war, every one of his men prepared himself to do battle, as the soldiers began making their way onto the
Lady Elizabeth
.

Katherine wept, her right hand clinched tightly over her heart. She felt responsible. This might not be happening if it weren’t for her.

Jack’s entire crew was called upon to defend the proud
Lady
and her captain, and they did their best. But even Katherine could see that they were outmanned and outgunned. And when the fighting finally ended, several of Jack’s men lay dead or dying, and the rest were in chains.

Jack, the entire front of his shirt stained red with his blood, had obviously suffered a wound to his chest. He was prostrate on his back on the deck and bleeding profusely, if the puddle of blood beneath him was any indication. His face was as white as a sheet.

Katherine ran to him, pushing her way through the soldiers, before falling to her knees next to his still body. “I’ll always love you, Jack,” she sobbed, her heart breaking.

As hands grabbed her arms and lifted her away from her beloved, he didn’t stir or utter a sound. That Jack could be dead was unthinkable to her, and as she looked back at the deck of the
Lady Elizabeth
and saw him lying in a pool of his own blood, she fainted rather than face the cruel reality.

* * * *

Sometime later she revived, still too disoriented to realize where she was and what was happening.

“Captain Anthony Spencer, at your service, My Lady.”

She barely heard the captain, as he bid her welcome aboard his ship. Supine on a bunk on board the navy vessel, Katherine tried to focus on her surroundings, but her mind didn’t want to acknowledge how she’d come to be there. It was just too horrible.

“You have been through quite an ordeal, and I will try to make the voyage home as comfortable for you as possible. Your stepfather will be pleased that I was able to rescue you,” he told her, sounding somewhat smug.

Katherine didn’t like his attitude, but all she could bring herself to say was, “I would rather you had not.” Then she began to sob.

Katherine wanted to protest vehemently, to say that she had gone with Jack willingly, that she had not been in any danger—at least not from Jack—but she couldn’t form the words. She couldn’t form any words. Her mind and body were numb.

*

Anthony looked down at her beautiful face, all scrunched up in despair though it was, and smiled to himself. He’d had an epiphany, and now he knew what he must do. She would be the prize that would save him. A woman of her caliber and in her circumstance would have no choice but to accept his proposal, and then he’d be able to hold on to his family’s home. He’d never intended to marry or retire this young, but his elder brother’s untimely death had changed things. He either took his place as rightful heir, or the title and the attached lands would revert back to the crown. No, he wouldn’t let that happen. But in order to pay his late brother’s debts, he would need money, and unless he was mistaken, Katherine Conlon, his poor unfortunate passenger, could be the solution to his problem. How fortuitous. With that thought foremost in his mind, he left the room.

* * * *

A young boy brought tea and biscuits. Katherine could smell the fragrant Oolong tea leaves and the cinnamon in the baked goods, but the familiar smells did nothing to improve the way she felt. In fact, they made her queasy. The boy left just as an older man came in. He was immaculately dressed in a dark suit, and his hair was snowy white.

“My lady, I am the ship’s physician, Doctor Randall. Captain Spencer sent me to examine you.” When she didn’t respond, he reached for her wrist. “I’ll just take your pulse, if you don’t mind,” he told her, gingerly lifting her wrist between his finger and thumb. “Hmmmm, a bit rapid, but that’s to be expected. You need rest, but first do have some tea and a bite to eat. You must keep up your strength,” he said, nodding toward the tray the boy had set beside the bed.

After removing her shoes and covering her with a blanket, he left the cabin, and finally she was left in peace. But even though the ship was quiet and night had fallen, Katherine could not sleep. After a while she rose up on one elbow and looked at her surroundings, lit dimly as they were by a single candle in a brass candlestick. The bed was small, and the cabin neat and clean. She suspected it belonged to one of the ship’s officers, though not the captain. Still unable to believe what had occurred, how Jack and many of the crew of the
Lady Elizabeth
had been brutally killed right in front of her eyes, she lay there, staring into the dark corners of the little room, wishing it was all a bad dream. But finally the reality of what had occurred proved impossible to ignore, and she sobbed until her chest ached and she could cry no more.

“You’ll be right as rain once you begin socializing again. You’ll see,” her stepfather assured her, as he sat across from her at the dinner table in their home in Colombo some months later.

She had come down to dinner because he had asked her to, but now she wished she hadn’t. It was always the same; it was not that he craved her company. All he wanted to do was preach to her, to tell her how lucky she was to be alive, to be safe and sound and back home in Ceylon.

“That man was a pariah, someone you would be better off forgetting. No decent man would have taken a woman from her home without her father’s consent.” He watched her as she picked at the multi-layered confection the cook had made to tempt her palate. Then he made a face. “Harrumph! What you need is a husband, Katherine. It is too bad that Viscount Richelieu is now affianced to Lady Marlowe,” he said, patting his mouth with a white linen napkin.

Katherine wanted to scream at him that what she needed was her captain, that her stepfather hadn’t really known Jack O'Bannon, hadn’t given him a fair chance. He had no idea what sort of man Jack had been…but she knew, and in the end she had loved Jack like she would love no other.

But she also knew that nothing she could say would convince the judge he was wrong about Jack, so she remained silent. Judge Houghton was a man, and she was merely a woman…a young, unmarried woman at that, and as such she must bend to his wishes.

She might to a point, but at least no one could change what was in her heart; she would love Jack until the day she died.

*

John Houghton studied his stepdaughter as she left the table. She was more than comely, and she was still fairly young. Perhaps he could make her a match with some other prosperous landowner here in Ceylon? Or better yet, maybe he could find a husband for her amongst the many landed gentry in England? Yes, that might be the wiser course of action. If he set the stage for her return, no one in England need know of the debauchery she had suffered at the hands of that pirate.

He felt certain that her maidenhood had been stolen by that dastardly man, Jack O’Bannon, but it would do no good to dwell on the matter. Quite the contrary; the fewer people who knew, the better. That was why he had refrained from having his doctor examine her upon her return. If it was true that she was no longer a virgin, then it was a truth best kept secret. With a little luck he would be able to interest an older gentleman in marrying her…perhaps a widower, a man who was in ill health and unable to consummate the marriage. Then no one would be the wiser. Yes, that was the answer! And once she got over feeling sorry for herself—for that was all this moping about could possibly be—he was certain she would want to retake her place in society.