A Pirate's Heart (St. John Series) (12 page)

As he looked down at her, a tender look came to his eyes when he saw her concern. He took one of his large hands, placed it on the side of her face and wiped the tears away that were streaming down her cheeks. “It was a rough life, but it made me realize not to depend on anyone. I didn’t leave the tavern until she died.”

“But why?” she asked, trying to comprehend why he stayed with such an evil woman.

“She may have been a hateful bitch, but she was still my mother. I hoped and prayed every day that she would change. That she would come to accept me. I get jealous every time I think of Samuel and Alex, wishing that could have been me. Samuel’s mother was a whore, too, but she loved him and Alex made sure Samuel never lacked for anything. The only satisfaction I have is knowing Sybil died a painfully slow death. I felt sorry for her when I first found out she had the pox, but her hateful nature didn’t stop. She was a bitch right up until her last breath. When she took it, I left. I didn’t even stick around to see what happened to her body. I was fourteen and joined the first crew I came to and have been sailing ever since.”

As she listened to his story, Kristina’s heart broke. No wonder he seemed so dark, so unhappy. She realized that it was not going to be easy to get this strong, proud, distrustful man to trust her. He had built a wall around his heart and it was going to be difficult to tear that wall down, all because of his heartless mother. She placed her dainty hand on his cheek and looked into his eyes. She wanted to erase the pain that she saw there, but didn’t know how.

She rose up on her knees and lightly kissed his lips. “Not all women are like her,” she said softly.

He gave a small sneer and coldly replied. “I’ve yet to meet any to prove differently.”

She jerked her hand back as if it had been burned. Without knowing it, he insulted her, cut her to the quick. She didn’t know why, but she became furious.

“Patience, Kristina. He’s had a hard life. Use your heart. Keep your temper in check.”
Her mother’s words echoed in her head.

She took a deep controlling breath. “So are you saying I’m like her?”

“You’re a woman, aren’t you?” he replied in a disparaging tone.

She sucked in her breath, stood up and stormed to the bed. She sat down hard and began pulling on her trousers.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” he asked.

“Well, if all women are heartless, cruel bitches that are unworthy of being trusted, why would you want me here? Since it’s so
obvious
that I am one of those . . . those . . . 
putas
!”

“Patience, Kristina.”
Sophia’s words echoed.

Shut up, mother!

He crossed the room to her and grabbed her by her upper arm. She jerked back. “Get your hands off me!” she hissed.

“What the hell did I do?” he questioned angrily.

“Just being you!”

“What?!”

“Let me go.” She didn’t know why his statement had upset her. Maybe it was from the stress of being in a hot galley all day or the fact that she wanted to kill his mother herself or that she wanted to track down that Earl and beat him senseless. Whatever the reason, she was furious.

“Where do you think you’d go? In case you’ve forgotten, you’re on a ship. And not just any ship, but a pirate ship. So if you think that you can find a safe place to hide,” he stormed to the door and opened it, “be my guest!”

She glared at him and then at the opened door. “I think I’m perfectly safe, especially since you announced to the entire ship that I’m your woman, or would ‘whore’ be a better term, since you apparently think that’s what all women are!” With that she marched out of his quarters and straight to the captain’s.

As she flung open the door to Alex’s quarters, she never expected to find him in the tub, but he was. She paid no attention, went straight to the settee, sat down and made a very unladylike sound.

Alex sat in his tub looking at her through the corner of his eyes. He leaned forward and turned to get a better view of who had stormed into his quarters. “May I help you with something?” he asked, annoyance apparent in his tone.

“No,” she snapped.

“Well, good. I would hate to disturb your brooding in
my
quarters. Now if you don’t mind, please leave,” he said in a dismissive tone as he leaned back against the tub.

“Is he always that way?”

It was obvious she wasn’t leaving. Before he could answer, Max marched in. His eyes went to Alex and then to Kris.

“Please join us, Max. It’s not like I was expecting privacy. I always enjoy bathing in front of company.”

“Shut up, Alex,” Max snapped.

“Trouble in paradise?” Alex mocked.

“What the hell are you doing here? I thought I made myself clear that I don’t want to be around you!” Kristina yelled at Max.

Max crossed the room to her in several long strides. He pulled her up off the settee and dragged her towards the door. She jerked her hand away. Max turned and gave her a hard look.

“You don’t belong in here,” Max told her.

“He’s right, you know,” Alex interjected. “In fact,
neither
of you do, so get out.”

Both Max and Kristina ignored Alex. “Don’t try to intimidate me with your growling!” Kristina snapped, poking him in the chest with her index finger. “I am
not
afraid of you!”

Alex took advantage of their distraction, exited the tub and donned his robe. He walked over to the quarreling couple and took both their arms in an attempt to escort them from his quarters.

“You insinuated I was a heartless whore!”

“Woman, have you lost your damn mind? I said nothing of the sort!”

“Apologize!” she demanded.

“I have nothing to apologize for!”

“Now!”

“You see what I mean!” Max replied as he looked at Alex with frustration. He turned his gaze back to Kristina. “All women twist words in order to ease their own guilt!”

“Guilt! I have nothing to be guilty of! And I am
not
like those women!”

“You are just like
those
women. You are irrational and scheming and—”

“Scheming!” she yelled. “What have I been scheming about?”

“You have a plan to do something. All women do. They never do anything without a planned outcome.”

“A planned outcome,” she said with an eerie calm. “I’ll show you a planned outcome.” With that sentence, she turned to Alex. She grabbed the captain by the back of his neck and pulled him down to her, kissing him. Alex threw his arms outward as a way of saying ‘I had no part of this kiss.’ Kristina let go of Alex. As both men stood shocked, she picked up the cutlass by Alex and darted out the door. Max gave Alex a heated look.

“Don’t blame me,” Alex defended with amusement in his tone.

Max lowered his eyes to a slit and stormed out the door to locate Kristina. He found her on deck, sword in hand. She was cutting the lines on the main mast.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Max yelled as he snatched the cutlass from her hands. She ran from him before he could grab her arm. She picked up a club and started smashing crates and rigging. He had made her so angry she could not control her fury.

Smitty was standing at the helm, watching the scene unfold before him. He never attempted to intervene. He just watched in amusement as Max tried to handle the raven-haired beauty who was running amuck on
The Abyss
. She would run towards a crate, Max would chase after her, but when he thought he knew her direction, she would change it. Smitty watched as the Spanish lady attempted to destroy the ship, but to no avail. Her fury did little damage to the sturdy vessel. She needed this out, Smitty thought. He had no idea if her attack the other day or something Max had said set her fury off, but she needed to vent.

She darted to the stern deck and Smitty took her by surprise. As she ran past him, he gently stuck out his arm and grabbed her waist.

“Calm down,” he said. “I ain’t goin’ ta hurt ya.”

She glared at Smitty. “Let me go.”

He did as she asked immediately. “Jest makin’ sure ya don’t hurt yerself.” He saw Max approaching and motioned for the younger man to stop.

“I wouldn’t hurt myself, but I want to hurt him!” she said as she pointed towards Max.

Smitty raised the brow over his blind eye. “Is that so? Hmmm? Max, what’d ya say ta make this pretty little lady sa mad?”

“He called me a whore,” she told the older man, the hurt evident by her tone.

Smitty tsked his tongue and held his hand up to silence Max’s reply. “Well, you can’t pay no never mind ta him. He’s never had ta deal with a real lady before,” Smitty told her as he patted her hand. “Ya fluster him. Ya see, he’s used ta dealin’ with those tavern wenches, and a refined lady like you makes him lose what little sense he had.”

“Well, I’m not,” she pouted.

“I know that. Ya bring class ta this ship. There’s a whole different feel ta her, ever since ya came a board. Now, why don’t ya tell ole’ Smitty what that man did ta make ya try ta destroy my home.
The Abyss
ain’t done nothin’ to ya.” As he spoke in a calming tone, he could see her anger subsiding. “I tell ya what, why don’t ya go on down ta yer quarters and rest. I’ll have a talk with that young pup and give him what’s for. No need in ya getting’ yer pretty self all worked up and angry and losin’ sleep over a dirty ole’ pirate who ain’t got na sense, now is there?”

She reluctantly nodded and handed Smitty the club she had in her hand. “So you agree with me?” she asked. “He was the one in the wrong?”

Smitty gave Kristina a warm, sympathetic smile. “Go on now. Ya rest yerself. I’ll keep that black-haired giant up here sa ya can sleep.” She realized he was right. She gave him a small peck on his weathered cheek, glared at Max, and left.

“How in the hell did you manage that?” Max asked in disbelief as Smitty managed to disarm and calm the hurricane known as Kristina.

“Ya see, pup. Women need ta be dealt with gently. If ya know how ta stroke ‘em the right way, they’ll do anything ya want and think it’s their idea. Ya stick around Ole’ Smitty and he’ll teach ya a thing er two.”

“I don’t need your advice regarding women, old man.”

“Hmmmm?” Smitty replied as he rubbed his white beard and twisted his mouth. “Seems ta me like ya do, pup. What’d ya say to her anyway?”

“Nothing.”

“Nothin’? Well, ya apparently said somethin’ ta make her sa mad at ya. She said ya called her a whore. Did ya?”

“No. I said she was a woman.”

“A woman?” the older man asked with skepticism to his voice.

“Yeah.”

“And what had ya said before that?”

Max sighed in frustration as he glared at the older man. “We were discussing my mother. I told her I had yet to meet a woman who was not like her.”

“Ahh,” Smitty replied as he raised his chin up. “Did ya happen ta mention that yer ma was a whore?”

“Yeah. So?”

Smitty rolled his eyes. “If’n ya wouldn’t kill me, I’d cuff yer ears, pup. In her mind ya just called her yer ma . . . who was a whore . . . hence, ya just called her one, too.”

“You’ve lost your mind, old man.”

“Naw, I’ve jest been around long enough ta know jest a smidgen of how the female mind works.” Smitty watched the younger man and could sense his frustration and uncertainty about the woman. Smitty placed a fatherly hand on Max’s shoulder. “She ain’t yer ma, son.”

Max jerked his arm away. “She’s a woman, isn’t she? They are all like Sybil.”

Smitty slowly shook his head. “She ain’t nothin’ like yer ma. I know.” He took a deep breath and pressed his lips together. “I’m goin’ tell ya somethin’ that yer not gonna like hearin’, that nobody knows, not even the capt’n . . . but I knew yer ma. Hell, I even bedded her a time er two.” Smitty watched as the younger man gave him a malicious look. “I know what a bitch she was. A time er two I even seen you at Red’s when ya were still in knee breeches and saw her meanness towards ya. Yer ma was a mean bitch ta everyone . . . ta you, ta the other whores, ta her customers.”

Max turned fully forward to face the older man, hands clenched at his side. Smitty held up his hands.

“I don’t mean no offense, Max. But I know what that woman done ta ya. She tore every bit of love ya had out of ya and destroyed it with her cruelty. She made ya untrusting of all women. Made ya think that all women are like her. But I’m here ta tell ya, they ain’t. That feisty young thing in yer quarters ain’t nothin’ like yer ma. She has a special way about her. She’s kind and caring. I know she takes special care ta make sure you have the best grub. She mends yer clothes and keeps yer quarters as neat as a pin. Hell, she even talked ya into teachin’ her how ta read in English in order ta spend extra time with ya. She’s always a watchin’ out fer ya, ta make sure yer near.

“She’s had a rough go of it, too, ya know. She knew love from her parents and had that tore away from her. She knows what it means ta have love and lost jest like you . . . but different. Her love was stolen from her by another man’s hands and yers was beaten out of ya by a heartless whore. If ya keep fightin’ with that pretty young thing, yer gonna chase her away. If ya keep fightin’ with her because ya think all women are like Sybil, yer lettin’ yer ma control yer life and strip any love from ya again. If ya keep actin’ like ya are, ya let Sybil’s cruelty win again.”