His to Hold (Regency Scoundrels Book 1) (18 page)

“Ethan, what is going on here?” he demanded.

He and Elizabeth walked up to the bridge, and Elizabeth chanced to glance up at the bright stars in the sky. It was a magical night. A full moon glowed in the sky, and she felt as if she were sailing on a fairy ship to a mystical realm.

She stared over at Rafe and contemplated what they had almost done before they were interrupted. She would gladly give her body to Rafe now that she had an inkling of an idea as to who he was. He still hadn’t told her everything about himself, but he was beginning to become more honest with her, and that in itself was a relief to her.

“This is what is going on,” Ethan replied, hauling Charles up to the bridge. “Since he’s your by-blow, you may deal with him. Do you know that he almost seriously hurt someone?”

“Charles,” Rafe muttered, staring sternly down at the boy.

“I only wanted to put on a show for you and the miss.”

“Aye. Not only was he about to put on a grand show, but he could have blown us all from here to kingdom come.”

“How?” Elizabeth didn’t know how the query had slipped out of her mouth but it had. All eyes riveted upon her, including Charles’s.

“I thought that I would put on a fireworks show for the Lord and Lady.”

Elizabeth blinked, and then shook her head. “Can you believe it, Rafe? Charles has mistaken you for a lord! Oh, dear,” she said wiping tears from her eyes. “I do believe I require a handkerchief.”

She caught Rafe’s scowl, and wondered at the intensity of it. He really should see the humour in the ridiculous statement that Charles had made. Rafe was about as far from being a lord as her own father was from being a shrinking wallflower.

“You tried to put off fireworks while onboard my ship?” Rafe seemed as if he were about to explode, and that testy little muscle in his cheek bulged dangerously.

“Rafe,” she said, quickly stepping between him, and Charles. “Might I remind you that this ship happens to be mine?”

“Aye, you needn’t remind me of that fact, but as of now I am still its Captain, so therefore it is my ship.”

“I didn’t know that one of them was going to hit one of the jolly boats. They was lucky that they were able to put out the fire before it spread,” Charles said earnestly, shaking his head up and down. “Lucky, indeed.” His eyes widened to innocent proportions.

“Do you even realize what you could have done?” Rafe raged, trying to step past Elizabeth so that he could reach Charles.

“I think he does. He didn’t think about what the consequences would be, Rafe!”

“Well, I did put on a pretty spectacle anyway,” Charles said. Elizabeth rolled her eyes and groaned.

“Be quiet, Charles.” She turned on the boy. “If you know what was good for you, you would have already recognized that your father is this close to throttling you.” She held her thumb and her forefinger an inch apart to demonstrate her meaning.

“Me ma always said he was a good for nothing, lazy arse, that didn’t know how to do anything but go to his fancy balls, and be the lor—”

“That’s enough!” Rafe shouted, his voice booming out over everyone. “You will go back to your cabin. I have an inclination to stick you down below shackled with chains, but as it is, you are lucky that Elizabeth has spoken on your behalf. Take this warning seriously from me, boy. If you ever do anything so dangerously reckless again, I shall string you from the nearest mast.”

“Rafe!”

“Elizabeth, I wish you would cease your endless reproving. This boy has been raised with wild untamed men, and women. He obviously has no idea how to behave civilly. And, if the brat is going to come off of the ship with me, he shall have to learn some manners.”

“Why? So that he will be able to interact with your mates at the nearest undesirable pubs?”

“Elizabeth, I have had just about enough of your impertinence. If that boy does anything else to endanger this crew, I shall take it upon myself to give him a good sound slap across his rump. And if you continue to strain me to the ends of my rope, I shall be tempted to do the same with you.”

“You would never contemplate such a thing.” She stepped hastily away from him.

“As I always have said in the past, only fools try to challenge the great Captain Morgan.”

She lifted her chin, and stared proudly at him. “I shall not be bent or broken by you.”

“Uh, Rafe,” Ethan said cautiously. “If you do not mind, I think that I should like to try to get a few hours of sleep. That is, if you do not mind.” He wore a smirk, and was obviously trying valiantly not to erupt into gales of laughter.

“Of course, I’m sorry, Ethan. Most of the men must be stark raving mad as they were most undoubtedly thrown out of their hammocks.”

“Aye. I would imagine. Just watch that little beggar. I wouldn’t trust him completely yet. He’s already scampered off, no doubt on the chase to find more mischief.”

“You needn’t worry about me, Ethan. I’ll treat him just as I treat all of the other people that I am unsure of. I shall keep him at an arm’s length. Perhaps, we’re not putting his talents to use. Mayhap, he should be a powder monkey. I think he’d be up for the task of ferrying gunpowder from the powder magazine to the ship’s hold. Yes, indeed. Of course, I usually don’t take lads of such a tender age for the job, but he seems to have a fondness for explosives, doesn’t he?”

“You can’t be serious,” Elizabeth began, as Ethan left the bridge. They were now alone with the helmsmen. Feeling as if they might be listening, Elizabeth moved to a safe distance.

“I am quite. He is short and fast, he’s the perfect size for such a task. You know, my dear, as you said, the boy could be my son.”

“Yes, I know I said that. That is why you can’t attack him.” She clenched her fists at her side, and rolled her eyes to the heavens. No matter how much she prayed for patience, she doubted that she would ever have enough for Rafe.

“Even though he could have caused someone to lose life or limb?”

“Well, I…”

“And not to mention the fact that he could have burnt this bloody ship right up. If you hadn’t noticed this ship is comprised of a good deal of wood, not to mention all of the gunpowder we’re hauling. Do you happen to know what happens when all of that catches fire?”

“Aye.”

“Well, then you shouldn’t be asking and telling me to do such utterly stupid things.”

“You aren’t being fair.”

“Don’t talk to me about being fair. This is all coming from a woman that couldn’t even recognize a man that she was going to have a romantic rendezvous with.”

“That, sir, is playing dirty. I did not get to see your whole face that night. It was a masquerade ball if you will be so kind to remember. How was I expected to remember you? The light was not good out on the grounds, and in the maze.” She waved her hands to the lit lanterns on the ship to greater illustrate her meaning.

“The light was good enough for you to agree to the lustful lovemaking we were both involved in.” She ached to kick him or slap him.

“Do not go any further,” she warned, almost realizing what the next thing would be that he would want to mention.

“But then, perhaps, I wasn’t the only man that you let lure you to his bed of roses.”

“Stop it!” She half-said, half-shouted. She felt the hair on the back of her neck bristle. She stepped toward him, and mustered all of the dislike she had for him. She would not allow him to get away with this anymore.

Who the hell did he think he was anyway? No one besmirched her character. In London, she was known as one of the most respectable single young ladies, ever to grace society.

“Am I riling you up, yet, my dear?” he asked softly. The moonlight cast his shadow across the deck, as it played across his features.

“You are a most foul creature.” She licked her lips, and grimaced when a bitter taste filled her mouth.

“Lovely, I see that your old self is back. Though I would daresay that you would have had to be a wee bit more careful when it came to being around your other paramours.”

“You disgusting pig.” Without thinking, she raised her one hand, and had it arcing in an upward arc, when he easily caught it.

“Now, now, dearest, you must learn to follow the rules of the game.” His eyes were flickering in the moonlight, and damn it all, if she didn’t find herself entranced by their brilliance.

“Go to hell! I rue the day that I ever set eyes on you.”

“Really? The day that you set eyes on me, I’d wager that you had your eyes set on something else of mine as well.” His horrendous innuendo hit home, and she scowled, and then pursed her lips into a thin unreadable line.

“You are a vile, horrible, disgusting…”

“Oh, do go on. I love it when you’re all fired up,” he murmured. She wanted to scream. So she did the next best thing. She ran away from him.

“Silly goose, you won’t get away from me,” he said, running in hot pursuit. She stumbled through the deck and managed to make her way to the cabin without slipping once.

As soon as she was inside of the cabin, she stared wildly around for something to bar the door with. Finding the chest, she was trying valiantly to push it over, when the cabin door, opened with a resounding crash.

“This night you shall not have my mercy.” A thrill arced up and down her spine. Suddenly dry mouthed, she stared up at him through half lowered lashes.

“I thought that only Antonio was a man without mercy.”

“Nay, he was only but one of the two wild pirates that roam that High Seas without any mercy. He is one, and I am the other. Although I guarantee you that by the end of the night, you will be begging for no mercy, over and over again.”

“Oh, I’m quivering with anxiety.” She sized him up, and felt her heart skip a few beats. His full breadth and wondrous size consumed the small doorway. She had been dreaming of this night for the past two years.

Now, he would be hers for the taking, and there wouldn’t be anyone to take him away from her. She would be his to hold for the rest of their lives, once they stepped past the point of no return.

“You do realize that I intend to ruin you.”

“Oh, aye, and I shall take delight in every single moment.” She knew that her answer had thrown him off guard, for he seemed most perplexed.

“I am going to lavish every inch of your body with my lips.”

“Is that a promise, sir?”

“You can be most assured it is.” He moved toward her, and threw his jacket off as he went. She was no shrinking violet. She would not allow him to be the only conqueror in this lovemaking. She was a free-spirited woman, and she had been called a bluestocking on many an occasion. She may as well, prove to him that American born women were just as hot blooded as British born women were.

They collided together as if they were two battling ships in the night. “Do you know how long I have hungered for you?”

“Is that why you truly kidnapped me?” She was breathless, and felt her world slipping away from her when he undid her dressing gown. It slithered to a puddle on the floor, and she wished that she could go along with it.

“Nay, that is not the reason. I took you because you are by far the most desirable heiress in all of Christendom.”

“Aye, I know, as I said before, there are many men that share your same view.”

“How many, indeed? You mentioned an earl, and a baronet, didn’t you?” he asked good-naturedly. “Oh, yes, and your cousin…what was his name? Ridley? No, Raleigh…” He broke away from her to stare deeply into her eyes. She studied his blue eyes for a moment and felt her heart swell when that same damnable muscle in his cheek twitched.

“None but you ever entered my heart.” She buried her face in his chest and felt him gently kiss her crown of curls and then he slowly moved his hands through it.

“You are by far, the fairest woman that I have ever set my eyes upon.”

“And Chastity?” she asked. She knew that she didn’t want to spoil their heavenly moment, but she had to know about the woman that seemed hell bent on destroying their lives.

“She means nothing to me. She never did. I only took solace in her arms, when I believed that you were unreachable. But now that I have you, you are the only woman for me.”

She listened to his heartfelt words, and felt them sink into her very heart and soul. Here was a man that was feared around the world, and he was brandishing his heart on his sleeve for her. She was moved so much, that she could feel tears welling in her eyes.

“A woman could fall in love with you, when you speak so poetically.”

“You are most welcome to fall in love with me. For you already have my heart.” She forgot to breathe for a moment. He was telling her that he loved her, and she was standing by stupidly, trying to figure out what to say. She wasn’t accustomed to being tongue-tied but for the moment, no worthwhile words were coming to her mind. He was her angel. He was her savior. But who would have thought that her own kidnapper would end up pulling her back from the brink of living an embittered life?

“I have waited for this moment for ages. Why didn’t you pursue me? Why didn’t you set your cap on me?”