Lynna's Rogue (49 page)

             
Lynna gasped, horrified at hi
s words. Perhaps she could defend
herself against the three of them, given the arsenal in the cave, but not his entire crew.

             
“Are ye sure, lad?” Sam responded worriedly, not anxious to leave him alone with the wee lass, beautiful though she may be. With her deeply tanned skin and her above the knee sarong, none of the men had ever witnessed such a sight. There was little comparison to the
pale, timid
girl they remembered from her time on the
Windjammer
. “
I am
almost certain she
would not hesitate to use that thing.” He anxiously pointed to the sharp tip of
the spear.

             
A deep chuckle
rumbled through Joshua’s chest. “I feel certain
I can de
fend myself against her. But
, should I fail, I
will not
hesitate to call for your assistance.”

             
Chiding himself for being overprotective
,
Sam left the cave. He
had
seen the Captain do battle with several men at once and still come out the victor. Surely he could hold his own against this slight wisp of a girl.

             
Alone with Lynna at last, Joshua casually strolled over to the table and sat down, knowing full well that if he got close to her
,
it might very well be his undoing. From a safe distance
,
his eyes traveled greedily over her scantily clad form. Her shining golden hair fell in silky waves over her sun-bronzed shoulders and a lavender orchid was tucked behind her right ear. The sarong molded sensuously to her alluring curves as
her unfettered breasts swelled
enticingly against the thin material. He wanted her. His body ached from his want of her. At that mo
ment he would have given all
his worldly possessions to take her in his arms and make sweet love to her for the remainder of the day and night. But first he had to get to the bottom of this charade.

             
Lynna eyed the man warily seated at her table as if he owned it. But what a magnificent man he was. Shining black hair spilled over his forehead to be carelessly brushed aside. Eyes the very color of the sea, eyes that seemed to know her deepest secrets. Eyes that seemed to strip away her sarong and leave her naked beneath his searing gaze. A deep longing
shone in their emerald depths and f
or some strange reason
,
Lynna had the urge to throw down the spear and rush headlong into his arms
.
To tell him how terribly frightened she had been. For him to hold her, comfort her, and erase her fears. She had no memory of the past, yet she felt an overpowering attraction for this man.

             
Then something clicked in her brain. Michael! Her husband! Of course! Why else would she feel so drawn to him? He
had
survived the shipwreck and searched until he found her. Happiness and relief washed over her in a flood. Following her heart instead of her head
,
she lowered her guard and asked in a breathless whisper so close that Joshua could almost f
eel her warm breath on his lips,
“Are you Michael?”

             
Anger flared d
eep within Joshua at her hurtful
words
squeezed his heart
. “What childish game
do you play, Lynna?” he gritted
, standing and grabbing her to shake her roughly by her shoulders. “You know who I a
m! Cease with this nonsense
!”

             
She
had
been wrong! Dead wrong! This man was
n’t
her husband, of that she was certain. Stark terror was her only emotion as his fingers bit cruelly into her shoulders and his eyes probed hers for answers.

             
Joshua
did not
fail to notice the terror that registered briefly on her lovely features. So he was alert when she turned to run and caught her easily before she made her escape. Pulling her around to face him
,
their eyes met and he saw the truth register in hers. Her body trembled beneath his questin
g hands as tears glistened on her sooty lashes
. Cupping her chin
,
he forced her to look at him when she would have turned away. “You
do not
remember me
,
do you, my sweet?”

             
The
soft words tugged at her heart so she again felt the urge to be held and comforted by him. His breath was warm against her as he pulled her close, their bodies touched, igniting a fire that threatened to consume them both.

             
“I can make you remember me
,
Lynna.
Never doubt that for a moment.
We shared too much to forget.”

             
His sweet lips touched hers, gently at first, then urgently demanding a response. With a will of their own
,
Lynna’s hands moved up around his neck
,
entwining in his hair, desiring to draw him closer. His hands on her body were hot, searing through the thin material of her sarong, fanning flames that demanded to be quenched. His lips left a burning trail down her neck to the top of her fully rounded breasts as his fingers deftly untied the knot of her sarong
,
sliding the material down to her waist. When his warm moist tongue closed over the firm peak of her breast Lynna gasped, aware of a powerful yearning in the pit of her stomach. Joshua lifted her reverently and carried her to the bed.

             
“My sweet, sweet Lynna. I have been to hell and back these past months
,
not knowing whether you were alive or dead.” He planted soft kisses over her eyes, nose, and finally her mouth. “But I would not accept the possibility of never holding you in my arms again.” His strong hands closed over her buttock
s,
pressing her softness against his throbbing manhood. “Dear God, I need you
,
Lynna!”

             
Lynna. That must be her first name, but her last name was Devereux. The word penetrated her brain and had the same effect as ice-cold water being thrown in her face. She was Lynna Devereux, Michael Devereux’s wife. She
could not
allow this man, this bloodthirsty pirate
,
to take what belonged only to her husband. No matter how badly her body craved his touch, or how strong her desire was to continue.

             
“Stop!” she screamed, pushing him away. Quickly
,
she retied the sarong and rushed outside
,
hoping the cool evening air would clear
the confusion from her
head. She followed the path to the pool
,
wanting to wash away the feel of his hands and lips on her body
as well
, but she stopped dead in her tracks. The forest was alive with the sound
s
of shouting and robust laughter. Moving as stealthily as a cat
,
she peered through the thick undergrowth and found the pool filled with naked
,
frolicking men
,
enjoying their first real baths and fresh water in months. Her face a bright shade of pink
,
she turned and ran straight into the broad chest of the one she was hoping to escape.

             
“I should have warn
ed you, my love.” Joshua laughed,
holding her ensnared as his gaze roamed over her, eying her delightful curves and enchanting face. “The men have been at sea for many weeks
,
and unless you prefer their company for the night
,
I
’
d suggest you return to the cave with me.”

             
“I will return to the cave
,
b
ut I will go alone!”

             
“As you wish,” he stated simply, walking past her to join his men for a much needed bath.

             
Lynna lay in bed wide-awake
,
as the shouts from the men’s camp carried through the jungle
,
making sleep impossible. If only the cave had a door and a latch. What was to prevent this pirate captain from coming tonight and taking advantage of her while she slept? She had no doubt
that
he was entirely capable of such brutish acts.
S
he
got up,
went to the corner
,
and taking the sharpest spear
,
placed it under the mattress. Feeling somewhat safer
,
she was finally able to drift off to a fitful, dream
-
laced sleep. She awoke the nex
t morning smiling a greeting to the new day
, having momentarily forgotte
n the events of the previous one
.

             
“Good morning,
my pet.” Joshua smiled
from his vantage point beside the bed.

             
Gasping, Lynna tugged the cover up to her neck
,
giving him a look she hoped conveyed her accurate feelings. “What are you doing here?”

             
“Seeing that no harm befell you during the night,” he replied, puffing lazily on a cheroot.

             
She flew from the bed to stand before him, arms akimbo, outraged at his possessive manner. “I can assure you, sir, I
do not
need or want your protection.
I have
managed to survive quite nicely thus far without your assistance and
I am
sure I can continue to do so in the foreseeable future.”

             
Ignoring her angry outburst
,
Joshua sipped from a cup from which drifted a most delicious aroma. Coffee! How her mouth watered for a taste. Lynna
could not
draw her eyes away
from the steaming liquid as she
suddenly realized how tired she was of water and coconut milk.

             
Following her eyes
,
Joshua handed her the cup. “Forgive me. I forgot that
you have
been without the luxuries the rest of us take for granted.” A slow smile curved his lips as he watched her drain the cup before turning serious. “Tell me
,
Lynna. How have you managed here alone?” Joshua made a sweeping gesture with his hands. “How did you happen to acquire all of this furniture? Surely you
did not
carve it yourself.”

             
Lynna decided it
wouldn’t
hurt to answer a few of his questions. After all,
he had
shared his coffee with her. She moved closer to the edge of the bed where her spear was, just in case. Going to the
fire he had built just outside the entrance to the cave, Joshua lifted a
coffee pot
and refilled the
cup. “The cave was like this when we found it,” she answered over her shoulder while making the bed. “All Rob and I had to do to make it livable was clean it up and chase out a family of...”

             
“Rob?” Joshua voice was low, almost a growl, as he slammed the cup down
,
splashing most of its contents on the table
.
“Did you say Rob?”

             
Lynna felt a cold shiver of fear race down her
spine. “Yes… Rob.
” she said
,
inching toward the spear.
It was obvious t
he man was barely able to control his rising anger. He appeared livid, ready to explode at any given second. What did she say that
had
made him so angry? She had to keep him talking until she could reach the spear. “We
have
been blissfully happy here, Rob and I.”

             
In one violent motion
,
Joshua threw the cup
,
sending
the remains of the
coffee splattering against the wall
,
and grabbed her roughly by the shoulder as his eyes bore into hers. “Who in the hell is Rob?” he ground out as an indescribable pain began eating away at his gut. Had he been replaced by this Rob so easily?

             
Lynna wondered what was wrong with the man
.
Was he possessed by hidden demons? But then again
,
if he guessed she and Rob were more than just friends, perhaps he
would not
make any more intimate advances towards her. She had to convince him
that
they were
lovers
. “Rob?” she paused dramatically. “I
cannot
tell you very much about him, because I
do not
know.”