Within A Captain's Hold. Lisa A. Olech

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СКАЧАТЬ scrambled backward. “Please, don’t kill me. I-I’m not lying. You have to believe me. I only want…need to get to Port St. Maria.” She backed herself into a corner where more fat trunks lined the walls. The dark captain stood, staring down at her as she tugged at the hem of her chemise. She was practically naked. Where were her skirts? Maybe killing her wasn’t his only objective.

      She wrapped an arm across her chest and tucked her bare legs within the thin cloth. The movement caused the binding on her leg to pull. Pain radiated into her hip. “Where are my clothes?” She started to shake.

      “I dumped them into the sea.” He crossed his arms.

      “W-what? Why?”

      “They reeked like a dead man’s breath. Trust me, you didn’t want them back.”

      “Did you…?”

      “Strip you? I did indeed.”

      He looked quite pleased with himself. Annalise tried once more to get to her feet and escape, but her legs failed to support her causing her stomach to crash like waves against the rocks.

      “Don’t hurt me.” The room started to sway. Bracing herself against one of the trunks, she held on to her head. The sickness crept over her. No, not again. “Does this damn floor ever stop rocking?”

      Captain Steele swung open one of the diamond-paned windows that followed the bow of the back wall. He helped her stand, despite her struggles against him. “I’m not going to hurt you. Stand still. You need fresh air.”

      The first signs of a pearl-gray morning showed her miles and miles of dull green sea, but with it, a blessed breeze blew past her cheeks.

      “Take some deep breaths and keep your eyes on that line, there,” he pointed, “where the sea and sky meet.” His voice was low, and somehow calming.

      She gripped the windowsill pulling great gulps of salted air into her lungs. Her head began to clear, but her legs still trembled like sponge pudding.

      The captain caught her around the waist and held her against the solid wall of his chest. His nearness unsettling. It muddled her brain. One minute he seemed intent on killing her. The next he was being kind. She didn’t know what to think or which to fear most.

      The heat of his body penetrated the thin fabric of her chemise. His warm breath brushed her cheek. Where had he told her to look?

      He spoke to her as if she were a child. “I’ve got you. Just keep taking the air. Deep breaths.” The smell of the sea, rain-washed air, and the unique spice of his skin made her dizzy in a different way.

      “I hate this boat,” she rasped.

      Captain Steele gave a short laugh. “And she hates you calling her a boat. The Scarlet’s a fine sloop, and you need to call her a ship. She likes being the only woman about, too. No wonder you two got off to such a rocky start.”

      “I’d be most happy to leave.”

      He chuckled again. The rich rumble spread through her body. “And I’d be more than happy to oblige you, but there’s still the matter of who you are and how you came to be here. Why are you so desperate to get to Port St. Maria?”

      Anna stiffened. How could she begin to tell him about the months leading up to this moment? Where would she start? Should she tell him about fighting her way through a devastating fire to save Alice and herself while flames licked at their hems, only to lose everything and everyone most dear to them? Perhaps she should tell him about being sent to London to start anew and meeting the madman who brought a new, indescribable horror to their lives. He believed she wasn’t bound to a member of his crew, but would he believe she was truly in danger and didn’t sneak aboard his ship on some brainless whim? Would he believe Port St. Maria was the only place she and Alice could find safety and their last scrap of hope? What could she possibly say to convince him to turn his ship in another direction? The mere suggestion sounded crazy, even to her.

      Everything went horribly wrong. They were foolish to believe their plan would work. Now she was in the hands of pirates, barely able to stand on her own feet. How would she save them? She was adrift with nothing. She didn’t even have the clothes on her back. Panic threaded up her spine again. Wait. Her bag. The meager remnants of her life’s possessions were in that burlap sack.

      She pulled out of his grasp. “Did you find a small bundle? I left my…provisions in that awful hold.” Just the mention of food sent her stomach on another tumble. She clutched at his arm to steady herself and made the mistake of falling into the changing depths of his blue eyes. His dark brows knit into a scowl. A growth of beard shadowed his jaw and framed his grim mouth. Her traitorous leg failed her again.

      He caught her. “You’re still green around the gills. I doubt you’re thinking about food. You’d better lie back down and rest that leg.” Before she could respond, he scooped her up and laid her back in the softness of his bed.

      The intimate gesture startled her.

      “I’ll see your bag is found, and I give you my word you’ll get it back.” He pulled a thick blanket over her and paused to brush his fingertips across her cheek. “If you answer my questions.”

      CHAPTER 4

      Jaxon rubbed a weary hand over his forehead. The constant frown he was destined to wear around her tugged at his new stitches. He could not decide between strangling her or sweeping her into his arms again. Her body leaning against him as he carried her, with the thinnest of cloth between her and nakedness, played havoc with his mind. And his body. After laying her upon the bed, with her flaming hair fanning the pillow, a sudden, foolish urge to kiss her swept over him.

      “Let’s begin with your name.”

      She raised herself and sat, blinking at him with wide eyes. They were the most unusual color, like rich Spanish gold.

      “Your name?” he insisted.

      Giving a small, resigned sigh, she looked away before answering. “Anna…Annalise.”

      “What’s your surname?”

      She frowned and shook her head. “My name doesn’t matter.”

      He snapped. “Just answer the damn question.”

      She pulled the blanket up tight and shot golden sparks at him from her lovely eyes. Her mouth formed a stubborn, silent line.

      Jaxon planted his hands on his hips. This woman wore away his last hint of patience. Forget the bloody kiss. I’d rather toss her over my shoulder and dump her over the rail.

      “Must you curse at me?”

      “Yes, dammit,” he growled. “If I didn’t curse at you, I’d be wringing your damn neck.” Or tossing you onto your back.

      She tucked her chin and pressed those damnable lips of hers together.

      Jaxon snapped. “Answer me.”

      She jumped when he bellowed. “Gatherone. Annalise Gatherone.” Golden eyes sparked.

      “Mistress СКАЧАТЬ