ClaimedbytheCaptain (6 page)

Stripped to her lacy chemise and silk pantaloons, she
watched without words as his gaze roved over her, drinking her in. A new
boldness filled her heart. “Do I please you?”

The dark desire in his gaze provided an answer more powerful
than words. Her captor had become a hungry male animal, ravenous and
uncivilized, once more. Cathy ran her tongue over her upper lip, the potent
combination of apprehension and anticipation stirring butterflies in her belly.
She shivered as his fingertips swept over her, making short work of the ribbons
that held her chemise over her breasts. Baring her to his eyes, he traced tiny
circles around her nipples, commanding a response with his gentleness. She was
his to pleasure.

I am his captive. There is no choice but to submit.
She gulped a breath.
Lie to yourself, Cathy. If you were on the garden patio
of Papa’s home, you would offer yourself to him, just as you are now.
She
craved his possession, no more able to resist him than to cease her breaths.

“I want you to touch me.” His harsh murmur was tinged with
need.

She was mesmerized by the darkness in his gaze. “What… What
do you want me to do?”

Jason captured her hand, grazing her fingers over his face.
Growing very still, he allowed her to run her fingertips over the beginnings of
the black beard shading his jaw. His classical features were nearly flawless,
marred only by a thin scar on his left cheek that only enhanced his dangerous
appeal.

“Remove my shirt,” he said, the words a raw whisper.

Her hunger filled her with a budding ache. Her hands
trembled slightly as they moved to unfasten the buttons of his shirt and spread
the fabric over his chest. Her gaze traveled over the breadth of his muscular
chest and flat, rippled abdomen. Cathy eased the fabric over his shoulders,
then gently tugged the sleeves along the length of his long, sinewy arms.

She traced a path through the dark curls that covered his
chest, savoring the unyielding hardness of his body as she made her way to the
tapered line of hair that led into his trousers.

His sharply indrawn breath was the only hint of his
reaction. Unsure if she had displeased him, she hesitated.

“Have you ever touched a man?” His husky voice sent a shiver
of anticipation coursing through her.

“Not like this.” Would her lack of skill displease him?

“Do you like it, love?”

She shook her head, averting her eyes as if that would hide
her primal response.

“Liar,” he teased, surprising her with the amusement in his
tone. “You like it far more than you are willing to admit.”

He didn’t wait for her reply. Jason wrapped her in his arms,
dragging her to him, molding her soft flesh to his body until she seemed an
extension of him.

“You are far too delectable for your own good, sweet
Catherine.” As he spoke, his lips trailed over her tingling flesh. “You have a
body that was created for passion.” He lifted her effortlessly and placed her
on his bed. He leaned close, nipping her earlobe between his teeth with
exquisite tenderness. “I want to hear you cry out for me. We will play a little
game.”

Several strips of black silk lay on the bedside table.
Blindfolds.
The realization reverberated through her body and she recoiled.

“You will like this. I promise.”

He kissed the nape of her neck, the curve of her shoulder,
stimulating her hunger. He placed the length of silk in her hand.

“Cover your eyes,” he commanded softly.

“Why?” she whispered. “Why would I want to—”

“Shhhh, love…no need to be frightened,” he soothed her. “Tie
the cloth over your eyes.”

“I want to see you,” she confessed.

“You will do as I tell you.” His voice was less gentle now.
“I will not coax you to obey me.”

She moistened her lips and placed the cloth over her eyes.
The black fabric blocked out all but a sliver of light beneath the blindfold.
Reaching behind her head, she tied the strip into a loose knot. The sensation
was both exciting and maddening. As she sucked in a breath, he took hold of one
wrist, circling the limb with another length of silk. “What are you going to
do?” she breathed.

“Hush, love…this will help you relax,” Jason breathed
against her lips as he fastened a strip of fabric around her other wrist.
“Don’t fight me. Just lie back and relax.”

Cathy wanted to obey, but her growing understanding of what
he planned for her sent a fresh wave of panic coursing through her body. He
held her wrists firmly. Hands roughened by years at sea caressed her traitorous
flesh. He eased the pantaloons from her body. The sensations wrought by his
touch consumed her, the yearning a desperate need. She bit back a cry of
longing.

“Do you want me inside you tonight?” he whispered against
the column of her throat. “Do you want to give yourself to me?”

The word was a hushed moan. “Yes.”

“Do you want me to take you tonight, Catherine? Do you want
to feel my cock inside you?”

“Yes,” she murmured.

He stretched her right arm toward the bedpost. She felt the
silk go taut.
He’s tied me down.
A heady blend of anticipation and panic
shot through her. His hand moved in slow, massaging circles over her belly,
soothing away the apprehension.

“I won’t hurt you, love. I have so much to teach you.”

Jason’s mouth claimed hers, a lovers’ kiss, tasting, tantalizing.
As his attention moved to her other wrist, she writhed against him, seeking his
touch.

When her left wrist was bound, he kissed her mouth then
moved lower in a spiraling path down the length of her torso. Spreading her
thighs, his fingers wrapped around her ankle even as his mouth hungrily
explored the length of her leg, overcoming her fear with the exquisite
sensations as his tongue trailed over the skin at her inner thigh.

She nearly leapt from the bed as his tongue danced over the
area at the crux of her legs. Parting the folds, he embedded his tongue within
her warmth. A low moan hovered, trapped in her throat, as he sought and found
the core of her femininity. Stroking her playfully, teasing her until she
wanted to cry out with a longing more intense than any she’d ever known.

Mindless with need, Cathy strained against the bindings, but
it was no use. She was tied down and helpless to resist any sweet torment he
would choose to impose on her. The blindfold maddened her. She longed to see
him. She could only imagine the handsome planes of his face as he watched her
wriggle beneath his touch, could only imagine the smile of satisfaction in his
eyes as he saw her desire for him.

“Please,” she managed weakly as she pulled against the
restraints. “Please remove the blindfold.”

She felt him shift and then the touch of his teeth grazed
her belly. He kissed her, a leisurely caress. “In time, love,” he whispered as
he reclaimed her lips. He brushed his mouth over hers, coaxing a response,
stirring her senses with fevered need.

When he broke off the demanding possession, Cathy thought
she’d go mad. She wanted his kiss. His touch. His mastery.

A desperate plea welled within her. She bit it back, but he
cupped her face, stroking her cheek, destroying the last shreds of her
resistance.

“Ah, you need this, my sweet. Just as I need you.”

The scent of his musk filled her senses. Jason ran the tip
of his index finger as lightly as a butterfly’s wing along her collarbone, down
her middle, gliding over her belly. He traced small circles over her skin,
soothing, unrushed, until she relaxed. And then he roamed over her, his mouth
following the path of his fingertip. His roughened hands cupped her buttocks as
he nestled between the vee formed by her legs.

His tongue darted into her most intimate place, the caress a
delicious torment. The waves of sensual stimulation nearly drove her mad with
longing. The silk glided against her wrists, reminding her she was helpless,
though she knew in truth the restraints were not what truly imprisoned her.

Jason stared down at Cathy, as helpless to resist the
temptation of her perfectly rounded curves as she was to resist him. It was as
if her desire bound him to her.

He needed to slake his thirst for her and be done with it,
he decided ruthlessly. He would deliver her back to her father, ruined,
possibly carrying his seed, the perfect instrument for his vengeance against
Edwin Farrell.

The moonlight glinted over her creamy flesh, highlighting
her luscious curves. Jason’s cock surged against his trousers, throbbing with
hunger for his captive. He forced himself to leave her side and stripped off
his clothing. And then he prowled over her, savoring the slide of his skin
against hers. His hands and mouth explored her body, inch by inch, learning the
feel of her, the taste of her, the sound of her moans. He buried his face in
her hair. The faint aroma of lemon water mingled with her natural essence,
stimulating his senses.

He didn’t want to care about her. He wanted to hate her,
just as he despised her father, but each touch stoked the fire in his soul.
Damn it, why did he crave the sounds she made when he pleasured her? Why did it
matter that she responded to his touch?

He gazed down at her, clenching his fingers against the urge
to sweep over the delicate contours. Had she grown more beautiful? Or was it
the soft hint of desire in her whispered words that aroused him more than he’d
believed possible? He wasn’t used to wanting a woman as more than a means to
sate his carnal appetites. But this was different. He wanted her to crave his
touch, his kiss. He wanted her to need him.

“If I untied you, would you resist me?” he breathed against
her mouth.

She shook her head fiercely. “Never…I need you.”

He eyed the length of silk tethering a delicate wrist. One
flick of his fingers against the knot, and the slender limb would be free.
Dragging in a breath, he imagined her hands moving over his body. He yearned
for her caress against his skin, the delicate sweep of her fingertips over his
flesh, digging into his back, claiming him just as he would claim her.

Madness
,
he thought. Wanting her was a
weakness he could ill afford. Her touch would brand him as indelibly as a
blazing hot iron.

Wriggling against him, she canted her hips in sensual
offering. All thoughts of weakness and retribution fled, leaving only a need
unlike anything he’d ever known. His shaft pulsed with a merciless demand for
fulfillment.

Kissing her deeply, Jason slipped a hand between her thighs.
His fingers slid within her hot folds, caressing her velvet nether lips.
So
wet.
Jesus, she was ready for him.

“Do you want me inside you, Cathy?”

“Yes,” she whispered.

Settling between the cradle of her hips, he lowered his
mouth to hers, kissing her again, a long, lingering caress. Desire crashed over
him, urgent and relentless. He drew in another breath. Christ, he wanted her.
She was warm and tight and wild for him. So damn wild.

Angling his hips, he penetrated her with one deep thrust. He
stilled his body. Desire threatened to consume him, but he wouldn’t give in.
This time with her would not be squandered. He covered her mouth with his own
as she rose to meet him, tugging futilely against the restraints. Her low moans
betrayed her desperation to pull him even deeper within her heat.

His breath came in ragged exhalations. Jason gritted his
teeth and fought for control. He’d waited so long for this moment. He would
savor her surrender. His cock filled her, pulsing against her softness as she
eagerly met his every stroke.

He moved within her, gently at first, until desperate hunger
overtook him. His intention to go slowly this first time gave way as a tiny
plea escaped her lips. Low and throaty. Longing for what he could give her. Her
hips canted higher, meeting each thrust, his every movement. Need surged within
him, a primal yearning that would not be restrained.

Jason eased away, then plunged into her again, filling her,
sheathing his throbbing cock within her softness. She was so tight, so hot,
drawing him deeper and deeper into the madness of his longing for her.

Determined to maintain control, he steadied himself.
Claiming her with smooth, sure strokes, he cupped her buttocks in his hands to
pull her even tighter against him, filling her so completely, his muscles
trembled with the depth of the sweet pleasure.

Her cries of satisfaction began low in her throat. The soft
moans blossomed into an unashamed cry of surrender. She writhed wildly against
him, driving his cock deeper within her. Pushing him so far past his limit,
there was no chance of return. He claimed her then in savage possession,
pulsing hard and fast as he sought the culmination of this exquisite torture.

His growl of fulfillment echoed through the cabin. He
collapsed against her, sated, his breath ragged. Lying there for a long moment,
he peered down into her face. The flush of his lovemaking colored her cheeks.
He rolled to the side of the bed and dragged Cathy to him, lying silent and
unmoving, simply listening to her softly indrawn breaths.

Propping himself on one elbow, Jason lay beside her,
watching the steady rise and fall of her breasts. The moon’s silver-tipped
beams revealed the glimmer of tears over the curve of her face.

Intrigued, Jason ran his fingers over the high ridge of her
cheekbones. Casting the blindfold to the floor, he watched her lids flutter
open. Cathy met his gaze, her eyes as deep blue as a storm-tossed sea. The
desire to comfort her washed over him as he swept away the tears.

“You were crying,” he murmured, grazing the pad of his thumb
over her velvet soft skin. “Did I hurt you?”

She bit her lip and looked away.

“Did I hurt you?” Jason asked again. He stroked her cheek
until she turned back to face him. “I want you to tell me the truth.”