Love's Fiery Jewel (28 page)

Her nerves stretched to the breaking point, Amethyst
had awakened that morning at dawn, instantly alert to
the fact that the Sally was to sail the following day. This
was to be the last morning she would awaken to find
Damien Straith sharing her bed, and unconsciously
breathing a brief sigh of relief, she had quietly studied the
unfathomable man lying beside her.

With an impatient shake of her head, she had come to
the conclusion that she would never understand the
personality which vacillated among loving tenderness,
harsh criticism, wary aloofness and an obsessive,
smothering possessiveness that drove her to the brink of
distraction. But it would not be much longer. He would
be leaving soon. Unconsciously moving her eyes across
his strong, handsome features, Amethyst had allowed
them to linger for a moment on the bright tawny hair
hanging boyishly on his forehead, the thick stubby lashes
on the lids covering those startling eyes. Thankful those
same eyes were not open to observe her perusal, she had
swept her glance along the firm, square jaw which only
hinted at the stubbornness to which it could set, her eyes
flicking momentarily to the sensuous mouth that set her
soul to quaking. Damien slept naked, the light covering
pulled across his waist exposing a vast muscular chest
lightly peppered with golden brown hair and on one long
leg, the strong, well muscled thigh blatant evidence of its
power. Yes, she had to concede that Sally Warren had
been right. Damien Straith was a wildly appealing man.
And frightening herself most of all was her recognition
that a level look from those compellingly sensual eyes set
her blood to racing. Despite herself, she also had to
concede that Damien's lovemaking often carried her past
logical thought, to the point where only they existed in
the heady realm of intoxicating sensation and brilliant
emotion. But reality inevitably returned with all its
memories, dropping her beyond despair for her body's
betrayal. She could not take much more of the emotional
teeter-totter Damien practiced on her heart. She
desperately needed relief... needed to be free...

As if sensing her thoughts, Damien had muttered
softly in his sleep, turning on his side toward her to slide
a long, muscular arm possessively across her body.
Clutching her instinctively, he had fitted the full length of his body against hers, moving to slide his face into her
hair, effectively holding her prisoner in his grasp even as
he had slept. Closing her eyes, Amethyst had resigned
herself to his possession. Realizing his power over her
was so complete that she had neither the strength nor the
desire to resist, she had silently consoled herself with the
fact that in one more day she would be free at last from
his domination.

But she could sense something was wrong now.
Tension hung heavily on the air as Damien stood
observing her from the doorway, sending a prickle of
apprehension down her spine. Swallowing hard, Amethyst asked cautiously, "What's wrong, Damien? Have
you run into some problem with the Sally?"

There was a moment's hesitation before Damien
walked slowly forward to stand towering over the couch,
his glance steady and unrevealing. A small cold smile
curling his lips, he said smoothly, "No, darling, what
could possibly be wrong? The Sally is set to sail and will
leave on the morning tide as planned. You need not
disturb yourself that I may remain another day in
Kingston."

Suddenly dropping to his knees beside the couch to
bring his face level with hers, Damien slid his fingers into
the hair at her temples, his wide palms cupping her
cheeks, holding her face steady as he whispered softly
against her lips, "You will miss me tomorrow, will you
not, Amethyst, when you lie here all alone with only
Tillie to care for you?" When she did not respond, he
continued in a low, throbbing voice, "You will miss my
arms around you at night... the touch of my hands on
your body.. .the beauty we create when I am deep
inside you..."

Amethyst felt the flush on her cheeks as his glance
moved heatedly across her face, and unable to look away,
experienced once again the lethargy his steady gaze evoked as it seemed to sink into her very soul.
Mesmerized, she held his glance as his passionate whisper
droned on. "You will miss me, Amethyst, tomorrow
when my ship sails and you are all alone. You will miss
my loving..."

Unable to bear his glance a moment longer, Amethyst
closed her eyes, unmindful of the lone tear that slipped
down her cheek as Damien's soft voice continued in her
ear,"But we have some time left, darling until I leave you
tonight. We have a few hours left for me to love you..."

The bright light of morning hurt her eyes as Amethyst
squinted against its glare. Her head was throbbing dully,
her mind foggy, barely functioning as she moved her eyes
slowly around her. Dazed and disoriented, she stared for
long moments at her surroundings in an attempt to
ascertain her whereabouts, not quite certain if she was
indeed in the midst of another dream or truly awake. The
room was familiar, certainly, but it was not her own
room. And the floor was rocking beneath her, a gentle
steady motion, soothing to her senses...

Sudden realization flashing across her mind, Amethyst
snapped to a sitting position in bed, her hands reaching
up to grasp her throbbing head as she glanced to the
window! She was on a ship.. .this was Damien's
cabin... and the blue sky outside the porthole was
moving... moving! What was she doing here? It could
not be morning... Damien was to sail in the morning!
Trembling as she fought the fear rising within her,
Amethyst slid her legs over the side of the bed and stood
up. Too upset for caution, she stumbled weakly toward
the porthole, one hand holding her throbbing head, the
other reaching out to grasp the furniture in her path for
support. Finally at the porthole, she looked out to see
only sky above and tranquil turquoise sea below.

"No! It can't be true!" she gasped, her hand pressing hard against her lips in an attempt to stifle the sobs
choking her throat. "He could not have done this! He
could not have taken me from my home without my
consent!"

Unwilling to accept the evidence of her own eyes,
Amethyst stared hopefully around the room. But this was
Damien's cabin... and they were under sail. Closing her
eyes for the briefest moment, Amethyst swayed weakly,
her hand moving up to still the steady pounding in her
head that seemed to deaden her brain. Opening her eyes
once again, she staggered back to bed, collapsing against
the spotless linens in unbelieving bewilderment. But
where had the evening of the previous day gone? She
remembered Damien's return to her house in a strange
mood, his eyes cold and angry while he spoke intimately
of wanting to make love to her. Completely ignoring
Tillie's presence, he had swept her into his arms and
carried her to her room where they had spent what was to
be their final hours together before he was to leave at
nightfall to return to his ship. But memory faded after
their light supper in her room when Damien had brought
her the milk she detested and which he had insisted she
drink as a nightly ritual until she regained her strength.
With a slow dawning of realization, she remembered she
had remarked the milk tasted curiously bitter, but
Damien had been adamant that she drink all of it, waiting
deliberately beside her until she had drained the glass.

It was at this point that memory began to blur and then
ceased completely. Amethyst raised herself to a sitting
position in bed, anger replacing the myriad of emotions
overwhelming her since awakening. How could he! How
could he kidnap her so coldly, without the slightest
regard for her wishes! And where was he now when she
was ready to face him? She would not allow him to get
away with this! She would find him immediately and
make him turn the ship back to Kingston!

Suddenly glancing down, Amethyst realized she wore
only her night rail. Quickly scanning the room, she saw
none of her clothing in evidence. She could not afford to
waste time in searching. Standing unsteadily, Amethyst
yanked the light coverlet off the bed, and holding her
aching head as high as she dared, started for the door.
Knowing a moment's panic as her hand touched the knob
at the thought that the door might be locked, Amethyst
breathed a small sigh of relief when it turned easily under
her hand.

Once in the familiar passageway, Amethyst moved
uncertainly toward the ladder to deck. The sooner she
faced Damien Straith and made him turn back to
Jamaica, the sooner she would be home in her little house
on John's Lane and away from him!

Her weakened muscles already feeling the strain, her
painful headache adding immeasurably to her distress,
Amethyst made an uneasy ascent to deck. Finally
arriving atop, she stood squinting in the bright sunlight
as her eyes adjusted to the light. Swaying uncertainly,
she glanced around her to find herself in the midst of a
group of men of varying ages and appearances, the
solitary common bonds apparent between them at first
glance the fact that they all wore peculiar britches that
belled out awkwardly at the knee, and they all stared at
her in open-mouthed amazement. Boldly returning their
stares, small bare feet poking out from beneath her full
white night rail, Amethyst stood clutching the light
coverlet around her shoulders. A stiff ocean breeze
succeeding in flaring the light wrapper out behind her
like a floating cape despite her efforts to restrain it,
molded the fine material of her gown against her body
revealingly. The long black ringlets tumbling almost to
her waist blew back from her face to flutter rapidly in the
breeze, clearly displaying the small perfect face in which
large purple eyes glowed in purposeful anger.

Padding up to a young, red-haired fellow who gaped in
an almost ludicrous fashion, she demanded imperiously,
"I want to see your captain. I demand to see him
immediately!"

Gulping inwardly, the fellow flushed, stammering
weakly, "He...he's over there, ma'am."

Turning in the direction the fellow pointed, Amethyst
was in time to see the object of her quest striding toward
her, anger drawing his face into a tight mask.

Refusing to allow the frightening specter to intimidate
her, Amethyst began haughtily, "Captain Straith, I
demand..."

Ignoring her as if she had not spoken, Damien swooped
her up into his arms with barely a break in stride, and was
carrying her down the steps toward his cabin before
Amethyst could recuperate enough to gasp indignantly,
"How dare you! Put me down this instant! I demand..."

His expression frightening to behold, Damien looked
directly into her face for the first time, his voice a low
growl. "Shut up, Amethyst, or I will accommodate you
by dropping you where we now stand!" When she still
sputtered ineffectually, Damien hesitated once again in
his descent to repeat his warning, "I warn you, woman,
you try my patience too far. If you speak another word, I
will not be responsible for my actions!"

Courage momentarily deserting her in the face of her
helplessness against his fury, Amethyst abruptly snapped
her mouth closed. She would hold her tongue until she
was in a safer position, with her feet on the floor.

In long, angry strides Damien walked down the
corridor, roughly pushing open the cabin door with his
shoulder. In another few steps he was at the bunk, and in
a quick, unexpected movement, dropped her abruptly
onto its surface.

Gasping at his ungentlemanly treatment, Amethyst
managed to pull herself together enough to shoot a disdainful look in his direction the second before Damien
exploded angrily, "I ought to beat you within an inch of
your life! What do you mean by coming on deck in that
manner.. .barefoot and... undressed!"

"Undressed!" Indignation flaring, Amethyst repeated
heatedly, "Undressed! You surly beast! How dare you
insinuate that..."

Apparently deaf to her words, Damien bent down to
rest his hands on either side of her shoulders, looming
large and threatening over her, succeeding in cowering
her back against the bedclothes as he demanded icily,
"You will never come on deck again. without my
permission! And you will never appear in the presence of
my men again unless suitably attired! I will set the rules
for your conduct aboard this ship, and you will obey
them to the letter, or so help me God, I will..."

"You need not worry about setting rules for my
behavior, Captain Straith!" His dictatorial tone sending
the blood rushing to her head, increasing the pain that
throbbed unceasingly through her brain, Amethyst
managed to continue, "For I will not be on this ship long
enough to abide by them!"

"Oh, is that so, your ladyship? And do you expect to
swim all the way back to Jamaica?"

"No! You will turn this ship around and take me back
immediately! I demand that you..."

"You may demand all you wish, but I am captain of
this ship and my word is law here!" Pushing his face
closer still until she pressed tightly back against the hard
mattress in an attempt to avoid his furious stare, he
continued softly, "You will obey me and will live by
every rule I set for you on this voyage for I will stand for
none of your nonsense! I warn you now, Amethyst!"

His frightening visage was demoralizing, the power of
his massive frame overwhelming her with its sheer
proportions, and suddenly unable to think beyond the fierce pounding in her head, Amethyst whispered
bewilderedly, "But... why... why did you do this?
Was it just for the sport of..."

His handsome face contorting into an angry sneer,
Damien hissed heatedly, "Don't play the innocent,
Amethyst! Did you think me such a fool that I would not
discover the little deception you practiced?"

"Deception...?"