Love's Fiery Jewel (31 page)

The Sally sailed steadily northward, leaving behind the
clear turquoise water of the Caribbean Sea in staunch
progress toward her home port of Philadelphia. The
balmy tropical breezes moving her unerringly toward her
goal turned cooler as the days moved on, the bite in the
air bringing a bright color to Amethyst's cheek in the
endless hours spent in total infatuation at the rail. The
sea was glorious! Why had she not remembered the
beauty of the sun as it rose and set, reflecting its myriad
of breathtaking colors against the endless shimmering
surface? There was beauty everywhere... in the graceful flight of the gulls as they swooped into the churning
waves, dipping and diving in a graceful aerial ballet of
infinite diversity; the great schools of fish that often
moved below the ship, darkening the brilliant water with
the mere power of their number as they passed in a vague,
single shadow beneath and around them until they were
gone. There was even a beauty in the manner in which
the Sally's sailors scaled the masts, responding with
skilled precision to the orders barked from below as they
released the limp sails to fill and puff against the brilliant
blue of the cloudless sky.

Ali, but the fact was that the last time she had sailed
these waters she had been a child, entirely preoccupied in
nursing an ailing mother whose precarious health was
her sole consideration. How different were her circumstances this time. While in fact kidnapped onto the ship,
she was treated as a cherished guest whose smallest wish was the crew's command. Lassiter, bless his rusty old
heart, had not changed since their first meeting,
resuming the friendship he had extended to the stubborn
child of nine, seven years before. The remainder of the
crew, after recuperating from their astonishment at her
presence, rapidly moved from an aloof wariness to a keen
appreciation of her presence, with each man among them
going out of his way to accommodate her.

Amused once again, Amethyst recalled to mind
Damien's snearing disgust at the crew's behavior when
he had angrily declared in a surly moment that she had
turned a group of respectable, hard-working tars into a
sorry lot of fawning imbeciles who would suffer all
manner of degrading chores just for the pleasure of one
dimpled smile! And that furious hour-long tirade
inspired by poor Ezekiel Bellows, who sought to do her
bidding by hanging a line on deck so she might dry her
laundered clothing more quickly in the sun! Well, it had
been no different when he had caught Lassiter lashing
empty barrels to the mast in the midst of a howling
rainstorm in the hopes of collecting enough water for her
first freshwater bath since the inception of the voyage.
Of them all, only Jeremy Barnes still retained Damien's
respect by treating her with faultless courtesy and
concern without, as Damien so colorfully put it,
"...making a complete ass of himself!"

But where she could honestly fault no one for her
treatment, not even the cryptic, overbearing captain of
the Sally, and found all manner of surprising glory in her
first true experience with the sea, her heart was in
Jamaica. She sorely missed the great handsome woman
whose deep Jamaican drawl shared a place in her heart
with her own darling mother's light, precise tones.
Having spent a large portion of her life entertaining in
the theater, she also missed her work and her short-lived success in her role as songstress extraordinaire of the
American Company. And even as she refused to allow
thought of him to enter her mind, she realized she missed
William and still ached for the pain he must have
suffered when he had arrived at her home on John's Lane
and found her gone. She had been a fool not to marry
William when he had pleaded. In retrospect she could
find no valid reason for her hesitation. But it was too late
for regrets.. .too late for many things.. .most of all
too late for William and her.

Her eyes stared unseeingly into a darkness broken only
by the brilliance of a great full moon, its silvery light
lending a mystic glow to a night sky already radiantly
filled with endless twinkling stars. Momentarily startled
as two strong arms stole past to grasp the rail firmly on
either side of her, effectively holding her prisoner
between them, Amethyst felt no need to turn to identify
her captor. The clean, manly scent of his body strong in
her nostrils, Amethyst spoke quickly before the night
could work its magic, stealing her tongue to allow the
inevitable its due course.

"What is your prediction for tomorrow's weather,
Damien?" In the first week of their journey toward
Philadelphia, Damien had made a nightly ritual of
predicting the weather for the following day. Ever a
master of the unexpected, he was surprisingly accurate
each time, even in such minute details as temperature
change and wind velocity, and she continued to play the
game, its diversion suiting her purpose. Their truce was
working well. Damien was well pleased with her
acceptance of the situation, of that she was certain. The
days were passing smoothly, with surprising amicability.
Taking all his meals in his cabin with Amethyst, Damien
was at most times a charming companion who spared no
effort in explaining the complicated duties of ship's master, only occasionally raising her ire with a supercilious expression when her questioning touched on a
matter he deemed too personal an intrusion for a reply.
The sound of the ship's bell marking the half-hours and
hours had become an accepted ritual of her daily life, its
clear, echoing tones in the darkness of the night giving
solace to troubled dreams.

Although at times finding it difficult to put up with
Damien's autocratic, possessive manner, she found with
her rapidly returning strength also came a renewal of her
determination that he would not conquer her mind as he
had her body. She would survive to achieve her ultimate
independence from him, would return to Jamaica, and
was thoroughly committed to emerge the victor from
their association.

But Damien's response, tinged with sharpness, snapped
her around to face him as he said impatiently, "I'm not in
the mood for that idiotic game tonight, Amethyst. I have
far more important things on my mind. And why are you
up here on deck with only a light shawl? Are you seeking
to become an invalid again? Will you never learn to care
properly for yourself? I..."

Interrupting the building tirade, Amethyst frowned
into his irritated expression. "I am wearing this light
shawl, Damien, because it is all I have to wear. Somehow,
on the tropical island of Jamaica, I did not feel it
necessary to purchase a heavy cape to protect me from
the broiling sun! And since I did not anticipate taking this
voyage, my wardrobe is decidedly inadequate! But I do
apologize," she continued sarcastically, "for not consulting you as to what I should wear on my short sojourn on
deck this night, but, in truth, I had not realized you so
much enjoyed dressing me each evening!"

His sullen expression lightening for the first time,
Damien responded with a hint of humor, "If I am to be entirely candid, I would have to admit, Amethyst, I do
not derive as much pleasure from dressing you as I do
from the reverse procedure, but since it seems you need a
guiding hand in matters involving a little common
sense..."

Stiffening at his calculated insult, Amethyst stifled her
response. It was obvious Damien was looking for an
argument, and she had no intention of accommodating
him. He would not take his ill humor out on her!
Attempting to free herself, Amethyst pushed firmly at
the brawny arm to the side of her as she responded stiffly,
"Somehow the beauty of the night has paled for me,
Damien. I would like to go below now." When Damien's
wide hand still retained its grip on the railing, Amethyst
raised haughty eyes to his. "I should think my desire to
go below would please you, Damien, since you have
broadly hinted at my stupidity at being up here in the
first place!"

But her mistake had been in raising her eyes to his, to
become lost in the silver depths that scrutinized her so
deliberately. The weeks at sea had not eroded the power
of his glance over her will, but had, in fact, only deepened
its claim. Their glances locked, Amethyst once again
experienced the slow draining of her opposition, and her
body's final betrayal as Damien's hand moved up in slow
deliberation to slip into her hair, his thumb caressing the
line of her cheekbone as he held her mesmerized with
effortless mastery. Her lips parting, she heard her own
small intake of breath as his lips touched hers, his victory
complete as her mouth opened to accept his tongue, her
arms stealing around his back to return his crushing
embrace. Sinking into the abyss of blazing emotions,
Amethyst suddenly knew no other thought but the glory
of his deepening kiss and the pleasure of his broad
knowing hands against her body. Swaying weakly when deprived of his embrace for the briefest second,
Amethyst succumbed completely, laying her head
against his chest as Damien swept her up into his hungry
arms to carry her downstairs in long, anxious strides to
the cabin below.

She could not summon the slightest resistance as
Damien kicked the door closed behind them and in a few
swift steps placed her gently on the bunk. Kneeling on
the floor beside her, he gazed for endless moments into
her clear lavender eyes, frowning, his expression
disturbed. Reaching out, he gently touched her lips with
his fingertips, a small muscle twitching in his cheek as he
obviously strove to maintain control.

He seemed about to speak, and then thinking better of
the situation, merely trailed his fingers down her throat
to the buttons at the top of her bodice. Slowly
unfastening them one by one, he separated it at last to
expose her shift. His hands trembling, he lifted her
slightly to free her arms, exposing the fullness of her
perfect white breasts, the pink crests erect, inviting his
caress. Would he never tire of looking at her.. .touching her? There was no doubt in his mind that Amethyst
was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen, and
suddenly anxious to view her in her breathtaking
entirety, he worked quickly and effectively to free her of
the remainder of her clothing. At last she lay naked
before him, her face exquisitely sculptured, high
cheekbones, slender nose, firm pointed chin; those
magnificent eyes, now heavy-lidded with passion as she
trembled beneath his touch. The splendid faultless
symmetry of her body exposed to his glance grew more
beautiful each day with her returning health. Having
regained most of her former proportions, the angular
slimness of ill health was gone, returning the smoothness
to her frame that flowed in graceful perfection from the glorious black curls over her high, clear brow, to the tips
of her delicious toes. Having seen her thus countless
times, Damien still marveled at her sheer perfection, and
her ability to continually excite him without exerting the
slightest effort.

Drawn by the allure of the small pink tongue barely
visible behind perfect white teeth in a mouth that set his
pulse racing, Damien lowered his head, at last covering
the warm, red lips that drew him so mercilessly. Soft and
pliable under his searching mouth, her lips separated to
accept his tongue, meeting his with her own as he probed
and drew greedily of the deep, inner reaches abandoned
so completely to him. Deeper and deeper his kiss pressed,
seeking, demanding, eliciting an abandon that was
second only to his own as his mouth ravaged hers. Her
heart pounding in her ears, Amethyst sensed Damien's
withdrawal moments before he reluctantly drew back, his
sober expression staring unblinkingly into hers. With
great, deliberation he moved the hands cupping her chin
down the slender column of her neck. His fingers
splaying widely to encompass as much of her warm
perfection as they dared, he ran his palms smoothly along
her body. Leaving no area untouched, his seeking,
caressing hands roamed the gentle curve of her
shoulders, to slide down the entire length of her slender
arms to her fingertips. Moving from there to the perfect
mounds of her breasts, he caressed them lovingly,
smoothing, touching, fondling, the ever narrowing
circular motion of his caress finally touching the tender
crests awaiting him. Deliberately withholding his lips
from their appealing tips, he slid his hands searchingly,
caressingly across her ribcage, her narrow waist, along
the rounded curve of her hips and the flatness of her
stomach. Continuing his erotic quest, Damien moved his
caress down the long slender legs, shapely and graceful in their former fullness, to the small delicate ankles and
pink perfect feet. Lowering his head, Damien kissed each
toe slowly, tenderly, continuing the line of his kisses up
to her ankles, the slender calves now firm and strong, the
delicately turned knees, the well shaped thighs. But the
sweetness grew increasingly more intoxicating as he
neared the triangle of dark shining curls nestled between.
Spreading a rash of warm, moist kisses on the tender
flesh of her inner thighs, Damien was drawn relentlessly
by the sensuous lure of other lips awaiting his caress.

Her senses rioting, Amethyst knew only the deep, allencompassing euphoria to which his caress transported
her. Existing in the world of brilliant sensation and
searing desire Damien had created within her, she
relaxed completely under his loving administrations,
experiencing little shivers of delight as his kisses moved
along her feet and ankles, up her legs, the trembling
within her escalating to frightening proportions as his
lips and tongue moved sensuously upward. His searching
caresses moved to the dark triangle of curls, kissing,
nudging, coaxing, eliciting a sensation and anticipation
within her that set her to trembling wildly, violently, in a
realm of sheer aching desire she had never before
experienced. Suddenly his lips were pressed tightly
against the tender slit, his tongue moving quickly to taste
the moistness between in a supreme intimacy that
exploded a wealth of sensation inside her. A low groan
issuing from her lips, she clutched Damien's head,
attempting to stay him from his ultimate caress.