The Black Morass (Pirates of the Coast Book 1) (15 page)

Again, the aristocrat protested.

“But you will not meet your demise by my hand.”  Now Jean Marc sat upright, as the time for polite pleasantries had ended.  “Oh, no, as that is too easy.  First, I will give you and your fetching bride to my men, as some prefer ladies, while others enjoy the unutterable defilement of the firm male arse, particularly a pale, highborn English bottom.  At my discretion, they will use you, until your back breaks from the strain, and then I will cut you, for sport, because I want you alive when I toss you into the sea, that you may suffer when the sharks take the first bite of your flesh.  So you had better pray your daughter is blessed with a long and healthy life, thus I have no reason to call upon you.”  He shifted, crawled to Maddie’s father, and perched nose to nose with the spoiled sot.  “Do we understand each other, Lord Livingston?”

Livingston nodded.

“Excellent.”  Jean Marc glanced at Tyne.  “See?  I told you the English were a sensible lot.”  Leaping from the mattress, he snapped his fingers.  “Now where is Maddie’s cameo, as I will not leave without it?”

After a quick peek at the lady, Lord Livingston responded, “In the jewelry box on my wife’s vanity.”

In seconds, Jean Marc located the item, which he secured in his pocket, and then he sketched a bow.  “Lord Livingston, it was a pleasure.”

With the nasty bit of business behind him, Jean Marc led his men back to their mounts, and they set a course for town.  It was a quiet ride in the solitude of twilight, and during that time he considered his unborn babe.

At an imaginary crossroads, he had a decision to make, the outcome of which would impact not only Maddie but also his heir.  In a moment of stark clarity, he realized he was past due for a change.  He wanted to attend the birth of his child, to teach him to fish, to respect women, and to earn an honest living.  More than that, he wanted to grow old with Maddie, to sit on a porch in a creaky wooden rocker and watch the leaves turn and fall.  And he could not do that as captain of the
Black Morass
.  In that moment, he doffed the black patch and tossed it alongside the road.

So he would start anew, in more ways than one.

After securing the horses and his crew, Jean Marc tiptoed, yes, he bloody well tiptoed, into the room he shared with his wife.  In seconds, he stripped naked and joined her beneath the covers.  Almost immediately, she turned into him, inched near, kissed his chest, and sighed.

“Is something wrong, my love?”  She sniffled.

“No,
Mon Chou
.”  Wrapping his arms about her, he pulled her closer into his protective embrace.

As he settled in the down mattress, the bone weariness abated, and he found comfort in the steady beat of her heart and her rhythmic exhalations, which slowed their accompaniment as she returned to the land of dreams.  For a long while, he rubbed his lips to her forehead, savoring the warmth that was uniquely Maddie’s, reassuring himself that she remained very much alive and well and would persist at his side for the rest of his days.  At last, Jean Marc smiled to himself and slept.

#

The subtle sashay of warm lips to the crest of her ear brought Madalene awake, as she rested on her side.  Yawning, she stretched long on the blanket, as Jean Marc trailed a series of kisses along the curve of her neck.

“Do not tell me it is time to return to the ship.”  Opening her eyes, she blinked and then admired the calm surface of the little cove, her favorite place, and smiled.  “It is still light, so we can indulge in another swim.”

“I thought you were in a hurry to arrive home, and at this rate, it could take another fortnight to make Boston.”  With care, he spread her bottom cheeks, withdrew his length from her body, and then pulled her to recline on her back.  After a vast deal more than thorough kiss, which stirred her in an altogether different manner, he nipped the tip of her nose and caressed her bare breast.  “I love you, Maddie.”

“And I you, my love.”  As usual, when she invoked the term of endearment, he blushed, and she adored him for it.  Naked, she giggled, rolled free, leaped to her feet, and ran into the water, with her equally nude husband on her heels.  “You cannot catch me.”

“Oh, I believe we both know I will, and I will have my way with you, when I do,
Mon Chou
.”  With a wicked grin, he dove into the blue depths, and she followed suit.

Together, they engaged in a graceful ballet, of sorts, legs twining, arms reaching, hands groping, mouths merging in a communion of souls, until they broke for air.

With her arms and legs wrapped tight about her husband, she grazed her teeth to his chin.  “Please, I want you.”

In silence, he cupped her derriere, carried her to the blanket on the beach, knelt, and pushed her down.  And so his voluptuous assault commenced, as he rode her hard and fast, just as she liked it, until he collapsed, spent and sated, atop her.  Then the true coupling began, as Jean Marc loved her with his lips on hers and caressed her face.  He whispered sweet praise and told her what she did to him, how she made him feel, and it was in those tender moments that she knew, without a shadow of a doubt, she was right where she belonged.

Since departing Port Royal, the tenor of his passion had changed.  While the intensity of their lovemaking had not waned, how he achieved the heights of desire now relied less upon physical aggression and more upon the invisible connections unrestrained by the mortal shell.  And the devotion Maddie thought had reached the limits of its breadth grew beyond her wildest expectations.  The resulting ties bound her to her bawdy buccaneer, such that she knew not where he began and she ended.

“The hour grows late, and we should depart for the
Morass
.”  Sitting upright, Jean Marc furrowed his brow and appeared lost in thought.  “You know, I am considering a name change for my ship, to reflect my new occupation as a gentleman.”

“But the current one suits its captain, given his predilections.”  She stuck her tongue in her cheek.

With a countenance of confusion, he scratched his chin.  “I do not understand.”

“Never mind.”  She laughed.  “But before we leave our private paradise, will you fetch the ledger from the sack, as there is something I wish to show you?”

“All right, but we cannot linger, as we must trudge through the jungle, and I will not risk injury to you.”  He snapped his fingers after collecting the register.  “Actually, I believe I should carry you and avoid the danger, altogether.”

“Whatever you wish, my love.”  She nodded once.  “Now open the book, as it contains papers that specifically relate to you, and I would have you aware of the arrangements I made on your behalf, to ensure your well-being, should something happen to me.”

“
My
well-being?”  His expression sobered, and he set aside the ledger, folded his legs, and pulled her into his lap.  “
Mon Chou
, nothing will ever happen to you, because I will not allow it.”

A single tear streamed her cheek, and she rested her head to his shoulder.  “But my father—”

“—Will never again harm you,” Jean Marc asserted.

“Oh, no.  What have you done?”  She flinched and met his stare.  “Despite everything he has done, tell me you did not kill Papa, as I could not live with that stain on my conscience.”

“Calm yourself, Maddie.”  With a cherubic manner that did not fool her for a second, her husband pressed a palm to his chest.  “And I am surprised at you, as I have changed.  But I met with your father before we cast off from Port Royal, and we enjoyed a civilized conversation, which led to a mutual agreement, the sum of which is that we decided it would be better for all parties involved if he never had anything to do with you again.  In fact, as a show of good faith, I promised him and his charming countess that they would not die by my hands, and your father insisted I accept your mother’s cameo, which I intended to gift you on your birthday, next month, so you may put your pretty mind at ease.”

Framing his face, she emitted a half-sob.  “I love you.  Have I told you that, today?”

“Ah, my charming society miss, I love you, too.”  Then he opened the leather portfolio and scanned the documents therein.  When his muscles tensed, he peered at her and frowned.  “What is this,
Mon Chou
?”

“Exactly what it states.”  After claiming a quick kiss, she nuzzled his temple.  “While you were imprisoned, I did more than summon assistance to support our cause and win your freedom.  I ordered the Crawford family solicitor to draw up my will, designating you as sole beneficiary, but I did not stop there.  Per my directive, Mr. Parker reissued the deeds to all my holdings, to reflect my new status as your wife and include you.  As such, we share joint ownership of the estate.”

“You did that for me?”  Shuffling her in his grip, Jean Marc held her at arm’s length.  “Why?”

“Because what is mine is yours, and I will withhold nothing from you.”  She assumed a resolute stance.  “Not now, not ever.”

Without a word, and to her confusion, he set her aside, rose, walked to the water, and dove beneath the surface.  Maddie stood and shielded her eyes from the glare of the sunset.  Nervous, she advanced but paused when he reappeared.

Approaching, he favored her with his piratical grin.  “Hold out your hands,
Mon Chou
.”

She did as he bade, and he placed a pile of gold and glittering gemstones in every conceivable color in her clutch.  “Jean Marc, where did you get this?”

“That is insignificant.”  He chuckled.  “But I am no pauper, and our babes will never know hunger.”  He glanced over his shoulder.  “There is an underwater cave that lies beneath the ledge, and it is well hidden and loaded with chests filled with similar booty.”  He tucked a stray tendril behind her ear.  “Should anything happen to me, you are to engage Tyne to collect the treasure for our family.”

“Do you think it prudent to leave a fortune in gold and jewels secreted in a cave on an abandoned island?”  As she assessed the condition of the riches, she gulped and gingerly placed the items in the sack.  “If you prefer, we could meet with my banker, when we return to Boston, and arrange to have the items transferred into more secure storage.”

“Perhaps that is a good idea.”  Her husband studied her, and then his dogged composure broke, and he tickled her and growled.  “Ah, I love you
Mon, Chou
.  I would bath your naked body in a fortune, but nothing compares to the priceless masterpiece I married.”

Laughing, they donned their clothes, trading tender caresses and sweet kisses, as they packed the blanket and the ledger in the sack.  At last, Jean Marc bent at the waist, as she stood on the rock and perched on his back.  With his hands supporting her knees, she wound her arms about his shoulders, and he carried her back to the landing site, where Tyne would take them back to the ship.

As her pirate trudged forth, Maddie suckled and laved his neck, nibbled the crest of his ear, and whispered salacious innuendos intended to entice and arouse her buccaneer.  And she counted each flex of his muscles and accompanying grunt and groan as an invaluable boon and a promise.

On the beach, a single torchlight marked the first mate’s location, and Jean Marc conveyed her to the jolly boat.

“I will be on my knees, in your bunk, when you arrive, my love.”  It dawned on her then that so much had changed since last they ventured to their special place, and she recalled his words of comfort on the afternoon he first claimed her bottom.  With a wink and a smile, she teased his healthy erection.  “But you may decline at any time, and I will stop.”

“You tempt me,
Mon Chou
, and that is never wise.”  Jean Marc narrowed his stare.  “Whatever am I to do with you?”

“My lusty captain, you are a clever man, and I am certain you will think of something particularly naughty.”  Wrenching the hair at the nape of his neck, she bit his lip.  “And I will enjoy every minute of it.”

THE BLACK MORASS