Within a Captain's Treasure (28 page)

Alice wiggled her fingers. “What was that you did?”

“Do you remember the books we acquired from the Spanish merchant ship?” Gavin lifted a book from his desk. “I found this.” He handed it to her. “Priest, named Bonet, has a way of talking to the deaf.”

Alice looked through the book. Each letter of the alphabet represented by a different position of the hand to spell out words. She practiced forming the letter
A
. “This is wonderful.”

“It’s slow, and in Spanish, but it’s a start. Bump’s smart. He’s catching on.”

Gavin hung up his coat and baldric. Set each in its proper place.

“What happened to his arm?”

“He fell. It’s healing well. Bump being Bump.” Gavin loosened the stock at his neck. Pulled the lacing from his hair.

Alice hugged the book to her chest. All the bravado from before faded away to nothing. The chasm between them still stood. She drew a shaky breath. “Have we outrun the British?”

“Aye.” The neck of his shirt open, Gavin stood with his hands on his hips. He was the most handsome, beautiful man she’d ever seen. She wanted to go to him. Kiss that place where his neck dipped into his chest. Feel the beating of his heart beneath her lips. But if he put her aside, pushed her away again, it would destroy her. She’d endured torture, beatings, attacks. She’d faced down fierce pirates and an evil duke and swung her weapon in battle. But standing here, wanting him like this, it was a battle she wouldn’t survive.

Gavin poured a healthy measure of rum. “Had you not secured your place among this crew before, you’ve surely done so now. You were…amazing.” He handed her the glass. Gray eyes held her gaze. “Of course, now I’ll have to hunt down five British officers and kill them for ogling you.” The corner of his mouth twitched.

He gave a slow shake to his head, before he ran the backs of his fingers along her cheek. Slipping his hand beneath her hair, he brushed it over her shoulder before capturing the back of her neck and drawing her mouth to his. “Dear Lord, I do love you.”

Alice released a small cry as his lips claimed hers. He tipped her back, deepened the kiss, and erased any doubt in her mind as to his true feelings. Gavin’s arm circled her waist and pulled her to him as his mouth continued to ravish hers. A deep groan rumbled from his throat. He ground his hips against hers. The firm ridge of his desire pressed against her belly.

She was beyond thought. He had to feel the pounding of her heart as it tried to burst from her chest. Alice dropped the book and the glass to the floor. Rum ran between the floorboards as the glass rolled away. She wrapped her arms around his neck.

Gavin ran his hands down over the roundness of her and lifted her off her feet. In breeches, she was free to wrap her legs around his waist as he carried her to his bed.

They came together like a storm. Clothing tossed aside in haste. Hands and mouths, grasping and tasting. A sexual fire consuming them both. Nothing mattered but being joined with him. Alice cried out when he drove into her. Joy bursting in her heart. Passion surged through her veins as he pushed her higher, sending her full sail into the blinding light of the sun. She screamed his name. Gavin continued to thrust into her until the heat of his release flooded her.

He kissed her, panting. Rested his forehead against hers. “I love you so much.” He raised his head enough to look into her eyes. “I’m sorry I sent you away. Never again. You’re never leaving me again.” He kept shaking his head. “I only wanted to protect you.”

“Gavin—”

“No. Let me finish. This is my life. I’ve lost so much already.” He kissed her. “Promise me I won’t lose you, too.”

“You can’t shield me against everything, Gavin. I know the dangers, but I belong here. With you. I don’t want a life away from the
Scarlet Night
. I choose you.” She held his face. “I’m a pirate in love with a pirate. I can’t promise to live until I’m old and gray, to die peacefully in my bed. I can only promise I will love you as long as the moon pulls at the tides and there is water in the sea.”

“Be my wife,” he whispered.

Alice blinked at a sudden flood of tears. She sniffed back all the emotion before it poured out and embarrassed them both. She hid it behind a sassy smile. “Is that an order, Captain?”

Gavin held her cheek and used his thumb to wipe the tear away from the corner of her eye. He shook his head, as he looked deep into her soul. “No. It’s a plea.”

* * * *

When the
Scarlet Night
dropped anchor within the protected shelter known as the Needle’s Eye, the entire crew stood witness to their marriage.

“I, Alice Louise Tupper take you Gavin Quinn to be my husband.” She wore a skirt the color of mud with red stripes down the back.

Gavin promised to love her ‘til death do us part.’ He slipped a stunning necklace of gold and oval emeralds around her neck. It was all she wore to bed that night.

Some time after eight bells, Alice insisted on signing her name to the ship’s Articles. Arguing that Alice Tupper was no more, she signed her name in a large, flowing script: Tupper Quinn.

“Damn it man, untie me.” Emerson Blake choked after the gag was removed from his mouth. “Not my ankles, you idiot. Start with my wrists!” He shook his hands under the servant’s nose.

Carlton Whitmore tossed the strips of sheeting to the floor. “Drummond, saddle the horses. I’ll take King’s Knight. We’ll go after her.”

“Are you joking? She’s been gone for hours. We’ll never catch her now.” Emerson rubbed at his chaffed wrists.

“We have to do something,” Carlton insisted. We can’t let her get away with this.”

Emerson’s head pounded, and he needed to punch something. The whole thing was humiliating. “This is your fault.”

Carlton raised his eyebrows and straightened his wig. “Mine?”

“You sent for the chit,” Emerson barked.

“How was I supposed to know she was a pirate?” Carlton shook his head and pushed a finger at Emerson’s face. “No, what happened tonight was your fault. It was your brilliant idea we get her to turn over Gavin Quinn to us. Your charm is not as persuasive as you imagine. How are we supposed to report this now? We’ll be laughing stocks.”

Emerson knew the something he was going to punch. “You insisted we follow her upstairs so she wouldn’t try to escape.” His wrists burned. “Did you have to tie the restraints so damn tight?”

“The woman had a loaded pistol pointed at my head. Do you think she really tried to behead a duke?” Carlton gathered the scattering of gold coins that littered the mattress. “At least she was good enough to reimbursement me for her passage.” He held up two coins, “And a gown.”

“How perfect for you.” Emerson ripped the cover off a pillow and attempted to wrap it around his waist. He reached over and snatched one of the coins from Carlton’s hand.

“
This
will pay to replace my bloody pants.”

Lisa A. Olech
is an artist/writer living in her dream house nestled among the lakes in New England. She loves getting lost in a steamy book, finding the perfect pair of sexy shoes, and hearing the laughter of her men. Being an estrogen island in a sea of testosterone makes her queen. She believes in ghosts, silver linings, the power of a man in a tuxedo, and happy endings. For more please visit lisaolech.com.

Be sure not to miss Lisa A. Olech’s sequel to
Within A Captain’s Hold
and
Within A Captain’s Treasure
:

Read on for a special sneak peek of the next book in the Captains of the Scarlet Night series!

Learn more about Lisa A. Olech
http://www.kensingtonbooks.com/author.aspx/31711

June 7, 1692

Port Royal, Jamaica

A wicked grin tugged across Henry “Ricochet” Robbins’s face. The
Scarlet Night
sat secure at the dock, and he was the first one off the ship after the captain dismissed the crew. His boots hit the wide, weathered boards of the pier and he set his sights on spending the next twenty-four hours drinking as much sweet rum as he could hold and enjoying the lusty pleasures of Port Royal.

The last time he was here was over the winter’s careening of the
Night
. He’d filled his pockets with winnings from the billiards tables and caught the eye of a dark-skinned beauty who worked as a bar wench at the Rogue Wave Tavern. Ah, Teja. Did she have a last name? Didn’t matter. They’d spent four wild days and nights in her bed. She was the kind of woman a man could lose himself in and take a month finding his way out. Silken hair the color of midnight, whiskey-colored eyes, the sweetest mouth that could do the dirtiest things, and ample curves. More than ample. Just the way Ric liked his ladies. Soft, round, and plentiful.

After being aboard ship for months, regaining his land legs had put an extra swag in Ric’s swagger. The noise, heat, and smells of Port Royal welcomed him home. This was his town.

The
Scarlet Night
and Captain Quinn were on top of the heap, and he was the best swivel gunner there was. He could thread a six-pounder through a knothole at two hundred yards. He’d earned his nickname by cushioning a cannon shot off a rocky shoal and taking out a British mast—that, and he was in the habit of bouncing from woman to woman.

The day had dawned sultry. After the constant breeze aboard ship, the airless swelter of Port Royal laid steamy upon his skin. Pushing his way through the crowds loitering about the docks, he headed straight for the Rogue Wave.

Port Royal had become an interesting mix of humanity. A pirate haven, it teamed with society’s dregs. Thieves and murderers. Whores and connivers. Lately, it was also seeing an influx of English influence. Beyond the city, the British hold was gaining strength. Plantations and colonies were becoming more established. Of course, you’d never catch a proper British gentleman wandering the fermented streets, not without good reason, and certainly not at night.

Ric pushed into the dim tavern. The smells of stale ale and rank bodies meeting him head on. It took a moment for his eyes to adjust after the brightness of the morning. Time was irrelevant here. Patrons from last night lay passed out in their chairs and littered upon the floor. Other’s played cards. The billiard tables were active and revelers still crowded the bar.

He sidled up and ordered a rum. “Make it a double.”

“Ric Robbins.” A cluster of men at the far end of the bar recognized him. “Ye bastard. Back to take more of me gold at the tables?”

“No time to fleece ye again, I’m afraid, I’ve a mind to spend my shore leave in the arms of my luscious Teja.” He downed his drink and dropped a coin in payment.

The men burst into laughter, jostling one another. Snatching the coin off the bar top, the bartender snapped off what was owed him, and shoved the remainder of the gold back across the bar. “Ye be a mite too late there, Ric. Teja done hooked herself a captain.”

They all laughed louder. One of them leaned toward him. “Captain Black.” He gestured to the back corner of the tavern. It took Ric a second to register what he was seeing. A couple kissed. The deep, long, wet kisses of lovers. Captain Black had a hand pushed up under Teja’s skirts and had bared one of her full breasts.

“Captain Black?” Ric choked. “
Pandora
Black?”

Roars of laughter erupted around him. “Guess the great Ricochet Robbins bounced her right over te the other side.”

At the commotion, Teja and Black ended their kiss. Seeing Ric over Pandora’s shoulder, Teja adjusted the neckline of her blouse to cover the dark peak of her nipple and smoothed down the front of her skirts.

Pandora Black turned a lazy look over her shoulder. Dressed as a man, Ric wouldn’t have guessed she was a woman had he not known her by name. A fierce captain, she would fight any man who made the mistake of underestimating her. And she only took women into her bed.

She pierced Ric with an icy blue stare and hauled Teja back against her body. Holding Ric’s gaze, she lifted her hand and licked her fingers.

Hoots, catcalls, and uproarious laughter followed Ric out of the tavern. “Son of a bitch,” he growled. “I should ’ave known. She was wearing the same britches as me.”

“Someone’s in your trousers again, Robbins?” Gavin Quinn laughed as he and Bump approached him. Bump was another crewmate from the
Night
. A lad of less than a dozen years, Bump had been like a little brother to Ric since they brought him aboard. Sharp as a honed blade, the boy had become a first-rate seaman. Given the fact he was stone deaf only made his accomplishments more impressive.

“Damn women in my pants,” he grumbled to Bump. “Story of my life.” He shook his head and gathered what was left of his pride. “Nothing, Capt’n. Rum in the Rogue Wave leaving a bitter taste in my mouth.”

“Forget the rum, stick with Bump while I meet with Fin Willy. I’m heading now to seal the deal. Soon we’ll be sailing the
Scarlet Night
and the
White Witch
. Add that to the
Raven Wing;
more ships, more bounty to share.”

The trio maneuvered their way past the array of taverns and brothels lining the docks. Urchin children picked the pockets of the unaware. “Congratulations, Capt’n. Gonna give Tupper a chance at the helm of her own ship?” Robbins asked. Tupper Quinn was the former Alice Tupper. She and Gavin had married and spent the last six years pirating their way back and forth across the Atlantic.

“Doubt it.” Gavin dodged a puddle of filth. “Wouldn’t care to be apart from her. Not now that I’ve grown so used to her being at my side.”

Ric jostled past a group spilling out of a doorway. “Ye could always make me captain.”

Gavin chuckled. “Another year or two under your belt and maybe the crew’d be ready to vote you in.”

A crowd had formed into a tight knot of bodies surrounding the town’s auction block. Gavin stopped. A fierce defender of the abolishment of the African slave trade, he hated these auctions. Men, women, and children being sold as property was abhorrent to him. Ric had been with him long enough to see him hunt down and track slave haulers to deliver their human cargo back to the safety of their own shores. The number of those he saved must have reached a thousand in all these years.