Captive to a Pirate Page 5

  She looked as though she might protest, so he kissed her to silence the words. Her arms slid around him once more, hugging him tightly to her body, and he sighed at the feel of her soft curves crushed to him. His hands stroked over her skin to explore and trace every sweet bit of roundness as he slid fully on top of her. One knee pressed itself between her thighs to nudge them apart, before he shifted to kneel between them.

  The kiss ended as he moved down her throat, lightly nibbling and teasing her skin with his tongue. His mouth moved lower and his hands slid up her body to cradle her breasts, holding them like a sacred offering for his lips to worship them with gentle kisses. He moved up to one peak to wrap his lips around the pale pink pebble there, then suckled, stroking it with his tongue. The cry from her and the way her body jerked up off the bed in an ecstatic arch urged him on. He kept sucking, grasping with his lips to pull gently and tantalize the sensitive skin with his teeth. After a moment, he moved to repeat the torment on her other breast.

  One of her legs slid around his waist to pull him closer, her hips rolling up against him, rocking against his body in silent begging for more. Again, the temptation she offered was nearly enough to make him forget and take her, but he fought it back.

  His lips left her breasts, making her mewl in protest. Kisses moved down over her gently curved stomach, nuzzling into the soft flesh there before he moved yet lower. His cheek brushed against the red curls at the juncture her thighs and his hands slid between her legs, pushing them further apart to give him a clear view of her glory.

  Rough fingers traced against the velvet of her lips before he parted her outer petals, then leaned in to draw his tongue between them. He slipped the tip of his tongue inside her tight entrance, then dragged it upward lightly between her inner lips and over the small bump of her desire.

  He could hear her gasping and whimpering. “Oh God, Liam.”

  Hearing his name that way made him grin and he drew his tongue through her delicate folds again. Every moan and little roll of her hips encouraged him, as did the salty taste of her arousal. He continued licking and teasing her a moment longer, then focused his attentions on her clit. His tongue circled around the small nub and flicked against it, making her jerk slightly in shock. He groaned at her response and wrapped one arm around one of her thighs to hug her closer. The fingers of his free hand slid against her slick petals for a moment, before two of them pressed into her. He was slow and gentle, ready to stop if she tensed or acted as though she was still sore from the first time he’d taken her.

  Once his fingers had worked their way fully into her, he curled them slightly to rub against the inner walls of her passage as he thrust his fingers in and out of her tight body. He felt one of her hands grip his hair at that and she cried out, her body now rocking with the rhythm of the thrusts.

  Had he ever been with a woman who enjoyed herself with such abandon? A woman who made it such a joy to pleasure her? He couldn’t think of any. None had ever haunted his thoughts like Brigid did.

  Liam pressed his lips to her, wrapping them around the sensitive nub hidden within her folds to suckle at it just as he’d done to her nipples. The startled yelp from her made him stop and look up toward her face, unsure of whether or not it had been too much for her.

  “No, no, please don’t stop,” she begged breathlessly.

  That was answer enough. He buried his face against her again, moaning as he sucked at her clit, flicking against it with his tongue and teasing the small nub. His fingers worked against her inner walls more quickly, pressing inward and upward as she kept rocking to him, crying out and gasping. Her grip on his hair pulled a bit, holding him close to her, letting him know without question exactly how much she wanted him to keep going.

  He could feel her body growing tighter around his fingers and the tiny tremors as she came closer and closer to release. The desperate movements of her hips became more erratic and he tightened his arm around her thigh to hold her to him. Her cries were rising to a crescendo until they reached a fever pitch. He felt the tension snap in her body, her passage clenching and undulating around his fingers and the muscles in her thighs fluttering like butterflies. He slowed his fingers slightly, focusing more on massaging her inner walls through her climax. When the tension began to ease, he slid his hand free from her and kissed against her hidden lips one last time.

  “Cor, I’ve never been with a woman like you,” he said as he kissed his way back up her body.

  “It’s not always like that?” she asked, trailing off into a quiet moan when his lips found hers. He let the kiss linger a moment, his hands sliding back up her body to touch every inch he could again, trying to memorize just how perfect she felt.

  “No,” he finally murmured against her lips.

  One of her legs slid around his hips again to pull him closer and he grinned, understanding that she wanted just what he did. He guided his shaft to her tight entrance, hissing quietly at the hot feel of her against his head, then pressed forward slightly. She made a quiet sound that he wasn’t sure if it was pain or pleasure, so he stilled himself, waiting. When she rocked up to him again he continued to press forward. He kept working into her bit by bit, drawing back after every new inch of progress he’d made. Finally, his hips met hers and he rolled them there to savor the tight feel of their bodies fully joined.

  “Does that feel all right, luv?” he asked.

  “Yes,” she said. Her arms tightened around him to hug him closer, her face turning to kiss at the side of his neck. “Please keep going.”

  He pulled back slowly, then thrust into her with a groan. He could feel her rising up off the bed to press to him, her moans muffled against the side of his neck. They found a steady rhythm together as they came together again and again. One of his hands moved under her ass to hold her up to him, squeezing the muscle under his fingers. He felt an answering squeeze of her arms and leg around him.

  Soon his control began to slip and each thrust was faster than the one before it. Even then, she kept apace with him, rolling her body up to meet him, offering herself and accepting him at the same time. He clutched her tighter to him, his breath a bit unsteady, and kissed at the side of her head. He buried his face in those soft red curls, groaning her name.

  The first time they had been together, she hadn’t told him to pull out and spill his seed elsewhere. He knew that it might have simply been because of her inexperience rather than a lack of concern on her part, but that wasn’t the thought he preferred. He simply wanted to lose himself inside of her and if she didn’t tell him differently, the risk was easy to ignore.

  The sharp prick of her nails digging into his back spurred him on faster, until the bed creaked with their movements and the quiet sound of flesh striking flesh filled the cabin. He felt the tightening in her body as that earlier tension returned and her cries were only silenced when she bit down on the side of his neck. His hand slid down to where their bodies were joined to work fingers on either side of her clit, urging her closer to her release. When she cried out and her body arched up off the bed again, he was there with her instantly. His lips found hers again to catch her in a fiery kiss, their moans mingling as they both lost themselves to ecstasy.

  Though he was far from chaste, no other experience had felt so complete or right as flooding her tight body and feeling her cling to him. He kept rocking into her even after the moment had passed, before finally collapsing against her, panting at her ear. She squeezed him close again, then let her arms relax around him.

  “That was amazing, Liam,” she said softly as she nuzzled him.

  He made a quiet sound of agreement, then moved so his weight wasn’t crushing her and hugged her close to his body. The tight quarters of their shared cabin wouldn’t be such a concern if they had this throughout their journey, he thought.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  EL GATO DEL DIABLO

  BRIGID stretched luxuriously in the bed, wincing at all of the little aches she felt in unfamiliar places
. She had no complaints about any of them, though, and could only smile at how she had gained them. She and Liam had spent most of the night making love and then most of the following day as well, only leaving a few times for food or to get a touch of fresh air. Even the stares from the seamen hadn’t bothered her as much, in part because most of them were focused in envy on Liam now.

  “Mm, don’t move. You’re keeping my side warm,” Liam admonished sleepily before he pulled her closer to him.

  “It’s warm enough.” She gave him a teasing look, then leaned in to brush a kiss against his lips before settling down beside him once again.

  “No, gets cold right away the second you move.”

  She laughed at that and moved to press herself tightly to him, wrapping her arms around his waist. “Better?”

  “Much.” Liam nuzzled at her, then opened his eyes to meet hers. “So are things right with us now?”

  Her brow furrowed at that question. “What do you mean?”

  “You seemed hurt before and distrustful. I wanted to make things right between us.”

  His reasoning made her scoff and give him a light shove against the chest. “So you thought taking me to your bed would fix everything?”

  He caught one of her wrists in a grip like steel and cocked his head slightly. “Did it?”

  She was silent for a moment, just staring at him and trying to fathom how his mind worked. “You threatened to beat me and throw me in the brig. It would have been the death of me, or worse. You never took that back. You…you ravished me against the wall and never said, no, you weren’t going to throw me in the brig. I’ve had no reason to trust you.”

  The pain that flooded his eyes at hearing that shocked her, as she wouldn’t have guessed that anything she could say could actually hurt him. Particularly not when she was simply pointing out what he’d done.

  “I wouldn’t do that to a woman, Brigid,” he said quietly. “Nor to any kin of Donny’s. That crew didn’t know your father. Had anyone else but me found you, a beating would have been a mercy compared to what they would have done.”

  She was silent for a moment, then swallowed past the lump in her throat. “I know.”

  His hand released her wrist and moved up, using the back of it to stroke against her cheek. “As the quartermaster, it was my responsibility to see to it that men breaking the articles of the ship were punished. I don’t like that duty, but it’s necessary. A lad lying and thieving would need discipline. I didn’t believe you were Donny’s at first and I sure as hell didn’t know you were a woman.”

  She nodded, unsure of what to say in response.

  “Are you afraid of me?” he asked. “Did you say you wanted me out of fear?”

  “No!” she said quickly. “No, not at all. I’ve just been…unsure of if I could trust you.”

  He leaned in to kiss her gently, then pulled her close against his chest once more. “I’ll prove myself to you if I have to, then.”

  She relaxed against him and closed her eyes. One of her hands slid along his back, tracing the bones of his spine and brushing against the scratches she’d left during their lovemaking. The look on his face had been proof enough that he wouldn’t have brought harm to her once he knew the truth. She could trust him as far as that went. Maybe she could even trust him to keep the deal regarding her father’s treasure.

  Other things frightened her, though. The way that she was beginning to feel for him could be disastrous, particularly since they were only working together to find the island and what her father hid there. The way he spoke of women made it clear that he wasn’t a loyal man when it came to lovers. Once their business was done together they’d part ways and that would be that. She’d simply have to steel herself against it and ignore the stupid infatuation that had taken hold of her.

  “There’s nothing you have to prove, Liam,” she said.

  ***

  IT was late afternoon when Brigid finally dragged herself out of bed again to get dressed. They had left once to have the large midday meal in the galley, but some fresh air appealed. As she fixed her hair, she kept glancing over her shoulder in mild amusement at the way Liam was watching her from the bed. His own clothing was far less complicated than hers, so he was already dressed and waiting for her.

  “I brought a deck of cards if you get tired of me,” he said.

  She laughed at that, then set her brush down and stood up from the table. “Playing cards might be nice. It’ll take a while to get to New Providence.”

  The conversation was cut short by the sound of a cannon firing. Brigid exchanged an alarmed look with Liam, then moved to the door. Several crewmen were rushing up onto deck ahead of her and she followed them.

  “What’s going on?” she asked.

  One of the men glanced at her, then turned to jerk his chin toward a ship moving into firing range. She looked to it and instantly saw the black flag it had raised. Pirates. The black flag was used to announce that they wouldn’t kill anyone if the ship surrendered. The flags were changed frequently for communication between ships and most pirates would carry false colors until they were ready to fire their warning shots. Black offered mercy, assuming there was no resistance. It could quickly be switched to a red flag if they fought back, however.

  Red meant that even if they surrendered after the struggle began, they would be killed.

  “You can’t surrender,” Liam was saying behind her. She turned to see him arguing with the captain.

  “We haven’t a choice! Do you recognize that ship?”

  “Oh, aye, I do.” There was something dark in Liam’s voice that made Brigid look more closely at him. He rubbed his thumb against the thin scars on his left cheek. “It’s the Gato del Diablo. They might give quarter to you and your crew, but not to the two of us. Especially not her,” he added, gesturing sharply to Brigid herself.

  The captain faltered for a moment, then waved that off. “It’s the danger of traveling with a woman.”

  “You fucking coward.” Liam spat in the captain’s face, then spun on his heel to charge back below deck. Brigid spared a look toward the white flag the merchant ship had raised, then followed after him.

  “Liam, should I hide? Dress in your clothes and pretend I’m a lad again?” she asked as she came to their cabin.

  Liam was throwing as much of their belongings as he could fit into his own bag. He paused in what he was doing to look over at her, then unhooked the chain around his neck and tucked it and the ring it held into his bag.

  “Wouldn’t help. They’d sniff us out no matter what we did. If we go overboard we might have a chance, though. Shift and I’ll carry you while I swim a while and then we can switch off so neither of us gets too tired.”

  “Shift?” she repeated, confused. “I don’t know what—”

  “Oh, this is much better than rum and silk.”

  Brigid and Liam turned to face the doorway where a tall, slender man with long black hair streaked with gray stood. A scar crossed through one eyebrow and the cheek below. That eye was white, blinded. He had a flintlock pistol pointed at Brigid. His accent was Spanish, as if there had been any doubt about what ship he’d come from.

  “Come along peacefully and I don’t have to hurt your whore,” the pirate said.

  Brigid’s spine stiffened and one of her hands moved automatically to her hip, but she was dressed as a woman now. Her own pistol and all of her knives were in her bag. The man stepped into the room to take hold of her arm and jerk her toward him.

  “Don’t touch her,” Liam growled.

  “You want her to live?” the pirate asked, pressing the barrel of his pistol to the side of Brigid’s head. She stayed still, trying to think of some way to escape. If this one had already made it to their cabin, that meant the deck would be swarming with the pirate crew. She’d always fancied herself as good at thinking on her feet, but their options looked nonexistent.

  “Get in front of us,” the pirate ordered, backing out of the doorway and drag
ging Brigid along with him. His eyes fell on the bag that Liam had been packing. “Are those your things, puta?” he asked, looking down at Brigid.

  “It’s just my wardrobe. It’s nothing important,” she said, trying to keep her voice casual.

  The pirate considered that, then made a small gesture toward Liam. “Take it. Less trouble for us then.”

  Liam picked up the bag, then continued ahead of her and her captor. On deck, the ship’s crew had been lined up and were being tied together with rope. Brigid noted that she couldn’t see the cook anywhere and wondered where he had hidden himself.

  The pirate that had grabbed Brigid shoved her roughly toward an older man. All of the pirates looked to be aging, she noted. Grizzled faces full of scars, bald scalps and gray hair were common among them. The two men had a brief exchange in Spanish and then the older man laughed. He took hold of Brigid by both arms and pulled her roughly against his chest. She squirmed, trying to avoid touching him. She assumed it had to be the captain of the pirate ship. Her skin crawled as he buried his face in the side of her neck and inhaled deeply.

  “Interesting. I didn’t expect to find any vermin here,” the pirate captain said, before he pushed her toward several other men. The pirates instantly began pawing at her, laughing as they tore at the fabric of her dress. She screamed in rage and started beating at them with her fists and feet.

  A shot rang out and blood splattered across her face as one of the men dropped to the deck of the ship. The men holding her released her immediately and drew their swords. She looked up to see Liam had pulled his own pistol from the bag and held it in his hand. Unlike hers, his had three barrels that could be fired separately, to make up for the time it took to reload. She prayed he had the other two barrels loaded.

  “Let her go,” Liam ordered.

  She felt the captain grip her arm before he pulled her in front of him. She held herself stiffly, sliding her arms behind her back. If Liam could keep him distracted, she hoped she might be able to take one of the pirate captain’s weapons.