“It’s a shame you can’t get rid of me by sending me out on watch. I am an able seaman and you’re wasting my talents. Drink the tea.”
“I’m only going to drink it if you give me a kiss.”
“No.”
After a minute passed she interrupted his work. “It must be hard to get any work done with me interrupting you all the time.”
“I’m much more distracted by you reclining in my bunk.”
“Apologize to Daniel and maybe I’ll get up. Or maybe I’d let you join me for an afternoon nap.”
“When you say nap…?”
“I mean sleeping. You know, eyes closed, unaware of your surroundings, snoring.”
She wasn’t tired, but knew with his injury and fever a nap would be good for him and she doubted he would voluntarily lie down in the middle of the day.
“Can we close the door?”
She hid the smile threatening to emerge when she knew she was going to get her way. “Aye.”
Jaxon stared sightlessly at his ledger as he weighed his options.
“I’m not going to cave.”
“Fine,” he said. “Do you want to witness this or do you trust me?”
“You said you weren’t going to lie to me, so I’m going to trust you.”
14
Jaxon approached the quarterdeck with apprehension. He couldn’t remember apologizing for anything important in his life. All that mattered to him was making things right with Charlie and if this was what it would take, he could eat some humble pie. Jaxon found himself face to face with his brother before he formed his apology in his mind.
“Daniel, I’m here to apologize. I shouldn’t have hit you or threatened to kill you.”
Daniel eyed Jaxon speculatively. “Charlie put you up to that?”
“Aye,” he admitted, chagrined. “But I am sorry. You’re not only my brother and first mate, but you’re also my best friend. Shake my hand and forgive me.”
Daniel gripped his brother’s hand firmly. “I know it was just the heat of the moment. Aye, of course, I forgive you.”
Daniel released his hand. “I hope you understand, I only expressed my concern about you and Charlie because I’m worried about you,” Daniel continued. “And after talking to her today, I’m even more uneasy about how easily you could take advantage of her naivety. She’s not like the girls we grew up with.”
“You still wear the black eye she gave you and you worry about her safety?”
“I’m nervous about her welfare not her safety.”
“Then let me put your mind to rest. I intend to marry her when we get home—if she’ll have me.” Jaxon cast a hard look of defiance at his brother daring him to say anything.
Daniel shoved both hands into his hair and shook his head. “You haven’t heard a word I’ve said,” he shouted, but as a thought occurred to him he dropped his voice to a forced whisper. “You plan to bed her!”
“I’m not going to deny it,” Jaxon said dryly the hint of a smile playing on his lips. “There was a time when I could have had any woman I wanted. Now women avoid me. I’ve finally found one who is not repulsed by my scars –I swear she doesn’t even see them when she looks at me—and I intend to keep her.”
Daniel threw his hands in the air in a gesture of frustration. “Jaxon, listen to yourself. That is not the basis for a good relationship.”
“Butt out of it, Daniel. I came out here to apologize, not fight with you,” he said. “Oh, speaking of apologies, Charlie heard your comment about frankincense and myrrh. I think you need to make your own amends.”
“Aye-aye, Captain,” Daniel snapped, sarcastically.
“Stop being a jackass, Daniel. Unless she rejects me, the woman in question will someday be your sister-by-marriage. I thought you might not want her to think of you as a brutish lout.”
“I would think you wouldn’t want to marry a woman two of your brothers and a friend have seen nearly naked. Won’t that make for an awkward holiday gathering?”
Jaxon leapt at Daniel, knocking him to the deck and pummeling Daniel’s face with his fists. Jaxon was so blinded by rage, after the fact, he had no idea which of the men had pulled him off.
“If you ever utter those words again, you son-of-a-bitch, they will be the last words you ever speak.”
Jaxon shook off the men holding his arms and stalked angrily back to his cabin, his limp aggravated by the long strides.
It ate at him, they had seen her nearly completely nude and even more so that he had a part in her disrobing, but polite society would dictate something so distasteful would never be spoken of again.