It took Romy less than a minute to open the door to Jaxon’s cabin. Jaxon began to wonder if he was going to find a drunken tar sleeping off his cups in his bunk. Heaven help the man if he had a wench in his bunk with him. He almost hoped that was what he would find because Jaxon was in the mood to jump down someone’s throat.
“Romy, ask Vinnie to bring me breakfast in my quarters when it’s ready.”
“Aye-aye, sir.”
Jaxon entered the room, and as suspected, there was someone sleeping in his bunk, but it was who that surprised him.
Charlie.
Jaxon took a gulp of his coffee before setting it down. Had things been different, he would have watched her sleep until she woke up on her own, but he couldn’t bear the sight of her.
“Charlie!” Jaxon said loudly, not trusting himself to touch her to wake her up. “What the devil are you doing here?”
Charlie’s eyes opened immediately as she shot up to a seated position. “Jaxon, I meant to be gone before the sun came up. I guess the brandy…” She didn’t finish her thought as she threw her feet out of the bed and began pulling on the too small boots.
“Why are you here? Your ship is three berths down.”
“I-I didn’t have any way to lock my cabin door. If they still didn’t know I was female, I would’ve taken my chances.”
Charlie stood up and turned around to put the bed covers back in place.
“Leave it.”
“I’m sorry. I’ll get a locksmith out today so it won’t happen again. I didn’t have anywhere else to go.”
“There is a hotel and several inns in town.”
Charlie met his eyes for the first time. There, she saw the anguish and hurt she caused him. She couldn’t hold his gaze.
“I wasn’t thinking,” she answered honestly. “I hoped you wouldn’t mind.”
In truth, he preferred she be safe and if that meant letting her use his cabin, he didn’t really mind. He just hadn’t expected to find her there. It added a bit of insult to injury. At least Morty wasn’t with her in his bed.
Charlie moved around him to the door. She had it halfway open when he reached around her, slamming it shut. She reeled around to face him. He loomed over her leaving his arm against the door.
“What’s wrong with your lock?”
As she explained what happened to the keys, all she could think about was how close he was standing to her and how much she wanted to stretch towards him and kiss him. How was it possible someone she’d only met a month earlier had become her whole life? How could the sight of him, elicit such longing?
“They killed the mate?”
“I would have preferred they throw him in the brig, but what’s done is done. It was clearly piracy to steal the ship and he would have swung after a trial.”
“I have a man who can get you into your father’s quarters without breaking the lock.”
“Thank you, Jaxon.”
Pushing away from the door, he righted himself. “I’ll send my man over in a few minutes.”
“Thank you,” Charlie said, but made no effort to leave his company. “Jaxon, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to hurt you.”
“My brothers warned me, but I was too stubborn to listen. I have a history of jumping in with both feet—thinking my infatuation is love. Criminy, you’d think I’d learn.”
“You don’t l-love me?” Charlie looked at him wide-eyed, feeling suddenly sick to her stomach. She schooled her expression instinctively, her brain silently chanting, Don’t cry. Don’t cry.
“Apparently, I wouldn’t know real love if it bit me.”
“Oh.”
“It’s not your fault. It’s so rare that a woman looks at me—you know what I mean—looks past the scars, that I guess I got carried away.”
“Jaxon—” Charlie’s eyes filled with tears. He didn’t love her. She always knew she loved him more than he loved—no, not loved—her.
“I put you in an unfair position. You had no options, really. You had no money, no family, and no home except what I gave you.”
“I had options,” Charlie said, her voice just above a whisper. “I could have said no. If I had asked, wouldn’t you have helped me get to Charleston?”
Jaxon turned his back on her and moved across the room. Would he have taken her to Charleston if she’d asked? Maybe after they were married or if she rejected him outright.
“When are you leaving?”
Charlie felt the breath leave her body. He couldn’t wait for her to go.
“I have to hire a new captain.”
“You’re not going to assume the captaincy?”