Tempest(63)

“Your ancestor was a criminal,” Raveneau said coolly. “He stole that map; neither of you had any right to Bonnet’s treasure. May I remind you again that this is Raveneau land?”

“It was my only chance to have the funds to regain Crowe’s Nest, to restore my good name on the island—”

“Mr. Lightfoot, did you have any help with this scheme?” Cathy asked suddenly.

His eyes narrowed in her direction. “How perceptive of you, my dear. Have you guessed that your cousin August joined forces with me when he was on the island and has continued to consult with me since his departure? We shared a common interest in crushing Lord Raveneau.”

“And, more to the point, a common interest in the treasure?” She shook her head in disgust. “Auggie has spent his whole life searching for an easy route to lasting wealth.”

Byron had landed on the beach in the other longboat and was approaching the trio. “I see you’ve had a visitor!” he shouted to Adam. “Who knew your little treasure hunt would become so fraught with peril?”

“This pirate business is exhausting. No wonder they all died young! Do you think you can take him to the ship and put him in the hold? But have someone clean and bandage his arm first. It seems that my rapier drew blood.”

“Aye, aye, Captain!” came his cheerful reply.

“Byron, look at you!” Cathy exclaimed. “How dashing you are in your buccaneer costume. I didn’t know you were on the ship tonight.”

“What would become of Lord Raveneau without me? I would dare to suggest that he wouldn’t even have you if I had not intervened in Newport.”

“No one has me,” she protested.

“Not yet,” Raveneau murmured under his breath, then pricked Basil’s chest with his sword point. “Go along with Byron, old fellow, and be grateful you’re alive.”

He followed them to the longboat and pushed it off into the surf, watching as his old friend negotiated the current with his oars. A bit of light was beginning to show behind the eastern sky’s cloak of night, a sign that the sun was preparing to creep up over the horizon.

“Are we going to have to load that chest into our longboat?” Cathy asked when Adam returned to her side.

“I think I will put it back and return later today with a carriage. Aside from the unwieldy weight of that box, I’d rather not have the entire crew of the Golden Eagle see it.”

“Oh, that’s a good idea.” She made a little sound of relief. “I confess I’m feeling a little tired now that all the excitement is over...”

Adam put his arm around her, and together they went back into the cave. Retrieving the key, he opened the box once again. “Choose something that you like as a keepsake of this night.”

Cathy’s eyes roamed over the assortment of magnificent gems. “It’s a bit overwhelming, I think.” At last she reached in and plucked out a relatively simple ring featuring a rich, round cabochon ruby set in a flat band of yellow gold. It looked very old. “May I wear it?”

“I hope that you will, my love.”

As he slid it onto the ring finger of her right hand, she ventured, “You must realize that you are very wealthy in your own right now. You needn’t think about my dowry any longer.”

“Why do you think I have been so driven to find the treasure? I needed to find it to build a new foundation for our marriage... that is, if you decide to give it another chance. I’ve been doing quite well as a lawyer, but I don’t want to keep those long hours in the future. I would rather be present with my family and focus on transforming Tempest Hall into a profitable plantation again.” Drawing a deep breath, he reached for her hand and gazed into her eyes. “I once had wealth, but I was careless with it. I didn’t realize that money meant freedom until it was gone. And I was also careless with love, but I am now committed to a different path .”

Tears welled in her eyes as emotions rolled through her like the waves on the nearby beach. “Adam...”

“No, don’t say anything now.” Rising, he set about returning the chest to the bottom

of the pit. When the hole was filled and the cave bore no signs of their discovery, Raveneau replaced the contents of the leather pouch, gathered up the shovel, and put an arm around Cathy’s slim shoulders. “Let’s go. I have other adventures in mind, but first I think we both need a bath and a nap.”

Standing on tip-toe, she whispered into his ear, “Other adventures?”

“Indeed.” His smile was at once wicked and loving. “Will you come with me willingly, my beauty, or must I toss you over my shoulder?”



Soft raindrops danced against the transom window above Raveneau’s cabin as he lay in the bunk next to Cathy and gazed at her sleeping face. Although the morning was advancing, the light outside was dim.

He told himself that he should sleep, but it was impossible. All his senses were attuned to Cathy, to her breathing, the gleam of her tumbled curls, the way her lashes made tiny shadows on her soft cheeks, and the faintest glimpse of her breast that peeked above her partially unbuttoned shirt. Under the blankets, her legs were bare. Just the thought of them made him hard. How he ached for her...

“Mmm.” She licked her lips in her sleep, smiling slightly. Raveneau clenched his teeth. Bloody hell, hadn’t she slept long enough?

Reaching out, he tentatively let the pad of his thumb graze the place where her shirt covered her right nipple. Instantly, he could feel it behind the fine fabric, puckering in response to his touch. His own arousal was almost more than he could bear. Just when he thought he might have to go out to the gangway and pace, Cathy’s eyes fluttered open.

For a moment, she thought she must be dreaming. Lying next to her was Adam, the impossibly splendid pirate, his black hair tousled, his skin brown against the white sheets, and his blue-gray eyes gazing at her with heart-melting longing.

Slowly, her bearings returned. In the dim light, she saw the warm, paneled outlines of the captain’s cabin and felt the coziness of the bunk. The hip bath, where she had washed in blessedly hot, soapy water before getting into bed, stood in one corner.

“I don’t remember...”

One side of his mouth quirked upward. “I think you were asleep the moment your head touched the pillow. You missed the spectacle of my bath.”

Blushing prettily, she confessed, “I’m sorry.”

His eyes never left hers. “Can I get you something? Are you hungry?”

“Only—” The pulse had commenced again between her legs. “Only for you.”

He reached over and took her delicate face between his two strong hands, gently kissing her brow, her eyes, her cheekbones, and finally, her parted lips. The sound of her low moan nearly put him over the edge.

“Ah, Cathy, I’m dying I want you so...”

“Please, not that,” she whispered with an impudent smile. Her hand reached up to touch his wide shoulder and caress his tapering back over the fabric of his unlaced shirt.

Adam took her in his arms and pressed her back into the pillows, kissing her with all the passion he’d suppressed for weeks. His tongue plundered the softness of her mouth and, as her arms twined around his neck, it came to him that she was kissing him back with frank sensuality. Gone was the inhibited hothouse heiress who had so often gone rigid in his arms.

Raising his head for a moment, he searched her brown eyes. “Where did you learn how to do that?”

“From you!”

“Oh, right. But you never did it before.”

She sighed. “I think I was... afraid of surrendering to you.”

For a moment, he could scarcely take it in. He buried his face in her neck, pressing burning kisses from her ear down to the top of her shoulder, all the while keenly aware of her ardent response.

“Cathy, let me love you.”

“Yes.” Her voice was choked.

Quickly, he pulled the shirt over his head to reveal the tapering, hard-muscled chest she had dreamed about at night. Then, lifting his hips, he yanked off the half-buttoned breeches and he was naked. His potent masculinity gave her a moment of anxiety, but it was swept away on a tide of desire, love, and trust.

She watched as Adam’s long fingers deftly unfastened the buttons on her shirt. When he drew the two sides apart and her breasts were revealed to his gaze, Cathy felt the hot ache building between her legs. They kissed again, ravenously, for long minutes. Her shirt came off and now they were both naked, fitting together as they embraced like two pieces of a perfect whole. His hands explored her delicate curves and she gloried in his touch; it seemed that all her nerves were on fire for him. When, at last, he held her near and kissed his way down to her breast, she thought she might faint with pleasure as his warm mouth found her nipple.

“Oh...”

As Adam suckled, his tongue working at the ruched nipple, his free hand drifted over her hipbone to the curls at the apex of her thighs. One touch and she opened to him. Ever so softly, his fingertips explored until she was writhing against them and holding his face to her breast. He, meanwhile, pushed his throbbing erection against her thigh. It took all his powers of self-control to hold himself back.

Cathy’s muffled moans encouraged him to leave her taut breasts and kiss lower, across the hollows of her belly. This was the moment when, in the past, she had gone stiff with shock and resistance. Now, however, she opened her thighs even more, arching up against him. Her fingers were tangled in his hair.