The Buccaneer(12)
“All ready,” she announced to herself, and walked to the bed.
She stopped near the side a bit dubious of the prospect of climbing in it. This was it, her one and only chance. She had to convince him. She had to make him think she looked forward to his lips upon hers, his hands intimately touching her, their bodies uniting. She shivered at the thought of his large body smothering hers.
“Stop, Catherine,” she warned in a soft whisper.
She climbed into the bed. The blankets were toasty warm and welcoming. She snuggled her backside into them and braced her back against the pillow. But she didn’t feel comfortable.
She felt stiff and unnatural. A woman waiting for her lover wouldn’t lie so. She would strive for a seductive pose.
But what was seductive?
Perhaps not showing too much, lying to the side, one leg up and across the other, only allowing a small amount of the blond hair to peek from between her legs in temptation.
Catherine blushed terribly. Dear God, what was she thinking? Temptation? She didn’t want to tempt him. But she did. She must. She must make him believe her capable of tempting him, wanting him.
She tried again, positioning herself just so, to the side, her leg up slightly and lying across the other one. Her hand was splayed on her hip, her full breasts peeked through the strands of her silver hair, and the pearls were draped over the side of her waist, brushing across her firm backside like a gentle kiss.
She was ready, or at least she hoped she was.
Chapter Three
“Move your useless asses!” Captain Lucifer bellowed, stomping across the deck.
The men scurried like frightened rats to get out of his way. Having sampled his wrath on more than one occasion, they wanted no part of it.
“Bones!’
A skinny man long in limbs and short on teeth, tripped over his own feet rushing to the captain’s side. “Aye, Captain, what is it you be wanting?”
“Your hide!” he yelled, the strength of his voice sending the fellow stumbling backward, “if those men aren’t off that ship in five minutes.”
“Aye, captain, aye,” Bones said.
“And this vessel better be underway as soon as the last man’s foot touches the deck.”
“Last foot, under way,” Bones repeated. “Aye, aye, sir.”
“Don’t ‘aye, sir’ me, get it done, now!”
Bones turned and collided with a fellow pirate. “Move, you brainless bastard. There’s work to be done.”
The captain left Bones screaming at the top of his lungs and men scurrying about, preparing the ship to cast off. He secured the fastenings on his breeches, fitting the material snugly to his hips as he walked toward Santos.
“Don’t say a word,” the captain warned, then turned to the barrel filled with rainwater next to the main mast and dunked his head in it down to his shoulders.
Santos smiled.
The captain lifted his head, snapping it back and shaking the water off. He ran his large hands through his wet hair and over his face ridding himself of the stench of battle as best he could.
“She’s beautiful,” Santos said.
“She’s his.”
“But beautiful.”
“She’s here for a purpose and shall serve that purpose well.”
“At least the task won’t prove difficult. Young, beautiful, untouched. You should enjoy bedding her over and over. Of course it would be wise to go slow at first. It will take her time to grow accustomed to your size and – “
“Enough!” the captain bellowed. “You think because she is young and innocent that I should spare her?”
“Lucian,” Santos said.
The captain turned angry eyes on him. Santos never referred to him by his given name except in private. “I was young and innocent once—before her father so carelessly took it from me.”
“So robbing her of what he robbed you of will right the situation?”
“We’ve been through this before, Santos. You are opposed to my decision, but nonetheless, it will stand. I will have my revenge.”
“At what cost?”
Lucian glared at the short, stout man who had been his friend for the last eight years. “You forget what we have been through together?”
Santos shook his head. “Never, my friend, never do I forget that. We both have the scars to remind us. But I need no reminder.”
“And revenge? Do you still wish this?”
“Yes, Lucian, I will want revenge against the man who made us suffer far more than the torments of hell.”
“But?” Lucian asked, knowing all too well something disturbed him. His dark eyes and thick bushy brows always narrowed when troubled.
“But dishonoring the young lady is no way to settle this matter.”