The Buccaneer(46)
She turned her head back, her eyes narrowing as her scrabbling thoughts provided her with a fitting response. “I hoped for an hour of exotic lovemaking.”
Lucian grabbed her in a flash, flattening her up against him. She bent her head back to look in his face and guarded her gaze and tongue well against the angry blackness she saw boiling in the depths of his blue eyes.
His every word was punctuated with contained fury. “You, madam, will keep your skirt down and your legs closed. I’ll not have you bringing back a disease from a flea-ridden, stinking pirate.”
His hands squeezed urgently at her arms, hurting her delicate skin. His expression glowered with repressed rage, highlighting every handsome feature. In an instant she understood why he had been given the name of Lucifer, the handsomest of angels and the most sinful. Wisdom born of instinct warned her to tread lightly. “As you wish.”
His hand squeezed her arms harder. “This is no jest Catherine. I mean every word.”
Her breath caught for a moment in her throat and she cleared it quickly not wanting him to see her fear. “I understand. I will obey you.”
He shoved her away from him. “See that you do.”
He strode away, the sheer size and strength of him sending the shivers through her. Catherine shook her head and rubbed her arms. She watched him give orders to the crew and saw the men scurry to obey.
A fleeting thought flashed through her mind. How would he treat a wife? Would he order her about? Would he expect obedience of his every command? Would his powerful hands bring pleasure or pain?
She blushed and turned away embarrassed by her own wonderings. She had on one or two occasions glimpsed a thoughtful side of him, though he hid it well. Was the title Captain Lucifer a protective mask for Lucian Darcmoor? Perhaps he wasn’t what he appeared to be at all.
“Catherine!”
His shout startled her and she swerved around. He stood steady on the deck, the ship rocking beneath him, his hand thrust out to her. He spoke not a word, but commanded her with a fierce look.
She went to him without hesitation. Why shouldn’t she? She thought, rushing up to take his outstretched hand. If she didn’t, he would just come after her, swing her over his shoulder, and cart her off.
“Remember my warning, madam,” he said curtly, and took her hand in his.
She nodded with a smile.
He walked to the ship’s railing with her in tow and tossed one leg over to straddle it. “You will follow me over the side. I will stay beneath you guiding your step. The rope ladder can be tricky, be careful.”
“I’ll manage,” she assured him.
He released her hand and went over the side with ease. He waited a few rungs down, his one hand hooked to the ladder, the other outstretched to assist her.
“I can manage,” she insisted, casting a glance over the side past Lucian to the waiting longboat below. Santos stood in the middle looking up at her with a smile while Bones and Jolly occupied opposite ends of the boat and were busy keeping the slim vessel steady.
Catherine with only a modicum of difficulty and no assistance from Lucian made it over the railing and onto the rope ladder.
“Take easy steps,” Lucian warned her, and descended down the ladder to give her room.
A sense of exhilaration filled Catherine and she took each rung with renewed confidence. She had learned much and conquered many fears in the last several weeks. She had survived this hardship and she would succeed in her mission of proving her father’s innocence.
With a broad smile she cast her foot to the next rung just as the rope steadying the ladder to the longboat snapped from Bones’s hand. The ladder broke free and smacked the side of the ship, causing Catherine to lose her balance.
Lucian had only set foot in the longboat when he felt the jerk beneath his feet. Years of sailing temperamental vessels and coping with unexpected storms allowed him to keep his footing steady. He looked up at Catherine and his stomach knotted as her small hands grasped tightly to the ladder and her dangling feet frantically searched for a rung. One slip of her hands and she would come crashing down.
“Secure that blasted rope, Bones, or I’ll have your miserable hide,” he shouted, reaching for the swaying rope ladder.
Santos aided him, holding it steady as Lucian easily raced up the ladder to Catherine.
His body braced hers from behind in an instant. His one arm circled her waist, his other hand slipped over hers. “Steady, angel, you’re all right.”
She sagged against him, though she retained her grip on the rung. His large body offered safety, his formidable strength security from harm. He wouldn’t let any harm befall her. She knew it as certainly as she knew she would breathe her next breath.