by Haley Travis
I could barely manage a squeak, but nodded.
I wondered whether he would catch up my skirts again, but this time his fingers trailed along my neck, tracing along my décolletage, then dipping into the front of my dress. The feeling of his hand caressing my breast made me almost forget how to breathe.
“Clementine was right,” he said in that dark, soft rumble, “I’ve never met a girl who was fit to come here. Who I felt right about introducing to my one family member.”
Forcing myself to breathe, I whispered, “That means a lot to me.”
His middle finger slowly traced around my nipple, making my hips shiver.
I wanted him. Needed him. A deep, sensual ache between my legs was begging for relief. I needed another one of those magical explosions, but this time, with both of us naked in his bed.
Wicked, naughty thoughts flew in circles around my mind until I was nearly breathless.
“I love you, Maggie,” Levi whispered, staring into my eyes. “I want you at my side, forever. But if there is ever danger, I will send you here to be with Clementine, then come for you as soon as I can.”
I nodded, but he continued.
“It’s the only way I can feel right about this,” he said, as his fingers slowly glided to my other breast, caressing me softly until I moaned aloud.
“It’s not proper to take such a lovely young girl and put her in harm’s way. Knowing that you understand will allow me to keep you safe. Does that make sense?”
I nodded as my hands wrapped into the back of his shaggy hair. “I love you too, Levi. I want to stay with you.”
“That’s my girl,” he smiled, before kissing me almost roughly. I could feel the hunger surging through his body as his hips pressed against mine.
His other hand dropped to my backside, pulling me close. “The things I’m going to do to you as soon as the time is right, my lovely lass,” he practically growled.
“Tonight,” I pleaded.
His chuckle rang out through the garden. “Good things are worth the wait,” he smiled. “I’m not rushing you, Maggie. We will know when the time is right.”
To my absolute shock, I gripped his shoulders, jumping up to wrap my legs around his waist.
“Hell’s teeth,” he muttered. I swear he may have nearly blushed against his tanned skin as he carried me quickly to the side of the house. Pressing my back against the wall, I could feel his thick bulge grinding straight into the gusset of my knickers.
That was exactly where I needed him. It felt as though I were starving, and the only thing that would stop this hunger was to have him take me completely.
“I want you so badly, Maggie,” he growled against my lips. “I’ll ask you again tonight, but if it’s what you truly want, I am your humble servant.”
I’m not sure why that made me laugh. His eyelids fell half closed as he ground into me again, making us both shiver with lust.
He loved me. This impossibly wonderful man loved me. And apparently I was the cause of his desperate feeling of urgency, and the low growl in his throat.
My mind was swimming with something I’d never felt before. Power. I was capable of making this incredible man feel so much.
His fingers pinched my nipple gently as I moaned against his lips.
“Your little noises drive me mad,” he murmured. “Let me hear more.”
That strong hand moved to the other side, pinching my tight peak harder until I could barely choke back my squeal.
“Yes,” I moaned. “Oh, Levi...”
Our bodies rocked together as I felt tremors between my legs. The feeling of emptiness was so strong, almost a dull ache. How could a body actually ache for another? Yet it was true. I needed so much more.
Just as I was wondering how far we could go right here in the back garden, I heard the window above us slide open.
Instantly my feet hit the ground as we both pulled my dress back into place.
“Levi?” Clementine called out.
He stepped into her view. “Yes?”
“I need some rosemary and oregano from the back garden.”
A wicker basket came flying out the window, landing neatly in Levi’s hands.
“Er, what does rosemary look like?” he asked.
Taking the basket from him, I waved up at Clementine. “I’ll get it. How much do you need of each?”
“A good handful and a half. I’m making biscuits.” It sounded like the lads were inside crowding her kitchen. She grinned widely at us before shutting the window.
“She’s a great lady to put up with us lot,” he said, wrapping an arm around my waist.
“I can fetch the herbs while you go in and settle them down,” I said. “Just point me to the back garden.”
Levi kept his arm snugly around me as we walked past the roses to a more open area.
Strolling along in the midday sun, I felt something deep inside me relax. Everything was perfect. We were a real couple. I had an incredible new home and new life, with a wonderful man. Plus, his family and crew.
I couldn’t wait to get to know Clementine better. Since the other crewmen had called her Aunt too, I couldn’t help hoping that she would be a bit of an auntie to me as well. Since I’d lost my mother, I wasn’t close with any older women.
Perhaps she could teach me how to be a good wife, someday.
In front of a split cedar fence was a huge vegetable garden with little stone pathways. The herbs were all to the side, giant clusters of fragrant greenery. On the other side of the fence was a thick forest, lush and green.
I took a moment to simply stop and take it all in.
“I forget that you’re a landlubber,” Levi said with a smile, leaning in to kiss my forehead. “Take your time to enjoy the garden, sweetheart.”
As he went inside the back door of the house, I felt my heart jumping unevenly. So much had happened in such a short time that I felt I needed to stop and simply breathe for a few moments.
Kneeling down, I slowly picked the oregano leaves and sprigs of rosemary, letting my fingertips wander along the stems of the beautiful plants.
The scent was invigorating, as was directing my attention on such a simple task for a spell. By the time I hoisted the basket and stood up, I felt full of new energy.
Turning toward the house, a shadowy figure loomed over me. I looked up, expecting to see Levi, then my mouth fell open and I nearly dropped the basket.
Staring into the bloodshot eyes of my former suitor, a terrible dark feeling came over me.
“Mr. Helsby?”
He did not respond, just shoved a strange-smelling rag into my mouth, his wild eyes glaring at me with pure venom as I clutched the basket frantically. Tying my hands behind my back with rope and slinging me over his shoulder, he rendered me utterly helpless.
I tried to scream, kick, anything to save myself.
To no avail. All I could do is listen to the boisterous laughter coming from the windows of Clementine’s house as I was carried into the forest.
~ Cha pter 22 ~ The Captain ~
* Forest Path *
Catching up with my slightly nutty aunt was always a delight. The crew was scattered throughout the kitchen and dining room, gobbling down the mountains of food she laid out for us.
Her kindness was always appreciated, which the lads always repaid with endless stories of our adventures, large and small. Sometimes the large ones were made even larger for her entertainment.
Clementine and Cookie always enjoyed chatting about the various foods and wines they had tasted recently. Willy shared stories of every port we traveled by.
Dobbs liked to describe the strangest people we had seen, and sometimes he could even do the voices. Dwyer rarely told us at the time about all of the different birds he had spotted on our travels, but was excited to tell Clementine every detail later.
A deep wave of satisfaction rolled over me as I sat back with my cup of tea. One of Clementine’s little rules was that we didn’t drink any spiri
ts before three in the afternoon. Something about drinking during the day being uncivilized, as if she didn’t know who she was dealing with.
I always loved being here at the only house that had ever truly felt like home in years, and bringing my darling Maggie along felt important to me.
My aunt clearly approved of her. The crew liked her. All I had to do was find a ring, and make sure that she was mine forever.
Forever. That feeling stretched before me like a clear blue sea. Perfect. With infinite possibility.
I realized that Maggie had been gone for a while, possibly becoming lost in the beauty of the garden.
It would be important for me to remember that my darling girl wasn’t used to life on the sea. I’d have to be sure that she had plenty of time on land to keep her bearings.
Swigging the last of my tea, I slipped out the back door to find her. There was no harm in stealing a few more kisses among the roses. Hopefully she would find that romantic.
“Maggie?” I called out, weaving my way through the cedar hedges. A person really could get lost back here.
When I reached the area that smelled distinctly of herbs, I saw the basket upturned on the ground, its contents strewn on the path.
“Maggie!” I called out, louder this time.
My shoulders became stiff as my mind began to flood with terror and rage at the same time. Something was wrong. She would never have left without telling someone.
Turning back toward the house, I bellowed, “Men, get out here now.”
In seconds I was surrounded.
“Maggie was gathering herbs for Clementine’s biscuits. Here’s the basket. She’s gone.”
“Could she have gone for a walk?” Dwyer asked.
Cookie shook his head, turning the basket upright. “She would never have wasted that much oregano. Maggie is a thrifty lass. She would never be so careless. And she knew Aunt Clementine was waiting for it.”
My hands tightened into fists. “She was taken.”
There was a spirited round of cursing, then Willy said, “I’ll check the dock and make sure the dockmaster doesn’t allow any ships to leave. Perhaps there are scoundrels about.”
He took off at a breakneck pace as the rest of us scoured the area for clues or signs. Clementine had joined us, wringing her hands against her apron.
“Spread out and look for anything,” I said before going over to Clementine. “Has there been any word of pirates around lately?” I asked her.
“No, just you.”
“Have there been any other recent disappearances?”
Clementine shook her head nervously. “No. You don’t really think she’s been kidnapped?”
“It’s possible,” I began to pace back and forth between the herbs and the hedge.
“Could she be hiding?” Clementine asked. “In the cellar perhaps?”
I stopped, releasing a huff. “No. She hates small, tight spaces. Her family used to lock her up.”
“Where is her family from?” Clementine asked.
“Claytonsfield,” I said.
She pointed toward the forest. “You know, there is a tiny inlet straight through there that goes directly to Claytonsfield. It’s far too tiny for large ships, so many don’t even know about it. But if someone was trying to bring her there without being seen, it would be fairly quick.”
“Captain, I found something,” Dobbs said, running toward me. He held up a handful of green herbs as Cookie and Dwyer rushed over.
“Aye, that’s the rosemary she was picking,” Cookie said.
“Where was this?” I demanded. I’d never heard my own voice sound so shaky.
“At the flat spot at the start of the forest path,” Dobbs said.
“Smart lass indeed,” Clementine said. “She dropped it as a marker.”
“Stay here in case she comes back,” I hollered toward Clementine, already racing to the edge of the forest with the men at my heels.
I knew that Willy would prevent anyone from leaving the main port, but nobody would be watching a tiny dock or shore on the other side of the town.
It was slow going, traipsing through the thick undergrowth. If a man were carrying a woman, he would not be getting very far very fast. If he were making Maggie walk, I knew that she wouldn’t be in a hurry.
After a while, we came to a fork in the path. Scanning the dirt and the nearby branches, there was no way to tell which way they may have gone.
“Dobbs, Dwyer, go left,” I ordered. “Cookie, with me.”
I knew that the older, slightly chubby man could not keep up, as I raced ahead, but he could relay shouts if need be.
I might have been younger than Cookie, but living on a ship, I was not accustomed to running. As my heart began to pound, it was as if my guilt and shame were thumping in my ears.
I had vowed to keep Maggie safe. Then I had left her alone. What sort of man allows his love to be kidnapped right under his own nose?
Perhaps I truly was a bad man. Undeserving of such a darling girl.
~ Cha pter 23 ~ Maggie ~
* Colors to Gray *
Although I was dizzy and helpless, I managed to spit the rag from my mouth. Mr. Helsby carried me roughly, gripping the back of my legs as my head bounced just above his backside.
As sick and brain addled as I was, I was also completely humiliated. I hated that he was touching me so inappropriately.
He was clearly not quite strong enough to be carrying me for such a distance, huffing and puffing along the way. As much as I needed to be free of his horribly close grip, I also hoped that he didn’t drop me on my head.
I stayed silent, trying to clear my lungs and my mind. Being upside down was doing strange things to my breathing. The panic was creeping in, as if a sticky cold fog was seeping through every part of me. It prickled down my neck and through my limbs.
Then I heard the faint sound of waves lapping at the shore.
Many thoughts crowded into my head at once. If he had me on a boat and I was tied up, I would be utterly helpless should I fall overboard.
If he got me onto a boat, there would also be no trail for the Captain to follow. There was no way to know whether he found a little pile of herbs I’d dropped as a trail marker.
The ropes biting into my wrists made the white hot stomach-churning panic rise up even more than being locked in the cellar. It hurt. It was a reminder that wherever he was taking me, I was going to be hurt even worse.
Mr. Helsby nearly stumbled, then straightened up, adjusting me on his shoulder as he shook me painfully.
“Only a nasty little harlot would kiss a pirate,” he muttered. “I’ll drag you home so your father can beat you properly and lock you in the cellar for a while. Then once I tell the entire town what you’ve done and you’ve been shamed, I can double the dowry required to make you appear like an honorable woman again.”
He stepped over a log, jostling me so hard I groaned in pain.
“No respectable man will ever want you, since your virtue is obviously in question. But I’ll make do if the price is adequate.”
The dark shadows began creeping around the corners of my sight, as I worried I might faint again.
“I wasn’t sure if the stories were true,” he mumbled, huffing even harder. “Taken away by dirty pirates. Perhaps you wanted to be their filthy whore. Did they take turns with you?”
Through my terrified, dizzy fog, I thought I heard something in the forest just behind us. Perhaps a thump. Perhaps steps.
“Since I know now that you’re not to be trusted, I’ll be keeping a tight leash on you, little girl,” Mr. Helsby grunted. “I’ll have to lock you in the cellar when I go out to the pub every night. I’m sure you’re accustomed to it by now.”
The sound of the waves was getting louder, but so were the boot steps. The ground beneath us changed, and was now pebbles and the sand of the tiny beach.
No matter what, I could not let him put me on any sort of boat.
“Captain!” I sc
reamed at the top of my lungs. “I’m here!”
I was dumped roughly in a heap onto the rocks as Mr. Helsby raced to pull in a small skiff that was tied to a tree.
My wrists were chafed, my limbs heavy and weak from panic. As he came toward me with a sinister sneer warping his face, I tried to kick his shins, with little effect.
It was almost impossible to concentrate, yet I began to holler and kick harder. That boat would allow this monster to take me away forever.