by Marie Hall
Devin gathered Mia against him, “Naughty little pirate,” he whispered before he kissed her temple.
“Aye, Captain,” she said with a sigh.
Chapter 18
Mia curled her toes back from the waves. She’d never be used to the icy cold of these waters. Winter or not these waters were dark and cold. And while she knew for sure she had a good crew of friends here on land, the majority of the people were also dark and cold.
The clouds moved off the moon, and the light cast down giving the wave caps a soft pale glow. Pulling the brooch from the pocket of her dressing gown she stepped forward into the beam of light. Her thumb brushed over the cold jewel and Mia smiled with sadness at how cold every connection to this island for her was.
Looking out towards the horizon she wondered if her mother ever really cared about this last item reminding her of the man that not only brought on her disgrace, but also coldly tossed her to the side with hurtful and bitter words. Molly Cadley had given the brooch to Captain Gregor Dekker as a way to ensure she was able to stay on the ship. But had the surrender been difficult for her? Mia always assumed it was, but then Mia hadn’t known it was something belonging to that man rather than Molly’s own family.
His letters—Mia shook her head, still hurt by how they started so hopeful then quickly turned hateful. James Briskbee happened upon Molly Cadley in church no less. And while Molly’s family saw him acting as a man might towards a woman he was courting, in between the distance from Falmouth to Bodmia he became a different person. It was Molly showing up at his family estate and announcing she was with child that exposed his deception and started him writing vile things to her mother. Demanding she leave he and his family alone. Telling her she was welcome to the brooch. Payment for the multiple beddings had. At some point Molly must have warned if he didn’t wed her, her own father was going to send her away, or kill her.
Again the sadness, as Mia realized she’d always hoped the brooch belonged to her grandmother. The irony of the fact it did stripped a little more of her childhood from her. How many nights had she dreamed of a kind old woman stepping up to her and proclaiming that she’d spent her life seeking Molly and Mia? But that was nothing but a dream Mia couldn’t hold on to any longer.
Her past was her past and these reminders that kept her holding on to false hopes and wishes would do as they did to her mother, they would spill the wind from her sails that she could never sail towards happiness, or worse like her mother allowed, be the anchor that sank her to the bottom of the sea.
The waves rolled up again, reaching her toes. She wouldn’t be held down anymore. Her past wasn’t going to be an anchor around her neck. She’d kept something of herself away from at least one man who’d given her all of him and if she didn’t resolve this within her now she’d miss the chance to have everything offered by the man in her life now.
The clouds moved back across the moon and the waves gained in the strength of their roll and crest. Clutching the brooch, she brought it to her heart, held it, then drew back her arm.
The hand came out of nowhere and clamped down before she could release the jewel into the sea. His other hand then folded around hers completely. “No, Mia. I won’t let you do it.”
“Devin,” Mia tried to pull her hand loose, but Devin held on and stepped around in front of her. “I don’t want this, it’s a meaningless trinket, it’s a reminder those hateful people are my…”
“They’re your nothing, Mia.” Devin told her and forced her fingers open so he could take the brooch. “And this isn’t a meaningless trinket.” He held it in his open palm, but in the darkness only the smallest glimmer from the gems winked at her. “If it was meaningless, the commodore wouldn’t have held it for you. He’d not have given it to you as a wedding gift.”
“Because he didn’t know what it was,” Mia cried.
“Didn’t he? I think he did. What was it he said in his letter? If you ever need help, send this to him and he’ll bring everyone to your aid.” Devin rolled the brooch so he could hold it up to her. “To your papa, Mia, this is the symbol of a rescue. The moment he became a hero. Found a purpose in life.” He held it out to her and Mia took it. “He wants you to have it so he might know if he can be a hero again someday. Are you going to deny him that?” Mia could only shake her head. “This might have started out as some object bartered to buy a young woman’s heart and then her body, but it has become a token of devotion and love between two people who went on to share their lives. If it meant anything less, don’t you think your papa would have sold it? No one but a man in love would agree to keep a woman on his ship for an undesignated amount of time, with no named destination on the horizon. He did this knowing doing so might hamper his efforts to make a true fortune. This jewel might be worth a good sum of money, but it’ll never be worth enough to justify doing what your papa did for your mama without the fact he loved her.”
“I don’t want to be reminded every time I look at this of how it was obtained,” Mia said though now she knew she couldn’t give it to the sea. “To know that the man who fathered me—”
“Mia,” Devin said stepping close and pulling her against him so her head rested on his chest and she could hear his heart beating. “That man spilled his seed, but it means nothing. Any base animal can do what he did. That you hold him as a father… truly I don’t understand that, nor do I understand how the commodore isn’t hurt every time he’s reminded by you that he isn’t your father. That you separate the two.”
“Mama wanted… do you think it hurts him?” Mia hadn’t ever considered such a thing. Mama had been adamant that Mia make the distinction. Fathers were terrible people, but Papa… Papa was a great man.
“I’d be hurt, Mia. If I couldn’t claim fully my child, whom I loved so much. I’d be hurt knowing she refused to let someone who did nothing at all for her continue to hold on to part of her. Hold on to her so she was constantly hurting. No father wants his child to hurt, Mia.”
“I’m not Briskbee’s child, am I?” Now what Smithe said to her made more sense. Her blood wasn’t that man’s blood and he’d never have anything of her heart. So why did she let the man hold on to her soul and cause her such grief?
“You’re what you told him you are. The product of the love that Molly and Gregor had for each other. And when you keep your word and you pass this down to our child, you’ll tell them that very thing. That this is how we know who to rescue.”
“Aye, Captain,” Mia agreed rather glad at the moment she did have Devin to navigate through this.
“Come on, it’s late and I’m sure there are better things we could be doing then standing here in the moonlight.” He took her hand and led her inside and up to the bedroom. He teased her about getting sand in the bed before helping her with her robe and finally with her night rail.
“Captain,” Mia said as she put her arms around his neck and reached to kiss him. But when she tried to turn the kiss into something more, he stopped her.
“Steady forward, Mia, it’s not hurricane strength winds for us tonight,” he said sweeping her up then laying her softly on the bed.
“No?”
“No.” He shrugged out of his robe and slid in beside her then pulled her tight against him.
“Why not?” Mia asked and closed her eyes to the feel of his lips placing soft, light kisses on her shoulder, cheek and chin.
“Because sometimes my wife needs to know what it feels like to be loved,” he said. Then he claimed her lips.
Sometimes it was good to feel the gentle rock of making love. And Devin could raise the tides without needing to create a storm.
One hand slipped under her shoulder, cradling her, while the other smoothed down her arm then up her ribs and over her breast. His calloused thumb brushed across the nipple, making it stiffen and pull. His lips worked at hers, careful to kiss every inch before deepening it so his tongue gently dueled with hers. That hand at her breast eased down her belly, tickling her at the hip so she
giggled. She felt him smile against her mouth then move his hand lower. His knuckles brushed over her sex, parting the full lips there to give him access to the bud he so liked to play with. But tonight he was slow and deliberate in every touch. A soft stroke, a light pinch, a small tug. And while his more harsh play brought it on much faster this created a heat inside her that made her ache to be doused in the cold waters she’d been cursing only an hour ago.
“Captain,” she sighed when he finally rolled over and settled between her legs.
“Say my name, Mia. I so love hearing you say my name the way you do.” He pushed forward entering her enough she knew he had, but settling his weight so she couldn’t drive him in deeper at will.
“Devin,” Mia said and lifted to meet him as he pushed in as far as he could and again settled on her so she couldn’t move.
“Aye, my name Mia, when I love you. My name then. Save ‘captain’ for when I master and command you.” He reached down and pulled her leg so her knee bent, allowing him to edge in the tiniest bit more.
“Love me, Devin,” Mia told him as she wrapped that leg around his waist. “Love me.”
“With everything I am,” he told her, lifting up and rocking forward then back.
Mia matched the slow steady motion and reveled in how she could feel every hard, solid rippled inch of him as he moved inside her soft walls. How perfectly they worked together. Wind and sail, they pushed forward through the waves. Steady and smooth, but hard and determined. It was what lovers did. It was what a man and a woman who knew their place beside each other were granted. They didn’t need to head towards any horizon. Everything that brought them happiness was there in the one they stood beside.
Devin’s fine mastery of Mia’s body kept the waters rising, swamping her with sensation after sensation but never letting her sink and drown. He knew exactly when to push forward hard and deep, and when to ease in and tease enough of her aching, wet channel. Where she ended and he began she couldn’t be sure. All she knew was when she took that last gasp of breath before the waves covered her she never wanted to end this journey, and she never wanted another as her captain.
“My perfect wife,” Devin breathed as his own release came a little less softly than Mia’s.
“My sound husband,” Mia said reaching to kiss his chin, as he again settled his warm body over hers. She clenched her sex and made him groan and his cock jumped.
“Wicked little pirate,” Devin chuckled and kissed her then rolled away before she could try and fill his sails a second time.
“Careful, Captain,” Mia warned, rolling against him and letting her hand trail down until it rested on his stem. “You might regret if you happen to encourage me to bad behavior.” She gave him a squeeze. He moaned and his cock lifted.
“Little pirate,” he said lifting into her hand. “You might regret poor behavior, but I most certainly won’t.” With a growl he rolled over her and made her feel like she would drown in pleasure.
Chapter 19
Devin rubbed his brow and again checked his watch. He didn’t know why he needed to be here, he’d already written a formal letter and given testimony against Mallory’s actions. He knew too, that in an attempt to save his own career, Bennet had written something though the content wasn’t known to anyone but the admiral’s board. Pushing off from the wall where he’d been leaning, Devin paced.
He needed to get home and check on Mia. The last several days she hadn’t felt well. In fact, she had been rather sick and the illness was throwing her ballast off. She was an emotional wreck most every day for the last week. First angry fits and then crying for no reason at all. She’d be quite determined to do something on her own and then complain she was utterly incapable of so much as decision making. This morning she’d burst into tears because he stepped on a flower that sprung up in the walk. He’d often teased her about having her rigging in a knot, but of late her rigging was tangled, her sails twisted, and she was dragging anchor. It was worrying everyone.
The doors to his left opened and a formally dressed lieutenant stepped out. “Captain Winthrop, they’re ready for you.”
Devin took a deep breath and tried to focus on the proceedings at hand. Looking at who was in the court he knew he needed to do more than try. The vice admiral himself sat center among the five other admirals at the table. Devin didn’t know anyone other than the vice admiral, though their name plaques sat forward on the table. Admiral Booker had excused himself due to his personal relationship with Mia. Devin stepped up, came to attention and snapped a salute.
“Captain,” Vice Admiral Saumarez said and nodded in his direction, “Stand at ease Captain.” Devin shifted position and took note of how the ranking men in the room looked between he and Captain Mallory. “Captain Winthrop, we’ve read your complaint about the continued harassment of your wife, Mrs. Mia Lynn Cadley Winthrop, by Captain Mallory. Do you wish to add anything to the complaint?”
“Admiral, only that I’m not seeking vengeance in this matter. Simply an end in his persistence to disrupt my wife’s activities. For whatever reason, Captain Mallory has set course to cause Mrs. Winthrop distress. He has mostly succeeded, and I wish him to drop anchor now before any more harm can be done,” Devin said, knowing the man well enough faced a less than honorable discharge if things went as badly as they could for him. Nobility or not, such a thing could ruin him completely.
“Captain Mallory,” Admiral Dunham called, and the man came to attention. “Have you a response that might justify the actions you stand accused of?”
“Aye, Admiral,” Mallory turned, took a stack of papers from the table closest to him, and stepped towards the board. “Captain Winthrop wants me to end my investigations into his wife’s activities because he knows her to be a pirate, as do I.” Mallory handed the papers over and turned to glare with some great satisfaction at Devin.
Devin managed to bite his tongue and not react. His response clearly disturbed the man who thought to fire a shot across his bow. He watched the admiral shuffle through the documents and he saw Mallory point out several things that were important, at least in his mind.
“Captain Winthrop, your wife is a pirate,” Admiral Dunham said but if it was a question or statement Devin didn’t know.
“She is not,” Devin said as casually as he could. Now if they asked if his father-in-law was… but they didn’t seem to have evidence of that. Being he’d yet to see the papers they read and didn’t know what evidence they might hold against her, he could answer only to what he knew as facts and hope to avoid facts that might sink the family.
Mallory scoffed at him, “Your own words accuse her.”
“If I may,” he stepped forward, held out his hands for the evidence and almost laughed. “These are from my ships logs—”
“And your own hand claims her to be a pirate,” Mallory pushed.
Devin gave him a hard look and handed the papers back to the members of the board who still looked at them and him with a more critical eye. “If you’d let me finish. These are not from my ships logs, but from my personal logs. And aye, I’m sure these are but the fewest of such entries where I wrote my wife was a pirate,” Devin admitted with a shrug. “Those earliest ones are perhaps the ones I hope most she doesn’t see as there is at least one insult she’s distressed by.”
“Perhaps Captain, it would be prudent for you to explain, and perhaps we should have Mrs. Winthrop here to give her own account,” the vice admiral said.
“I should rather you leave my wife be, she’s been—” Devin started.
“I’ve already sent officials to have her arrested,” Mallory announced, and Devin was on him before he could take another breath.
“You son of a bitch! You dare drag her into your petty little feud with me.” Devin said shaking him like a rat. “Your pathetic jealousy and lust for Mia is sick and a disgrace.”
“Captain Winthrop,” the vice admiral yelled before several others moved to pull Devin off the man who was almost taken
to the floor by Devin’s attack. Devin shook off the other men who he did know and who were also friends with Mia. “You’ll maintain your decorum while in uniform.”
“Captain Winthrop,” Admiral Dunham called, then called again until Devin turned to look at him. “You have some explanation for your words here in these documents.”
“Not, sir, that I should need any being those are my personal logs, not the official ship’s accountings, but aye. I do,” Devin said straightening his clothes and pulling his shoulders back. “You perhaps aren’t familiar with how Mia came to be my wife?”
“I understand that you… compromised her in some manner,” the admiral at the other end of the table stated disapprovingly.
Devin sighed, “I didn’t, but I should guess you’re not familiar with the entire circumstance of what transpired,” Devin grumbled and promised to himself that he’d punch the commodore in the head for leaving him open to such opinions of his character. He waited until he saw all the men shaking their heads. “You are, however, familiar with the… rescue of Governor Lowe and the younger child of the Duke of Pembroke?” To this they all nodded affirmatively. “What most don’t know is Mia Cadley was also… taken by that group. Right off her ship. She was held separately.” Devin recounted the much-practiced tale that became the one which began his marriage to Mia. “When I managed to free those men, I’d little choice but to keep Miss Cadley with me. You might only imagine when her papa learned his young and innocent daughter spent more than a single night unchaperoned in the company of an unattached male…”
“Yes, his insistence that you wed was written into the records that came with the accounting,” An admiral at the other end of the table recalled. “He threatened to rally a full boycott of all shipping and all English ports if it wasn’t done.”
“Aye, he wasn’t willing to believe I… rescued her and nothing else, so I wed her, but I’ll tell you my opinion of her was less… flattering than it is now. She was…” Devin laughed a bit and shook his head. “What am I saying?” He chuckled again. “She is a mutinous female. Too used to being captain in her own right, we didn’t find smooth waters for several weeks after our… wedding. I called her pirate then, and I admit with great shame worse things trying to put her in her place. Pirate, however, she refused to allow to prick her.” He shrugged and looked to see if the men were buying his line. “If anything, I think she took it as a challenge. I won’t say the things she did were acts of piracy in any legal or common understanding. It’s no act of piracy to jump ship.” Again, he shrugged as the men nodded in agreement “I think she tried her very best those first days to make me go back on my oath and my vows and set her ashore.”