“I do, now that you mention it.” He was pensive as he replied, his mind already whirring into action about what the fate of Alice should now be.
“And I was about to purchase this fine vessel before you snatched the opportunity from me.”
Edward lifted his chin toward the light. The rum was doing its job in his bloodstream, and he wanted another.
“I snatched nothing from you, Miss,” he told Alice with a sneer. “I gave you no offense.” He strode toward the open door, closing it firmly before he slid the lock into place at the top of the frame. “Yet now, I find you offend me.”
Turning, Law leaned against the wall, aware of the gentle rocking of the ship. Outside, he could hear the first shouts of his crew. The men were boarded, and soon, the Dexterity would be ready for her maiden voyage.
“What do you mean?” Alice’s tone was curt, yet Edward heard the first flutter of something else lacing her voice. Something that reminded him of fear. “Why have you locked me in?”
“Us in,” he corrected, taking a step toward the wide-eyed woman. “I locked us in, Alice.”
She pulled in a breath, her chest rising and capturing his attention as he absorbed her response. Of course, the lady had courage—that much was obvious—why else would she be here in the first place? Yet it seemed Alice was starting to see the potential pitfalls of her impulsive behavior, and eyeing her now, Edward began to consider some of the advantages.
“Don’t come any closer,” she commanded, but the tremble in her voice was more than evident.
“Why not, Alice?”
Edward’s timbre had shifted to the soft purr he saved for the many brothels he had visited over the years. The ladies of the night seemed to enjoy his tone, and he had no reason to believe a woman of Alice’s station would be immune to it. “Can a man not wander where he likes onboard his own ship?”
Those brown eyes widened even further at him.
“Can a captain not walk the space of his quarters?”
Alice’s lips parted, but no words escaped.
Law smirked at her reaction.
“What were you thinking?” he demanded in a low tone. “Coming here and hiding? What did you think you could achieve, Miss Jaggers?” Edward watched with satisfaction at the way she gulped.
“I thought that I could reason with you,” she insisted in a shaky voice. “And take back what is mine.”
He chuckled darkly. “Take back what’s yours?” he repeated. “But Alice, this ship was never yours, was she?”
Alice pulled her lower lip between her teeth. Suddenly, the confident young woman seemed to have lost her pluck, and for some reason, Edward was rather enjoying it. He had always known he was a bad man, but he had never anticipated just how much this scenario could affect him. Watching her shaky limbs and blushing cheeks, he realized he was aroused by her performance. The young mare had been so impetuous—so eager to defend her behavior—but it was clear to him now, all she needed was a firm hand. A man to take her and break her in.
Edward’s cock stirred as that thought resonated.
Alice needed a man like him.
Chapter 6
Alice
From the moment Law had closed the door, he was changed. The vagabond she had spied from between the planks of wood had vanished, morphing before her eyes into the masterful gentleman who now stood before her. His dirt-laden, frayed attire remained the same, but something was different. The physical presence of the man was altered somehow as though he had grown in stature. Alice blinked rapidly as he loomed before her. It was like she could not believe her own gaze anymore.
“Alice?”
His low tone made her jump from the wooden floor, though he had not even raised his voice.
“Was the ship yours?”
“No.” Hadn’t she already confessed that much to him? Did the man not understand? It was not about who owned the Dexterity, it was about who ought to own her.
Edward closed the remaining distance between them in one long stride.
“So, you admit to boarding my ship without permission?”
His blue gaze seemed ferocious as he demanded the truth from her, and somehow, when he put it in those words, Alice’s actions did sound reckless. She had committed that act, hadn’t she? What had she been thinking?
Blowing out a breath, Alice squared her shoulders. She had to keep a cool head. This was not the time to crumble in front of a man like Edward Law.
“Yes.” The word was supposed to have been a hiss, but it sounded more like a squeak to Alice’s ears.
“What an audacious woman you are, Miss Jaggers,” he observed, arching one dark eyebrow at her. “To board my vessel without my consent, then stand there as though you should be rewarded?” He snorted, shaking his head in disgust. “I am not certain how Mr. Jaggers raised you, Alice, but where I came from, such deeds were not rewarded. They were punished.”
The final word seemed to come at her with an odd resonance—a glimmer of meaning she was yet to understand—but if the dark gleam in Edward’s eyes was an indication, she may not have long to wait to discover that truth.
“Punished?” Alice parroted the word back to him, her voice yet again failing to convey conviction.
“Aye,” he replied, and she swore the edges of his lips curled as he inched in her direction. “Punished.”
Alice panted at his intonation, although there was no logical reason to do so. She should not be intimidated by a man like Law, and even if she was in the wrong, justice was not his to deliver. It should come at the hands of the King’s men. She shuddered as that thought passed through her brain. She could hang for a felony like this. Was her father’s pride and joy really worth her life?
“I do not want to be punished.”
The words escaped Alice’s lips before she could process them, and she felt heat rushing to her cheeks in response. Oh, Lord! Had she truly just told him that?
Edward sniffed. “I am certain you do not, Miss Jaggers, but what choice have you left me? Surely, I cannot condone a crime of this nature? Would you overlook it?”
Alice shifted her weight between her feet as she considered his query, but there was little to contemplate—she already knew the answer. Alice would never tolerate such insolence and would have had few qualms about raising the alarm at an intruder. Why should this man expect any less? Why should he not watch her hang for her foolhardiness?
All of a sudden, it was difficult to pull air into her chest, the acknowledgment of her fate suffocating.
“No, sir,” she breathed, lowering her gaze at the admission. It was the most curious thing, but as she surveyed Law’s filthy boots, she almost felt disappointed with her poor judgment. “I would not overlook it.”
“Miss Jaggers,” he replied. “I should very much appreciate your attention.”
Alice lifted her chin at his words, flustering harder. Not only had she offended the man and would likely pay dearly for her crime, but now, she was exacerbating the situation further.
“I did not think my actions through,” she tried to explain. “I was so consumed with the Dexterity. I-I did not think…”
Law smirked. “That much is evident,” he answered quickly. “The question now is not what you were thinking, Alice, but how the matter should be dealt with.”
“I shall hang for it.”
The confession robbed Alice of breath as it left her lips, but there it was—she had said it and was sure it was true. Alice had seen men hang for less.
“Hang?” Edward laughed, a deep throaty sound that echoed around the room long after the noise had concluded. “What ridiculousness is this? I shall not see you hang, Alice.”
Alice fluttered her eyes at him, her heart pounding with fresh intensity. “You w-won’t?”
“Goodness, no. Why would I? A woman as beautiful as you should never be at the end of a noose.”
She flushed at his words, her face burning with embarrassment at the unexpected compliment. Alice’s head was s
pinning. One moment, she was filled with fury at the man, the next, she was consumed with fear, and now—what was this? Was he flattering her—but to what end?
“Then what?” Her words were barely a whisper. “What do I deserve, Mr. Law? What punishment would befit a crime like mine?”
Edward smiled, one of his hands rising toward her face. Alice witnessed its approach with trepidation, her body frozen with fear. He was going to touch her! Oh my God, he was actually going to touch her, and there was not a thing she could do to halt the progress of that large palm. His fingers grazed over her chin for a moment, before they gripped the flesh a little harder.
“A crime like yours, Alice, deserves a more personalized penalty.”
Alice gulped. She was not sure what to make of that, but what she did know was, the touch of his skin against her own was sending her heart into a complete panic. His hand was warm and worryingly reassuring, but that couldn’t be right, could it?
Gentlemen were not permitted to touch ladies.
And ladies certainly should not enjoy it.
Those same, warm fingers drew her chin higher, ensuring she met his gaze once more as he spoke.
“I suggest a sound spanking at my own good hands.”
For a moment, time seemed to stand still.
A spanking—is that what he said?
Good Lord! Alice had, of course, heard of ladies being thrashed by their fathers or husbands, but never by strangers—gentlemen they had only encountered once before. The thought was shocking, and the proximity of the man was doing nothing to help her racing pulse.
“Y-you mean to thrash me?” she stammered.
Alice was bewildered and was certain her expression betrayed that sentiment. On some level, she accepted she deserved penance for coming aboard the ship without permission. She could not think to regret the deed—not yet—for in her heart, Alice still felt the Dexterity belonged to her, but she was not without conscience. Alice could imagine how she would feel if she had found Law on her property—she would have been outraged.
“No, Miss,” Edward laughed, the scent of spice and rum wafting in her direction as his smiling gaze regarded her. “I do not intend to thrash you.” He shook his head as though he could barely believe she had suggested such a thing.
“Then, you must mean to whip me?”
Alice had heard tales of ships’ captains whipping lazy or impertinent members of their crew and shuddered lightly at the concept, her chest rising and falling beside the towering Edward.
His brow furrowed. “If I had meant the whip, Alice, I should have said so,” he told her. “But I did not. I meant as I stated, to haul you over my lap and tan your backside with my own hand.” Edward traced his thumb across her jaw with a light feathery touch as he explained, and in her mind, Alice envisioned the punishment he described.
“But sir,” she gasped, “you cannot. It is not right! A gentleman should never inflict such a lewd act on a woman he is not wed to.”
“You, Miss Jaggers,” he smirked at her response, “have broken the King’s law by boarding my vessel without permission, and yet now, you speak to me about what is right. How can that be?”
Alice squirmed, trying to break free of the hypnotic hold Edward seemed to have cast over her but somehow, unable to resist the look of those compelling blue eyes.
“As captain of this ship, is it not I who has jurisdiction here, Alice?”
Edward’s words demanded a reply, yet Alice still did not know what to say. He was naturally correct on this point, and if they had been at sea, his word would have been law, but the Dexterity was still docked in London, and Alice could be back on dry land in a matter of moments. Her gaze flitted toward the window for a moment, breaking the connection between them.
“Alice!”
His sharp tone captured her focus once more.
“You will answer me. Do I have jurisdiction?”
Alice sighed. Edward had her on this point and however she answered, there would be no wiggling free of the truth.
“Yes, sir,” she breathed, her lashes fluttering closed at the admission. “Yes, you have jurisdiction.”
Law grinned, a glint of arrogance burning in his eyes. “Then you, Miss, shall yield to my sentence.”
Chapter 7
Edward
Edward had a sense today was going to be a good day right from the start. He had been awake with the sunlight, retiring from his small lodgings with his possessions to be onboard the Dexterity before the rest of his crew. He knew this was the day the ship would sail, and he could use the colossal vessel to perpetuate his piracy at sea. It had already been close to perfection, yet now, young Miss Jaggers had arrived to make it flawless.
He eyed the woman standing in his grasp. The flesh of her face was flushed and warm under his fingers, her brown eyes large and startled, and the bodice of her gown rose and fell in rapid succession as she fought for composure. The lady was rattled—that was for certain. Evidently, she had thought to conceal herself within his quarters until they set sail, though he had no idea what she had hoped to achieve once the voyage was underway. Alice’s own actions had scuppered those plans, and now, she found herself judged and sentenced by the very captain she presumably hoped to dupe.
He could not resist the grin that rose at the look of her.
Alice was young in years, yet a fierce determination burned in her eyes, and Edward was willing to bet there was a supple and firm body hiding under that dress. His cock throbbed impatiently at the thought of turning her over his lap for punishment.
Edward tightened his grip at her chin, eliciting a small gasp from her full lips.
“Do you have anything else to say, Miss Jaggers?”
She inhaled. “I do not know what else to say.”
He nodded. “I shall take that as a no, then,” he replied politely. “And so, it is decided—you are to be spanked for your transgression.”
Alice tensed as he vocalized his verdict again. “Now?”
She seemed so tentative all of a sudden, a far cry from the woman who had confronted him a few minutes ago. Edward wanted to chuckle at the transformation, but he didn’t. It seemed they had reached an accord, and it was one he intended to relish.
“No, Alice,” he assured her. “Not now. Now, I must attend to the needs of my ship. My crew has just boarded, and the Dexterity is due to set sail within the hour.”
“Set sail?” Her eyes widened to the size of shilling pieces, and her breathing increased until she was close to panting. “But you cannot mean to set sail so soon—I should not still be onboard.”
“You do indeed, Alice,” he confirmed. This time, Edward could not resist the way his lips curled. “I intend to spank you once we are out to sea.”
She jerked away from his hand, her hands flying to her hips at his response.
“Absolutely not!” Alice raised her chin in defiance, and in that split second, the apprehensive young girl was gone, replaced at once by the ferocity of this other creature who now spat her response at him. “I do not consent to this! Punishment is one thing, and perhaps it is fitting, but I am not setting sail with you, Mr. Law.”
He arched an eyebrow. The spirit of the woman was admirable. Edward had limited experience with ladies outside of the walls of the many brothels he had frequented, yet he rarely met any with such force of character. Surveying Alice, he had to admit he rather liked it, yet the rub—he liked it because he wanted to be the one to contain it, the man to tame her fiery nature. That thought made his manhood harden until a tingle of awareness rose up his backbone. He wanted her. He wanted not only to tan the curves of her sweet behind but to master her completely—as a man should master the soft, yielding flesh of a woman.
“Excuse me, Alice,” he began, taking his time as he began to unpick her assertion. “But was it not always your plan to set sail on the Dexterity? Was that not why you were hiding over there in the first place?” Edward tipped his head, gesturing toward the place Alice had been h
iding.
Her face blanched at his queries. “Perhaps,” she replied in a less certain tone. “Yet that was different.”
“Different how?” he said with a laugh. “Different because it was duplicity in charge?”
Alice bit her lip, her brown eyes searching his face. “Maybe.”
Edward shook his head. “Young lady,” he began in an almost tender tone. “I know nothing of the life you have lived up until this moment. I do not know if you were spoiled by your late father, or if you have struggled.” Although he was prepared to take an educated guess on the subject. Jaggers was a wealthy man, and Edward bet his only child would have been privy to every privilege available.
“Yet I tell you this.” Edward’s voice hardened, and Alice responded reflexively, her body straightening as his gaze drilled into her. “The moment you set foot on my ship and hid in my private quarters, you made yourself my business.”
She inhaled, shaking her head. “I am not your bus—”
“Alice.”
He watched gleefully as she leapt at the sound of his voice.
“Do not think to argue, for your words are false. You are on my ship, and that makes you my business. You have been found wanting, young lady, and now you await your penance. That means you are my prisoner until the sentence is served.”
“P-prisoner?” Alice trembled as she forced the word out from between her lips.
“That’s right.”
She blinked wildly. “But if the Dexterity does set sail, I shall be forced to remain onboard.” Alice’s brow furrowed as the realization washed over her. “Even after your penance has been delivered, I shall be forced to remain.”
Edward edged toward her. “That is true,” he replied. “You will remain my prisoner, Miss Jaggers.”
Her gaze darted to the door, an instinctive response to his edict, no doubt.
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