Pirates, Passion and Plunder

by Victoria Vale

  Blood rushed from my face.

  “You’re going to—”

  “Aye. A solid whipping will make you understand who is in charge here and who is not.”

  I pressed against the wall, staring at the belt dangling from his fist.

  “I’m sorry if you were frightened, but I was only getting my duffel,” I protested.

  His lips curved into a mischievous grin. “I heard you fine when you said it the first time. As I’m sure you heart me properly when I warned you of the penalty for disobedience.” He paused. “Would you rather kiss the gunner’s daughter?”

  He wouldn’t.

  “I’d…no, sir.” Being tied over a cannon in front of his entire crew while he took the cat-o-nine to me—I wouldn’t survive it. The humiliation would kill me.

  “Then do as your told.”

  I slid the shirt over my head and dropped it to the floor. The breeches were next, and before I could get a good breath into my lungs, I stood before him stark naked. I folded my hands in front of myself, trying, against all odds, to keep some modesty.

  But when I raised my gaze to his, I realized I’d lost.

  The anger I’d seen when he burst into the cabin had eased to the edges, but the hunger replacing it raged fierce.

  His voice lowered, almost tender, as he gave his instructions. “Turn around and press your cheek to the wall. I want your ass out far for me. I don’t want to hit your back.” He stepped to the side, positioning himself.

  Tears threatened. I would not cry for him. Crying solved nothing.

  I sucked in a deep breath and spun around, doing as he said, and pinned my cheek flat the cool surface of the wood.

  “Spread your legs for me, lass.”

  I moved my feet until he seemed satisfied with my positioning. “I already appolo— Ow!” I jumped when the first lash of his belt licked my cheeks.

  “Back down,” he ordered, and I moved quickly, not wanting to earn more than I already had.

  “This isn’t about apologies. This is about consequences.” He stated just before another lash of the leather met my ass. I jolted but stayed put, clenching my eyes.

  “This is about your safety.” His words were punctuated with another strap. Fire ignited as each new lash stroked the flames. Another and another crossed over my ass.

  “Please!” I cried out after what felt like the dozenth lash.

  “A few more,” he promised, but the softness that came with it made me less fearful of them. “If you are galivanting around my ship, I cannot protect you. My men are loyal and obedient, but that doesn’t guarantee your safety.”

  He expected the same loyalty from me as he did his crew. If they were caught disobeying an order, they’d be getting more than his belt.

  I fisted my hands and pressed harder into the wall as his belt came down again and again over my ass. I would bruised and swollen for days. I’d never sit properly again.

  I lost count of the lashes; tears fell down my cheeks, and soft sobs escaped me, no matter how hard I tried to keep them within.

  After several long moments passed, I realized the whipping had ended. I was no longer feeling the heat of the leather but the softness of his fingers as he ran them up and down my back.

  “It’s all right, Elizabeth. You did so good, lass, so good.” He kissed my bare shoulder then moved my hair from my neck and kissed behind my ear.

  “I was only getting my things,” I said softly, running my hand across my face. Every time I swore to myself I would shed not a single tear, the man had them rolling down my cheeks in pairs. “But I’m sorry I disobeyed. I should have waited until you came back.”

  He urged me to face him and captured my face with his hands.

  “Aye, that’s the truth of it. Now, tell me the rest. Did something happen while you were searching out your belongings?”

  How could he know? Did he, or was this a ploy to get me to speak out of turn.

  I searched his eyes, trying to find the answer, desperately wanting to know if I could trust him.

  His mouth thinned, and he let out a hard breath.

  “You’re afraid I’m trying to trick you.”

  “I’m not sure what to make of all this,” I stated honestly.

  “Because you’re standing here, naked, in front of a man you hardly know, with a hot bottom, and you think you should be terrified. You think you should be trying to run from the room—but instead, you want to kiss me, you want me to touch you.”

  How could he know so much just by looking at me?

  “And when I ask you a question, you’re not sure if you should be truthful because I confuse you.”

  “Yes,” I said with a short nod. All of those things.

  “Moreover, you’re confused by what you’re feeling. Your ass aches from my belt, but your cunny craves my touch.” He stepped forward again, my back pressed against the wall. The cool wood soothed my aching ass for but a moment before the pressure of being touched made it uncomfortable.

  “I…no…I’m…” Words were lost inside my brain, and I couldn’t recall them. Which order did they go in?

  If he would stop looking at me as though he would devour me in the next moment, perhaps I could think better. As it was, his hands came up and pressed against the wall on either side of me, completely trapping me.

  “You took your punishment very well, Elizabeth. Let me give you the relief your body needs and then then we can be truthful with each other.”

  I lost myself in his gaze. The fire burned so invitingly there, I sought the comfort.

  “Put your hands down, lass.” He tugged at my arms that covered my body from his view.

  My hands fell to my sides while my gaze never left his.

  Slowly, he lowered his sights to my body. My face flamed at his inspection. Would he find me lacking?

  Moreover, why did I care?

  His hand moved from the wall beside me and trailed down my collarbone, between my breasts and across my belly. His touch left a blazing trail of need behind as he made his way down.

  “Ah, here we are.” He smiled, bringing his gaze back up to my face as his fingers slipped between my folds. The explosion of sensations stole my breath. I’d never been touched there, never had such need for it as I did while his wicked fingers danced over my sex.

  I swallowed back a moan, sure it would only humiliate me further to cave in to his ministrations so easily. A woman should hold herself back; she shouldn’t give in to such temptations.

  At least that’s what the preacher taught, it’s what I heard Henrietta warn when I was younger and she still pretended to hold affection for me.

  “No, none of that now. Don’t try to hide from me.” He leaned down, capturing my mouth beneath his. The kiss went deeper than the last. His tongue swept across mine while his lips pressed harder and harder still until I felt nearly consumed by him. His fingers played at my entrance, teasing and coaxing until the pleasure and desire rose so I high, I whimpered.

  His finger slid inside me. I gasped at the fullness and sweetness of the intrusion.

  He kissed the tip of my nose.

  “So innocent, but not for long, I think.” He kissed my cheek, my jaw, until he settled near my ear, biting down on my earlobe.

  His finger thrust into me, harder and softer, never letting me find the pattern.

  “That’s such a good girl, letting me play with your pussy. A sweet cunny it is, too,” he whispered in my ear, the warmth of his breath adding to the heat of my cheeks.

  I bowed my back against the wall, spreading my legs wider to give him better advantage.

  He bit down hard on my shoulder, sending me swirling into a vortex of pleasure as he pumped his finger harder still.

  “Do you want to be good for me, Elizabeth? Will you begin to obey? To submit to your captain?”

  “Yes, Sebastian.” I’d say anything to make his fingers continue the sweet torture he provided.

  He chuckled. “Ah, you say this now because your n
ear release.” He licked my earlobe. “I wonder, once I make you explode, take away your innocence, will you still wish to be under my power?”

  He thrust his finger harder, and his palm brushed against the most sensitive part of my sex. I arched my hips forward, needing more of the same.

  “Yes.” I nodded though I wasn’t entirely sure what I was agreeing to, nor did I care.

  He bit down on my shoulder. “Let’s find out, lass.” He plunged a second finger inside me, and I cried out. “That’s a good girl. Come hard for me, Elizabeth. Let your body go.”

  He bit down again, harder, just behind my ear. The sharp prick of pain mingling with the immense sweetness of his fingers catapulted me from my spirit. A storm of electricity shot through my body, convulsing and soothing.

  I gripped his shoulders to keep from collapsing to the floor, and I screamed. Like a wanton woman, I called his name out over and over again until the storm finally ebbed.

  “Sweet girl.” He placed a chaste kiss on my jaw.

  I released my hold on him and quickly crossed my arms over my chest. How could I have done that?

  He frowned down at me.

  “No, you won’t feel ashamed with me, Elizabeth.” He shook his head. “I won’t allow it. Put your arms down. I will look upon you when I wish.”

  He brought his fingers, glistening with my juices, to his mouth and locked me in his gaze as he licked them clean. A broad smile cast upon his lips when he finished.

  “Sweet. Just like you.” He straightened to his full height. Before I could register his actions, he swooped me up in his arms and brought to the bed where he laid me down.

  The bedding brushed against my aching bottom, reminding me what had started the entire scene to begin with. He’d belted me.

  Once I was settled beneath the quilt, he sat on the bed beside me.

  “I think you’re well and sated enough to keep you out of trouble for the time being.” He grinned. “Though, I am curious what you heard while you were gathering your things from the hold.”

  “Nothing of import,” I said, not sure if I was lying or not.

  He pinched his lips together, but wasn’t glaring at me. It was a change, and one I enjoyed. He didn’t have his hair tied back, and the thick brown locks fell just beneath his shoulders and shrouded his face enough to warm his features.

  “Hmmm.” He placed a kiss to my forehead and shuffled off the bed. “You surprise me, my little stowaway.” The words seemed more for him than myself, so I didn’t respond. And I wasn’t sure what he meant, nor did I wish to embark on another conversation while I was naked beneath his bedsheets.

  “When will we reach Clifton?” I asked.

  His lips twisted into a mischievous grin. “This afternoon. I’d say another three hours and we’ll be taking to the boats to go ashore.”

  “That soon?” I sat up quickly.

  He pressed my shoulder gently. “I want you to rest until I come back for you. You may get dressed if you wish, but do not leave this cabin again. Understood?”

  The fierceness of his scowl explained plenty.

  “I won’t leave this cabin,” I promised.

  He raised an eyebrow. “Hmm, we’ll see.”

  I waited until the door closed behind him before I fell back against the pillows and allowed myself to wallow in the haze of pleasure he’d set me in. I knew I should have been aghast at my behavior, but the more I recalled the sensations, the sweet thrill of his touch, the more I wanted to know when we would do that again.

  Chapter 6

  Sebastian

  “The storm’s blown us off course; it could be nasty.” A sharp wind blew over us, whipping my hair around my face.

  “Make sure all precautions are taken. How long until we reach shore?”

  “Another day at least.”

  I scowled. I’d wanted to be on land by the evening.

  “There is another matter. The crew’s talking about our passenger,” Talley informed me as we made our way across the deck.

  I ducked past the rigging and shrugged. “Let them talk, so long as no one goes below.” I glared at a crewman who took to staring at us as we approached. Jack was his name. He’d been on the crew for two voyages. No trouble aside from a greed I could sense below his surface.

  “If she really is Wallace Townshed’s daughter, she may very well know where the Jacobin Jewels are hidden,” Talley waited until we were away from prying ears to say.

  “Aye. I know it, Talley.”

  “Will she be telling you?”

  “She already has, though I’m sure we’ll need her while we are on land. I think she knows something else she hasn’t divulged.”

  Talley nodded but kept silent.

  “Did you bring her something to eat?” I didn’t need to ask. I’d given an order, and it would be carried out.

  “Of course, Cap’n. She looked at the plate as though I’d brought her a trove of gold.”

  A pang of guilt struck me. I should have fed her earlier.

  “Batten down the hatches. No man rests until the ship is ready to weather the storm,” I ordered and made my way to my cabin. I chose to ignore Talley’s snort of approval.

  Elizabeth paced through the middle of the room, her hands clasped behind her back. She wore a plain gray dress with a white cotton apron attached.

  A maid’s outfit.

  I shut the door and stared at her until she finally stopped moving about and turned her attention on me.

  “You look like a servant,” I accused with a pointed finger.

  Her eyes widened, and she immediately slid her hands over her apron.

  “Well, I suppose I am a servant,” she whispered as she brought her gaze back up to me.

  My jaw tightened. Had she been playing me for a fool?

  “A servant? Wallace Townshed’s daughter?” I took a step toward her, towering over her slender frame. “Have you been lying to me?” I demanded in a hard tone. We were about to go ashore. If the information she’d given me was wrong, it would waste an entire day of searching.

  She paled slightly but shook her head.

  “No, Sebastian. I swear it.” She tried to retreat a step, but I grabbed hold of her hand, looking over the callouses.

  “Tell me what to make of this?” I shook her wrist.

  Tears built in her eyes, but then she dragged in a long breath and rolled her shoulders back again. Fire ignited in her gaze.

  “I am a servant, Sebastian. I am also Wallace Townshed’s daughter. When he died, my stepmother took pity on me and didn’t send me to an orphanage. She let me remain with her. And when she remarried, her husband didn’t put me out into the streets like I feared he would. But I am not their blood. He put me up in the servants’ quarters and gave me work.”

  Anger rolled through my soul.

  “Were you paid for this work?” I asked, already knowing the answer and already wanting to break her stepmother’s neck for it.

  “No. I wasn’t really a servant, I was—” She blinked. “I mean, I wasn’t family, but I was?”

  “You were a slave,” I stated flatly.

  “No, I wasn’t. I was—” She backed up again, confusion clouding her pretty eyes.

  “Aye, you were. They just didn’t paint the picture with the right colors for you.”

  Her throat worked as she swallowed hard. Probably trying to keep those damn tears at bay again. The woman held her emotions too close to herself. When facing a man such as myself, she held no fear, begged no mercy. But, when she lay over my knee, with her ass well and truly tanned, the tears flowed.

  “I didn’t think of it that way. And now I’ve run away.”

  “Aye. You did.” I nodded sharply. “And you should have done so long ago.”

  She laughed. “I didn’t realize I had such choices. Nor did I realize a pirate such as yourself would care. Do you not transport slaves? Steal them when you plunder and sell them later?”

  Her education was lacking in some areas, but
unfortunately spot on in others.

  “I have never transported nor sold a soul who didn’t wish to be aboard this ship.” She needed to believe that, needed to know it to be true. I couldn’t have her thinking I was anything like her stepmother.

  Her chin rose another fraction, her defenses climbing.

  “And I suppose you’ve never stolen before?”

  I raised my brows. “Oh, I’ve plundered plenty. Merchant ships shake when they see my flag. That’s true, but I do not, and will not, deal with any man who earns his coin on the backs of slaves.”

  A heavy silence hung between us as she stared up at me.

  “And leaving a stowaway abandoned on an island? Have you done that before?” The question seemed to pop out of her sweet mouth.

  I furrowed my brow. “You think I’ll leave you behind? Is that what had you pacing a hole through my floor when I arrived?”

  She worried at her lower lip. “Your men. I heard them talking about me, as though they knew something I didn’t. About me. About my father.” She straightened her shoulders again.

  I stared at her, taking in the worry, the rising panic. She didn’t seem to realize how her emotions danced on the surface. Maybe no one had taken the time to see or to mention.

  “I knew your father,” I stated. “I worked beneath him for a time, as a cabin boy, when I was younger.”

  Her mouth fell open.

  “You knew him?” she whispered.

  “Aye.” I’d promised her truth telling earlier, and it was time to explain everything.

  “Were you with him when…when the accident happened?” Her lip quivered, but she sucked it between her teeth. Hiding from me again.

  “No.” My jaw clenched tightly then relaxed. “I was ashore that afternoon gathering supplies.”

  “You couldn’t have been much older than me, a young boy,” she whispered.

  “I was thirteen at the time, hardly fresh from the nursery.” I grinned. “And like your father, the sea life suited me better than anything on land.”

  Her brow pulled together in confusion.

  “I’m a bastard, Elizabeth.” I sighed.

  “You’re a few other things as well, none of them having to do with your parentage.” She smirked. Lightness fell upon me with her smile. She was teasing me. The woman I’d belted not only a few hours earlier, accused of lying to me moments before, was teasing me.