He nodded, but she had already begun to pour herself a cup. Gilly swallowed the liquor in one gulp. She hissed and poured herself another.
“This brandy is watered down. We should complain to the owner. I bet he charged double for what this is worth, too. How on earth are we to enjoy this if it doesn’t burn our throats? Brandy should be strong, don’t you think? It’s going to take more than two bottles—”
She glanced up at him. His mug must’ve reflected the whirlwind of confusion he felt listening to her rattle on because she let out a long sigh.
“What I want from you, what I wanted from you that night we, um, in my cabin, I wanted you to be with me. Me. I acted like a hussy and I feared that I had misled you. I was scared that I would mean no more to you than a passing night of strumming. I wanted you to fall for me the way…”
A bank of tears filled her troubled eyes. She bit her lip before looking up to him. “I destroyed what could have been the most beautiful night of my life. It is I who should ask for forgiveness. I put you in a terrible position, Thayer. ’Twas my fault for being a flighty girl with silly ideas.”
Did he understand her correctly? “I didn’t hurt you?”
She shook her head.
The weight of guilt crushing him eased, but not entirely. He should be thrilled, should be released from the shame he’d carried since that night, but something pecked at his mind’s core. Despite what she claimed, he had a hand in damaging her dignity.
“I agree. What happened was your fault.”
The poor, sweet lass shot him an incredulous look.
“You beguiled me in a way no other woman has and caused me to do the unthinkable. I began to care more than I should have allowed. I’ve never chased a quarry afraid she might get away. I’ve never gone into battle unsure if I will be victorious. With you, it was possible to lose. I don’t lose. And so I approached you with the same strategy I would a prize on the open ocean. I bear some responsibility. I should have been mindful of how you felt.”
What the hell was he thinking baring his soul? Vulnerability did not suit him. He cleared his throat, glanced out the window to his ship and finally drank from his cup.
“You care for me?”
“Yes, Gilly. I do.”
She squealed and threw her arms around his neck. He reached back, extracting himself from her hug. “That is why I’m sending you away when this is over. Tonight.”
“No. I won’t go. I want to be with you.”
“Gilly—”
“I want to be with you always.”
Drake was speechless. Women had pined for him many times before, whispering promises of unimaginable desires. But he was a scarred man and left his doxies with no pretenses he’d return. Where did he go wrong? Why would Gilly want to waste her life on the likes of him? Indeed, a life with her might be glorious. His parents’ marriage had been one of happiness. Theirs was one of true love, even in hardships. Drake saw it in their smiles, the way they held hands during prayer at dinner, the kiss they shared every morning before starting the day’s grueling work. ’Twas dangerous to love too much. He needed only to look to the deaths of his parents and Giana and her husband to be reminded. He would not put anyone in harm’s way because he foolishly loved them.
Most especially Gilly.
Chapter Eighteen
“It’s heartless to say you care and then turn your back on me. Please, Thayer. Don’t send me away now.”
“I am heartless, love.” He must be to shut her from his life.
“I don’t believe it.” Gilly spoke scarcely above a whisper. She slipped her wrists from his grasp and cupped his face in her palms. He’d never felt hands so soft against his whiskered cheeks, two days beyond a clean shave. In momentary weakness, he closed his eyes, giving in to their gentleness. “Give me time,” she said. “Let me change your mind.”
“I won’t change my mind. For your safety, I won’t.”
Her hands fell away and her eyes dipped to his bandolier. He sensed a change within her. Her sadness, it seemed to evaporate, or perhaps shift into something resembling determination. She ran a finger over the leather straps holding one of his flintlocks close to his chest.
“Well, Captain Drake, at least give me a few more hours. I’ve a quarry to pursue.”
He smiled in spite of himself. Yes, determination, a hunter stalking prey. She’d come a long way from the timid mouse he fished out of the sea.
“I’m prepared to do battle.” She pinned him with an impassioned grin.
“Battle will be risky,” he said, gazing at her mouth. “Your blood will race, your heart will pound, and you will be left sweaty and breathless. Though the outcome may leave you rich, you will yearn for more, and more I cannot give.”
“We shall see.” She hooked her finger under the brace and tugged. He willingly let her lead him to the edge of the bed. “Should my strategy fail, the loss will be worth the pursuit.”
“This I won’t deny.”
Without so much of a warning, Gilly nabbed him and kissed him, a starved child devouring a tasty morsel. His jacket caught on his weapons as she pulled and yanked to release him. He pried himself out of her clutches.
“Gilly. No. Hold on, sweetheart.”
Round, doe eyes filled with humiliation and fear.
“Take it slow, love.” He wanted this as badly as she, but he wanted complete control over what happened next. No more flubs. No more mistakes. He would show her exactly what she meant to him. This would be for her. “Let’s not rush into battle. There is much to enjoy.”
She nodded, understanding he meant not to make her uncomfortable.
“Sometimes, you must circle your quarry.” He stalked around her, shedding his jacket as he came up behind her and whispered in her ear. “Tease her with the skirmish to come.” Her floral scent wrapped tendrils of desire around his every nerve. He shrugged out of his bandolier and tossed it into a chair. “Don’t raise your flag too soon.” He swept her golden locks aside and kissed the milky white column of her neck. “Leverage is when she doesn’t know what move to expect.”
She shivered under his breath upon her ear. Such a sweet vulnerable spot. Drake knew all too well hot breath and a wet tongue upon a woman’s ear was like a magical key unlocking her treasure box. She’d be ready for him before he removed her clothes.
He traced the outline of her ear and nibbled on her lobe while working the loops and buttons of her gown. The fabric whooshed to the floor in a blue drift of silk. In a matter of moments, he had Gilly peeled from her stay, standing in only her shift. Even from his close proximity behind, he appreciated the way the flimsy material rested upon her hidden curves. He took in another taste of her throat and gazed down into the hollow between her breasts. Damn but the rounded flesh rising from the valley beckoned for his touch. His hands snaked around her waist to claim her breasts. Gilly arched back against him, giving him full access to cup and fondle her.
A sound much like a kitten’s purr escaped her parted lips. She reached back and dragged her hand across the outer dip of his thigh. Heat seared to his groin faster than he would like. He must control the fire lest he burn out too soon.
She twisted around in his arms. Heavy lids partially hid her gray eyes laden with desire. Freckles dusting her adorable nose brought to mind she was still so young. “What would you do next, Captain?” she whispered. She bit her full puckered bottom lip like a coy and naughty child. But she wasn’t a child. She was a full, blossomed woman. The coy and naughty part was debatable.
“I’d brand her as my own.” Drake stared deep into her eyes before placing a chaste kiss to her luscious lips. Pulling back only a breath, he continued. “But, then, I branded her during my first pass around her bow.”
He kissed her full on. Slow at first, supping on her brandy-sweetened lips. Her
hands slid up his chest and wound through his hair at his neck. ’Twasn’t enough, he needed more of her. He pushed his way inside her mouth where her tongue received him equally. Their kiss was not rushed. Urgent, yes. But not animalistic as before.
Still, she left him breathless.
“Does she surrender?” Gilly whispered against his lips.
“She should.”
“Perhaps she would seek to even the advantage.” She rubbed her hands over his shoulders and gently tugged on his sleeves.
“Having me naked does not give you an advantage.”
“What? No more innuendoes?” she asked playfully.
“There is less negotiating when the battle begins. And the battle has begun, love.” He removed his shirt, almost laughing under her appreciative scrutiny. Gilly feasted upon his chest, her mouth open and her lips tipped into a grin. Rendered speechless, again. He would be wise to remember this. The next time she began chattering endlessly, he’d simply remove his shirt to quiet the lass. “Have I already won?”
She fluttered out of her trance. “I was merely admiring the artillery.”
He chuckled at her wit. “’Twould only be fair to allow me the same privilege.”
“But I haven’t seen all of your weapons.”
Drake raised his eyebrows. Oh, how he enjoyed this trifling. She pushed her boundaries, cutting loose the ties of inhibition. He saw it in the way she wet her lips, how she held her breath two beats too long.
“Very well.” He kept his stare on her as he toed out of his boots, smirking as he unlaced his trousers and shoved them to his ankles. Her cheeks blazed the most charming rosy color. She tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear and looked away. Aye, he was growing by the moment, all for her.
He gently traced a finger down her cheek and turned her face to look at him again. Another chaste kiss was in order. A delectable kiss to reassure her he would not ravage her. If only Gilly knew she could undo him simply with her soft lips. Never had he imagined keeping his appetite in check would be this endearing. “You dally where you shouldn’t.”
“I know what I want.”
“As do I.” He gathered her shift and pulled it up and over her head. Glory be, she was perfect. His fingers twitched to touch her creamy skin and his tongue danced to explore her dips and curves. Their first coupling happened too quickly. Now, to be able to admire her body here, with the sunlight streaming into their room, was divine. To feel her without primal lust driving him would be more than he could ever desire.
“You’re so beautiful.”
She awarded him a demure smile and he could deny himself no longer. The smooth slope of her hip stirred his erection. He took her hand into his and, crooking her arm behind her back, pulled her against him. He would not at all tire from kissing this woman or hearing her soft moans. They stood in a delicious and compromising position as she fit nicely into him. With his wandering free hand, he skimmed the cleft of her back just above the rise of her bottom. He always found that to be an incredibly sensual spot.
The flesh around his deadened scars tingled under the curious study of her fingertips. Gilly rubbed over the ancient wound, not stopping on the one, but finding and carefully stroking every battle scar of a once untrained, reckless mercenary. Her tender touch on the most hideous parts of his body rocked Drake. This woman was going to destroy him completely.
He guided her down onto the bed, slinking over her until she lay in a mass of her golden tresses upon the pillow. Seeing her that way, the blush of her cheeks, her wet inviting lips, the rise and fall of her freckle-dusted chest, he could gaze upon her forever. To hell with the rest of the world.
“Are you sure you want this, Gilly?” It would kill him if she said no. Drive him to wander the oceans alone. She had already tarnished his soul with thoughts he cared not to entertain. He sent a silent thank you to whichever god or demon felt inclined to listen when she smiled that coquettish smile and nodded. He crushed his mouth to hers for a quick farewell before his tongue traveled down her neck, pausing along her collarbone, and down to her breast. She squirmed as he suckled her nipple, kneading the soft dome of her other breast and fingering her puckered nipple. His eager cock jumped and strained to bury deep within her. He must keep himself from unraveling.
Enticing feminine sighs encouraged him to travel farther below. He nudged her legs open, easing himself between them, and stroked the soft flesh of her inner thighs, kissing along her hip. Promises lay within her flaxen thatch of curls. He needed only to unlock her secret with a kiss. ’Twas necessary he give her unimaginable pleasure where he was sure she had not experienced it. A wee squeak chirped on her sharp intake of breath. He relished stimulating a woman with his tongue, devouring her very essence. Fortunately, he was a master at love play. He brought his doxies to their knees, and while there, they gladly returned the favor. But this, this was solely for his songbird.
Gilly’s intoxicating scent drove him mad. He wanted her to enjoy this intimacy as much as he. He wanted her to feel how much he desired her. With her, he’d expect nothing in return. Having her this way was all he required. “You’re so warm, so wet.” Drake deepened his kiss, swirling his tongue across her wet folds, slow and gentle at first. But soon he suckled and lapped faster, unable to taste enough of her sweet juices.
She writhed in a rhythmic motion to his tongue. “Please, Thayer. Oh God, please have mercy.”
Her cresting moans grew louder and she grabbed his wrists holding tight to her hips. Arching off the bed, Gilly cried out. Drake held her steady, delivering one last kiss whilst her body shuddered. He kissed her thigh and gazed over her heaving bosom. What a sublime sight, watching his lass float down with the ebb of her peak. A smile played upon her lips as her eyes fluttered open.
“Thayer.”
Hearing her whisper his name was sweeter than the hypnotic lull of the seas.
“We’re not done, love.” He crawled up her body, dropping kisses along the way.
“Mmm. No. I need you.”
What had he done to deserve this woman’s heart?
* * *
Gilly lost the use of her limbs and her mind had been reduced to mush. What Thayer had just done to her…well, there were no words to describe it. Amazing wasn’t adequate. What she knew for certain was she didn’t ever want to leave Thayer and this bed.
“I need you. Inside me.”
“I promise to stop if you—”
“I won’t.” She splayed her hands down the hard planes of his back, skating over the concavity between his hips and outer thighs. His body was hard as stone but under her touch felt smooth as polished bronze. Hovering over her with his fists in the bed on either side of her, he resembled a feral animal about to eat his catch, and she wanted nothing more than to be his spoil. “Please, take me.” End the maddening ache between her legs.
His ebony eyes darkened—if that were possible. A lusty smile drew at the corner of his lips. “Then I shall.”
He eased inside her. A crease in his brow betrayed his concern of hurting her. In no way did she want him to govern his actions in fear of causing her pain. She bit her bottom lip and smiled. Once he was all the way in, she let out a sigh. Filling her completely, he slid out slowly. Again, his tip pushed through her opening, going deeper within, and again, he pulled out slowly. His unhurried plunges were pure torture. Her hips rose of their own accord to meet him. She grabbed his arse to push him still deeper. He flashed a mischievous grin and descended upon her lips.
The salty scent and taste of his lips roused her carnal needs. Thayer quickened their motion, the pleasure almost too much to bear. He abandoned her mouth, for which she was grateful, as she gulped shallow breaths floundering with their rocking bodies.
Thayer fondled her breast while he grazed his teeth across her puckered nipple. She had no idea pleasure such as this existed
. But then, Thayer’s other hand slipped down to where their bodies joined. Heaven help her, Gilly nearly exploded. He stroked her wet lips in circles timed with each embedded thrust.
She twisted and pitched, driving up to take more of him. Every last bit of him. She couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think. She had nothing but desire. The rough pads of his fingertips rolled faster over her tender folds, and she climbed higher and higher. And higher. And, sweet mercy, still higher.
Suddenly, waves of rapture racked her body. She dug into the flesh of Thayer’s back and screamed. He, too, soon seized, following her cries with throaty moans of his own.
Thayer rolled off and drew her close. His hot breath upon her neck matched that of her racing heart. Their damp skin melded together and the moist air smelled of their lovemaking and sweat. He kissed her under her ear. She marveled at how quickly his wantonness turned into sweet tenderness.
It’s done. I’ve fallen in hopeless love. This revelation scared her beyond measure. Though, she had suspected it before, he unknowingly took complete control of her heart.
“That was a hard fought battle, love.” His voice draped her ear with husky richness, causing her toes to curl.
“Who do you think is the victor?”
He chuckled. Their teasing had ended and her heart sank, heavy with the realization nothing had changed. He would refuse to let her stay. Surely that was what his silence meant. And now she had gone and fallen in love.
His hand left a warm trail across her belly and tucked under her side, pulling her closer. “I meant what I said to you days ago, Gilly. You have brought me a sense of peace like I’ve never known existed. No other woman has affected me like you. You’re a complete distraction, a distraction I cannot afford.”
Her heart was breaking, splintering into a million pieces. Why couldn’t he see what he was doing to her, to himself? Why did he have to be so pigheaded?
She rolled over to look into his breathtaking face, rubbing her hand along the stubble of his cheek. “Thayer, I’ll do whatever you ask. Please. I’ll help Henri with the cooking. I’ll mend the sails. I’ll scrub every inch of your ship. Just please don’t send me away.”
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