by Becky Lower
His resolve vanished the moment Pippa finally freed his cock from his trousers. He wished for nothing more than to bury himself inside her up to the hilt. She held his rigid manhood in her hand, touching him softly, running her fingers up and down him. And he enjoyed the feel of her. He was close to spilling his seed the second she wrapped her fingers around him. When those fingers tightened and mimicked the up and down motion he had used with her only moments ago, he took a deep breath and gritted his teeth, needing to climax, but not wishing this torture to come to an end.
A sharp rap on the cabin door invaded his lust-filled brain.
“Cap’n, Travis is here to talk to you about replacing the mast.” Ben’s voice penetrated the carnal fog.
Daniel lifted his head from Pippa and barked, “I’ll be right out.”
He rolled off Pippa and stood, stuffing his still-hard cock back into his breeches. Pippa rose as well, straightening out her gown and tossing her hair out of her eyes. He placed a hand on her cheek and drew her in for one more kiss. “Will you stay here? I won’t be long.”
Pippa nodded. “We haven’t shared a cigar yet. I’ll wait.”
He let his hand slide over her breasts, over her hip and between her legs, reluctant to leave her side even for a few minutes. His lips claimed hers again as his hand began a rhythmic motion between her legs. He craved her and she drove him senseless.
She brushed her hand over his rigid manhood. “Hurry back.”
He groaned, toyed with her tongue a bit longer, and then backed off. With a final steamy glance, he left the small room where their journey had begun.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Pippa couldn’t sit still. Her body still tingled in every place Daniel had touched her. The mere thought of where his mouth had been, scorching her privates, made her cheeks heat. And then to recall the silky hardness of his shaft as she explored it with her fingers made her pant anew. She hoped he’d hurry back and finish what they’d started. She needed him to. She had to pace, otherwise she’d become a puddle of emotions, a bundle of nerves that were shooting off in all directions, and would end up on the floor near the doorway where she’d slept every night of the voyage, unable to move.
This ship, and this cabin, released a flood of memories. Sleeping on the floor each night, sharing cheroots with Daniel as he spoke of America, taking comfort in the fact he slept only a few feet away. She missed the little sighs and noises he made in his sleep. She missed being able to stare at him for hours by the light of the moon. She glided from one memory to another. The wood gleamed in the room and she wondered who had been taking care of the cabin. Her gaze wandered to the secret compartment she’d never been able to open. Fingers itching, she stood in front of the cabinet and tugged on the handle. It flew open, and she gasped.
“Finally, I get to see what was so secret.” She scrunched over and peered into the compartment, sticking her hand inside. Her skin prickled as her fingers flew around the small unit.
“Empty?” She hissed and slammed the door shut. “Then why was it locked?”
She smacked a hand to her forehead. Of course, there was no reason to lock it if there was nothing inside. Daniel must have already delivered whatever was so all-fired important it needed to be under lock and key. Some sleuth she was turning out to be.
Maybe she could pry an answer out of Ben. His timely interruption saved her from making a total fool of herself with Daniel, but she couldn’t decide if she should thank him or curse him. He’d never seen her in a proper gown before and a chat with him would pass the time under Daniel appeared to take her to heights of pleasure again. She’d track Ben down and work her charms on him. Maybe he’d be able to tell her something she could then relay to her uncle to speed up the standoff between the colonists and the British. Only then could she truly enjoy her life in America. She had five more months here before she could even consider heading back to England. She should surely be able to contribute something by then.
Ben wasn’t in the galley, so Pippa wandered to the stairs leading to the lower steerage deck, where most of the shipments were stored. She didn’t expect to find him there either, since most everything had been unloaded from the ship already, but she didn’t wish to head to the main deck where Daniel was in conference with the mast builder. Voices drifted up the stairs, so she headed below.
The voices stopped when her footsteps announced her presence. Her face finally cleared the decking, and she stopped at the last rung of the stairs.
“Hello, Ben.” She flashed a smile at him as he faced her.
“Pip?”
She curtseyed toward him. “One and the same, Ben.”
His eyes widened, and he tore his hat from his long, tangled hair. “Don’t you clean up well, my lady. Why are you here?”
Pippa glanced from Ben to the other man standing nearby. He had a familiar look, but she couldn’t place him. “The captain called on Uncle Walter today and he offered to show me the extent of the damage to the ship.”
Ben grasped her elbow and steered them to the stairs she had just climbed down. “Well, there’s not much to see on this deck, so we should go up to the main deck. Cap’n should be near done by now.”
She glanced over her shoulder at the other man, again attempting to place him. Then she stole a glance at the boxes he and Ben had been standing in front of. The markings were from the British army, markings she had become familiar with during her voyage over. Evidently, they hadn’t finished unloading all the supplies. And from the way Ben ushered her away from the man and the boxes, she instantly could tell something was off.
She allowed Ben to lead her up to the main deck. Ben released her elbow once they got onto the deck and they stood in front of Daniel.
“Look who I found wandering below deck, Cap’n! It’s little Pip, all grown up and dressed like a fancy woman now.” Ben stepped back after locking eyes with Daniel and disappeared below deck again, where the other man waited.
Daniel’s eyes narrowed as he stared at her. “Travis just left, so I’ll take you home now.”
Pippa had been expecting them to return to the cabin and continue where they’d left off. To at least share a cheroot, if nothing else. She craved a smoke, but more than that, she craved more of Daniel. She needed to taste him again, to feel his hard shaft. “What about sharing a smoke first?”
Daniel shrugged. “Sorry, I don’t have time. And we’ve been gone from your aunt’s for too long. I’ll give you a cheroot to take home.” He took her hand and led her off the deck onto the dock. Her footsteps faltered as her knees buckled. This was not how she planned things.
“What about the reason you took me out in the first place? You said you had a message from my father.” Pippa stood still and Daniel had to tug on her to get her going again.
“I didn’t say I had a direct message for you. He was unaware you and I were even acquainted. I merely delivered a letter from your uncle to him. But he appeared to be well, and in a hurry to get to his club.” Daniel placed his hand over hers on his arm and set off at a brisk pace.
“But did he read the letter? I’m sure Uncle Walter revealed my whereabouts.” Pippa panted as she tried to keep pace and talk at the same time.
“I’m sure he did, but your father didn’t open the letter in my presence, nor did he have any reason to discuss you with me. After all, I was merely a messenger.” Daniel finally slowed his pace once they were clear of the harbor.
At the door to the house, he tugged a cheroot out of his pocket and handed it to her. “Here you go.” He held her hand for a bit longer than normal, but didn’t kiss her again.
She bit her lower lip to keep it from quivering. Her body still hummed from their lustful encounter in the cabin before Ben had interrupted them. What had changed his mood?
“When will I see you again?” She hated the desperation in her voice, but couldn't help herself.
“I’m not sure. I have a lot to take care of with the repair work on the ship. And I need to spen
d some time with Emma.”
He released her hand and opened the door. She gave him one last blistering look. “I’m not someone to toy with, Captain.”
“Nor am I, Lady Worthington. Enjoy your smoke.” And once again, he closed the door in her face.
• ♥ •
Daniel rushed back to the ship and confronted Ben. “Did Pippa see anything?”
“Hard to say if she could piece things together. James and me, we was figuring out the best time to unload the goods and she interrupted us.” Ben rolled his massive shoulders. “She sure looked nice, though, dressed up like a real lady.”
“A very dangerous lady, if she can figure out what we were up to.” Daniel shook his head. “Never should have allowed her back on deck.”
“Well, she probably won’t put together we’re part of the Sons of Liberty. We’ve never said a word about them to her.” Ben brushed his beard.
“Well, it was a risk I won’t be taking again. I can’t take any chances.” Daniel ran a hand through his hair. “Let’s unload the supplies as soon as we can, in case she alerts her uncle.”
“Aye, aye. I’ll take care of it tonight.”
Daniel returned to his cabin. He ran sweaty palms down his trouser legs and glanced around the small room, which still smelled faintly of sex, and of Pippa. The room where they had slept, only feet apart from each other, for weeks. The room where he’d given her what almost certainly was her first-ever orgasm. The room where, if Ben hadn’t interrupted, he would have taken her completely. Thank heaven for small favors.
She was in the enemy camp. He trod a fine line between friend and foe, but had never confused the two. Until today.
He scrubbed his cheeks and took stock. Had he left anything here she might have gotten her hands on, as proof of his subterfuge? The door to his locked cabinet stood open, and he was certain he had closed it. She had asked him more than once about its contents when they were sailing over from England, so it stood to reason it would be the first place she’d look. Fortunately, he’d emptied the cabinet upon his arrival, so he’d thwarted any attempt of hers to find something of interest. But she had opened it. And hadn’t done a very good job of covering her tracks. What had he been doing, bringing her here? He pounded his forehead against the cabinet.
Despite what Sam asked him to do, Daniel decided the best solution for him was to stay miles away from her until she left for home. He couldn’t risk his involvement for the cause, simply because he grew stupid with lust every time he touched her.
Fortunately, she had discovered nothing to divulge to the enemy. And she had no war intelligence for him to pass along to the colonists. The conflict didn’t interest her, other than peripherally, and he had better things to do. He’d spend the rest of November with his daughter and then head to Fort Ticonderoga and work at getting the cannons to Boston. Pippa could spend her time with the lieutenant who’d been hovering since she arrived. They deserved each other.
Up on the main deck, he and Ben surveyed another ship as it slipped into the harbor and docked. “Recognize that ship, Ben?”
Ben ran his fingers through his beard. “Aye, Cap’n. She was in the harbor in London same time we were. But they weren’t planning to set sail for weeks after we left.”
“But with our crippled mast, we took far longer to get home than normal. They must have been on our tail for the last part of the voyage.” Daniel idly kept his gaze on the ship, curious about what goods they carried in their hold. Several people who had booked passage were the first to alight, and Daniel caught his breath. “Well, how about that?”
“You recognize someone?” Ben peered at the folks exiting the ship.
“The man with the top hat.” Daniel bent his head in the man’s direction. “That’s Pippa’s father. He must have finally opened the letter I delivered to him. He’s come to take his daughter home and get her married off to the man of means he’d selected for her.”
Ben cackled. “Well, he’ll have to wait. No ships will tackle the icy Atlantic until spring.”
“I’m sure he’ll find someone on this side of the Atlantic who will venture across, if he offers enough blunt. The man is desperate for money and Pippa’s his bargaining chip.” Daniel stroked his chin. “That’s why she stowed away in the first place.”
Ben punched Daniel’s shoulder. “Won’t be either of us then, eh?”
Daniel slowly nodded. “You’re right about that.”
Even if he hadn’t already decided to stay far away from her, having her father here running interference would have sealed it. After all, Daniel was an American, a captain of a merchant ship, and he didn’t even have his house anymore. He could never be considered someone with money or influence, two things Pippa’s father desperately craved.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
Pippa begged off her aunt’s ritualistic afternoon high tea, claiming a headache. She once again stared into the backyard of her aunt’s house, with the window open so she could blow smoke out with no one in the home being any the wiser about her habit. The cheroot matched her mood–explosive, fuming and smoking hot.
How dare Daniel close the door in her face again? He set her body on edge with a touch or a glance and then, with no outward appearance she had done the same to him, he closed the door and disappeared. Such an infuriating man. She drew in the taste of the cigar before blowing smoke rings out the window. At least her habit soothed her frazzled nerves, and she calmed, her breathing leveling out.
She had enough awareness of male anatomy, especially after being aboard ship with all kinds of men, and sharing a cabin with one for weeks on end, to be able to tell Daniel had been as excited as she had been about their sexual encounter. Hadn’t he told her if they didn’t hurry aboard he’d rip her clothes off in public and take her in the streets? His proclamation had made her sway on her feet, and then her knees completely gave way when he kissed her between her legs and made her crest. He’d given her an entirely new sensation, taken her to heights she’d never been to before, and she craved more. More of him. He’d been ready, erect and hard to her touch, as she toyed with his thick, rigid member. If not for the untimely interruption, he would have despoiled her and she would have been a willing, panting, participant.
Ransacked. Ravaged. Ravished.
Her entire body shivered as she relived the events of the early afternoon. And she had no clue when she'd see him again. When she could feel again.
“Damn you, Daniel.”
She rested her forehead on the windowsill and stared bleakly out into the yard. Her big adventure in America was turning into a bigger bore than any season in London. Daniel’s visits were scarce and the one time when she donned her disguise and ventured out on the streets alone had been a disaster. She’d caused a fight between Colin and Jeremy and the Sons of Liberty.
“That’s it!” Pippa ground out the stub of her cigar and tossed it out the window as her heart rate soared. “That’s where I’ve seen the man with Ben. He’s the one who gave me the cheroot in the tavern.”
She sank onto the bed and removed her shoes. Did Ben know he was dealing with one of the rowdy bunch of men called the Sons of Liberty? Her uncle spat each time he referred to them, and told her if not for them, they wouldn’t even have this rebellion, but Sam Adams and his men kept the colonists riled up.
She laid back on the bed, in case her aunt should come upstairs to check on her. Maybe it had been an innocent encounter, but what if Ben was one of the Sons of Liberty? Did that mean Daniel was, too? But Daniel was employed by the British. He would not be aiding the Americans, would he? If the man and Ben had been just innocently chatting with each other, why did Ben whisk her away so quickly, instead of introducing her to the man? It had been the height of bad manners, at the very least.
And at the very most? She didn’t even want to entertain the notion.
A harsh knock at the front door yanked her from her musings. Perhaps Daniel had returned? Her heartbeat fluttered. She leapt from the be
d and bent to put her shoes back on. Running a hand over her hair, she opened the door to her room and dashed to the stairwell.
Her steps faltered when she registered the voice. Her father entered the house and stood in the foyer, his gaze fixated on her. She gulped for air and continued down the stairs. “Father! What an unexpected surprise.”
When she got to the foyer, she rose on her tiptoes and kissed his papery cheek. It was only October, and she still had five more months until she became of age. Her father’s presence doomed her intent. Doomed the reason for her adventure. Her mind reeled as she attempted to process his presence. How had he gotten here so quickly?
He grabbed her arm, holding her away from him. “Did you not think your uncle would have contacted me? Especially when he’d been given no advance notice of your visit? He asked for clarification as to why you appeared on his doorstep, and so do I. Why did you run off? Have you any idea of the ridicule you caused me?” He shook her before releasing her. “I have been the laughingstock of the Ton.”
“Uncle Walter sent you a letter?” Even though Daniel had just told her he’d delivered a letter from Walter to her father, Pippa’s voice squeaked as she strove for a bit more time to process this kink in her plans.
“Yes, of course he did. His man delivered it right before he shipped out, so I couldn't book passage with him. I had to wait for the next ship to sail, which took weeks.” His angry gaze stayed on her. “Where is your uncle? I need to talk to him about getting us back home.”
Pippa felt like she was slogging through molasses, attempting to process what had happened. She foolishly had hoped Daniel had cleverly invented the reason to steal her away for the afternoon under the guise of having a message for her from her father. But Uncle Walter had, in fact, given him a letter for her father, and this was the ghastly result. Damn the man, anyway. Couldn’t he have been careless with it, pitched it overboard, instead? Did he keep the letter safe in his damnable locked compartment during the trip over from America?