by Deborah Hale
But how could she continue to resist him when her lips tingled with the memory of every single kiss he’d pressed upon them? The mere thought of him made her breasts and thighs ache for his touch.
As Genia sat in a quiet corner of the roundhouse, rain lashed against the bank of windows that ran along the stern of the ship and heavy seas buffeted the Hartwell. Just as Blade had predicted, the storm had kept them cooped up in the roundhouse, unable to indulge their desires with even a hot, fleeting kiss. Genia felt like an oil-soaked rag that might burst into flame at the tiniest spark.
“You seem very subdued, Miss Vernon.” As if conjured by her thoughts, Blade suddenly appeared beside her. The warmth of his voice and the sultry shimmer of his gaze seemed to glide over her in a provocative caress. “Are you feeling ill from the turbulence of the ship? I could take your mind off it by reading to you.”
He pulled out a slender volume and sank onto the chair beside her. His nearness, his scent and the heat radiating from his body ignited a yearning she could barely contain. All that kept her from hurling herself upon him was the fear that it might drive him away.
“I am not seasick,” she murmured, “only dismayed that you have kept your distance from me since the other day. Were you offended by my forwardness? Do you only desire me when I shrink from you?”
“On the contrary.” Blade opened the book and pretended to read to her, though the ragged intensity of his voice betrayed desires smoldering dangerously close to the surface. “Your spirit and forthrightness are among the qualities I most admire in you. It is myself I do not trust in your company when you are so deliciously willing.”
“You’re certain?” Genia searched his countenance for proof of his sincerity and found it in his ardent gaze.
When old Mr. Ramsey walked past them, Blade raised his voice and read an actual passage from the book. As soon as the man was out of earshot, he answered her question. “Quite certain. If your cabin were directly above mine, I fear I would have long since bored a hole in my ceiling to reach you.”
His words kindled a wanton heat between her thighs that begged for his touch. Margaret had told her what raptures awaited her in the arms of the right man. But even her friend’s blushing, breathless descriptions had not prepared Genia for the sensation of Blade’s deft fingers probing her body’s most intimate secrets. That foretaste of the carnal delight had whetted her appetite for more. She longed to press her naked body against Blade’s and feel his fingers and lips work their sensual magic upon her. She yearned to lie beneath him and take him deep inside her in the way Margaret had described.
“I would have welcomed you with open arms.” That provocative whisper had scarcely left her lips when a violent gust of briny wind blew in one of the window panes, dousing all the candles in the roundhouse at once.
At the very same instant, the ship listed at a steep angle, throwing Genia from her seat and flinging her across Blade’s lap.
The other passengers cried out in shock, but she could think of nothing beyond the firm bulge of Blade’s straining manhood against her belly and the reassuring strength of his hands as he grasped her around the waist. He must have been equally conscious of her alone, for he seized the unexpected opportunity to fondle her bottom. The rhythmic caress of his hand conveyed urgent yet tender yearning. It sent ripples of tingling heat radiating outward from her bottom to the rest of her body.
Genia writhed in the throes of reckless delight, even as the darkened roundhouse erupted in cries of alarm. Neither the peril of their situation nor the danger of discovery and disgrace mattered at that moment—only the urgent passion that racked her body, straining for release. Arching her bottom higher, she spread her legs, begging him to touch her there, as he had during their last furtive tryst. Blade obliged, pressing the light muslin of her skirts between her parted legs to swipe over the exquisitely sensitive opening to her moist passage that ached to be filled.
“The ship is going to sink!” wailed the vicar’s niece. “We’re all going to die!”
Though Genia knew it might be true, she did not share the girl’s panic. If her life must be cut short, like Margaret’s, she would rather die in Blade’s arms than live a hundred years without him. Her only regret would be that she had not given herself to him.
The door of the roundhouse burst open and second mate staggered in bearing a lamp.
Wrenching his hand away from her backside, Blade tipped Genia upright and set her back on her chair. “You’re not hurt, I hope?”
The rasp of his breath and the husky timbre of his voice told her his frustration at being interrupted was every bit as painful as hers.
Though she wanted to scream out of thwarted longing, his tone of tender concern worked on her heart as his hands had on her body.
“Only a little winded,” she lied.
“Then I must see if any of the others need help.”
Genia held tight to her seat when another great wave tilted the ship at an alarming angle. As she watched Blade assist and reassure the other passengers, she was rocked by the realization that her feelings for him had strayed beyond mere physical desire into much more dangerous waters. The insight sent a shudder of anxiety through her, for she knew there could be no hope of a future together, even if she wanted one. Which she didn’t…did she?
“No injuries,” Blade reported to the second mate, “though some of the ladies are considerably distressed. Can I be of assistance to the captain? I was a keen sailor in my youth—on much smaller vessels, to be sure…”
“Thank you, sir.” The second mate relit the candles. “I reckon he’d be grateful if you could keep the other passengers calm.”
Blade nodded. “You may depend on me.”
After the second mate had lumbered back out into the storm, Blade turned to the other passengers with a wide, untroubled smile that Genia suspected might not be entirely sincere. “Captain Burns and his crew have matters well in hand. I’m sure our greatest danger is suffering falls when the ship rolls.”
He offered a footstool to the vicar’s wife. “The closer we are to the floor, the less we’ll have to fear on that score. I suggest we all settle down on stools and cushions. I can assure you there is nothing to fear as long as you have me aboard. I have been through more catastrophes at sea than you can imagine—quite a number of my own making. But I always managed to escape unscathed. I recall once when I was sailing around the Isle of Wight…”
When Genia sank onto a cushion beside him, the other passengers quickly followed her example. She listened as Blade spun tale after tale of his misadventures at sea, a sort of comical Odyssey. Though she guessed the intended purpose of his stories, she could not help being drawn into them.
Blade’s animation and charm worked wonders on the other passengers. As he came to the end of one story, he managed to weave it seamlessly into the next, making the terrible tempest in the middle of that vast ocean seem of no more consequence that a mild squall on the Solent.
When he finally paused to catch his breath, the vicar’s niece spoke. “I believe the wind has died down.”
“So it has!” cried Blade. “It’s nothing to what it was. We’re out of the worst of it, to be sure. I reckon this calls for a sip of wine, don’t you?”
A short time later, Genia lifted her wineglass in a salute to Blade. “Well done! Don’t ever again claim you lack ability or believe anyone else who tries to tell you so.”
“Talking endlessly about myself?” He gave a dismissive shrug. “That hardly signifies.”
“You did a great deal more than that, and I believe you know it. I recognize a natural leader when I see one in action. Perhaps the reason you haven’t cultivated your abilities is because you have not yet discovered anything that made you care enough to exert them.”
Something stirred in the depths of his eyes, leading Genia to hope he would take her words to heart.
Then, as if he feared she had seen too deeply into him, Blade leaned toward her with a sly grin
and whispered, “Does exerting myself to find a way into your bed count?”
Though she feared that a night in his bed would only deepen the dangerous hold he had begun to exert upon her heart, she could not prevent herself from replying, “Most definitely!”
Chapter Four
He must have her!
Some compulsion, far stronger than mere lust, pulsed through Blade’s veins as he crept through the ship in the hushed, black depths of the night. He hoped the crew would be too exhausted from battling the storm to mark the furtive comings and goings of one passenger. But whether they were or not, he was prepared to risk the consequences of discovery for the chance to lie with Genia that night. The memory of her soft, ripe body pressed against him and the siren song of her encouraging whisper made it impossible for him to continue denying the hunger that bedeviled him.
Hearing the heavy tread of footsteps, Blade melted into the deepest shadows and held his breath until they passed. Then he set off again, all his senses on quivering alert. When he managed to reach the roundhouse without being caught, he heaved a sigh of relief that was short-lived. What if he found Genia’s door locked? How would he wake her to let him in without rousing all her neighbors, as well?
Preoccupied with that problem, he failed to concentrate as closely as he should on where he was going. His foot caught on some unseen obstacle, sending him sprawling to the floor.
Blade scarcely had time to scramble to his feet, let alone hide or flee before the captain was out of his stateroom, lantern in hand. “What in blazes brings you up here at this hour, Maxwell?
All Blade’s glib wit deserted him. He stammered some lame excuse about searching for a book he’d left behind.
“Time enough for that tomorrow.” The craggy old salt fixed him with a most intimidating scowl. “I warn you, Maxwell, I will not tolerate any mischief aboard my ship. If I get a whiff of it again, I shall be forced to take stronger measures. Do I make myself clear?”
With a jerky nod and a muttered apology, Blade fled back to his cabin to nurse his frustration. Perhaps if the Hartwell anchored at the Cape for a few days to take on fresh supplies, he might be able to escort Genia ashore and find some opportunity to be alone with her. But what if the ship sailed straight to England? Would their dalliance fade from the realm of unfulfilled dreams to one of wistful memories? He was not certain he could bear that.
Indeed, he was beginning to wonder how he would bear their parting, whether he bedded her or not.
Aching with arousal, he groped in the darkness toward his bed, which was suspended from the ceiling with chains to prevent him feeling the worst of the ship’s motion. He hoped sleep would soon overtake him, bringing with it delightful dreams about Genia. At this rate, it might be the only way he would ever get into her bed!
Stripping off his clothes, he crawled under the sheets only to find the bed occupied by someone else! Had he wandered into the wrong cabin by mistake? This night was going from bad to worse.
He began to stammer an apology when soft fingertips covered his lips, and he inhaled the lush sweetness of jasmine. Genia! Was he dreaming already?
If so, he would kill anyone who tried to wake him!
Seizing her in his arms, Blade pulled her close and kissed her with wild, possessive joy. His hands ranged over her body, seeking to persuade him that she was no dream.
Only when he had temporarily sated his craving for her sweet mouth did his lips blunder over her cheek to whisper in her ear. “How did you manage to steal down here without being caught?”
“I heard you and the captain in the roundhouse. While his attention was distracted, I slipped out and came down here to wait for you.” Spoken in the softest possible murmur, her words still had a triumphant ring.
Through the light fabric of her shift, Blade could feel the soft warmth of her breasts and the firm buds of her nipples pressed against his bare chest. Though those exquisite sensations threatened to drive him mad with need, the captain’s gruff rebuke thundered in his thoughts. Somehow he scavenged up enough restraint to pull away from Genia.
“You shouldn’t be here,” he hissed. “It’s too dangerous.”
She gave a low, bewitching chuckle. Then Blade felt the provocative brush of her fingertips over his bare chest. “I know what danger I can fear from you and I am willing to risk it.”
His body demanded he take her now, as they both wanted. But honor…and perhaps his heart…put up a valiant resistance. Raising her hand to his lips, he begged her, “Go, while I can still let you.”
When he tried to release her hand she clung stubbornly to his fingers. “A few moments ago, you were sneaking up to my bed. What difference does it make if I come to yours? Are you so perverse that you do not want me when I am willing? That is the reason you ignored me in Madras, isn’t it?”
“You don’t understand.” Raising his hand, with hers still clinging to it, Blade brushed the backs of his fingers against her cheek. “I want you, Genia, God forgive me. I want you asleep or awake…though preferably the latter. I want you standing, sitting or lying down, happy or vexed. I want you anyway and every way, all the time. But never more than at this moment.”
She lunged toward him, her lips stumbling blindly over his face. “Then take me, for heaven sake!”
“I…can’t.” He forced the words out through resistant lips.
Genia reached out to caress his chest again. Then her hand strayed lower. “Your body tells me otherwise.”
Her eager yet innocent touch almost sent him over the edge. “So it does, the lecherous traitor. But I will not satisfy its carnal appetites at the risk of your happiness. Someday you may change your mind about wanting to wed. I will not ruin your chance of marriage by taking your virginity. That is why I did not take advantage of your very tempting invitation in Madras. I did not want to trifle with an innocent young lady and put her reputation at risk when I was not at liberty to offer her any honorable connection. I tried to persuade myself the situation is different now, but it isn’t.”
“I wish you’d told me all this sooner.” A note of tenderness crept into Genia’s voice. “I could have saved you a great deal of dithering. I assure you there is not the least possibility I will change my mind about marriage. And you need not fret about my reputation. I have already managed to sully it quite beyond redemption. That is why the other ladies have kept their distance from me, and why I have no proper chaperone on the voyage. It is why I chose this time to join Aunt Millicent in England and begin the next chapter in my life.”
So this delectable creature in his bed was no longer a virgin? Even as Blade roused at the prospect of being free to make a conquest of her at last, he could not stifle an unreasonable qualm of regret that he would not be her first and only lover.
It pained Genia’s conscience to deceive Blade with another half-truth, especially now that she understood his honorable motives for discouraging her earlier pursuit of him.
Though her reputation had been compromised, her virtue had not. She was still a virgin and would likely remain one until she became a withered old maid unless she seized her chance tonight. It was that prospect that had propelled her into Blade’s bed, despite the danger that he might claim her heart as well as her body. If she let that happen, their parting at the end of this voyage would be as painful as any bereavement.
Genia strove to block out that terrifying thought by concentrating on the delightful sensations of Blade’s nearness—the smooth heat of his skin, the melting whisper of this voice.
She seized the instant of dazed silence that greeted her confession to press her advantage.
“Let us not waste any more time on explanations that will only keep us from what we both want so much.”
For an instant, she feared Blade might renew his protests, giving her doubts time to catch up with her. Instead, he pulled her close again, playfully nuzzling her ear. “You will get no more argument from me. I surrender.”
“Excellent.” She chuckled as h
e grazed her neck and shoulder with his cheek. “I will give you very generous terms.”
“I have no doubt of that.” He fumbled for the hem of her shift then, tugging it up and off.
With a deep, exultant sigh, he eased her back onto the bed. Genia wriggled on the sheets, reveling in her nakedness.
Blade wasted no time relishing it, too. As he rubbed his bare body against hers, she soaked in the delicious friction and gave herself up to the ravenous heat it created. Then he kissed and nuzzled his way down her neck and over her collarbones.
A deep purr of pleasure rippled through Genia’s chest when his lips closed over her nipple and he began to suckle while fondling her other breast with his free hand. For what seemed like a blissful eternity, he pleasured her thus, making her breath race and her body writhe. Not content to be a passive recipient of his favors, she ran her fingers through his hair, down his neck and over his shoulders, trying to commit his form to memory.
When at last he pressed a parting kiss upon each nipple and began to range lower, she bent to whisper in his ear. “Now it is my turn to touch you and bring you pleasure.”
She wanted to convince him that she was a woman of experience. If he suspected her innocence, she feared he might send her away before he had properly initiated her into the secret wonders of womanhood.
“Believe me,” he breathed, “to taste your skin and caress your bare body brings me enormous pleasure.”
“Speaking of enormous…” She reached down to wrap her fingers around his shaft. Surely he would never suspect a woman who touched him with such wanton assurance of being a green virgin.
Blade gasped. “Have a care or you will drive me over the edge before I can oblige you.”
“Indeed?” Genia loosened her grip to run her fingertips over his straining flesh. “I have the utmost faith in your self-control.”
With a deep low growl, Blade fell back onto the bed and surrendered to her caresses. With neither experience nor tutoring upon which to draw, Genia relied upon her intuition and imagination, taking her cues from the way he moved and the sounds he made to discover what pleased him.