After his slumber almost two feet apart from Ivy and separated from her by Emma, he had ended up awfully close to the woman by morning. The feelings running through his heart concerned him. When had he grown so attached to this lady? It was not his place. He was…her ferry home. That was all. He was meant to carry her home to London, and nothing more. Misery tightened in his gut. If he was wise, he would push these feelings away. But apparently he was not wise, because he could not brush away the longing jabbing at him to press a kiss to her forehead.
A blow to his stomach knocked the thought right from his head. Gage glanced down at Emma, whose leg had kicked him in her sleep. He chuckled quietly and drew her closer to him with the arm that was not around Ivy’s waist. The thought was pleasant, and led his mind down some dangerous avenues.
Just as Gage was about to rise and move away from the woman, a gasp met his ears. Ivy had woken, her stormy gray eyes wide. “Captain Thompson.”
“Aye, that is my name. Although I still would much prefer it if you would call me Gage.”
She frowned. Finally, her gaze found Emma and realization crossed her face. “Well. We’d best get up, before…before someone sees us like this.”
Gage could not resist the opportunity. He leaned forward to hug her, with Emma cradled between them. Her sweet scent of citrus teased his nose as her soft curls tickled his cheek. She was so soft…so lovely. After a second, her arms wrapped around his waist and Gage let out a sigh of contentment. It would be easy to get used to having someone as sweet as her to embrace every day.
“Blast it all, look what we have here! The captain actually does know how to touch a lady.”
Gage jerked away from Ivy and squinted up at the crew member who had invaded their privacy. Jennings.
Peterson—a man who could typically be found shadowing Rogers—chimed in, “I don’t think he does. I know I’d be doin’ a whole lot more than simply touchin’ that lady.”
Gage stiffened his jaw. The audacity of these men. A soft hand wrapped around his fist. When had he clenched his fists? He relaxed his hand and allowed his fingers to entwine with Ivy’s. He cast her a sidelong glance. She stared at him with a look of inner strength, strength he hadn’t always been aware she possessed.
Gage faced his men. “I will not have you talking to me like this. I don’t want to hear another word from my crew about Lady Shaw. Our affairs are not yours.”
The men jeered, but walked away. Gage extracted his hand from Ivy’s, before she could feel it tremble. What was wrong with him? He was not cut out to be a leader, a captain. So why did he go on pretending like he was born for this position? It’s what you’ve always aspired to be. But what did that matter, anyway? He was useless, doomed to forever be under someone else’s command.
Ivy’s hand rested on his elbow and she tugged him to face her. Her gray eyes searched his in concern. “Are you all right, Gage? Don’t listen to those…monsters. I think…I think you’re a wonderful, strong man. A much better man than any of them could ever hope to be.”
Gage’s heart soared at her complement, but his pride cried out. She could tell he wasn’t confident in his abilities as captain? Could the rest of his crew tell as well?
“Did I say something to upset you?” Ivy shifted Emma in her arms. The child still slept.
“No, milady, you said nothing. I just…forgive me. I must go.” Gage spun on his heel and exited the woman’s area of the camp. He needed to distance himself from the lady, and he might as well begin sooner rather than later.
****
Ivy crossed her arms across her chest and watched as Gage’s men cleaned the ship and repaired the broken wood. They worked quickly, but this was their third day spent on the beach. Ivy had begun to wonder if they would ever finish the job. How badly had the hurricane damaged the ship?
She was also beginning to wonder what she had done wrong. Hurt spread through her like ice despite their tropical setting as she gazed at Gage—well, she really ought to call him Captain Thompson. The man had seemed to keep himself quite busy since the first morning they had spent on this island. Even during the nights, when Emma had cried herself to sleep, he avoided them and spent the majority of the time pacing across the beach. Well, it was better this way. It was better to discover what a cruel person he was before she grew even further attached to him.
And yet Ivy found it hard to tear her eyes from the sight of him. With one hand pressed against his brow, squinting against the dark clouds that dotted the sky, he stood waist-deep in water. Ivy’s face heated as she caught a glimpse of his bare chest. He had begun to shed his shirt while they worked on this island. His chestnut-brown hair damply curled around his ears due to the humidity in the air.
He shouted orders to his men, who scurried down the side of the ship, scraping off all the excess crust that had accumulated on the Siren’s Call. His gaze caught hers and held it for a moment as he turned. She frowned and glanced away, bouncing Emma in her arms.
Captain Thompson had all but ignored Emma because of all of his work, as well, and Ivy could tell the child had been affected by it. What a monster.
A hand briefly tapped on Ivy’s elbow, garnering her attention. She whipped around, prepared to fend off one of Captain Thompson’s men. Mr. Douglas smiled down at her and nodded to Emma. She backed away a step. Douglas had been nothing but a gentleman to her, but how could she rightly trust him? He was employed on this pirate ship. Now they were in the expansive setting of this wild island, would he take that as an opportunity to harm her or Emma? “You might want to hold the babe a little less tightly—it would do her good to breathe.”
Ivy glanced down at Emma. She practically had the poor girl in a stranglehold. Quickly, she loosened her grip on the child and laughed nervously. Surely Mr. Douglas would never hurt either of them.
“Are you all right, milady? Something seems to have upset you.”
“Oh, don’t worry about me, Mr. Douglas. I just…I just thought you were someone else.” Ivy smoothed a copper curl out of Emma’s face.
“May I…hold her?” Mr. Douglas indicated to the child.
“Oh.” The man had watched Emma for her and Gage before, so surely she would be safe if he held her for a moment. She handed the little one over.
Adam looked quite awkward trying to balance the moving child, but after a few moments she seemed to grow accustomed to him.
“How have you been doing? I know a lady like you has not slept on the sand much in her life.” Mr. Douglas tickled Emma, eliciting a giggle. He seemed relieved to have made the child happy.
“I actually much prefer it to the constant rocking of the ship,” Ivy replied with a rueful chuckle.
Lightning cracked across the sky. Emma sobbed, and Ivy restrained a whimper of her own as dark clouds rolled across the sky. Mr. Douglas’s brow furrowed kindly. It was a pity the side of the man’s face was scarred so badly. He really would have been handsome otherwise, and he had such a generous heart.
“Don’t you worry about the storm, milady. It should just be a little rain—it won’t harm us a bit.”
“Oh, good, sir. I did not enjoy the storm in any way, and I’m afraid Emma did not either.”
Adam bounced the baby in his arms. She grabbed his chin in her hands and shoved it side to side. “I must get to work, milady, but it was nice to speak with you.” He handed Emma back to her and jogged to stand next to the captain.
Ivy sank down onto the sand. She couldn’t help but watch Gage as he bantered back and forth with his crew, as if he had all the confidence in the world. His men might not realize that, but she knew it was not true. She had seen the hurt, the fear in his eyes when his men accused him of not being a true man. Ivy found it endearing, really, and she wanted to help him build up his confidence. But he had refrained from speaking to her the past few days, and despite her attempts to speak with him, he had barely responded. Well, no matter how he acted to her, it was still hard to tear her eyes from him. She rocked Emma against her
chest, hoping the little one would distract her from the strange feelings she was developing toward Gage.
A man somewhere behind her chuckled. She glanced back and dread clenched around her heart. The sailor leisurely leaned his back against a nearby palm tree. She knew the man, but could not quite place his name. Either way, she was not too fond of him from the way he had treated Gage. He was speaking in murmurs—loud murmurs to another man…Rogers?
She leaned backwards to hear more of their conversation. “What a fool he is…leaving a…thing like her like that. He needs to learn how to be a man…someone else will take her.” The man glanced at her and made eye contact. A shiver crept through her body. Rogers replied to him, but she could not make out his words. Gooseflesh popped up on her skin and she hugged Emma close.
These men would drive her mad with distraction. Ivy had to admit, she also felt some fear in their presence. Heaven knew what they were capable of. She needed to get away from them at once to get some peace and quiet.
The lush green of the jungle behind her beckoned her to join it, offering her a reprieve from the nonstop stares and leers from the ship’s men. Biting her lip, Ivy flashed a glance at Gage, who did not seem to be paying any attention to her actions. Well, that was all the better. She did not need him following her. Not that he would, though. He didn’t seem to care if she was well or not as of late, so why should he bother to keep her safe in the jungle?
Ivy tore into the greenery, and a blast of warm humidity hit her face. She stepped farther inside the jungle, whipping branches out of her way. Somewhere in the distance, an exotic bird called. Emma clung to Ivy’s waist with all her might.
Ivy continued her trek through the jungle at a rapid pace—she needed to get far away from the men of that horrid ship, and she needed distance right now. After a few minutes she finally slowed and spun in a leisurely circle, pushing loose strands of hair off of her neck. Sweat dripped down her neckline, but at least her surroundings were quiet. Peaceful. Everywhere she moved, green met her eyes. Off in the distance, a growl rumbled through the trees and shrubbery. Ivy gasped and spun around. Panic filled her. Maybe it would be best to turn back to the camp. Which…which direction had she come from?
“Oh, Emma, what have I done?” Ivy nudged the tyke closer and buried her face in the short curls, inhaling their sweet scent. What had she been thinking, charging aimlessly into a wild jungle with a baby?
Something rustled in the trees behind her and it was all she could do not to scream. Thunder crashed, and in a second, rain was pouring through the jungle’s canopy. Emma giggled and pointed at the water pouring down on them. Ivy spun around. From which direction had she come? They needed to get back before something dreadful happened.
The branches in one direction were disturbed, like she had come from that area. A shiver iced down her spine. It seemed better to go somewhere than to stay here waiting for some monster to pounce and eat both of them, so hopefully it wouldn’t hurt to go that way. After one glance over her shoulder, she hurried down the somewhat visible path. Emma’s weight seemed to grow heavier by the second. Ivy’s shoulders ached. Water toppled down on them from the branches above, and before Ivy knew it, the soaked fabric of her dress chafed her skin with each step she took.
It seemed like she had been walking for hours. Surely she had not wandered this far from the beach. Dread flooded her body, paralyzing her for a moment. Surely she was going in the wrong direction. She had just journeyed even farther away from the beach. “I’m sorry, Emma.”
Thunder shook the entire island and Emma wailed. Ivy stopped in her tracks and cuddled the girl close to her body. “It’s okay, sweetie, we are all right. Shush.”
Something howled in the distance. She launched herself forward and let out a cry of her own.
Her breath left her body.
Something tugged at her skirt. A branch. Ivy tore free and continued on at a rapid pace. Emma began to slip from her arms, but Ivy held onto her steadfastly.
Ivy ran faster than she ever had before. Whatever was in this jungle with her, she would protect Emma with everything she had. Tears streamed down her cheeks. If something happened to her—out of her own stupidity, nonetheless—William would be entirely on his own.
Oh God, please help me find my way back to the camp. Please. For Emma’s and William’s safety.
Smash. Her body collided with something tall and hard. A tree. She collapsed to the muddy ground.
Ivy gulped in air and tried to calm herself. Her limbs were too weak to rise. Rain continued to pour down on her, unforgiving. Strong arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her up to a sitting position. Strong arms? She blinked at the image before her. Gage. What?
“I—I didn’t see you…I didn’t know you were there. I—”
“Be silent, woman. Take a moment to catch your breath.” Captain Thompson’s arms moved her so her head rested in his lap. He pried Emma from her arms and set her at his side, with her back resting against him. Sweat mingled with the rainwater. Ivy drank in air. How long had she been running?
Captain Thompson brushed the hair out of her face as she tried to regain her composure. His hand rested on her shoulder, gripping it in a gentle, reassuring way. After a few silent moments where only the sounds of her panting and the rain bouncing off of the leaves filled the air, the man spoke. “What on earth were you doing?”
Chapter Fifteen
Gage shook his head at the sight before him. Ivy’s hair was a tangled mass of orange, pouring onto his lap like a stream of water. Her face was red from exertion, and sweat and rain dampened her dress. Still, she was probably one of the most beautiful things he had ever seen.
While his men rested for a short break, Gage had returned to the beach ready to talk to Ivy again. Of course, he had avoided her for the past few days out of embarrassment for their encounter, but he had to make things right between them. When he realized she was nowhere in sight, he had questioned all of his men. Jennings had seen her slip away into the jungle and thought she was going for a short stroll—obviously not the case. And when Gage heard the shrill scream of a woman and the wail of a child, he had suspected the worst. He muttered a prayer of thanks under his breath that both the woman and the child seemed unharmed. The rain slowed down to a trickle.
He reached into the mass of copper curls and began to untangle them, gently massaging her scalp as he did so. Ivy’s eyes slid closed. “That feels good.”
Gage chuckled. “What were you doing, milady?” He shifted his weight. The muddy floor of an island jungle was not the most ideal place to have a conversation with a pretty young woman, but he did not want to head back to the beach yet. The privacy out here was much welcome.
“I just…I just wanted to get away. From the men. From everyone. They were talking about…things…when they thought I wasn’t listening, and I just wanted some peace and quiet. The jungle appeared inviting…” Ivy’s breath seemed to be almost even now.
Gage ran a hand along the line of her jaw. Emma leaned against him, yawning sleepily. When he had heard their cries…oh, he did not want to think about it. “Why did you scream, Ivy? What happened?” She had been running at full speed when she had collided with him.
She stared up at him, her eyes the exact color of the stormy sky. “I…I don’t know. I kept hearing things, and I thought there was some ravenous animal after me. The creature probably left, or it was just my imagination. I’m not sure what it was. It just frightened me and I wanted to stay safe. I could not let Emma get hurt.”
Gage brushed his thumb across her cheek. “You probably heard an innocent animal in the jungle. But you were smart to stay safe like you did. I’m just glad you’re all right.”
Ivy sat up, but swayed. Her face had drained back from bright red to creamy white. She leaned back against his chest. Emma nodded off to sleep against his knee, and he grinned.
The rain started up again. Ivy sighed and snuggled her head against him.
“Please don’t ever
run off somewhere like that again without even telling me first.” He was so close to her, her ear tickled his lips as he spoke. Warmth radiated from her body. Rain trickled between them. His gaze traveled to her lips and stayed there. Some color stained her cheeks, and her lips, her pretty lips parted slightly.
Before he knew it, he had lowered his mouth to hers. She stopped moving for a few moments, but then she wound her arms around his neck and joined in the kiss wholeheartedly. Gage groaned in delight and ran his fingers through her curls. She made a sweet noise in the back of her throat.
Rainwater gushed down in a torrent, clearing his head from some of the heated thoughts churning through it. He tore away from the woman, but not before he noticed her swollen lips and flushed cheeks. Egad, but she was beautiful. He squeezed his eyes shut for a moment to gain his composure.
If they intended to make it back to camp any time in the near future, he needed to stop looking at her. She reached out a hand and touched his cheek. Self-consciousness began to plague him. He hadn’t shaved in a few days. Was his face too prickly for her? Had it hurt her skin? What did she think of him? Surely he did not look his best after traipsing through the jungle on his way to find her. He probably smelled terribly as well. What did he think he was doing; he had no right to kiss such a lady…
She pulled his face towards him and kissed him of her own will. Gage inhaled through his nose and angled his head to deepen the kiss. He pulled away for a second. “You are beautiful, Lady Ivy Shaw.” She resumed the kiss before falling against him once more.
“So are you, Captain Gage Thompson.” She let out a breathy laugh. “Emma!” Suddenly, she jerked away from him and frantically searched around.
Gage blinked. What…?
He glanced down to find Emma sleeping peacefully on the floor of the jungle. She must have gotten jostled away from Gage while he was…doing other things.
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