I suppose that’s why I keep thinking of him as a female. Nonetheless, that’s no excuse for my behavior. What the hell was I thinking? Oh my God, I need a woman in the worst sort of way.
Dulac raked a shaky hand through his hair. He growled in frustration. Damn it, Jesse, why’d you have to be born a male?
His strange thoughts sent another burst of cold fear to the bottom of his feet. Man, get a grip on yourself. Time to think of Mags.
But not even the calming thoughts of his beloved pet could completely push back the unwanted feelings. He begrudgingly admitted he was starting to care for the lad.
Dulac’s left eye twitched as it always did when he became upset. This time, he focused on it rather than trying to ignore it. Better to deal with trying to stop the twitching than driving myself crazy with thoughts of her—him.
He wiped his hand over his face. Ale, or better yet, rum. A night of drunken stupor shall set me right.
Dulac nodded to himself and pushed away from the rail. “Right then. Let’s to it.”
He pivoted on his right foot and almost stepped on Rod’s. Dulac looked down at the man. There was about an inch difference in their heights, and he was sure it thoroughly ticked Rod.
“What?” he barked.
Rod grinned as if he knew something Dulac did not. “Nothing, friend. Just came to see if you needed a drink.”
Dulac nodded. “We think alike. I was just on my way to check out our stock of rum. Care to join me?”
“Sounds like fun to me.” Rod smiled even wider and stepped aside. “After you, mon ami.”
Dulac led the way, and as he barreled his way across the deck, every man in his path hastily jumped out of it. He paid them no mind, so intent was he on ridding his thoughts of a set of luscious fingers.
Since he was captain in charge of the ship, Dulac was allowed to raid the hold whenever he liked. He had never taken advantage of that privilege...until now.
The guard let them into the locked area, and Dulac made a beeline for the rum. He grabbed a bottle, took off the lid and guzzled. It burned the back of his throat, but he kept gulping it down like water. He emptied the bottle and reached for another.
By this time, his vision had begun to waiver, and he sat on a crate before opening the second bottle. Only then did he notice the amused expression on Rod’s face. He waved the bottle at a crate of rum. “Help yourself. My treat.”
Rod opened his own bottle and took a seat on a crate opposite Dulac. He held the rum out. “A toast.”
Dulac immediately clanked his bottle against Rod’s. “A toast...what are we toasting?”
“Jesse. He’s a fine lad, ain’t he?”
Dulac snorted. “Lad...yeah, right...I got a better toast. To a successful raid, er, capture of the...fancy ship. May her riches be plentiful.”
Glass clinked together, and Dulac guzzled some more. Rod took a sip, and Dulac grumbled. “Drink, man. Let’s get rip-roaring drunk tonight.”
Dulac lifted the bottle and more rum slid down his throat. Then he pointed at Rod. “Next port, I’m personally going to put Jesse in the arms of a good whore. And then, it’ll be my turn.”
The corners of Rod’s mouth twitched upward. “With Jesse or the whore?”
Dulac snorted. “The whore. I’m not like you.”
“An’ wha’s tha’ suppose to mean?” Rod’s tone was slightly offended.
“I think you know.”
Rod waved his finger. “You think you know ever’thing, dontcha? Well trus’ me. There’s more ta the lad than wha’ Jesse be showin’ ya.”
Dulac grunted and closed his eyes as a wave of drunkenness washed over him. “Doubt that.”
Seconds later, he woke himself up with his own snores. He peeked at Rod to find the man was lost in his own dreams. Dulac thought about trying to make it to his cabin, then decided the floor looked comfortable enough.
* * * *
Luckily, rest and some medicine from the ship’s doctor had Jesse feeling better by the next day. Alone in Rod’s quarters, she sat at his desk. She brushed a lock of hair out of her eyes before rooting through the drawers for a mirror. She smiled triumphantly when she found the pirate dandy’s shaving kit.
Studying her reflection, she realized it had been a long time since she’d cared. After trimming her bangs, she pulled the hair on the right side down and processed to snip.
“What are you doing?” Rod’s voice boomed throughout the room.
She jumped, nicking herself. Blood trickled down her throat. She glared at him. “Well, cutting my hair...and my neck, no thanks to you.”
He slammed the door shut, crossed the room in three steps and snatched the scissors from her. He shook his head. “No...no, you’re not.”
“Why?” she sputtered.
His face softened as his anger faded. He reached out and touched her cheek. “I think you have beautiful hair and t’would be a shame to cut it.”
“I am a boy,” she growled. “Unless you want Dulac to know the truth.”
They stared defiantly at each other, and Rod threw his hand out. “Give me the scissors, and I’ll cut the back.”
She hesitated briefly before handing them over, and as hair fell around her shoulders, she tried not to look at him in the mirror. “So where’s the closest port?”
Rod leaned close to her ear. “Don’t think you’re slipping away from me that easy, love.”
She pursed her lips and stared at the old desk. Humming, the pirate snipped at her hair like a professional barber, giving her time to think. Of course, the only thing she could think about was Dulac’s mouth on her fingers.
Rod tossed the shears on the desk. “Beautiful.” He held out his hand. “Come. I’ve something to show you.”
She forced herself to slide her fingers into his grasp, and he held her hand firmly as he led her up top. Leaning against the rail, Jesse gazed at the calm surface of the ocean and became mesmerized by the reflection of the stars. Closer scrutiny revealed the luminescent mass encompassed only a certain portion of the water and moved on its own. Thus, it could not be stars.
“Seems we’ve disturbed a school of jellyfish.” Rod toyed idly with her fingers.
“They’re beautiful.” She fought the desire to yank her hand away and cause a scene.
“Yes, but I wouldn’t want them as swimming partners.”
She shook her head in agreement and fell silent as she stared at them. She had the feeling that she was swimming with them but had thus far avoided their sting. Yet the danger of that was becoming harder and harder to escape. “When will we catch up with the luxury ship?”
“Cap’n says we’ll get ’em in about three days.” He studied the palm of her hand in the moonlight. “Odd, you don’t have the hands of a sailor.”
“My old captain made me rub them in lard five times a day to keep them soft,” she replied. “Plus, I wore gloves when I worked.”
Rod’s brow furrowed. “Why would he care?”
Jesse shrugged. “I don’t know. I’ve been doing it since the day he—”
Her cheeks heated at the memory. Rod prodded her to continue. “Go on.”
“Well, since I was twelve.”
He smiled knowingly. “The day you became a woman.”
She ignored his remark and pulled her hand from his. “I have chores.”
Despite the fact that other pirates were around, he pinned her intimately against the rail. “I’ll tell cook to let you dip your hand in fat.”
“Oh, how lovely you make it sound.” She pushed at his chest, glancing fearfully around the deck. “What are you doing?”
“Don’t worry, love, they all know,” he whispered, nuzzling her ear. “And they don’t care. You’re a marked lad.”
She cringed at his touch. “Marked?”
“The crew knows yer mine.”
He silenced her by pressing his cold lips against her own. His rancid tasting tongue tapped against her own like a dead eel. When he at last let her go,
she gasped for air and wiped her mouth with the back of her sleeve. “I thought you wanted me pure.”
He shrugged. “A few kisses won’t sully you.”
She balled her fist up, but this time, he caught it in his own. He twisted her arm cruelly and leaned his face close to hers.
“No more of that,” he ordered with a touch of anger. “It’s time you start acting like a lady.”
“But I’m not,” she spat.
He laughed. “Oh, that I know, love, that I know.”
Grabbing her arm, he dragged her back to his quarters. He threw her at the trunk at the foot of his bed. “I believe there’s a dress with your name on it in there. When I get back, you’d best have it on.”
* * * *
Jesse sneered at the closed door. Her anger was coolly rational for a change but still there nonetheless. She crossed her arms and tapped her foot. I’ll be damned again if I put that on.
She eyed the porthole, knowing it was too small for her to escape through. Too bad she wasn’t in Dulac’s quarters. He had huge windows. She sighed and opened the door an inch. When she saw that Rod was nowhere in sight, she grunted at his audacity. He obviously thought she was putty in his hands.
Guess he has lots to learn about me.
Quiet as a ship rat, she made her way above. She clung to the shadows and slipped unnoticed across the deck. Then she scampered up to the empty crow’s nest and smiled as she curled up to sleep.
I’d love to see his expression when he doesn’t get his way. Wear the stupid dress yourself, Rod.
As she crossed her arms, the stars soothed her ruffled feathers. Her thoughts turned to her old crew, and a helpless feeling overcame her. She hoped they fared well. At the rate things were going, she knew it would be a long time before she could help them. Lately, she was having a hard time helping herself.
* * * *
“You low down, good for nothing, son of a sea dog.”
Jesse jolted awake at the sound of Rod yelling and squinted at the bright morning sky. At first, she thought he fussed at her. Tentatively, she peeked over the side of the crow’s nest.
He held the tip of his sword to Captain Dulac’s throat. Her eyes widened at Rod’s obvious mutiny. She wondered what was going on and tried to keep out of sight and watch at the same time.
“You dare to lead us into a trap,” Rod growled. “I’ll see you and your men dead.”
A shiver of foreboding raced up Jesse’s spine. Her heart ached at the thought of Dulac dying. She bit her lip before she could cry out and give away her whereabouts. A tap on her shoulder, however, let her know she’d been discovered.
The pirate behind her had his arms resting over the edge of the crow’s nest, and his body dangled on the other side. He smiled with a wicked gleefulness.
“Cap’n’s had me looking for ye all night.”
She tilted her head cockily. “Really? Seems he’s in a bit of a pickle at the moment.”
His smile widened. “He’s not my cap’n.”
He motioned her to follow him down. “Come on, laddie.”
She crossed her arms and snorted. “No. I like the view from here.”
The pirate rolled his eyes, pulled the garment from around his neck, and threw it at her feet. It was the dress.
“I’m not wearing that.”
If possible, his grin widened even more. “Cap’n said I could put it on ye meself if’n ye refused.”
Jesse paled, disbelieving he would tell this pirate-rat her secret. She tilted her head and forced herself to smile sweetly at him. “Did he? I seriously doubt that. He’s a very possessive man, but let’s go ask him.”
Fear filled the pirate’s eyes as he made a hasty retreat down the pole. She grabbed the dress and held it up for inspection. She grimaced at the yellowness of it. She hated the color and smiled devilishly as a thought occurred to her. Once more, she looked below, but as the scene unfolded, she completely forgot about throwing the dress into the sea.
Dulac stood his ground despite the sword digging into his throat. “What makes you think this?”
Rod snapped his fingers, and one of Dulac’s men was dragged forward. They turned him around, pulled the right hand corner of his breeches down and pointed at the tattoo on his hip. Dulac didn’t even look.
“I knew I smelled something fishier than a fish,” Rod stated smugly. “And those tattoos prove it.”
Dulac sneered. “Prove what?”
“That you belong to the Coast Guard’s Lifesaving Service.”
Stunned, Jesse dropped the dress and scampered down from the crow’s nest. All the way, she kept thinking the same thing over and over. He’s a pirate hunter.
Loyalty warred with her attraction to Dulac. She grew up with pirates and had heard about the hangings dealt to her kind. Although it made her heart ache to do so, she knew where her loyalty lay. She reluctantly stood behind Mr. Rod, making eye contact with Dulac.
“Is it true?” she posed fearfully. “You’re a traitor?”
A flash of pain shadowed his eyes before he dropped a wall between them. “I’m not a traitor.”
“But you are a pirate hunter.” Her left eye twitched with anger. “You seek to have us hung.”
Dulac kept his mouth shut, and she watched a muscle twitch in his jaw. He avoided further eye contact with her, preferring to watch the clouds in the sky. It infuriated her.
“Run him through, Mr. Rod,” she hissed, though her heart protested. “And sink his body in a barrel. He’s not even worthy of being fish food.”
“Easy, now, love,” Rod held out his free arm in front of her when she attempted to take the sword from him and do the job herself. “I have plans for him and his men.”
“Aren’t you going to confer with Captain LeBlanc first?” Dulac smiled contemptuously as sarcasm laced his words.
“I think you know the answer to that.” Rod returned the smile. “I don’t need to confer with him. I am him.”
A coldness grasped Jesse’s chest. She stepped back from both untrustworthy men. Jesse had unknowingly placed her lot with her sworn enemy, and an irrational rage took control of her. She didn’t think. She reacted.
Swift as a cat, she whirled to her left and punched the closest pirate in the mouth. While he was stunned, she pulled his sword from his sheath and spun back to LeBlanc. She tapped his shoulder with it, and satisfaction rolled through her at the sight of his astonishment.
“’Tis the day,” she challenged.
No gleam of fear entered his eyes. Instead, the darkness turned cold as northern seawater. A malicious smile curved his lips. Making no reply, he whipped the blade from Dulac’s neck in an attempt to knock hers from her hand. Fortunately, she had braced herself for his attack, and she kept her ground. She advanced on him, and as he was caught off guard, she managed to back him up a few steps before he came to life.
LeBlanc pushed her back with a series of parries and thrusts, never breaking his attack until he had her pushed against the ship’s rail. Then he caught her blade with his own and pushed both to her chest. Jesse pulled her head as far back from the dangerous V as possible, but the threat did nothing to appease her anger.
“Damn you to Hell,” she snarled.
“Only if you promise to be there.”
He grabbed her sword wrist and cruelly squeezed until she was forced to let go of the cutlass. Then he tossed her weapon behind him.
“You think Dulac’s punishment was bad?” he whispered. The tip of his blade poked the tender flesh above her jugular vein. “If you do not cease your foolish behavior...”
He gnashed his teeth and growled in frustration. Stepping back, he motioned to one of his crew. “Take him below and lock him in my quarters.”
Chapter 5
Jesse was shoved into the captain’s quarters, which now completely belonged to LeBlanc. She stumbled into the table, but by the time she righted herself, her new captors had left. She picked up a chair and hurled it at the locked door.
&nb
sp; “I’ll see you dead yet,” she screamed and proceeded to tear up his fine furnishings. She broke all the chairs in her rage, tore down everything that hung on the wall and took the silk bed linens and threw them out the window.
Hands on hips, Jesse stared out at the sea until it occurred to her to escape out of the windows. She leaned through them and studied the back of the ship. If she could get to a rowboat, she could hide there until nightfall when it would be safe to lower and escape.
The sound of a man’s death scream almost made her fall out the window. Horror slammed into her gut as she realized that the executions had begun. Her eyes were drawn to the blood in the water. They widened as several fins popped up here and there.
Sharks. She grimaced. They’re feeding them to the sharks.
And though she knew it wasn’t rationale, she knew she had to save Dulac from such a fate.
* * * *
Jesse held the shiny double-barreled pistol to the head of one of LeBlanc’s pirates. As it had belonged to her old captain, she was sure LeBlanc had no idea the pretty pistol existed. She had retrieved it from the hidden compartment of the desk before making the tricky climb up the back of the ship. She’d had to tune out the screams of the dying men. Losing her concentration could’ve caused her to lose her own life.
Now she stood on the quarterdeck with Rod’s closest crewmate. Fortunately, she’d been able to sneak up on him. Unfortunately, it seemed Dulac was the last man standing. She dared not try to count how many of his men had fed the sharks, or she’d definitely vomit. Her hatred for LeBlanc grew, and she reveled in the shock on his face.
“Let him go, LeBlanc,” she ordered.
He started toward her but stopped when she pulled back the trigger. He spread his hands. “And where will ya’ll escape to?”
“I’d rather be in the arms of the sea than yours,” she spat. “We’ll take the row boat and as much supplies as we can safely take with us.”
LeBlanc crossed his arms. “Go ahead. Shoot him. I’d rather lose a man then set Dulac free.”
A Pirate's Kiss Page 4