by April Dawn
As he searched, his mind went over possibilities. Reena had been accurate in her assumptions. He’d come to the same conclusion, but who could be causing these delays? It had to be someone with an intimate knowledge of the ship and a reason to want a delay. A creaking noise came from behind him, drawing his attention. Joshua lifted his head, but before he could turn, something hard and solid slammed into it. A shock ran through his body, and his world went dark.
9
The door rattled. Reena peeped up from her book. A knock followed a second later. Joshua?”
“No, Mrs. Sinclair, It’s Gregory. Can I come in?”
“I’m terribly sorry, Gregory, but I’m a little fatigued,” she said. “We can visit later if you wouldn’t mind, perhaps at dinner?”
“But you must let me in. It’s your husband, you see. He was in the hold, and some of the crates shifted. He’s taken quite a knock.”
Reena dropped the book into the open chest and ran to the door. Memories of soldiers, lying in large tents, crying out for their loved ones filled Reena with dread as her fingers fumbled to unlock her only route to Joshua. Her heart pounded, and she wanted to cry out at the thought of him injured and bleeding on the floor of the hold, calling for her, needing her.
When she opened the door, Gregory moved inside, his body filling the entrance so that she couldn’t move around him. He gazed at her as though he’d only come for a friendly visit. Reena scrutinized his casual manner, confused.
“I thought we were going to Joshua?”
“Oh, no Reena, there’s no need for that. He’s quite all right. I just thought it important that you know.”
“I would still like to see him.” Reena nodded at the doorway behind him.
Gregory didn’t move.
“How are you enjoying your time aboard ship?” he asked.
“The ship has been lovely. Now, about my husband…”
He stepped forward from the doorway, pressing her back into the room a bit. “Can I come in and sit with you for a moment?”
Reena had never realized how tall he was before. The man was a good head taller than Joshua and quite well muscled. She shuddered, small and helpless by comparison, something she was certainly not used to.
“Well, I don’t think that…”
His demeanor changed, and the friendly attitude disappeared.
“Actually, I really need to talk to you,” he said, his smile, meant to put her at ease, did not.
“What did you wish to talk about?” she stammered, her nerves on edge as he took full possession of the small room, closing the door behind him.
He favored Reena with a charming smiled, and she lifted a trembling hand to push a wayward hair behind her ear and took a step back.
“You are a very beautiful woman.” He reached out, touching her elbow.
She moved her arm. The means he’d used to enter spoke volumes about his character. He’d used such a detestable ruse to get inside her room. Now that she was alone with him, what was he planning to do with her?
“I’ve noticed the way you stare at me, and I think you’ve noticed the way I look at you. You can’t hide what you want from me.” He leaned toward her and ran his finger down her jaw, impressing her all over again with his immense size. “You can’t possibly love your husband. He is never with you. He doesn’t want you like I do.” He moved further into the room, grasped her hand, and gently placed her back into the chair.
What was he insinuating? That she was a loose woman who would have any man who entered her chamber? How dare he? He dropped to his knees before her and fear overpowered her anger. She opened her mouth to speak, but he held a finger to her lips.
“What kind of man wouldn’t want to be with you every moment?” His eyes perused her, and her heart began to thunder. “Why, if you were mine, I would never let you out of my bed.”
His hand slipped into his coat as he leaned his body over hers, making her hunch backward in the chair. A metallic thud sounded as something hard hit the floor, drawing her head in its direction. His lips missed her mouth, but he grabbed her chin with his roughened hand and forced her to face him.
“Don’t worry. Your husband will never know. He’ll be busy for quite some time yet.”
Her palms were slick as his lips moved over hers. She wrenched her face free, and grasped his arms, pushing at his overgrown body.
“Stop that! I’m a married woman.”
He reached out and took her hand, standing as he held it.
“You don’t have to pretend. I know you want me as much as I want you.”
Jerking to free herself from his grasp, Reena gawked up at the man who towered over her.
“I… I’m terribly sorry if I gave you the wrong impression, sir. I have no desire to be with any man but my husband.” Reena’s cheeks flamed at the admission, which was true despite their unmarried status.
“Pity.” He shook his head as his fingers stroked her chin.
She grabbed his wrist with both hands and yanked, but he seemed to barely notice. His hand moved down her cheek, along her straining neck, and toward her heaving breasts.
“You will change your mind,” he said. His finger played over the exposed flesh at the top of her breasts, forcing a yelp from her lips, and she knocked his hand away. He didn’t blink. Instead, he continued on undeterred. “When you do, you have only to wink at me, my dear, and I will come to you.”
“The lady is not interested.” A deep voice came from behind the hulking giant. Gregory stumbled back a step, and Reena jumped up. A very angry looking Joshua stood in the doorway, shaking off a hand which held his arm. Her heart skipped a beat.
Oh god, don’t let this be a repeat of that night with Michael.
“Please, don’t fight. It’s all right, Joshua, he was leaving,” she said, trying to diffuse the battle she feared would be coming.
Joshua leaped from the doorway and knocked the big man over. He was smaller than Gregory, but so much faster. It was like watching a hummingbird fly around a bush looking for an elusive flower. Reena cried out with every blow that landed on Joshua. Gregory’s fists were like sledge hammers, smashing into Joshua’s ribs. The captain and two sailors rushed into the room as fists connected with the men everywhere, driving the breath and strength from them. Gregory’s fist flew with terrible ferocity toward Joshua’s face. Reena moved forward, wanting to stop the battle. Joshua slid to the side, bringing his arm up and into the tall man’s throat. Gregory clutched at his throat and crumpled to his knees. Joshua’s boot connected with the man’s head, and he fell to the floor unconscious. Joshua staggered and collapsed on the bed. Reena rushed to his side, cradling his head on her lap. His arms went around her hips, holding her possessively to him. Energy still flowed through him, and she knew that he could have continued to fight the large man for some time if he’d been forced to.
That was when she noticed the captain. He stepped into the room and glanced at the first mate, shaking his head. Slowly, Reena became aware that Captain Cromwell was yelling, but with the blood rushing in her ears, she couldn’t comprehend his words at first.
“She… Fault... Damn you, woman!” The captain’s face reddened and he glowered at her.
Reena stared at him amazed. Why should she be at fault?
“Gregory asked for what he got. He shouldn’t have tricked me then come in here and try to kiss me. He knows that I am married.”
The Captain’s eyebrows lifted, and he took a step toward her. “You must have thrown yourself at him.”
“Don’t you dare blame her for your mate’s bad behavior,” Joshua said, sitting up and facing the captain. “Besides, I have been at her side every time she left this cabin.”
The captain’s stare, filled with hate and anger, moved over her body in an assessing manner.
“I knew I would be sorry if I agreed to take you along. Women and the sea are a bad combination. They’re bad luck, the lot of them.” He shook a fist at her. “A pretty woman and a bloody colonial! I won’t m
ake that mistake again.” The words were directed at himself, but his glare was aimed at her and Joshua. “I should throw the two of you overboard.”
Reena averted her face to hide the anger, which filled her at the unjustness of the situation. He had always been slightly less than amiable, but to blame her for the way Gregory had behaved… A glint off metal drew her gaze to a metal bolt on the floor near the chair she’d been forced to sit in.
Suddenly, her mind clicked, and the answers came.
“Your mate was trying to frame my husband.” She hoped she was right. Reena ran over to the chest and snatched the bolt from the ground. “I heard something drop to the floor, but he distracted me. He must have come here to plant this in our room,” she said. “He used me as an excuse to get in and intended to blame my husband for the sabotage aboard ship.”
The Captain took the rusted bolt from her and held it in his hand, exploring it. It was obvious that the bolt was well worn and had been used on a ship recently.
“He’s been my mate for years, and I trust him completely. Who do you think you are fooling, woman? Where did you get this?” He turned a suspicious eye on Joshua. “Take him to the hold and lock him in. We will deal with this saboteur later!”
“No!” Reena shouted and jumped to her feet, stepping between them. The men behind the Captain moved toward Joshua. She would never let them take him. They would have to listen to reason, they just had to.
“I am telling the truth. Check him, check his room.” She pointed to the unconscious mate. “There must be some evidence. Please, let me tend to my husband. He is not a saboteur.”
He eyed her for a moment then pointed in the direction of his first mate. “Search him.”
The men moved forward, leaned over Gregory, and went through his clothing. When they stood again, they held several big rusty bolts.
“You planted them.” Captain Cromwell glared at her, though his voice was quieter than she’d ever heard it. “You placed them on him when he was distracted by your charms.”
Reena’s mouth dropped open, and Joshua tensed by her side. The captain studied his unconscious first mate lying on the floor.
“Keep them all here,” he said after a few seconds to a burly sailor, indicating Reena, Joshua, and Gregory. To the other he said, “Find Fish and help him search Gregory’s bunk. Report anything unusual. I’ll be in my cabin.”
The captain stormed from the room. Reena quickly checked Joshua for broken bones and internal injuries. She had been no more than a girl during the war, but she had learned a great deal about healing. The large first mate had been putting his all into every punch, and Reena was relieved when she found Joshua hadn’t sustained serious damage. She helped him to a more comfortable position on the bed and wiped his face with a damp cloth, trying not to show the whirlwind of fear filling her.
Please, oh please let them find something that would prove our innocence.
Chapter Eighteen
The captain stomped back into the room only moments later. Reena stood from the bed and stepped between him and Joshua. He didn’t speak, only gestured for the two burly seamen to pick up Gregory.
“What happened?” Reena asked the captain, trembling so she feared she might shake to pieces inside. He didn’t answer, instead he held up a large rusted ring.
“Take him and lock him up,” he ordered the men who now held the unconscious first mate. Reena let out a pent up breath, but sucked it back in when Captain Cromwell turned toward Joshua again.
“You keep that damned woman in this room. If I see her on deck or at my table, I will throw you overboard and let you swim for the Americas.” He paused, as his unconscious mate was dragged from the room. “And since I’m short a hand, I expect you to show for duty every day after the noon meal. Every day.”
He marched from the room, slamming the door behind him.
Her knees quaked, and Reena dropped onto the edge of the bed to keep from falling. For a long while they sat in silence, Reena too afraid to turn her head and see Joshua’s eyes for fear that he blamed her. Her mind replayed the events over and over, wondering what she could have done differently. She had done nothing wrong, but the captain’s insistence that she was the cause made her want to scream. Perhaps Joshua saw the situation in the same way?
“I’m sorry,” she said, finally breaking the silence. “He told me you were hurt. I thought you needed me, so I had to open the door,”
After a second of waiting, his fingers closed over her stiffened shoulder. She shivered under his gentle touch. Reena turned her head in his direction and relief flooded through her at the sight of Joshua’s tender expression.
“It’s all right,” he said. “He tricked us both, but you will be safe from him now.” Joshua lifted his hand and rubbed the bump on his head. “Look, Reena, I agree with the captain. Perhaps it’s best that you stay in the cabin. I don’t like to think of what would have happened if the captain hadn’t found me so soon after that crate fell on me. Or if he hadn’t brought me back to the room. We might have been too late.”
Reena held her breath, hoping he wouldn’t begin the same speech that Michael had recited. She would never live through it if he decided she was too much trouble and backed out of her life. These last weeks with him had been like a dream. She needed Joshua. Needed him more than she ever realized.
“I would have been all right,” she said quickly. “Even if you hadn’t come, I would have found some way.”
He laughed, winced, and then clutched his side where a particularly vicious blow must have landed.
“That is probably true.” He adjusted his position on the bed. “Don’t worry Reena; I’m not going back into the army any time soon.” He laughed hard, and the laughter turned into a coughing fit. Reena sent him a scowl at his jest, her arms crossed over her chest. When his coughing had stopped, she checked him again. Pushing a little harder than she really needed to, she checked his ribs to be certain that none had caved in and possibly punctured a lung. His face showed only the barest twitch. Joshua was sore, but he would live.
“You just lie there quietly and get some rest,” she said, a scowl still covering her face, but joy hid beneath it.
Reena helped him scoot up on the bed and cooled his forehead until he slept. The peace that came over his features made Reena sigh. She watched him sleep, remembering the fight and her fear when he’d leaped at the bigger man. She’d been so afraid, and now that it was over, all she wanted to do was hold him. Lying on the bed next to him, she rested her head gingerly on his chest. Soon she slept as well.
9
Joshua awoke to find Reena wrapped snug in his embrace. He held her to him for a moment, not wanting to release her and inhaled deeply in her hair, relishing the sweet scent of her golden tresses. She snuggled at bit closer, and his body hardened despite the pain in his muscles. So soft and supple, her breasts rubbed against his arm as her chest moved in response to her even breathing. Wracked with need, he closed his eyes, fighting the desire. In only a few short seconds, he could be inside her. He knew she wanted him. The yearning in her eyes screamed out to him, telling him that her need was as great.
He reprimanded himself and moved to dislodge their tangled limbs before she made another move and found herself waking on her back. He stood, surveying her body while she slept snuggled against his pillow. Driving the longing from his body and mind, he left the room.
“You have much to do today.” Captain Cromwell sneered at Joshua as he grabbed up enough food to feed them and left. “Don’t be long in returning.”
The men had not been told about what had happened, and no one but the captain knew why Gregory was in the hold. Because of this, some of the crew glowered at him with the same ire as the captain. Others, having heard about his fight with the immense first mate, were seeing him differently. They met his eyes and nodded approval while others gawked at him in awe.
When Joshua got back to the room, Reena was awake. The guilty expression on her face made him
grin, not that he could complain about waking wrapped in her arms. He quickly wiped the smile away and set the food on the table.
“Food, my lady,” he said, proper as a butler.
He sat and pulled a piece of chicken from the bone.
“Thank you, Joshua.” Her expression turned serious. “For everything.”
Joshua watched her for a moment. Her disheveled clothes and hair painted such an erotic image that he fought the urge to carry her to the bed and do anything but sleep. Her bottom lip stuck out ever so slightly, creating a pout that would have driven him wild if not for her eyes. Her eyes were wide and wet, and the honesty in them cooled his ardor in a hurry.
He locked his gaze with hers. “Any time you need me, I shall be there for you.” He inclined his head. “Anytime and for anything.” They stared at each other for a long moment, each drinking the other in. “That is how I wound up on this ship after all.” He extended a hand in her direction. “You came to me and said: ‘Excuse me, but could I trick you into sailing to America where you know no one and then leave you in a gutter with nowhere to go’?”
She laughed.
“You’ve discovered my plan.” Reena put a hand to her chin as if in contemplation “Well, I’ll just have to come up with a new one.” She opened her eyes wide, putting up one finger. “I know! I’ll sell you into a press gang. After all, I know you can sail.”
He laughed, then held his hands up in surrender. “Leave me in the gutter before that, please.”
“Oh, I’ve heard they’re quite lovely really. The beatings are kept to once a week if you behave, and you get a piece of bread with no mold every third Sunday. It’s paradise.”
This moment with Reena was paradise. All the paradise he would ever need.
Chapter Nineteen
Things had settled into a new routine. It had been almost a week since the first mate had been locked into the hold, and Reena had stayed in the tiny cabin the whole time. The few moments that she’d spent on the deck and dining with the crew were now spent in the room. She ate her meals with Joshua, and played chess and talked in the evenings. She would kill for a stroll on deck in the fresh air, but still, she enjoyed having time alone with him.