The Pirate's Heart

by Bethany M. Sefchick

  Katherine wanted Jack to fuck her and that knowledge somehow set her free.

  She felt her breasts swell beneath his touch and her breathing quicken. She felt herself grow damp between the legs and her body begin to ache with something she didn’t understand but had felt only once before in her life. In another time and another place with another man. An ache she had always assumed she would never feel again.

  But the feeling of longing now uncoiling inside of her was the same and she couldn’t deny it. Nor could she deny this man, despite the fact that she knew she should.

  There was a hot, dull, delicious ache that began at her core and radiated outward, urging her to give in to whatever this man desired.

  “I see you, Jack.” Katherine licked her lips as she arched her neck, doing her best not to look at her reflection, though in truth, that was all she could see. “I see you touching me. I see myself. I see us.”

  “And?” Jack goaded softly. She should have known he would not allow her to get away without saying anything more. “How do you look, Katherine? Do you look like the same woman you were a day ago?” His sensually soft voice seemed to wrap around her and sink into her very soul.

  She shook her head, still not quite willing to give in. Though she was close. Very close. “No.”

  “Then how do you look?” he pressed again as he drew his other hand up to rest between the shadowy valley between her breasts, a part of her fully exposed by the scandalous gown. His fingers stroked her skin, teasing with the promise of more. More of what he could do to her and with her. More of what he could make her feel. If only she would give in to him. “Do you look like a matron? All very prim and proper?”

  When Katherine shook her head, her mind still resisting his pull even though her body had already surrendered, Jack pinched her nipple hard, making her cry out in pleasure. “What do you look like, Duchess?” he pressed again before he lowered his head to suck on her neck once more, drawing her gaze to the area that was already starting to bruise. Already starting to crave more. “Or do you look like a wanton? A sensual woman who desires to know the touch of a man? But not just any man. A man she desires as well. A woman who wants me and no other.”

  With that, Jack slid his hand lower and cupped her cunt, a place she’d never imagined any man, save for one, ever touching her.

  But Jack’s touch was electric and shot straight to all of the hidden parts of her. He made her feel restless and needy and yearning for something she could not name. Almost unwillingly, Katherine cried out, arching her body hard against his hands and Jack responded by pulling her back roughly against him and grinding his engorged cock had in between the globes of her arse.

  He felt so good. She wanted more. She craved more. Even while her mind cried out that she should stop before she crossed a line she would never come back from. She wasn’t sure she wanted to, not any longer.

  “Tell me, Katherine,” Jack growled again and this time, with the sounds of her own cry of pleasure ringing in her ears, she answered him.

  “I see a wanton,” she cried, her body pressing back hard against his now, letting him know what she wanted in actions if not in words. “I see me. I see me desiring you! I see myself wanting you. All of you. Whatever you want.” Her admission was shameful but Katherine knew what Jack had wanted to hear. At first, she tried to deny it but she could no more deny him the words he wanted than she could deny her body’s response to him.

  How he manipulated her this way she did not know and just then, she didn’t care. What she did know was that all of her good intentions, all of her plans to keep herself apart from him fled the moment he touched her. Why, she wondered? Why was this happening? Why could he affect her in a way no one else had in over six years?

  “Good,” Jack whispered in her ear as he released her slowly, his hands sliding away from her body and yet making her crave more. “That’s good, Duchess. And it is a start. It is not enough. Not nearly. But it is a start. Just know that we are not finished yet. I am not certain we will ever be.”

  Katherine had no idea what Jack meant but she was grateful when he helped her back into her chair when he finally released her before she fell over.

  Then, as calmly as could be, he backed up and offered her a deep, perfect bow to match the elegant curtsey she’d given him earlier. “Now if you will excuse me for a moment, my lady, I need to go dress for dinner myself.” When Jack looked at her, though, his eyes were still full of the same heated passion she had seen earlier. “You will accompany me, you will follow my lead, and you will behave. Is that understood?”

  Once more unable to speak, Katherine nodded.

  “That’s good, Duchess, because I am not finished with you yet. Not even a little bit.”

  Chapter Seven

  As Jack silently sat staring at Katherine over dinner, he still could not say what had possessed him earlier in his cabin. He wasn’t sorry about what he’d done. No, far from it. It had excited him to see her pinned against her body, her resistance gone and her desire for him flaring in her eyes as she allowed him free access to her body. He simply wasn’t certain why he’d done it. Or why she had allowed him such liberties.

  Especially when he knew she was still in love with a dead man.

  Katherine believed she had kept her secret well hidden over the years, and she had. From most people. But he knew the truth. Midnight Jack always learned all there was to know about his quarry before he acted. Lady Katherine Sedgewick was no different.

  She was still in love with a man who had gone to his watery grave six years before and likely always would be. From what he had learned, her emotions ran that deeply. Which made her reaction to him earlier all the more curious, though not unwelcome as he did plan to fuck her sooner rather than later.

  Though Jack hadn’t been certain Katherine would want him, and he had already vowed to himself that he would not force her to his bed. She would have to come willingly.

  Thus, the issue of why Jack had acted so rashly earlier remained. Was it only to see if she could be coaxed into his bed and doing as he desired? Or was there another reason? Unfortunately, Jack had no answers.

  Perhaps a part of him had wanted to physically mark Katherine as his property before he brought her before the rest of his crew. If that had been his goal, he had succeeded rather brilliantly. Nearly every member of his crew had noticed the fresh love mark blossoming on her pretty neck and more than a few had remarked upon it, making her blush.

  Jack hadn’t wanted to embarrass her, but it had been necessary, for the longer he thought upon the matter, the more he had concluded that even with Rupert standing guard, Katherine would not be truly safe from the attentions of his crew until she was off this ship. Or his crew was. Neither of which would occur before they reached Tortuga.

  Or perhaps he had begun to seduce her because he wished to see her eyes flutter closed in passion and her body flush with desire as it had done that morning. Or perhaps the reasons were more complicated than he even knew.

  Or it could simply be that he needed to fuck her. It had been some time. Longer than he’d gone without since he’d taken up this life, actually.

  No matter the reason why he’d done it, pinned her against him and touched her as if she was a common whore and not a lady, what was done was done and could not be undone. Though Jack had the distinct impression Katherine could not bring herself to regret her actions either.

  Back in his cabin after their flare of mutual passion, Katherine had watched Jack through lowered lashes while he dressed for dinner. He’d seen her gaze drawn to the bulge of his cock while he changed his breeches, though he’d never removed his smalls. She’d watched him draw on a fresh shirt and replace his boots on his feet, obviously fascinated with them. He’d never much noticed his feet before. Not until she had, of course.

  She had also watched him withdraw a ruby and diamond necklace from a compartment beneath his bed before placing it around her neck before stating that she would wear the jewels for
the duration of her time on the ship. They marked her as his property, he explained, and he wanted a constant reminder for the crew that she was off limits to them. That she belonged to him and only him. No exceptions.

  Except that Katherine hadn’t been staring at the glittering stones as he placed them around her pretty little neck. Rather, she had been staring at his fingers as if she wanted them on her body. Just as she was doing now.

  God, the chit really was going to drive him mad. Or make him do something he would likely regret. Like fuck her in front of his crew before she was ready for such things. Which was why he had to stop this line of thinking before he lost control.

  Midnight Jack had a reputation for possessing the ultimate in self-control. But even pirates had their limits and Jack was afraid that he was fast approaching his. Especially where Katherine was concerned.

  “I can see why ye been keepin’ her to yourself, Cap’n,” a voice called out from the other side of the room, interrupting Jack’s thoughts. “What with titties like those, I’d never let her go, either!”

  As Jack had expected, that crass comment brought a round of raucous laughter from the crew. Leave it to Jennings to be so crude.

  “You wouldn’t be in the mind of sharin’, now would you, Cap’n?” That came from Goddard, a rather wretched man who was lucky Jack hadn’t run him through a time or two by now. “Me ‘n some o’ the boys could use a bit o’ cunny, you know. Even a suckle at the ol’ titties would do.”

  This had to stop. Now. Before someone did something stupid, especially him.

  Jack leaped to his feet, knocking over his chair in the process. It echoed loudly as it clattered to the floor, making everyone stop what they were doing and turn in his direction. Just as he had planned. The nasty hiss made when he drew his sword was simply an added benefit.

  “Gentlemen,” Jack began casually, though he used that word lightly. He also found he did not need to bellow at his men, for his entire crew could tell he was angry simply by looking at him. When he spoke quietly but did not yell, that was when the crew knew he was furious beyond rational thought. Which he was right at this moment. Good. Let them know fear.

  “Let me make one thing perfectly clear to all of you here and now. Those rumors you heard about me cutting off the cocks of any man stupid enough to come near Lady Katherine? I can assure you they are absolutely true, for I don’t like to share my things, as some of you might recall. Lady Katherine is mine and mine alone. She is not for sharing.” He swung his gaze around to take in every man in the room. “Make no mistake.”

  A man somewhere to Jack’s left muttered something that sounded very much like “remember Lady Isabelle” just loud enough for the others to hear. Eyes flashing, Jack did his best to repress a smile. At least one among his crew remembered those nasty days following the Spanish beauty’s betrayal.

  “You have already been promised as much cunny, arse, tit and cock as you like once we reach Tortuga, all at my expense, of course. That promised land is not so very far away. A week or two at most. So if you wish to be able to enjoy yourself there, nay, wish to be alive and not gutted to shreds to see that promised land, you will keep your hands off of Lady Katherine. Unless, of course, you wish to do without one of those hands, along with your cock. You can die quickly, gentlemen, or slowly. Your choice.” Jack offered a lazy shrug. “Depending, of course, on how generous I am feeling.”

  With that, he sheathed his sword, righted his chair and took his place across from Katherine once more, as if nothing was amiss. Even so, he still caught snippets of worried chatter amongst the crew, most of them wondering if he really would carry out his threats. He could hear some voices, likely those of his longest-serving crew members, reassure the others that Midnight Jack did not issue threats lightly. If he had said he would cut off cocks, he meant it.

  For the most part, his crew was loyal. Unlike some pirates, Jack dispersed the wealth they captured fairly, or as fairly as any pirate was likely to do. He also did not punish men for minor infractions, saying that everyone made mistakes. Though major ones were dealt with swiftly and harshly. He also had a reputation for being ruthless with those who crossed him. All of which made him a fair captain to serve under and quite popular even with the crews of other ships.

  If he was wronged or disobeyed? Well, the results were brutal and any man who both had trouble following orders and enjoyed being alive knew better than to seek employment on The Darkness. Midnight Jack would not tolerate fools who disobeyed orders and all who sailed this part of the world well knew it.

  Even so, Jack understood that these men were not all good at heart. Most of them were downright wretched and for this, his last sail, he’d not been as careful in replacing the crew who had departed or been killed recently. These men would only heed his warnings for so long before one of them attempted to test him. The only question was when that would be. Therefore, the sooner he and Katherine were off this ship, the better.

  “You didn’t have to do that.” Jack glanced up to see Katherine watching him with stricken eyes. “Do not put yourself at risk for me. I am not worth it.”

  Jack shook his head. She didn’t understand. “Don’t worry, Duchess. That pretty speech wasn’t for you. Understand that if these men don’t respect me? Don’t fear me? I might as well walk off this ship and into the ocean right now. A pirate rules through fear, intimidation, and respect. Lose those things and a captain loses his ship.”

  “But I…”

  He jabbed a fork in her direction. “Enough. Just eat. You start to question me and they will, too. I can’t have that, Duchess, so if that means taking you over my knee in front of them to teach you manners and obedience? That’s just what I’ll do. Make no mistake.”

  Jack was surprised when something hot and needy flared in Katherine’s eyes just then. As if she liked the idea of him disciplining her in front of his crew. But no. That was not the Katherine he knew. From what he understood of her these days, she was good and proper. A true lady, at least for the most part. Also apparently a bit wanton where he was concerned, yes, but that was a happy accident. Nothing that he had learned of her indicated that she would be aroused by such an idea.

  Though damned if just thinking about the idea of taking her over his knee and baring her lovely arse in front of his men didn’t suddenly make his breeches tent almost painfully.

  Jack really needed to stop this line of thinking. It was not doing anyone any good. Least of all him.

  “Very well.” She pressed her lips together in a thin line, though it was evident she was displeased. Well, that was just too fucking bad. She would have to learn to deal with displeasure. This was his ship. His word was law. Not hers. “So what should we talk about then? The weather? I now have a feeling there are a great many subjects that shouldn’t be discussed here. Though I assume the weather is not among them.”

  Sitting back in his chair, Jack studied Katherine for a long moment, her mulish expression making her more attractive to him rather than less. “The weather would be acceptable, Duchess.” Again, she showed that seductive flash of intelligence, but again, he’d known before he’d snatched her that she was too clever by half. “What do you want to know about it?” He raised his fork in the direction of the deck above them. “It’s clear sailing for the moment, if that’s what you’re asking. Though that could change.”

  Katherine opened her mouth and then closed it before opening it again. “As I know all too well,” she said finally. “Two years ago, a storm damaged a large portion of my uncle’s house on Barbados. The day before had been sunny but then the clouds gathered as night began to fall. The storm was ferocious and destroyed a large part of the port. Before we knew it, part of the house roof was missing.” She paused. “We were fortunate to have it repaired so quickly. Others were not so lucky. That was…unfortunate, but the way of things, I suppose. All things in this world have their order, whether we like it or not.”

  All of that, Jack supposed, was her way of apologiz
ing to him without actually saying the words. He had seen the brief flash of knowledge in Katherine’s eyes when he’d reprimanded her. She could not say she was sorry, of course. Not unless she, too, wished to show weakness to his crew, should someone overhear her. But she could offer him a story that conveyed much the same message.

  “Everything in this world has an order, Duchess,” Jack conceded. He had no wish to antagonize her further. He needed her willing and docile while they were still aboard his ship, mostly to prove to the crew that he had control over her. A pirate unable to control a wench was seen as weak, something Jack had no wish to be. If she fought him, it would be that much harder to keep the others away from her. “As you say, we might not like it nor find it fair, but that is very much how life works.”

  She wanted to make a sharp-tongued retort. He could tell simply by the way she bit her lip. To her credit, however, she remained silent. That was good. She could be as tart-tongued as she liked in his cabin when they were alone, but showing spirit in front of the crew was a dangerous path. Men like those in his crew loved to break spirited women simply to prove they could. Meek women were more likely to be left alone, as they offered no challenge, no chance for a man to prove his masculinity to others.

  “Unfortunately, I learned long ago that the world is not fair, captain.” There was a heat in her words that hinted at the same passion he’d glimpsed earlier. “But we muddle through as best we can, no matter how great the loss.”

  Katherine was speaking of her dead friend. Jack knew that and understood. He had suffered loss as well. He knew her pain, far more than she was aware.

  “A wise course of action. Always.” With a sigh, he pushed back from the table. “I find that I’m no longer hungry. You?”

  She shrugged. “I have eaten enough for now. I never fare well in that regard on my first day at sea.”

  “Which is why your portion was smaller than what was given to my men.” Jack smiled down at her, pleased that he could shock her with knowledge of her eating habits aboard ships. Her eyes were so wide just now that he thought he could see into her very soul.