She swallowed. “And you will have the use of my body until the ransom is paid.”
“Arianna, I won’t let you do it. Turnbull, don’t listen to her.” He gritted his teeth and struggled to his feet.
“I have more men than you, and I like taking chances. I can disarm you, and then I’ll have two hostages with twice the money.”
She pointed the pistol at her head. “I will shoot myself, and then you’ll only have one. The one that will get you the least amount of money.”
His heart stopped. Arianna couldn’t be serious. She must have a plan. Morgan glanced at Harry whose eyes were wide with what looked like astonishment. If she did indeed have a plan, his brother knew nothing about it. Morgan had to stop her. As he stepped forward, hands jerked him back. “Turnbull, she’s gone crazy. She doesn’t know what she is saying. Leave her. I will go with you of my own free will and be part of your crew until the ransom is paid.”
Shark’s brows drew together. “You won’t do it.”
She cocked the pistol. “Try it and see what happens.” Her hand trembled, but her voice was hard and steady. She meant what she said.
His blood congealed. Time slowed. His ragged breath swishing in and out filled his ears. He fixated on Arianna. His gaze darted between her finger on the trigger and her face. He couldn’t lose her. She couldn’t die. He didn’t know when or how but she had become an essential part of his life. Arianna made him want to feel again, to become close to another person, to experience life instead of just living in it.
“Arianna—”
“Stay out of it, Morgan.” Her regard never wavered from Shark. “What will it be? Do you release Morgan or do I shoot myself?”
Shark stared at her as he determined if she would kill herself. “I’ll release him, but I want you in my hands first.”
“No.”
He smiled. “Don’t you trust me?”
“No.” Her face remained hard and still. Not one hint of a grin revealed itself.
He shrugged. “Then we are at an impasse.”
“I don’t think so. As I walk toward you, you will allow Morgan to walk to Harry.”
Shark glanced at Harry. “Ah, so that is your real name. I will remember it.”
“Do we have a deal?” she shot at him, capturing the pirate’s attention again.
Shark narrowed his dark eyes, scrutinizing her and then nodded. “Release him.”
“Arianna, I won’t let you do this.” Morgan’s soul cried for her.
“Morgan, move!” she shouted. Desperation and resolve spilled from her mouth.
Someone shoved him from behind.
She started toward Shark. He had no choice but to continue, or they would both be captured, and then she’d have no chance.
Arianna would not be imprisoned on that pirate ship, even if he had to die to save her.
She strode toward him, staring straight ahead, not at him, the pistol pointed at her head. When they met in the middle, she glanced at him. Briefly. “I had to do this.”
Damn her.
His steps quickened as he watched Harry’s face for any sign and shot a look over his shoulder once or twice. When he was three-quarters to his destination, water splashed, and he turned. Shark’s crew had the boat in the water.
Shark snatched Arianna’s wrist, and she cried out. He wrenched the pistol from her fingers. “Oh, my love, since you haven’t learned to obey me yet, your lessons will begin as soon as we reach the ship. By the time I return you to your father, you will respond immediately to my every request. You will be my star pupil.” He shoved her. “Get in the boat.”
She stumbled but remained upright, stepped over the side, and sat in the rear.
Morgan spun, presenting his back to his brother. “Harry, cut the ropes.”
Morgan stared at the boat as it cast off. “Hurry. Hurry.” He couldn’t allow them to escape.
“I’m working as fast as I can.”
While Harry cut with the sword, he tugged against his bonds.
The pirates’ muscular, powerful arms pulled on the oars, cutting through the water. They increased their speed. The distance between Arianna and him grew.
The ropes snapped. His arms were free. He grabbed the musket from Harry’s hands and raced to the water’s edge. He only had one shot. He had to make it count.
He spotted Shark beside Arianna. He lifted the musket, cocked it, sighted down the barrel, and eased back the trigger.
Shark slumped to the side.
Arianna’s head whipped around. Spying Morgan holding the smoking musket, she leaped up and dove over the side. Shark’s crew, disorganized and not knowing what to do, continued rowing, heading for the pirate ship, saving themselves.
Was Shark dead? If not, Morgan had at least injured him, and if he had killed him, he had performed a superb deed for shipping lines all over the world.
His gaze shot to the water. Arianna hadn’t surfaced.
Where was she?
He waded into the ocean, water splashing onto his pants. Visions of his brother’s drowning shot before his eyes. Terror rocketed through him.
He couldn’t swim, but he had to find her. “Arianna!”
Morgan trudged through the waves. In the distant reaches of his mind, Harry called his name. The sweat on his brow mixed with the salt water. His heart beat so fast he feared it would burst from his chest. He shuffled on until the water reached his chest, his eyes searching, his mind paralyzed. “Arianna.”
And then he spotted her, cutting through the water.
She was alive. Relief spiraled through him. The ocean hadn’t stolen her.
Arianna lifted her head and spied him. A smile spread across her beautiful face, and she increased her speed. She reached him seconds later and wrapped her arms around his neck. Her legs circled his waist.
He enveloped her within his embrace, determined to never let go and closed his eyes. She was whole, breathing, soft, feminine, and his.
“Arianna you made it. I was so scared for you.” Harry’s voice broke into his thoughts.
“So was I, but Morgan saved me. I am ever so grateful.”
She must have realized her compromised position because she lowered her legs, then her arms, even though the water was over her head, and tried to disengage from him. He refused to let her go. One arm still behind her back, he shifted the other under her legs and trudged toward shore.
“Morgan, I can walk, and you’re injured.”
“Not anymore than you.” Now she was safe, he remembered what she had done and his anger rose. “You ever pull a stunt like that again, I will throttle you.”
She looked up into his face. “If they had taken you, you would have angered them until they eventually killed you.”
His muscles tightened. “What do you think they would have done to you?”
Color blossomed in her face and neck. “They wouldn’t have killed me.”
“You don’t know that, and some things are worse than death.”
When his feet shuffled onto the sandy beach, he glanced down. His eyes widened, and his blood surged. Two milky white, firm breasts peeked up at him. If his brother hadn’t been standing beside him, he would have taken her right then.
His brother.
“Arianna, your shirt.” He didn’t want Harry to view what was only for his eyes.
She gasped and quickly snapped the edges together, but the soaked, white linen did little to hide the roundness and pebbled nipples. A light breeze blew, and a shiver trembled through her.
“We need to start a fire. Harry, fetch the supplies while I gather wood.” Luckily, the pirates hadn’t searched the cave and taken what little they had.
Harry took off at a run.
Morgan lowered Arianna’s legs and allowed her to slip down his body. He didn’t want to release her. He held her a moment longer, staring into her azure eyes and then reluctantly dropped his arms. “Wait here in the sun.”
“I’m going to help you.”
&
nbsp; “Arianna—”
“It will be f-faster with my help, and the w-work will w-warm me.”
He scowled. Arguing would not deter or convince Arianna and only waste time. “Come on then, but don’t wander far. We don’t know when and if the pirates will return once they reorganize.” He glanced at the ship before he entered the woods.
****
Hugging a blanket around her naked body, Arianna relaxed on a log Morgan had dragged to the blazing fire at the edge of the forest. Similarly attired, Morgan sat next to her. He had not left her side for more than a moment or two since he rescued her. Their clothes lay over bushes, drying in the sun. Harry had returned with their supplies, consisting of two blankets, flint, water, and biscuits.
The pirate ship remained anchored, but the crew hadn’t attempted to return to the island. And she hoped they didn’t. Her experience with pirates would last her a lifetime.
Morgan leaned forward, threw more wood on the fire, and then glanced her way. “Are you warm enough?”
“Yes, I am now.”
He slid back, and an involuntary groan slipped from his mouth.
“What’s wrong?” she asked.
“Nothing. I’m fine.”
“No, you’re not,” Harry replied.
She faced his side. “It’s not a sign of weakness to admit you are hurt or to allow someone to help you.”
His dark chocolate eyes searched her beseeching ones. She wasn’t certain he would reply.
“It’s my ribs.”
“Are they broken?” Harry asked.
“No. I think they’re bruised.” He shifted his position with a grimace.
Arianna stood. “We need to bind them. My clothes must be dry by now. I will dress, and we can use this blanket for bandages.”
Morgan grabbed her hand and tugged her down. “I am fine.” With his forefinger, he turned her face to him. “You were the one they hurt.” His anger at their brutality sizzled in the air. “They left a bruise on your cheek.” He traced the mark. “And a cut on your lip.”
Her skin tingled under the caress, and she luxuriated in the smooth slide of his fingertips as they drifted to her neck.
Harry jumped up. She jerked her face away from Morgan. Again she had fallen under his seductive spell. With a word or a touch, she was lost to him and forgot herself and who might linger near.
“I’m going to see if I can find fruits or berries. What we have won’t last long,” Harry called over his shoulder as he left.
“Do you think anyone will find us here?” she asked Morgan. She hadn’t thought before about the possibility they might never be rescued.
“I don’t know. We need to prepare for the fact we could be here for a long time.”
He ran his fingers through her hair, separating the salt encrusted strands, and she purred with contentment. If she had to be stranded, doing so with Morgan would create a pleasant adventure.
“So we should make the most of it.” He framed her face with his hands, and then his hot, moist lips came down on hers, possessive and passionate, claiming them as his own.
The blood rushing through her veins simmered and then boiled. The blanket fell away and cool air caressed her naked flesh from the top of her spinning head to the tip of her tingling toes. He slid his arms around her and pulled her close. Her skin met his, fiery and hot. While his tongue explored her mouth, his hands kneaded her breasts, squeezing and caressing, his fingers lightly pinching the nipples. A moistness and need settled between her legs.
Still connected, her arms curled around Morgan’s neck. He tipped her back and guided her to the woolen blanket on the ground behind them. Hovering over her, Morgan’s mouth replaced his hand at her breast. As his teeth bit and his tongue laved, his roaming hands drifted down and stopped between her legs. Fingers slipped between her lower lips and searched for and then played with the bud of her womanhood. Fire seared her as tension coiled tight. She knew the ecstasy she sought, and arching her back, demanding more, she allowed it to build. He would take care of her.
And build.
He would not leave her wanting.
And build.
Her hands clenched. Her toes curled. She squirmed.
And shattered. An array of colorful lights danced in her head.
A hardness probed at her opening, and she spread her legs wide, needing him inside. Their eyes met and clung as he slowly slid into her, her body stretching to accommodate him. A slight discomfit swept the area. But she would never deny him. He had given her overwhelming pleasure three times now. Twice without thought of himself, asking for nothing in return. She wanted him to experience the same remarkable wonder. The idea of their becoming one filled her with indescribable joy.
He halted, and his mouth returned. His tongue dancing with hers, he drew back and drove into her. She couldn’t help a squeak as pain ripped through her.
Deep inside, he stilled. “I’m sorry, but there was no way to spare you. The soreness will fade and never return.”
His mouth ravaged hers as he began to move. The burning slid away, and a new need emerged. And grew. She followed and then matched his movements as he plunged faster, slowed, and quickened. Sensations, newer and brighter, merged with old. She rose up to meet him again and again until she could hold back no longer and erupted in a fiery light. He thrust once more and then collapsed on top of her, joining her in the hazy world where cares disappeared. He remained limp, his pulse and heartbeat rapid, while she idly rubbed his back, luxuriating in the feel of skin on skin until he rolled to her side.
She smiled. She had never felt anything like it. The emotions, the passion. Making love was stupendous. Now, she realized why her brothers always talked about the act when they thought she wasn’t around. She glanced at Morgan and expected to see satisfaction, delight, and total bliss covering his face, but instead witnessed dread as he stared up at the trees.
Was she that bad?
****
What had he done? He hadn’t meant to. But she was so lovely, so passionate, so available and willing and courageous, and he had almost lost her forever. He had only longed to satisfy her, to reassure her, to show her what she meant to him, to give her something for the sacrifice she had offered today. No person had ever willingly sacrificed their life for his. He would never ask it of anyone, wouldn’t expect it. But her unselfish act had touched him deeply. Had embedded in and twisted his soul.
But once he started, he couldn’t stop. Her eagerness had overwhelmed him. He had to have her, to fill her, to make her his own. But now he had ruined Arianna, and he couldn’t marry her. His honor screamed, smashed beneath his boot. The one thing that made him who he was, the most important value in his life, was now crushed because of his stupidity and his weakness in controlling his desire.
He had ruined two women, and he could only marry one. He had promised his mother he would marry Susan and had vowed years ago when his father left them that he would never fail his mother. He had sunk to his lowest point. Had become what he had feared and avoided his entire life. His father. He was the reason why he never wanted to feel. Why he never allowed anyone to be close to him.
What if both women were pregnant? Arianna’s life would be over. He would support his child and Arianna, but he couldn’t marry her. His child would be a bastard. And the label would follow him or her the rest of their life.
Maybe they would be forever condemned to this island. Then he could spend the remainder of his existence with Arianna. The woman he truly desired. The woman who held his heart.
“Morgan, did I do something wrong? Was I that bad?”
He pasted on a smile and turned to her. He spied the glittering tears that filled her eyes. Self-loathing soaked into his pores. His stomach ached as if a giant had pounded his fist into it. He forced words around the lump that strangled his throat. “No, you were wonderful.”
“Is it your ribs?”
“I never felt a thing.” While he caressed, licked, and moved inside her, his pa
in had disappeared.
“Then what is the matter?”
He brushed wayward strands of hair from her face. “Nothing at all.” He didn’t want to hurt her. He wanted nothing more than to hold her in his arms and make love to her.
But he would not permit his manhood to rule him again.
Only this time he feared it was his heart.
“Let’s get dressed. My brother left because he believed we wanted to be alone.” He grinned. “Which was true. But I don’t know when he’ll return.” He glanced down at the blood and his seed smeared on her thighs. The proof of her virginity and his despicable deed. “But first…” He scooped her up and slowly stood.
She looped her arms around his neck. “Your ribs.”
“I’ll survive.” He would fight his way to the end of the world and back if it would help her. “We need to wash.”
A delicious red blush covered her face.
He strode into the ocean with her in his arms until the water reached his stomach and then slid her down his body. “Hurry and clean up.”
“You’ll get no argument from me.” She bent over and rubbed her lower half with brisk strokes.
“That will be the first time.”
She straightened and splashed him with water.
“Witch.” His gaze drifted to her firm breasts that had popped to the surface when she stood, the nipples as hard as red berries and good enough to eat.
“Wretch.” She spun from him with an impish grin and continued to wash.
Morgan cupped his hands, filled the hollow with water, lifted them over her head, and separated the two halves.
She screamed and whirled. “You’re going to regret that.” She splashed him relentlessly, her glorious laugher like the singing of birds in the springtime. He retaliated. He couldn’t allow her to have all the fun.
A drop hit him in the eye, and he instinctively closed it. He stepped back. His foot slipped. He lost his balance and started to fall. Into the water. Horror shot through him. His brother. Drowning.
He flailed his arms up and down until he landed with a thud. His heart racing, he sat on the bottom, his head above water. He could breathe. He was alive.
“Morgan.” Arianna rushed to him and threw her arms around his neck. “I didn’t mean—”
Lost Honor Page 20