“Not when I spanked you. I’m captain of this ship, and that won’t change no matter what goes on between us. You were not respectful, nor were you forthcoming with what you’ve done or your reasons. You’re aboard my ship.”
“But you’ve been set on manipulating me. I haven’t felt very trusting,” Moira countered.
“That’s why we’re talking now.” Kyle stroked back Moira’s hair and kissed her temple again. “Do you understand why you’ve deserved them?”
“Because I’ve been incredibly defiant and unconscionably disrespectful several times. I know what you expect, and I did what I wanted, anyway. You’re the captain aboard this ship. If I ever defy you openly, others might think they can too. The day you boarded my clan’s ship, you could have killed me, but you didn’t. You could have forced me, but you haven’t. You could abuse me, but you won’t.”
“And in return?” Kyle prompted.
“And in return, I should respect your authority.”
“Did Aidan decide how and where you coupled?” Kyle asked. He wasn’t certain that he wanted to hear about Moira’s past, but he needed to understand how much experience she had.
“Sort of. I mean, the places were rather limited. And I knew nothing that he didn’t teach me, so I suppose he did decide how.” Moira looked at Kyle and realized he expected her to say more, to be more specific. “I don’t know what else you want to know, Kyle.”
“I know you must have taken him in your mouth, and I know he returned the favor to you. But when you coupled, was he always on top?”
“Kyle!” Moira gasped.
“Did he take you from behind? Did he pull your hair or bind your hands? Did he enter your rosebud?” Kyle rattled off the questions he wanted to know before either of them lost the nerve to discuss this.
“Do you mean behind like an animal?”
“That’s one way. But standing or lying down, maybe bent over something,” Kyle clarified.
“Yes.” Moira couldn’t look at Kyle. She turned her head away and closed her eyes, but gentle fingers nudged her chin back toward him. He pressed a soft kiss to her lips.
“I’m not judging you, sweet one. I just want to know what you understand about how a man and woman can enjoy coupling.”
“Enjoy? Are these things you like?” Moira murmured.
“They are. And they’re things that I would like to enjoy with you.”
“You wish to pull my hair?” Moira’s brow wrinkled.
“You enjoy when I spank you and when I pinch your nipples. You like it rough, Moira. Don’t you?” Kyle prodded.
“I didn’t know I did until I met you.” Moira’s lips pursed and turned down as she considered how she felt about her brief time with Kyle. “Why do I like it?”
“I can’t say for sure. At least, not yet. But I suspect that while I may cause you pain, you also know that I won’t injure you. I may have control, and I may be bigger and more dominant, but I will never purposely hurt you. You’ve said you don’t fear what will come next because you can predict it. Maybe you want to give up having to be in control all the time. In control of how you react; in control of your emotions lest Dónal or Lizzie, or even Aiden, see too much. In control of running a keep where no one appreciates what you do.” Kyle pressed his lips gently to Moira’s, offering a tenderness he didn’t know he possessed. He enjoyed women, and he liked his coupling rough and fast. He was rarely gentle, but the women who took him to their bed knew that. They knew he paid well for his pleasure. But Moira was different.
“Sean often has night terrors,” Moira stated. Kyle frowned, not pleased about the sudden change in conversation. When he opened his mouth, Moira held up her hand. “Please. I’ve slept better in your bed, and even kneeling against the wall, than I have in years. I spent most nights sleeping on a trundle bed in Sean’s chamber to soothe him and to keep him from rousing the entire castle. Being aboard your ship is the first time in years that I’ve had no duties to worry about, no one else to tend to. I can just sleep. I don’t have to be in control of anything.”
Kyle nodded, understanding what she meant. He’d slept better lying beside Moira than he had since he sailed on his first ship. “I was honest the other night when I said I don’t know how to care for a woman. Not really. I know how to pleasure a woman, but not to minister to your needs beyond that. But you trust me. At least with your body. If you can trust me to bring you pleasure, even if it pushes you beyond what you think you can manage, then I also wish to ensure you have everything else you need.”
“You wish to take care of me?” Moira blinked owlishly.
“I do.”
“What does that mean?”
“I’m not entirely sure, but I’d like you to know you can come to me for anything. Whether you need a new bar of soap, or you need to confess how you feel.” Kyle held his breath, expecting Moira to rebuke him, to throw his offer back at him. She slid her hands up his chest and around his neck as she attempted to inch closer to him. Her hip already pressed against his hardened rod.
“Kyle, I believe you can show me pleasure I never imagined possible. I admit I’m curious, even excited at the prospect. But I need you to accept that it will take me time to trust you with the rest of me. I’ve been played a fool too many times. It’s not that I never will. It’s not that you’re untrustworthy. I’m…”
“Scared?” Kyle provided. Moira nodded.
“I want to trust you. But I’m not ready to trust myself in making that decision. Do you trust me?”
“That’s a fair question, sweet one,” Kyle replied. “Perhaps a wee more than you trust me. But not entirely. Trust will come with time, as we get to know one another better and rely upon one another.”
“What could you rely on me for? I must rely on you for everything,” Moira noted.
“Aye. But can I rely on you not to pull any more stunts like the last few days? Can I rely on you not to stab me in my sleep? Can I rely on you to keep any confidences I share with you? You will be privy to meetings I have with Tomas. You will see maps and ledgers. Can I rely on you not to tell anyone what you see or hear?”
“Yes. Speaking out of turn could get you killed. I’m not interested in that happening. I’d rather it not,” Moira grinned.
“Because I haven’t bedded you enough? Because you know you’ll crave more and wish to have me at your disposal to satisfy your needs?” Kyle tickled her ribs.
“There is that. But I’d rather be here with you than with Dónal or Dermot,” Moira scowled until she realized what she’d said.
“Dermot? Dermot O’Malley? Why would you be with him? The MacDonnells and O’Malleys can’t stand one another.”
Moira sighed as her lips twisted. She’d said too much now to avoid explaining everything. It would be a test in trust to reveal to Kyle why she’d run away. But she wouldn’t tell him where she was headed. Not yet, at least.
“Dónal has never been willing to pay a reasonable dowry for me. For all he complains, he didn’t want me to leave. I’m the best servant he has ever had. But he believed Dermot would make a better ally than an enemy. I don’t know who else he’s plotting against, or how he might intend to cross Dermot, but he signed a betrothal agreement between the O’Malley and me. I learned of it three days before you attacked my clan’s ship.”
“And that’s why you were on it? Were you being delivered to O’Malley or trying to escape?”
“Escape. The alliance went against what the clan council wanted. None of the men stopped Dónal from intimidating me. The councilmen smuggled me out. That’s why there weren’t many men on board.”
“Where were you headed?”
“I don’t know all the details.” Which was true, just not the entire truth. “South.”
Moira said nothing Kyle hadn’t already suspected, but the confirmation was useful. And he appreciated that they’d crossed a major hurdle far faster than he expected after their fractious last few days. He was certain there was more to her story, but
he wouldn’t press. Yet.
“I’m glad you’re safe now,” Kyle said.
“Am I, though? Will you turn me over to Dónal or Dermot if they find me?”
“And how would they do that when I don’t know where you are?” Kyle asked with a straight face. Moira shivered for a moment as she witnessed what an accomplished liar he was. Always perceptive, Kyle added, “I lie better than most. I’ve had to in order to stay alive. But unless it can’t be helped, unless it’s for your well-being, I won’t lie to you.”
Moira nodded. She wanted to believe him, wanted the trust that Kyle spoke the truth. But she wasn’t fool enough to trust the man just because he was handsome and made her body sing. She hadn’t lied either. It would take her time to trust him. Sensing they’d spent enough time in serious conversation, Kyle nudged her off his lap and stood.
Twelve
Wrapped in his plaid and a leine she swam in, Moira watched Kyle dig in one of his chests before sticking his head into the passageway and bellowing to someone named Braedon. It was only moments later that an adolescent boy bounded toward Kyle but was sent off to find a pair of his leggings and a smaller leine for Moira. When Kyle had warm clothes to offer Moira, he swapped the larger leine for one that fit her better.
“Put your boots on. It’s time you came above deck and met my crew properly. They know you’re here. They know you’re mine. But I would introduce you on my terms.” Kyle crossed his arms and set his jaw as he looked down at Moira. Once more captain and commander. “It’s the only way I can keep you safe, Moira. I may not always be a barbarian with you, but I must keep you safe among my crew. They must know they can’t touch you without losing their life.”
“I understand, Kyle. I don’t know if you’re possessive by nature. Maybe you are because you didn’t have much as a child or because you’ve always shared with Keith. But I do realize who I’m on board with. I may have avoided men like your crew when Dónal hosted, but I wasn’t blind or deaf. I’d rather you make it abundantly clear that I’m to be left alone than for you to neglect that.”
Kyle’s arms unfolded before he wrapped them around Moira’s waist. He lifted her off the floor and gave her a smacking kiss before spanking, then squeezing, her backside. She squealed and kissed him back. She was ready to make her first dignified appearance on deck.
Moira stood beside Kyle on deck, any traces of her earlier submission gone as she looked the crew in the eye, meeting their suspicious assessment with her own. She’d felt Kyle’s body shift, so they stood side-by-side rather than with his body angled in front of hers. She appreciated the small sign of respect. She knew he wouldn’t hesitate to defend her if any man made a move, but she didn’t appear to cower behind him. She didn’t intend to present herself as his equal, but neither did she intend to stand in his shadow. She hoped he would allow her freedom to move about the ship, and she railed against any pirate thinking she was still the meek woman some had met before. She was certain word had already spread about her; it was inevitable. But she could present herself in the way she wanted to be seen for once: brave.
The moments of fear she’d experienced as she slipped from the keep in the dark down to the pier, then into the dinghy that rowed her out to the ship with Grady and Malone had paled compared to the terror of realizing pirates attacked her ship. Since then, her emotions were in constant turmoil with Kyle. They vacillated from exquisite pleasure to doubt to worry, but as she stood beside him and listened to him introduce her with a certainty in his tone that defied anyone questioning him—or her—she found the remnants of the wild girl she’d once been. The one who threw caution to the wind, riding too fast, climbing too high in trees, swimming out too far. The one her mother swore could never be tamed before she had put her wants and dreams aside to care first for her dying mother, then a clan who overlooked her.
“Lady Moira is my guest, so you will accord her the respect that demands. Any slight to her is a slight to me. Pray that all I do is set you adrift,” Kyle finished as he wrapped his hand around Moira’s and gave it a gentle squeeze. She longed to shift her focus to him, but she wouldn’t take her eyes off the crew. She wouldn’t look away, lest they think for even a moment that she depended upon Kyle as much as she did.
“Thank you, Capt’n,” Moira stated.
“Welcome aboard, my lady,” Tomas spoke up, nudging Snake Eye, who grunted and nodded.
“Begging your pardon for manhandling you that first day,” Snake Eye apologized, and Moira suspected he meant it. The man didn’t appear able to look sincere about anything but wishing death upon someone, but his voice held a note of authenticity. Moira nodded and offered a brief smile in return.
“My lady, I’m Braedon, the capt’n’s barrel man.” The adolescent boy who’d lent Moira the clothes she wore stepped forward. “If you’d care for a tour of the ship, I’d be pleased to lead you.” His gaze darted to Kyle. “Assuming the capt’n approves.”
“I think that would be nice,” Moira responded, turning her face toward Kyle. “Assuming the capt’n approves.”
“He does,” Kyle nodded before leaning to whisper to Moira. “I suspect you’ve already taken yourself on a tour, but there is still plenty that I shall show you that young Braedon can’t.” Kyle grinned as Moira’s cheeks turned a light shade of pink while she cocked an eyebrow, accepting his challenge.
Moira stepped forward, but Kyle squeezed her hand and tugged her back. Once more he leaned down to whisper to her. “I trust Braedon, Snake Eye, and Tomas with your life, but I don’t trust any of the others. Senga trained Braedon well, but he’s still no match for some of the larger men. Don’t go into any space where you and Braedon could be cornered. Promise me.”
Moira took in the gravity of Kyle’s warning, knowing Braedon would die and she would be assaulted if Kyle’s fears came true. She nodded and squeezed his hand.
“And lass,” Kyle purred, accentuating his burr. “Dinna think ye can get away with murder. If I discover you’ve disobeyed me, yer other set of cheeks will be as pink as the ones on yer face before the day is through.”
Moira nodded once more before turning back to Braedon. She struggled not to look back at Kyle to acknowledge how much she looked forward to her next spanking. Her core tightened as a tingle took root, making her want to squirm.
“Lady Moira, other than the ship we found you on, have you sailed before?” Braedon’s question drew her attention back to her tour guide. They stood below the mainsail, and Moira tilted her head back to watch the billowing canvas. She knew Kyle could order the crew to man the oars, but the breeze carried them along as they cut through the waves. They hadn’t been underway long, and they moved slowly.
Moira had spent time on Aidan’s ship, almost solely in his cabin, but she hadn’t sailed often. The most she’d done was a few trips to Rathlin Island, another MacDonnell keep. She’d also traveled overland to the clan’s keeps at Dunaneeny and Ballycastle, and to Kinbane, the MacAlisters’ stronghold. The MacDonnells and MacAlisters were allied, and she suddenly realized that she and the men helping her flee could have encountered a MacAlister ship near their coast.
“No. Only a few trips to Rathlin Castle on Rathlin, and that’s not very far at all,” Moira answered, coming back to herself.
“You have good sea legs on you for a landlubber,” Braedon grinned then quickly added, “My lady.”
“I shall take it as a compliment that you don’t think I’m a completely clumsy oaf meant only for dry land,” Moira snickered, making the boy relax.
“I didn’t mean offense, my lady.”
“I know you didn’t, Braedon, so I took none. How long have you been aboard the Lady Charity?” Moira asked.
“Nigh on three years. Two with the Dark Heart, and one with the Red Drifter.”
Moira heard the hero worship in the boy’s voice, and part of her wished she could disabuse him of his notion that the life of a pirate captain was glamorous, but he knew better than she did what the reality was. He st
ill looked wistfully in Kyle’s direction.
“You must have learned a great deal sailing with two such feared captains,” Moira observed, keeping her head tilted back as though she was more interested in the mast and sail.
“I have. But it was Lady Senga who taught me to fight,” Braedon nodded as Moira glanced down. “Och, aye, she did.”
Braedon looked around and lowered his voice before he began his tale. “She saw me training with Snake Eye one morning, and she knew he was about to skewer me. I didn’t know what I was doing, and no one was going to help me. Everyone could see I didn’t have the right kind of weapon for my size, but neither would I back down. She dug around until she found me a sword,” Braedon paused to pat the weapon hanging from his waist. “She took on Snake Eye then the Dark Heart and talked easy as you please throughout it all. She told me where to stand, how to move, and how to read my opponent. She almost bested the Dark Heart!”
Moira couldn’t help but smile as she listened to Braedon recount his experience. She recalled the time she’d slipped into the armory to investigate the swords and bows the MacDonnell warriors carried. She’d knocked over a dozen swords, sending them clattering to the ground. Her father and his men rushed in, fearing they were under attack, only to find a ten-year-old Moira trying to hoist a sword. She’d explained that she wanted to see if they were as heavy as they looked. Her mother had despaired that Moira would always have a precocious streak.
The pride in the Braedon’s tone reminded her that he was still very young, even though his voice was deepening. She wished she could have seen such a sight. Senga had impressed her from the start, and she could picture the lady pirate sparing with her mountainous, short-tempered husband. The woman was likely the only one who could have bested the Dark Heart. She slid her gaze to the helm where Kyle stood at the wheel. She felt his eyes on her time and again, but when she glanced at him, he wasn’t looking at her. She waited until his eyes shifted back to hers and offered him an impish grin with a one-shoulder shrug.
The Red Drifter of the Sea: A Steamy Opposites Attract Pirate Romance (Pirates of the Isles Book 3) Page 9