by ML Guida
Ronan folded his arms and leaned against the bars. “Cap’n, maybe I need to take a wee nap.”
Kane’s brows furrowed. “Why?”
“Because Zuto visits me in my dreams.”
“So?”
“What if I let it slip that Palmer’s been spillin’ his secrets?”
“He’ll not believe you.” Palmer ran his bleeding hand through his matted hair, smearing blood. He looked more like a corpse than a man.
Ronan shrugged. “Maybe. Maybe not.”
“He knows I’d never betray him.”
Ronan grinned. “I doubt that. Zuto’s many foul things, but a fool isn’t one of them.”
“Go ahead.” Palmer wiped his hands on his trousers. “Tell him.”
“I shall.”
Palmer sucked on his bleeding hand. His loud slurping turned Ronan’s stomach, and all he could think about was those lips on Angelica’s flesh.
Concentrate.
Palmer leaned his head against the wall and closed his eyes. “He’ll punish you for lyin’.”
“Doubtful. Because I’m goin’ to tell him that you mentioned Lark bein’ captive in The Colonies in a witch’s cell.”
“You’re wasting your time, Macmillan. Trying to scare me into telling you won’t work. Besides, you can’t summon Zuto. He comes to you in his own good time.”
“I think I know a way to capture his attention.”
Chapter 20
Ronan hurried over to the bars. His plan might just work. “Release me, Cap’n.”
Kane chewed on his lip. “Why?”
“I need to see Mariah.”
“A witch? Pah!” Palmer crossed his arms and legs as if he was going to take a nap. “She’s nothing, and her magic pales compared to Zuto’s.”
“You’re not worried, Palmer. Why do you care?”
“I don’t.”
He was lying. Ronan could hear the tremor in his voice and saw the tension in his rigid body. He looked at Kane. “Cap’n?”
Kane studied him and swore underneath his breath. “You attack anyone else on the ship, Macmillan, and I’ll have you in chains. Agreed?”
“Agreed.”
Palmer opened his eyes and shook his fists. “You’re both fools! Zuto’s far more powerful than the witch.”
Ronan turned over his shoulder. “Then why are you mad, Palmer?”
“Go to hell!”
Kane and Ronan left Palmer still hollering. Ronan must have stumbled onto something. Palmer wouldn’t be acting this way unless he feared Mariah. He needed to see her.
Mariah and Hannah were up on deck with Angelica. She said something, and Angelica turned. A broad smile came across her face. She ran down the deck, dodging men, and wrapped her arms around his neck. “Ronan! You’re free.”
He hugged her, inhaling her fragrant scent. “For now.”
“I’ll not go back on my word,” Kane said. “What the devil do you have in mind?”
Ronan put Angelica down. “I need to speak to Mariah.”
“We already have a plan,” Angelica said. “That’s why I came to see you in the brig.”
“You do?” Kane asked. “Why wasn’t I told?”
Hannah strolled over to him and slipped her arms around his waist. “Because you’re a stubborn captain who never listens.”
“I never—”
She kissed him briefly on the lips. “Just listen, love.”
Mariah joined them. “So, you wanted to talk to me, Ronan, oui?”
“Aye, is there a way for me to summon Zuto to my dreams?”
“No,” she said. “But I can send you to his. ’Tis dangerous. You’ll be entering evil. In his dreams, he’ll be even more powerful and more cunning.”
Angelica put her hands on Ronan’s chest. “You can’t do this. Mariah, Hannah, and I’ve found a way to stop your curse.”
The hope in her eyes warmed his heart, but he wouldn’t put her at risk. “There’s only way to do it, and we’re not going there. Not after what happened with Palmer. I willna do it.”
She stared at him, and tears welled in her eyes. “You won’t even hear our plan?”
“I said no.”
Ignoring him, she faced Kane, her shoulders squared as if she was at attention. “Captain, I need to speak to my stubborn pirate alone. Will you excuse us?”
Kane nodded.
Hannah tilted her head. “Use our cabin.”
Kane shrugged.
“We’ll not have this conversation here.” She grabbed his hand. “Come.”
He thought about yanking his hand away, but looking at Mariah’s and Hannah’s determined expressions, he’d rather just take on one strong-willed woman than three. He allowed Angelica to lead him through the bustling men casting them curious glances. None of them spoke until they were inside the captain’s cabin. He shut the door and leaned against it. “You have me alone. What is this grand plan of yours?”
“Love.” She tilted her chin as if the answer was so obvious.
Had she just gone mad? “Love?”
“Mariah says that Zuto doesn’t understand love and pure love will blind his magic.”
“It’s too risky. It won’t work.”
She frowned. “Why not?”
“Because we have to make him believe.”
She put her hand on his chest. “Mariah can cast a spell, giving the illusion that we’re in love.” Her voice picked up speed as if she’d rehearsed this speech. “I do care about you, and I think you care about me. Don’t worry—the spell’s only temporary. You will not be bound to me. I promise.”
Ronan chewed on his cheek. Wasn’t this what he wanted? Angelica had never said she loved him, only cared for him, so why the devil did this bother him more than buzzing mosquitoes whizzing around his head. He wanted to protest, but the words stuck in his throat like a dry piece of bread, choking him. His heart quickened. He was a coward. If he said those words, what if she rejected him? It would be his undoin’.
She wrapped her arms around his neck. “I say we practice proving to Zuto that we’re in love.”
He gazed into her eyes, the centers wide and black and glistening with desire. “Angelica.” His voice was strained, unraveling.
“Kiss me. ’Tis all I ask.”
He stared at her and brushed his thumb over her cheek. “One kiss,” he mumbled and bent his head, kissing those luscious lips.
She clutched his shoulders, and then her hands moved down his chest, lightly skimming over his knotted muscles. Blood thumped through him, and he tried to pull away, but her kiss deepened, her fervor catching him by surprise.
Before he knew it, she had slipped her hands in his shirt and her fingers explored his naked flesh.
“Angelica,” he whispered. “I canna—”
Her smooth tongue trained kisses down his throat and she tore his shirt. When her tongue swirled around his nipple, he closed his eyes and gasped. She pushed him onto his back and crawled on top of him, her silky hair caressing his skin. He arched his back, desire pulsing through him. He should push her away, but damn it, he wanted this.
She slipped her hands lower, nimble fingers untied his trousers, freeing his swollen flesh.
“You want me.” She caressed his slick cock.
“I never said I didna want you.”
“No, you didn’t.”
Her breath hot, she kissed the tip of his flesh, and he nearly jumped off the bed. “Jaaysus.” He should be appalled, but lord, he wanted her lips on him. He couldna take her…
She took him inside her hot mouth, sucking and licking him. He clutched the blankets as her blond head moved up and down on his flesh, fueling his desire. But ’twasna enough. He wanted to be inside her, feeling her muscles clutching him.
He grabbed her hair and gently pulled her off him, afraid he’d explode inside her mouth.
She gazed at him with confusion. “Was I not doing it right?”
“You’re killing me,” he whispered. “Take your clothes
off now.”
Eagerness crept into her eyes. She fumbled taking her gown off, and he refused to help her, wanting to watch her undress to see the curves slowly revealed to him. His cock throbbed, and he didn’t know how much longer he could wait. Angelica stepped out of the gown, only wearing a chemise that barely covered those tempting curves. He grabbed her hand and tossed her onto the bed.
She gasped and laughed. “Why, sir, have you changed your mind?”
He captured her mouth and tore away her chemise. She cried out.
“I’ll get you another one,” he muttered.
He widened her thighs and nestled his hips between them. He cradled the lush ripeness of her breast, his thumb brushing over her budded nipple, eliciting a moan from Angelica.
“Take me,” she urged. “Hard now.”
Ronan gazed into those deep blues and realized, suddenly and shockingly, that this lusty woman, willing to sacrifice herself for him and risk her soul, was his life. He loved her and couldna think of life without her. If only he could say those words…
He kissed her long slender neck. “Wrap those long legs around my hips.”
She obeyed and he slipped his flesh inside her wet heat. A fierce streak of pleasure mushroomed in his gut each time he rocked his hips harder and harder, penetrating deeper inside her, building a crescendo of fierce pleasure.
Angelica arched her back, her breasts pushing against Ronan’s chest. He pumped his cock hard and deep inside her. Her muscles eagerly tightened around him, the friction between their sexes driving her into a helpless frenzy. She moved her hips in long bold strides, matching his rhythm, wanting him inside her, taking what she could. She’d hoped he would have protested that he didn’t need to fool Zuto because he deeply cared about her.
He kissed and licked her shoulder and held onto her hip, pressing her down onto the bed, where he filled her fuller each time. Ronan lifted his head, his body flexing and straining against her. She milked the luxury of his powerful muscles on top of her, inside her, contracting and expanding. Sweet pleasure rushed over her. Ronan arched his back and surged his body forward. He released a climatic cry, spilling his warm seed inside her. Her own turbulent climax seized her with ecstasy, and she clung to him, reeling from their furious love making.
“Angelica, I’m sorry.”
She blinked and stilled, feeling him pumping slower inside her. He regretted this? “What?”
“I was just thinking of my own pleasure.” He brushed her frowning lips with his thumb. “I should have been gentler with you.”
“Ronan, I didn’t want gentle. I seduced you, remember? We need to prove to Zuto that we desire each other.”
“For that we donna need a spell.”
He kissed her silencing her protests and smothering any thoughts of Zuto. She gripped him tight, not wanting to lose him, wishing he felt for her what she did for him, but she’d take what she could steal.
He left her mouth, sweeping kisses down her throat to her ear. “Always know I desire you. Never doubt that.”
She thought for a minute he’d whisper that he loved her, and she tensed, willing him to say it louder. But he returned to sucking and kissing her neck. She caressed his back, his muscles taunt and flexing beneath her, and tried to push back the disappointment brewing in her tummy.
He pulled out of her and stood. She was afraid he was going to leave, but instead, he shed his boots and trousers. She had forgotten he was still half clothed. His glorious flesh was growing hard again. He crawled onto her, kissing her again, slowly moving his tongue down her body, kissing and teasing her. “I’m going to take my time now. You deserve to be worshiped.”
But not loved? She shouldn’t condemn him. ’Twas not like she told him she loved him. ’Twas such a scary word. If she said it, it would mean breaking her father’s law to condemn all pirates. He was the only parent she had left, and she didn’t want him to forsake her like he had Isabella. Banishing the thought, she ran her fingers through Ronan’s hair, his stubble chaffing her flesh. He took a nipple in his mouth, sucking hard, building another orgasm, and slipped a finger inside her sleek heat. She panted, trying to breathe. He tormented her with his tongue, and she clung to him, concentrating on her climax, not hanging on to disappointment.
Ronan climbed off her. “Sit up and come closer to the edge of the bed.”
His heated gaze made her shudder. She was surprised when he hoisted her legs high over his hips until she straddled him. He lowered himself onto her sex, and she slid forward, taking his erection deep inside her. She shuddered at how this time he was full and stretched her wider, but he didn’t thrust yet, and he trembled. She gazed into his eyes and their gazes locked.
Ronan couldna move, waiting for her to get used to this new position. With each move of her body, he didna know how much longer he could control the throbbing desire she flamed inside him. When she finally moved, he let her set the pace. He thought she’d want it slow, but she surprised him. She rocked her hips, and he bent his head taking her nipple, her whimpers quickening his thrusting hips.
His blood thundering, her wetness and drive took him to higher heights. He released her nipple and kissed her mouth hungrily, tasting her femininity, sweet and lush. Her tongue flickered around his, and he couldna ever get enough of her. She was his. He just wished he was man enough to tell her. She was the first woman he’d been with since he’d lost his hand. What if this was the reason she didn’t love him?
He came inside her swiftly and she cried out. She screamed his name, panting next to him, her breasts brushing against his chest.
Ronan cradled Angelica in his arms and fell into an exhausted sleep.
The sun beat down on him, burning him, his skin blistering. Hotness swept over him and his throat ran dry. He was back on a sandy white beach. No!
Sweat rolled down his back and his chest. He tried to lift a leg and run, but like before his feet were embedded in the sand. Waves rushed over his feet, swirling around his toes and splashing his ankles. Zuto strolled over to him, a wide smile on his lips. “You’ve done good, my friend.” He grabbed his arms and shook him gently. “Bite her while she sleeps so I know what the sex is.”
He shrugged off Zuto’s hands. “Never!”
Zuto tilted his head back and laughed. “Fine. We’ll do it the hard way. I’ll see you soon, Macmillan. Very soon.”
Ronan jerked awake. “Angelica!”
“Ronan,” a sleepy voice said. “What’s wrong?”
Angelica curled next to him, her luscious backside against his legs. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer. Was Zuto telling the truth? Was she with child? His child. She had said she wasn’t pregnant.
She turned over. “My God, you’re sweating.”
She sat up, and the quilt fell, revealing a curvy breast. He immediately grew hard and wanted to take her one more time. Lord, when she was around, he lost his mind.
Concentrate. Damn it.
She pushed his hair off his face. “Zuto visited you, didn’t he?”
He stared into those beautiful eyes that were filled with concern. Her slight touch eased the fear pooling in his gut. “Aye.”
“What did he say?”
He pressed her hand against his cheek. “I donna want to talk about him.”
“He keeps saying I’m pregnant, doesn’t he?”
“Aye.” He grabbed her waist and pulled her down, rolling onto top of her. He kissed her, trying to persuade her to think of anything but Zuto. He leaned over and slipped her nipple into his mouth, biting and suckling her. She gasped and arched her back, allowing him to feast greedily. He toyed with her other nipple and nestled his hips between her legs.
She ran her foot down his leg, and he shivered. “Ronan, I can’t stand Zuto torturing you,” she gasped. “I need to tell you something.”
He gazed up at her. “Let’s forget about him.”
She put her finger on his nose. “Ronan, I need to tell you about mermaids. We are not li
ke humans. We can feel our babies move in a week or less.”
“You’ve felt the babe move?”
“No, not yet. I felt nausea when I was a prisoner on Palmer’s ship, but I thought it was the swill they fed me. I haven’t felt a baby move. This is how mermaids know if they are pregnant. We don’t get morning sickness, but it could be different if the baby is half human. There’s more. I’ll also know the sex.”
“Why doesn’t Zuto know this?”
“Not all mermaids can do this, but I come from royalty, remember? It’s a gift my father bestowed on all of his daughters because he was so eager to know the sex of his grandchildren.”
He watched her intently. “Does it matter to him which sex?”
She laughed. “No, he just wanted to start planning for them right away. I’m afraid any son or daughter I have would be spoiled rotten.”
“You’ll tell me if you are with child.”
“If I am, what will you do?”
He rested his forehead against hers. “I’ll protect you from Zuto and return you to your father where you’ll be safe.”
“But...”
He didn’t want to argue and kissed her and slowly stroked her clit, igniting her passion. slid his flesh inside her folds. She was already slick and ready for him. Her passion never failed to surprise or disappoint.
She followed his rhythm and arched her hips, spreading her legs wider, taking him deeper. Her juices coated him, and he pushed Zuto out of mind and focused on Angelica, his woman, indulging her every whim and taking her to new heights. Kissing and suckling her skin. She ran her hands down to his buttocks and squeezed them tight. Her gentle touch and soft whimpers sent his body quivering, and desire spiraled through him. She locked her legs around his hips and rocked her hips, faster and faster and harder and harder. He didn’t know where she ended and he began. Desire thumped through him, and all that mattered was his hand on her slick skin, filling her deeper and kissing her deeply until he rocked his head back in triumph. He cried out her name and exploded inside her again and again.