“Of course, but I’ll just be nicer about it than James will be.”
She laughed at him. He said that in such a grumble. He was obviously annoyed that she hadn’t turned so terrified over his dire predictions that she might release him immediately. And just to rub it in a little more…
“By the by,” she said nonchalantly, “I do have some unpleasant information for you.”
“Why am I not surprised?” he replied sarcastically.
She ignored that and continued, “The cabin I was going to move you to is no longer available for your use.”
“So?”
“So you could have been cut loose in it, but since you now will have to remain here—”
“You can’t keep me tied up indefinitely,” he cut in now, his body stiff with indignation. “Or were you going to hand-feed me?”
She shook her head. “No, I wasn’t planning on that. What I’ve decided is that you’ll have to be chained in here, well, that’s if we can find some chains. But I have men looking as we speak.”
“Chained to your bed? And you call that unpleasant information?”
She knew he didn’t mean it, but his tone now sounded intrigued…and seductive. He was just trying to embarrass her and it certainly worked. From the very beginning, the man had had no trouble a’tall making her cheeks burn with his risqué remarks that were so improper. Of course, they would be scandalous only in polite company, and he’d thought from the beginning that she was a pirate. He probably figured she was used to such talk, and if he did, that was a good thing. It meant he believed the role she was playing.
It was late morning. She’d requested food be delivered before she returned to the cabin. She hoped the chains arrived first, so the captain could feed himself. She needed to start behaving more like an uncaring pirate, though, so eating in front of him, and letting him go hungry while she did, wasn’t such a bad idea.
As for his remark about her bed, if he really hadn’t been trying to embarrass her, then she could expect more of the same and she’d rather not hear any more comments that set her mind to wondering about things she shouldn’t. She was supposed to be making him want her, not the other way around. She could think of one sure way to put an end to what he kept insinuating, though—if he thought she was already spoken for. That might even further her plan, since it was human nature to want what you can’t have.
She no sooner had the idea than Richard walked in, twirling a chain in his hand, a long one. Most of it he had draped about his neck. And it looked as if there was a shackle attached to the end hanging near his waist.
“Is this what you had in mind, Captain? There were two of them in the hold. I used my brilliant persuasive techniques to get one of their crew to toss it up to me. I told them it was for an Englishman,” he snickered. “Americans, they carry such long grudges, they didn’t even ask who.”
“The war has been over for a number of years,” she reminded him.
“Doesn’t matter, it worked to get me the chain. I’d suggest the other for the first mate, but as big as he is, I doubt any of us would care to get that close to him to try to put it on. At least this one is already restrained.”
He was referring to Drew, who’d been watching him with narrowed eyes since he’d walked in. Immediately she realized that Richard was the perfect candidate to give Drew the impression she wanted him to have.
She moved closer to Richard, patted his cheek tenderly, and said in a low purring voice, “Thank you, chérie, for the chain,” and promptly kissed him on the mouth in what she hoped was a lover-like manner.
But she really should have discussed her impromptu plan with Richard first, because without warning him, she took him so by surprise that his immediate reaction was to push her away from him. Unfortunately, he shoved her away, which caused her equal surprise, since it landed her on her arse.
Richard was too busy wiping his mouth with the back of his sleeve to notice her new position, and was indignantly demanding, “What the devil are you doing, Gabby?”
“Sitting on the floor, blast you!”
“Oh,” he said as he looked down at her, and then, “Oh!” as he offered a hand. “Sorry about that.”
She slapped his hand away, got to her feet, dusted off her skirt. Drew was laughing. He obviously didn’t need to ask why she’d kissed Richard; he’d figured that out quite easily for himself when Richard hadn’t reciprocated even a little bit.
“Shall we try that again, chérie?” Richard asked.
“Not in this lifetime,” she snorted. “And don’t chérie me, you dense man.”
He chuckled. Drew laughed harder. She would have liked to throw something at both of them, but most everything in the cabin was bolted down. No knickknacks, no clutter, though there were several large chests not counting hers, so maybe the captain just hadn’t unpacked yet.
She pointed a stiff finger at the door and said to her friend, “Go, before I add your head to the growing number of them being bashed today.”
Then, seeing Richard opening the door and taking the chain with him, she called him back. “Before you go, redeem yourself by getting the captain shackled to that chain first, and make damn sure it’s secure.”
Richard winced. “I need redeeming?”
She just narrowed her eyes at him in reply.
Chapter 26
O HR AND RICHARD JOINED GABRIELLE in her cabin for dinner. Ohr glanced at the captain a few times and finally voiced his concern.
“You’re going to leave him in here like this?”
“You mean chained? For now, yes. It will keep him from getting hurt again.”
“When did he get hurt?”
She shouldn’t have mentioned that, but since she did, Gabrielle decided the truth might be better than any trite assurances she could give. It would also explain why she wanted him to stay chained.
“He managed to escape,” she said, then quickly added, “I managed to tie him up again. No real harm was done.”
“I could just chain him to the deck instead,” Ohr offered.
“Swab those decks!” Miss Carla squawked.
They laughed at the parrot. It was typical of her to say one of her many phrases if she heard a word from them. But Gabrielle should have covered the bird, as late as it was. She did that now, then returned to the table. She noticed Drew staring at the parrot’s cage. He probably hadn’t heard her talk before then.
As for Ohr’s suggestion, it happened to be raining that night, but even if it hadn’t been, Gabrielle couldn’t bring herself to confine Drew topside.
She told her friends, “I’d rather he not be moved.”
“You can have our cabin, then,” Richard pointed out. “We can sleep in here.”
She thought about it for a moment. For propriety’s sake, she should do that, though it was a bit late to worry about propriety when she’d branded herself a pirate. Besides, this room, the captain’s domain, and her occupying it, was about the only thing that really supported her ruse. The men were calling her captain, yes, but Drew needed to see that they were coming to her for their orders, and their frequent stops in this room today showed that they were. And how could she enact her revenge against the captain if she didn’t have constant access to him?
So she shook her head. “I’ll be fine here.” Fortunately, they didn’t argue with her, though she was sure they would have if Drew weren’t within hearing distance.
They stayed with her a while after dinner, with Richard going above and beyond in an effort to make her laugh. He was still feeling guilty for ruining what she’d tried to pull off that afternoon, and she hadn’t had a chance yet to talk to him about it, or assure him that it had been a silly idea on her part anyway.
The captain remained quietly in his corner all night, just watching them, and probably listening to their every word. The only restraint on him now was the shackle about his ankle. She’d removed the ropes from him herself earlier. That had been tricky, and quite nerve-wracking. She’d
had to just loosen them enough so he could work them off himself while she shot out of his reach before he did.
He hadn’t sat in that chair again since he’d left it. He’d stood up and stretched his long limbs for a while, which had caught her eye and nearly had her ogling him again, much to her own annoyance.
He’d sat on the floor after that, his back leaning against the bulkhead, his knees bent in front of him, feet planted far apart. He’d eaten his meal there, too, after Bixley slid a plate across the floor to him. No one wanted to get within his reach, which was wise. He wasn’t nearly as intimidating as that big bear first mate of his, Timothy Sawyer, but Drew was still a really tall, muscular man, so a person would just be asking for trouble if he got within access of his long arms.
He’d taken off his boots, probably to see if he could slip the shackle over his ankle to remove it completely. It would have been too tight with the boot on under it. She’d been watching him and he was aware of it, so he hadn’t tried it yet, but that just worried her enough to insist he lift his pant leg to show her.
He’d actually just stared at her. He wasn’t going to comply. She’d gritted her teeth. He made the most annoying captive. Belligerent, uncooperative, insulting. She decided not to press it. It was a damned leg shackle, after all, designed not to come off once it was put on, and his legs were probably thicker than most, as tall and nicely filled out as his body was.
She realized rather late, after her friends had left, that she’d have to do without the normal necessities while she shared the room with her captive. Well, it wouldn’t be the first time she’d slept in her clothes without removing them. She hadn’t once removed her clothes on that pirate island, when she’d been a captive herself. She didn’t mind sleeping in them now…
She went very still when the question entered her mind. Why make exceptions for him? Good grief, it was actually a perfect opportunity to start tempting him beyond what he could stand, by showing him a little bare skin. She just needed to garner the nerve to do it, and the easiest way would be to pretend. She didn’t want him to think she was doing it deliberately.
So very quickly, before she could change her mind, she let her skirt fall to her feet and she yanked her blouse off over her head. She couldn’t help but feel satisfied when she heard his sharply indrawn breath.
“Damn, woman, what the hell are you doing?” he nearly shouted.
As she stood before him in her chemise and pantalets, which showed off her derriere to perfection, she glanced over her shoulder at him and said coquettishly, “Oh, I’m sorry, I forgot you were there.”
Then she turned toward him so he could appreciate the full upper curves of her breasts, which were revealed by the low-cut chemise. She heard him groan as his gaze fixed on her chest, and she had to bite back a laugh as she jumped into his bed in her skimpy underclothes. A double attack, one against his senses and another against his pride, that she could forget his presence in the room.
But if she thought that she’d managed a telling blow for her revenge for the day, she was sadly mistaken. He made sure of that.
No sooner did she extinguish the lamp by his bed and lie back on the pillow than he said, “You know this shackle is rusted?”
She opened her eyes and stared at the ceiling, not that she could see it in the dark, but it was in that direction that she stared. He’s quiet all night, but when the lamp goes out he starts to talk? she thought in irritation. She probably should have said something to him before she retired, at least let him know that his position on the floor wasn’t her idea, that she would have supplied him with a hammock if he’d asked for one.
Then again, did she really want him to think she had a soft side? Before, when he’d been at the top of her list for matrimonial choices, she’d wanted him to know the real her and stop erroneously assuming things about her. But it was too late for that. Now she wanted just the opposite.
“Determined to see me get blood poisoning, aren’t you?” he said next.
She gritted her teeth. She debated whether to just ignore him. Maybe he’d get the hint, or maybe he’d think she was asleep already.
“Ah, I see,” his voice drifted across to her. “The plan was to toss me over the side and kill me all along?”
She sat up, but it was too dark to see him in his corner. “You should have left your boots on, you know,” she pointed out reasonably.
“You think it would have made a difference, when this shackle is so rusty it would have eaten right through that leather?”
She lay back down, slamming her head against the pillow twice. “This was a really bad idea,” she gritted out. “If we were in warmer waters, you can be sure I’d go sleep on the deck myself.”
He didn’t reply. He was actually quiet for a while, which encouraged her to try to fall asleep.
And then out of the dark she heard him say, “I’m going to need a chamber pot, wench, or did you want me to relieve myself on the floor?”
Her eyes flew open even as her cheeks bloomed with color. She shot off the bed, quickly found a match to light the hanging lantern she’d extinguished earlier. He was sitting exactly where he’d been when she took over his bed. That was probably sticking in his craw, that she was going to sleep in his bed while he was on the floor wearing a chain. She located the chamber pot, set it down, and used her foot to shove it toward his end of the room. She then moved to one of his trunks to rummage through it.
“What are you doing?”
She ignored his offended tone. No doubt he was bothered because she was going through his trunks. “I’m looking for something for you to stick under that shackle,” she said pertly. “I’m pretty sure I have nothing suitable, well, not without ripping up any of my clothes, which I’m not inclined to do.”
“So you did hear me?”
“Certainly.”
“I suppose that means you didn’t intend for me to get blood poisoning?”
She snorted and tossed him two stockings she’d found. “I’d double those up and stuff them under the metal, rather than put them on. Now, if you don’t mind, I’d like some quiet so I can get to sleep.”
“If you wanted quiet, you should have moved to a different room.”
“Putting you up on deck is still an option,” she warned.
He didn’t say another word.
Chapter 27
D AMNED WOMAN COULD HAVE TOSSED ME SOME BEDDING , Drew fumed as he sat on the hard wooden floor of his cabin. It was raining outside—pouring, actually—and a cold draft seeped into the room from under the door. Usually Drew found the sound of rain soothing. He even enjoyed taking over the steering of his ship during storms. There was something primal about them that stimulated all his senses. He wasn’t going to get the opportunity tonight.
He couldn’t sleep. He’d tried, with his head against the wall. It wouldn’t be the first time he’d slept in an uncomfortable place, and sitting up, for that matter. But it just wasn’t going to happen here, not with a beautiful woman sleeping in a soft bed only a few feet away from him.
Actually, that was just one of the reasons why sleep was eluding him. The emotions churning in his gut were a bigger deterrent. He couldn’t remember ever feeling this angry and he was having a difficult time dealing with it. But then, he’d never had his ship taken from him before.
He couldn’t believe Gabby was doing this. She was so angry at him that she couldn’t just ask him for passage? He’d been heading to his usual trade routes and he could have easily been persuaded to bring Gabrielle Brooks along. Well, maybe not easily. She was the reason he’d decided to sail a few days earlier than he’d originally planned. He’d wanted to get as far away from her as he could because of the temptation she presented.
That temptation had grown stronger over the last few weeks. As soon as she’d stopped being disagreeable, he’d started thinking of how nice she’d look in his bed. It got to the point where he’d wanted her so much, he’d thrown caution to the wind and actually tried to get
her to come to his room. Stupid thing to do, that. It had just made him want her more. And she hadn’t come to him. Instead, she’d continued her husband hunting. That was like adding a spark to the smoldering fire, and was probably why he’d gotten so drunk those last two nights in port, and why he had gone to that ball and foolishly tried to sabotage her husband hunt. And then seeing her with Wilbur at that ball, the one suitor she seemed to favor the most…he wasn’t surprised he’d embarrassed her as she claimed he did. He couldn’t recall exactly what he’d said, but he certainly remembered his sister scolding him for it.
He sighed to himself. It appeared that he’d succeeded and she’d revealed her true colors now. Damned woman really was a pirate. Like father like daughter. But he should have had her amenable to him already. She was attracted to him. He’d noticed it from the beginning. He could have at least cajoled her into a better sleeping arrangement. But his anger was getting in the way. The thought of trying to charm her was abhorrent to him right now. Because she held the upper hand? Because she’d stolen his ship, cracked him over the head with his own pistol, chained him to the blasted floor? Or because despite all that, he still wanted her?
He’d tasted her again, that was the trouble. Why in hell had he done that? He’d been so close to his freedom, to getting his ship back and turning the tables on these pirates, and he had to go and get tempted by a pair of lush lips. He’d simply been unable to resist kissing her with her mouth that close to him, her derriere squirming in his lap, the scent of her filling his nostrils.
He felt his manhood stir just thinking about that kiss again. Blasted wench…
“Broke a hole in one of the cabins,” his first mate whispered. “Didn’t think you’d mind, Captain.”
Drew abruptly sat forward away from the wall. He was so incredulous he nearly laughed out loud. He’d been so deep in thought that he hadn’t even heard Timothy Sawyer sneak into the cabin, and apparently he’d done so without waking the lady pirate sleeping across the room. He couldn’t see his first mate. No light came in through the bank of windows because of the rain, and Gabby had extinguished the lamp again before she returned to his bed, so it was pitch dark in the cabin. His bed. Damn, that infuriated him, that she was sleeping in it—without him.