The man just grinned wider. “Why do you assume I’m not just because my speech might change a bit occasionally? Maybe I’m a Frenchman who grew up in London.”
“Maybe you’re a liar.”
Richard shrugged. “What difference does it make, eh? We all pretend to be something we’re not.”
“Even Gabby?”
“Gabby is whatever she wants you to think she is,” Richard replied cryptically.
Drew snorted. “Which means?”
“That if you want to know about her, you should be asking her, not me.”
“Then let’s get back to you and your blasted reason for attacking me.”
“Sorry, can’t oblige you, Captain. I’ve been sworn to secrecy. How about you just accept my apology and leave it go at that?”
“How about you satisfy my curiosity before I beat it out of you?”
“Have at me, then. I don’t betray my friends.”
“You’re saying she’s just a friend?”
“You thought otherwise when she was thinking about marrying you?”
That word “marrying” in reference to him actually had Drew taking a step back. The very thought of marriage made him shudder. But he was finding it hard to believe that Gabby had entertained those thoughts. And, in fact, Richard could be feeding him a pack of lies just to throw him off track.
But he was still curious enough to ask, “Did she tell you that?”
“I’ve said too much already,” Richard rejoined. “I’m saying no more.”
“So it wasn’t jealousy that had you attacking me?” Drew persisted.
Richard snorted. “You don’t listen too well, Captain. She’s my best friend. Whoever she ends up marrying will be fine with me, well, as long as it’s not you.”
“Then you are jealous!”
“No, I just don’t like what you did to her. I tried to give her some excuses for it, but I didn’t really believe any of them m’self.”
Drew ground his teeth together. He was so frustrated at the moment, it was a wonder he hadn’t knocked the pirate on his ass yet. But then it occurred to him…
“I got her drunk to try and seduce her, but my blasted brother interrupted us, so I didn’t get very far. Is that what this is all about? Did she think something else happened while she was tipsy?”
Richard shrugged. “She never mentioned that, so I’ve no idea.”
“What did she mention?”
“Nice try, Captain, but that secret is going with me to the grave. So have at me or send me back to the hold, because this conversation ends now either way.”
Richard was taking it for granted that Drew wouldn’t lay a hand on him. His confident tone said as much. Drew should have disappointed him, if for no other reason than to get rid of the frustration he was currently feeling over learning next to nothing from this futile exercise. But he let him go. He was going to have to take this subject up with Gabby instead, obviously. But she wasn’t exactly in an appeasing frame of mind either, so she would probably just make his frustration a lot worse.
He should have just put her in the hold with her crew. It was no more than she deserved for trying to steal his ship. But she’d given him more pleasure than he’d expected when he found her sleeping in her cabin that night, an experience he couldn’t get out of his mind.
God, that had been sweet, but making love to her had its drawbacks, too—in particular, that that one time with her should have been enough for him, but it wasn’t. With every other woman, once was just fine. He revisited his many sweethearts merely for convenience, not because he was eager to see them again. But with Gabby, he wanted more. Despite his guilt.
And that was another thing that perplexed him. Who would have thought a damned pirate would turn out to be virginal. That still amazed him. But it was kind of sweet, too, that he was the first man for her. Another new experience for him, though, because it certainly wasn’t something he looked for in his women. Just the opposite. He preferred women with a good deal of experience. They knew the game, and that marriage wasn’t one of the prizes.
Had Gabby really thought about him for a husband? He smiled and shook his head. He was going to find out.
Chapter 37
T HE STORM THAT HAD BEEN THREATENING ALL DAY arrived that afternoon with a vengeance. Gabrielle had been hoping that it would just blow away, or at least that The Triton would outrun it, but neither occurred.
In the middle of a violent torrential onslaught was the one time she didn’t like being on a ship. Actually, ever since she’d lived through that hurricane that struck the islands, she didn’t like rainstorms no matter where she was. But being at sea added an extra element of danger. Sinking.
It was a fine ship, though—sturdy, well maintained. The creaking of its planks was minimal. Even the sharp dipping and careening didn’t get out of hand, at least not right away. It was inevitable, though. And so was Gabrielle’s nervous reaction, made ten times worse by the fact that she was locked in a cabin. If the ship did go down, she wouldn’t even have a chance to find a dinghy, piece of wreckage, or any other sort of raft where she could then hope for rescue. No, she’d be going straight down to Davy Jones’s locker.
She sat there huddled in her blankets for the longest time, watching the few things in the room that weren’t nailed down roll back and forth across the floor and, at one point, halfway up the wall. That had been a terrifying moment, when the ship dipped almost horizontally as it rode down that one particularly huge wave.
Even the lantern went flying off its post in that moment of gut-wrenching fear. The glass in it shattered as it rolled across the floor and smashed against the wall, leaving a trail of spilled oil in its wake.
She stared at it with a mixture of horror and relief. The fire probably would have been instant if the lantern had been lit. While she’d actually thought about it, if she were going to start a fire to try to make her escape, this absolutely wasn’t the time to do it, when Drew and his crew were fighting the elements to keep them afloat and wouldn’t notice a fire until it was too late. But at least she’d had the wits to extinguish it when the storm began, leaving only the lamp that was secured solidly to Drew’s desk still burning.
She wished she could sleep through the storm. That would be an ideal way to put her worry aside, to just wake up when it was all over. But it was impossible to even try in her position on the floor, where she was holding tight to her chain to keep from being tossed about just as much as everything else was that wasn’t nailed down. She could probably find better purchase in Drew’s bed, at least a softer cushion for all the sliding she was doing. But that was one place she wasn’t getting anywhere near, now that it was his again.
She didn’t expect to see him again until the storm was over. Night had arrived, though it was hard to tell with that solid sheet of rain outside the windows and nothing but black clouds beyond it. Several more hours passed, but the storm still gave no sign of abating.
And then a cold blast of wind and rain entered along with Drew. He had to shove the door to get it to close. He didn’t bother to lock it again. He turned and leaned back against it as his eyes located her. He didn’t look the least bit worn out or downtrodden after spending hours out in that downpour. He looked exhilarated, full of vim and vigor, as if he could take on anything without batting an eye.
He tossed off the rain slicker he’d been wearing, though it hadn’t kept him from getting soaked. “Are you all right?” he asked.
Her nerves shot, she said, “No, I’m frightened, I’m cold, I’m hungry, and my arse is bruised from all this tossing about. I’m bloody well not all right.”
She expected him to laugh and call her a ninny. Instead he amazed her by making his way to her, kneeling down beside her, and drawing her into his arms. She didn’t have a single urge to resist the closeness he offered, even though he drenched her with his wet clothes.
He made himself comfortable against the wall, then pulled her halfway across his chest. He took a
napkin out of his pocket, opened it to reveal a handful of cold sausages cut in little chunks. He put one in her mouth.
“Leftovers from breakfast,” he said. “The galley is closed for the duration, so there won’t be a full meal, probably not until tomorrow. You should know that’s standard procedure.”
“Yes, I know,” she replied as he fed her a few more chunks that took the edge off her hunger.
“Are you really bruised?” he asked.
The question made them both think of the last time he’d asked about her bruises, when she’d accused him of leaving her with some after their first meeting on the docks. The thought made them grin at each other.
“No, just a bit sore,” she admitted. “I doubt I’ll feel it tomorrow. Be careful crossing the floor, though. We haven’t been steady enough for me to try to pick up that glass that broke from your lantern yet.”
“I should have thought to remove that lantern when the storm started.”
“You weren’t here to do that. I was, but all I thought to do was turn it off.”
She realized too late that she’d just admitted that she could move about the cabin just fine, that the shackle was no restraint for her at all. But he gave no indication that he caught that slip, merely fed her a few more sausages before he ate some himself.
She shouldn’t be sitting like this with him, pretty much cradled in his arms, but she couldn’t bring herself to move yet, she was so comfortable. His wet clothes had been cold to start, but where her body was pressed to them was now warm from her own heat. In fact, steam could have risen between them, it was getting so warm.
There was simply no way she could ignore the body she was leaning against, or not think of what it had done to her the other night. The kind of pleasure he’d introduced her to had been beyond her comprehension before then, but now…she simply couldn’t get it out of her mind. He’d said it himself, she’d had a taste, she’d want more, and damned if he hadn’t been right.
The way he was holding her now brought back so clearly the memory of how his hands had felt moving so sensually over her bare skin, she nearly drew in her breath. And his mouth, God, the feel of it, the heady taste of it. He’d made her tremble, he’d made her skin tingle deliciously, he’d made her throw caution to the wind and accept everything that he offered.
She shivered, remembering just how sweet her surrender had been. He felt it.
She’d only vaguely heard the clap of thunder that had just occurred, but he guessed that was the reason. “You’re afraid of the storm?”
“I never used to be, but we had such a bad one a few years back, they called it a hurricane. People died. Whole buildings were ripped to shreds. I’d never seen anything like it and hope to never see anything like it again.”
“This was in the Caribbean?”
“Yes, after I’d been living with my father for a while. It tore through those warm waters with a vengeance. St. Kitts wasn’t the only island it hit. It left a wide path of destruction behind it.”
He pulled her a little closer to him. “I think I remember that one. I only just missed it myself, had sailed back to America a few days before. But I heard about it on my next trip and witnessed some of the damage. Some areas still haven’t recovered.”
She nodded. “One of the smaller villages on our island was like that. With every single house demolished in it, the survivors simply packed up and moved elsewhere. But even in our major town, it took months and months for us to get rid of all the debris and rebuild. I forgot what it was like to sleep back then.”
He glanced down at her in surprise. “You actually pitched in to help?”
“Margery and I did.” But then she grinned and tried to make light of it, so it wouldn’t sound so unpiratelike, and added, “It was either that or wait forever for the butcher shop to reopen.”
He didn’t laugh. He touched her cheek with the back of his fingers, almost like he was telling her he knew she wasn’t as bad as she pretended to be. It made her uncomfortable when he showed her this tender side of him. It also reminded her that she was lying in the arms of the man she still meant to get even with.
“I think I’m fine now,” she told him, sitting up to lean away from him. “It even sounds like the wind has died down a bit.”
“No it doesn’t. And maybe I’m not so fine now,” he replied as he pulled her back against him and firmly fastened his mouth to hers.
That damn quickly, all of the amazing passion that she’d felt the other night was back to inflame her and push away all of her resolve. She put her arms around his neck and returned his kiss wholeheartedly, and did some improvising of her own, tasting him with her tongue. He was so intoxicating! She even turned slightly, enough to press her breasts hard against his chest. His groan was sweet music to her ears.
It wasn’t long before he stood up, lifting her in his arms, and carried her to his bed. Without pausing once, he seemed not to even think about the shackle. What a cold dousing it would have been if it had still been attached to her ankle and had pulled them back. Nothing prevented him from laying her on his bed and stripping out of his wet clothes with such haste. She certainly didn’t. She was too busy watching him with bated anticipation as each piece of clothing was tossed aside.
This was her first real unobstructed view of his tall, splendid body in all its glory. When she’d bathed him she’d tried not to look so she wouldn’t succumb to her desire for him, and when he’d made love to her before, he’d already been on top of her by the time she realized he was really there bare naked. But now she was amazed at how much it thrilled her to see him like this. He was so lean and muscular. There was no part of him that didn’t ripple with muscle as he moved, from his wide chest that tapered to those lean flanks, to his strong arms. Such long limbs—even his legs were proportioned just right to the rest of his fine, athletic physique. It took her breath away, how handsome he was.
She laughed when he dove onto the bed because it bounced them a few times. He did as well. But then he was rolling them over and he began to swiftly remove her clothes.
She placed a hand over his and shyly reminded him, “Didn’t you promise to remove my clothes slowly?”
He brought her hand to his mouth and kissed the back of her fingers. “I remember. I’ll try, Gabby, but I have to confess, you make me feel like an untried youth, I have so little control when I get near you. This isn’t the first time. There’s nothing more I’d like to do than savor every delicious moment with you, but my God, you fill me with such passion!”
She felt some of that passion now as he kissed her, again and again. But he tried, he really did, to remove her clothes slowly. He even kissed her arms and legs as they were exposed. He just got rid of her shirt rather quickly so he could fasten his mouth to her breasts, which drove her a little wild herself.
A few times he gasped, “My God, woman, you are so beautiful,” as he gazed down at her breasts, and again when he turned her over to kiss the small of her back and ran his hands slowly up the back of her thighs.
She shivered deliciously. His touch was so gentle, his mouth so hot, such an extraordinary contrast.
“I think you’re beautiful as well,” she said, and he laughed.
What they were doing was even more beautiful. The wonder of his touch dazzled her as he caressed her arms, her neck, her cheek; even her toes didn’t escape his notice. But the passion was there, just under the surface, barely contained. She felt it when he finally gathered her close and kissed her deeply, and it seemed the passion caught up and overtook her before it did him.
It all happened so fast, she had no time to think about anything other than the pleasure that she knew was only moments away. And there it was, exploding around her the very moment he entered her. Good God, so quickly it happened, so sublime, and it lasted so long, she was even still throbbing around him moments later when he stiffened and plunged deep for his own climax.
Her sigh of contentment was almost a purr. She didn’t want to move
, didn’t want to think, didn’t want to consider what she’d just done—again.
“Sleep here where you’ll be comfortable,” he said with a kiss to her brow just before he left the bed. “I’ll go get rid of the storm for you.”
Half asleep already, she did hear him and smiled over that whimsical comment. Battle storms just for her, would he? What a silly, sweet man.
Chapter 38
G ABRIELLE WOKE TO SUNSHINE POOLING ACROSS THE FLOOR. The storm was over. If Drew had returned to the cabin, it wasn’t to wake her. She had the room to herself and dressed quickly, then immediately checked the door. Still locked.
She sighed and moved back to sit on her blankets, but changed her mind and moved to his bed instead. She made it up neatly first, then sat in the middle of it. Much more comfortable, and why not? Obviously, if he’d thought she was shackled to begin with, he knew better now and wasn’t going to try to restrain her in some other way, well, other than the damned locked door.
Her plan for revenge wasn’t working. How the deuce was Drew Anderson going to go mad with desire for her if she kept letting him make love to her? She was going to have to change her strategy. Never mind making him just want her so much it would drive him crazy, she was going to have to make him love her instead.
It was a daunting thought. It would be much harder to accomplish, she was sure. Lust had been easy. She’d already managed that, just not with the intended results. But was it even possible for a man to fall in love and not consider marriage? Well, yes, a Lothario like Drew, he was probably the only man who could love a woman and not give a single thought to marrying her. And once she was gone, he’d go on to his other women, and with each one of them he’d be thinking of her instead. Perfect! She’d bloody well haunt him for the rest of his life!
But how was she going to get him to love her? She’d wanted it to happen in London, but it hadn’t. Of course, he hadn’t been around often enough to get to know her there. Here, keeping her in his cabin, he’d set himself up so he couldn’t avoid her. So let him get to know the real her? Including giving up her ruse and confiding that she wasn’t really a pirate?