Chapter Fourteen
No matter how muchrum touched his tongue, her taste lingered.
James cradled the bottle in his hand, spinning it absently on the table as he stared over the dark waters. A sliver of moonlight reflected in the inky depth, casting the waves in a shimmering glow. He lifted the bottle to his lips and drank.
The liquor burned straight to his gullet. He had not eaten since morning, and while his body demanded food, it was not driving the hunger clawing his insides. Another swig of numbing liquor only amplified the need burning through him.
He was a fool to think one taste of her would satisfy him. To think this reckless bargain anything but a curse was madness. Instead of taking what he truly desired, he fled, leaving her sated while denying himself the release he craved.
If he returned to his cabin, he would stake his claim. But deep down in the darkest reaches of his soul, he knew doing so would ensnare him further.
His bargain had been offered in haste...mostly to break her stubbornness. She expected him to want something in return, to take something in exchange for his agreement to aid her.
“What ails you, Captain?” Smee’s low voice rumbled behind him.
James angled his head to take in his first mate’s concerned profile before raising the bottle once more and drinking deeply. “I should think it is apparent, Smee.”
His friend sank onto the barrel opposite and leaned against the foremast. “What happened in Tortoluga?”
“Nothing.” James growled, adjusting himself with a low curse. “We have the map. Onward to Port Royale.”
“Permission to speak freely, Captain?”
James snickered. “Don’t you always speak freely?”
A smirk wobbled on Smee’s lips. “Are you certain this is wise? Sailing to Nevarro with the princess?”
“We have a bargain.” He took another drink. “She leads us to treasure, we ensure she and her sister are transported to Arrenmore.”
“You truly think me simple as well as blind?” Smee narrowed his eyes. “I see how you look at her.”
How he managed to keep his composure, despite his heart thundering beneath his ribs, stunned him. He shrugged and waved his hand. “I haven’t the faintest idea what you speak of.”
Smee snatched the rum from his hand, earning him a scowl. “I have known you long enough to understand the meaning behind every curl of your lip, every lift of your brow.”
“Is that so?” James asked, his voice neutral as he pushed aside rising panic.
“Aye.”
“And what have you gleaned from your observation, Mr. Smee?”
“This is far more than a simple bargain.”
“How do you reckon?” James watched his friend drink before snatching the bottle back.
“When the time comes to let her go, will you be able to relinquish your hold?” Smee cocked his head. “Or will you go back on your word?”
“We have an accord. I will uphold my end of the bargain. She will be free of me, if she so chooses.” His attention shifted from his friend to the sea as the lie slipped from his tongue.
“Mm-hmm.” Smee took the rum, finished the dregs, and set the bottle aside.
The noncommittal response made his hackles rise. There had never before been a boundary between them, and yet Smee was holding back. “Speak, damn you.”
“You are taken with her.”
The first mate’s words bit like a cutlass against raw skin.
“You must be imagining things.” James’s laughter fell flat and forced amid the truth in his friend’s statement.
Smee’s stoic countenance did not waver. “You cannot tell me, in all seriousness, that you do not desire her?”
“Desire her, aye. Who would not desire such a bonny strumpet?” He leaned forward. “But I am of no mind to bind myself to a wench for more than a few hours’ pleasure.”
“Then why not take what you so obviously covet and drop her in Arrenmore?”
“And relinquish the chance to plunder the richest hoard of treasure along the coast?” He tapped his head with a fingertip. “You must be daft.”
“We have the map. There is no need to further involve the princess.” Smee pressed his lips together, thinking before continuing. “With her leading the way, we make ourselves a larger target.”
“It matters not if I take her to shore—if I leave her in Arrenmore, she will find her way to Nevarro to save her sister.” He cursed under his breath. “I cannot be certain the map is accurate. Having both the princess and the map ensures success.”
“And how do you plan on rescuing Princess Caroline without going straight into the belly of the beast?”
“’Tis the beauty of my plan.” James grinned. “You will remain with the ship, and I will take ten men in two boats. While they plunder the treasure, I shall ensure the princess is reunited with her sister.”
“How do you plan on getting them both out without raising alarm?”
“Who said anything about getting them both out?”
Smee frowned. “You intend to turn her over to her uncle?”
“My intention is to buy us enough time to ransack the vault, to steal every coin, jewel, and gilded goblet before playing my hand.” He arched a brow. “Trust me.”
“’Tis not a lack of faith in you that has me concerned, Captain.” Smee rubbed his hand over his grizzled jaw. “There are too many unforeseen variables at play here.”
“The risks are worth the reward.” James winked before rising to his feet. “Get some rest.”
Smee clapped him on the shoulder before retreating to the small door to his quarters.
James stood beside the foremast, listening to the night crew move around deck. His gaze drifted to his closed cabin door.
Celeste lay in his bed, slick with arousal.
Her moans echoed in his head. Her heady taste was etched upon his tongue. What he would not give to join her. To curl around her, to bury himself inside her, to take his pleasure. He wanted nothing more than to make her cry out as he ravaged her.
Smee was right. He wanted her...and more than just her body. He wanted to possess her completely. To own her passion, her delight, her ire. He wanted it all, and that simple thought left his hand shaking. To enter this agreement had been pure impulsive madness. He was ensnared, captivated, and even now, he knew not how he would hold up his end of the bargain.
How could he possibly save her sister when he knew nothing of her whereabouts or the volatility of the situation?
Grumbling under his breath, he made his way to the galley where the quartermaster stored the rum. He plucked a fresh bottle from the crate and found a quiet corner in the hold, beneath his cabin. He lay on a lumpy sack full of grain and stared at the timber overhead.
He closed his eyes, imagining her. Her head thrown back in ecstasy, his name on her lips as he brought her pleasure.
Freeing his cock took effort, but when he wrapped his hand around his shaft, he moaned with relief. Imagining her mouth, her hand, her cunt, her anything, he began stroking.
He bucked his hips against his hand as he pictured her astride him, breasts bared, golden hair tumbling free about her shoulders. Her green eyes sparkling like stars in the night sky as she ground her hips into his.
James licked his lips as pressure built inside him, rising toward inevitable release.
“Little star,” he murmured, quickening his pace. His gasping groans echoed around the narrow room. He moaned her name as he came, coating his hand.
He cleaned himself with the torn sash around his waist, then untied it and tossed the soiled rag aside.
While he’d found some relief, desire still lay coiled inside him, a serpent ready to strike. He could have had her, but it was too soon. Somehow, he had to convince her...to what?
He scoffed, covering his eyes with his forearm.
What would he convince her to do? Stay with him? Become his mistress? He snorted. There was nothing he could offer her but pleasure and protection. Surely, the princess wanted more than that.
He shoved his thoughts aside, attempting to focus on sleep. After hours of restlessness, it found him, but just as she came to him in his dreams, a shout roused him from slumber.
“Captain!” Smee shouted from the doorway. “Land ho.”
He stumbled to his feet and glared at his first mate. “Port Royale?”
“Aye, Captain.”
“Where is she?”
Smee led the way from the hold to the deck. “See for yourself, Captain.”
They stepped into the sunlight, and James held up his hand to block the sun, scanning the deck. Smee stood beside him, his spine straight.
Her hair, like a golden flag, waved from where she stood near the bow. The sound of her laughter echoed across the open space as she spoke with several of his crewmen as they worked. She pushed her hair back, and he caught sight of her smile, radiant as the sun overhead.
“The crew has taken a shine to her, Captain.”
“So I see.” He ground his teeth, ignoring the painful tug of his heart as he watched her. “All hands on deck, Mr. Smee. We have treasure to steal.”
“Aye aye, Captain!” Smee shouted orders to the crew as he made his way across the deck.
The men she spoke with snapped to attention, shifting away from her.
Celeste turned and their eyes locked. It may as well have been a league between them. He felt the icy touch of her glare as she narrowed her eyes and stalked to him.
James braced himself and leaned against the railing. The chaos of the men bustling around him faded into the background as she drew closer, her glare blazing, her lips pursed. Her scent mixed with the salty air as she came to a stop before him. It took every ounce of restraint not to pull her against him, to kiss the scowl right off her plush lips.
“I trust you slept well, Princess?” He rubbed the tip of his hook between two fingers.
“Quite well.” Her expression softened before morphing into a mischievous smirk. “I will admit, I was surprised you did not return.”
“I found refuge elsewhere.”
“As well as...release?” Her grin widened as she leaned close. “I heard you,” she whispered. “Did you picture me as you took yourself in hand?”
A shot across his bow. He snatched her by the waist, drawing her to him, pressing every soft curve into his aching body. She gasped, pushing at his chest with her hands.
“I did, Princess.” He held her gaze, determined to meet her challenge head-on, and unleashed a soft growl. “I pictured you naked, astride me, riding my cock until I came.”
Celeste sucked in a breath. She gripped his lapels. “Do you think such language will shock me?”
“Does it not?”
She shook her head.
“Does it arouse you?” He nipped her earlobe with his teeth. “Say the word, Princess, and I will bring all those fantasies to life.”
“You want me to beg.”
Her moan set his blood on fire.
“I want much more than that, little star.” He kissed the soft skin of her neck. “I want you to tell me exactly what you want and make no apologies for it. I want to hear your deepest, darkest desires.”
“Oh, James.” Her hand closed around his throat, making him draw a shaky breath. “My deepest, darkest desires are none of your concern.”
She drew back, her eyes like emeralds.
“And if I wish them to be?” His heart thundered as the pressure of her fingers against his throat increased.
“Another bargain?” She chuckled.
“Perhaps.”
Smee cleared his throat somewhere behind him. “Captain, we have reached Port Royale. The cove lays dead ahead.”
Celeste relinquished her hold, as did he, but they did not step apart.
“Prepare the boats. I shall fetch the map.”
Without waiting for his first mate’s response, he took her by the wrist and pulled her toward the cabin. Inside, he pinned her to the wall, pressing his thigh to her warm center. His lips grazed her cheek.
“Last chance to walk away, Princess,” he said, his voice hoarse with need.
A smile curved her sinful lips, and he kissed her, stealing the smile with a moan and a fevered prayer.
Saints, she would be the death of him.