Chapter 2
“We’ve got to stop meeting like this,” Rosetta said while resting her back against the bed and pushing up with both her feet and shoulders, so she could make room to wriggle her tights up her legs. She tugged until the wide waistband sat above her navel, then she started doing up the corset ties.
Alister secured the buttons of his breeches, then grabbed his worn tunic from the end of the bed. He threaded his bulky, scar-covered arms through the sleeves before shoving it down his muscled chest dusted in dark hair and more scars, letting it rest loosely around his torso.
They were currently on a small fleet ship they’d spotted in the distance. They’d already killed every man on board and told their crews to raid while they went to find the safe.
When they walked into this office together and noticed there was a bed, which didn’t happen often, one thing led to another...
Rosetta was still working on putting all her clothes back on after a spirited session of letting out moan after moan beneath him. She knew he wasn’t going to help her dress – he only assisted when it came to clothing removal.
“I told you this would happen if you didn’t stay on your ship where it’s safe.” His deep baritone was nonchalant, hiding the blatant threat in his words.
Tucking in her white, frilly cuffed tunic, she lowered her eyelids and regarded him with an unimpressed look.
“And I’ve told you I can handle myself.”
“Aye, I know you can.” He grinned in return.
Her eyelids flickered. Her irritated expression fell away so she could blink at him in surprise. Usually, he’d argue with her, not agree with her.
Since he was still kneeling on the bed, he crawled towards her, placing his large hand around the back of her head and lifting until they were almost nose to nose.
“But you just look so tempting with a sword in your hand on a sinking ship.”
Ngnh! Rosetta’s breath was stolen as he crashed his lips over hers to bring her into a deep and searing kiss. Then he pulled back so he could turn on the mattress and step off the bed. The sound of water sloshing beneath his boots filled her ears.
She squinted her eyes at him with suspicion.
What’s going on? Ever since the storm, Alister had been less commanding over her.
He’d spent two days in and out of her sleeping quarters while she’d been sick, coming in to let her rest against him, like he actually thought that would help. It did nothing to aid her terrible cold, but at least it had been comforting.
Her heart had been heavy over the death of her dear friend John, who had been like a father figure to her, and holding someone warm had soothed some of the ache.
She’d spent much of that time in and out of dazed sleep, but for the rest of it she had her head against his chest, listening to his strong heart beating, letting his powerful lungs expand his ribs against her.
She’d told him of the events prior to him finding her – everything about the storm, manning the helm with John next to her, about almost falling into the ocean to be lost forever. The freak accident of her mast being struck by lightning.
Then, the mutiny and how they’d been waiting for her to be alone to do it. She’d hated to admit he’d been the one keeping them at bay, but it was the truth.
After that, she thought he’d be more overbearing and annoying.
Instead, when Rosetta had woken up alone in her bed and felt well enough to leave it, she’d discovered he was on his ship.
She half expected him to be on the Laughing Siren, watching the men secure the new mast with a watchful eye. She thought he’d be telling them what to do and threatening the remaining crew. When she hadn’t seen him, she’d approached Naeem to ask him where he was.
“On his ship. He said you know what you’re doing and that you don’t need him,” Naeem had told her.
To hear those words had come out of Captain Alister Paine’s mouth – the most arrogant man on Old Gaia and the biggest pain in the ass on the sea – had been laughable. And Rosetta had laughed heartily, waiting for Naeem to stop joking and tell her the truth.
When her laughter had been met with awkward silence, she’d realised he was being truthful.
What had changed? Why was Alister no longer acting like a manly man who constantly tried to make her feel like a helpless, feeble woman?
Since the new mast was more than acceptable for her to sail, that’s what she’d been doing. They hadn’t touched port because she thought it was suitable.
Her men had done a wonderful job. One of the prisoners had been a ship maker with the experience and knowledge to make them a secure and working mainmast. Under his direction and assistance, after six days of being banked, they’d eventually been able to push off.
In the past two weeks that they’d been sailing again, rarely did Alister try to tell her what to do or argue with her about what she wanted.
Actually, after going to where they’d originally been heading before everything had happened and finding it empty of treasure, he’d come to her to see what map she’d like to follow next, since there were two close by but in opposing directions.
Alister was starting to make decisions with Rosetta’s thoughts in mind rather than just pointing in a certain direction she’d be forced to follow. It made her feel... respected as a captain.
She didn’t know why the change happened, nor did she understand it. She wasn’t about to question him about it either, in case he realised and went back the way he had been before.
“I think a fish swam off with my boots,” she finally said with a sigh, letting go of the confusing thoughts.
She tried to look for her boots while kneeling on the bed, which was slowly gaining more and more water around it.
We must have been going at it for a while.
The water near the closed door was thigh deep and she could see the ship was now pointing towards the bottom of the ocean. The room was on an incline, with the bed at the back of the room and threatening to become submerged any minute as well.
Alister looked around before reaching down and grabbing one. He shook the water out of it and then threw it on the bed so she could put it on. He started searching for the other.
“Shit, you’re right.” She could see his light-brown eye trailing all over the floor as his head rotated on his thick neck. “I can’t find... wait, there it is.”
He sloshed through the water that went from ankle height next to the bed to knee height in the middle of the room. He grabbed the other boot and threw it at her as well.
She watched him walk over to the safe they’d managed to get open by shooting the lock but hadn’t yet emptied because they’d gotten distracted. He’d come up behind her and started kissing her neck while shoving his hand inside the front of her shirt to grasp her breast.
She didn’t know how watching her shoot the lock off a safe was a turn-on for him, but she wasn’t upset about it.
Shoving her boot on, in the most convincingly nonchalant tone she could manage, she said, “There’s something I’ve been meaning to ask you.”
“I truly fear what that could possibly be,” he answered distractedly. He was going through the safe, but not how she would do it.
She often checked the paperwork inside. He just dumped it onto the floor so he could find the pouch of coins. Different priorities, she guessed.
“This isn’t even worth the effort it took to get this thing open,” he muttered to himself.
“I want to make port.”
He turned his head to the side to look at her over his shoulder. A deep frown crinkled his features.
“We have more than enough supplies to last until we find another trading boat.”
Considering everything, Rosetta was surprised he still kept some of his on her ship.
He had told her that if she ever planned to sail the other way, he might chase after her with a vengeance if she didn’t give him his share before leaving. She told him she’d always intended to give him his supplies when that happened.
The last thing she needed to do was piss off this man who she had seen with her own eyes wasn’t good to those he didn’t care for. She could only imagine how vindictive he would be towards those who betrayed him.
“I know, but I still want to,” she answered, continuing to kneel on the bed since it was dry.
She’d much rather not stand in cold water.
“The men need proper food, and we should get fresh water. We don’t know how stale the water we have is, and it’s so sweet now because of all the rum we’ve needed to add to make it bearable to drink.
The original plan was to hold livestock, but we’ve eaten all the animals we’ve raided, or they died from the stress of the storm. ”
He turned to her and folded his arms across his broad chest. He opened his mouth like he was about to argue with her, but closed it. Then, with a thoughtful yet grim expression, he ran his hand over his chin.
She’d never seen him shave, but his short beard was always the same length, only a few millimetres.
His hair seemed longer, coming to nearly the bottom of his ribs rather than the middle of his chest, like when she’d first met him.
As always, only the top half was tied back into a messy, half-folded bun.
“I don’t like making port.”
“It’s been nearly four months since we started sailing together, Alister. I was at sea for three before that and my men are tired. We need to rest.”
“Then we’ll drop anchor near an island and the men can rest there.”
Rosetta rolled her eyes. “They want to rest in beds! They want to eat good food and sleep without the constant swaying of the ocean.”
When she could see he didn’t plan to budge, she let out a small sigh before turning her face away. She nibbled on her bottom lip in thought.
“Tortaya isn’t too far from here,” she said after a few moments, her eyes gliding over the wall to keep her gaze averted. “I’ll take my ship there, resupply, and let my men rest. If you want, we can organise a place to meet so you can continue to the next map location.”