Chapter 10
Ten
WILLIAM
Never in my twenty-three years of life had anyone handed me the kind of freedom Damon was handing me now.
Coin to spend freely, no charges to watch, no work to be done.
I found myself trailing along behind the crew, overwhelmed with the possibilities of doing what I wanted for once.
I followed them to a pub, a grin on my face when I handed over some coin for a drink.
My coin. Not a false pretence given to me by the governor that would be commandeered by Henry when he ran out of his own. I could spend it how I wished.
With a flagon of beer and good company, I let myself relax and enjoy the night off.
Lockhart had reassured me he would sit outside the girls’ room and watch over them.
He’d never given me any sign that he’d take advantage of them.
He was an older fellow, with a grizzly greying beard, and whenever he watched them, he had a smile that was more like a father than a pirate holding them captive.
It’d been weeks since I had a decent meal.
The rolls were warm, the pork tender, and I hadn’t seen green vegetables in weeks.
I almost felt guilty for enjoying it when the girls couldn’t, but there wasn’t a chance in hell I’d ever bring them to a place like this.
It was too dangerous. They’d get plenty of fancy meals once they were back home.
I cleared my plate, including sopping up any remnants with the roll before I was done with it.
With a full belly and a light buzz from the alcohol, I felt warm and relaxed, leaning back in my chair as I listened to the few members of the crew who stuck around share stories of their time at sea.
I was so relaxed, I wasn’t paying attention to my surroundings until a heavy bosom pressed against my back and delicate arms draped along my shoulders.
“Hello, handsome. Looking for some company tonight?”
My spine stiffened, and it took work to keep a grimace off my face.
I didn’t… enjoy a woman’s attention. I never had.
It made me wonder sometimes if something was wrong with me.
But as I grew older, I realised my attention was snagged not by the pretty girls but by the men instead.
Captain Damon came to mind, and I had to shove that thought way down to ignore it.
I felt eyes on me, members of the crew watching me with lecherous grins.
Damon acted like being uninterested in women was no big deal, but I learned in the past what happened to men who didn’t give women their attention.
I was just getting on with the crew. I didn't want to alienate myself, like I had from some members of the staff in England.
Pushing to my feet, I led the woman far enough away to duck out of sight of the crew before offering her some coin. “Sorry. I’m not interested.”
She looked down at the coin in her palm and back up at me, raising an eyebrow at me. “But you’re paying me anyway?”
“I’d appreciate it if the crew didn’t know I said no,” I answered. Understanding flashed across her face, and she tucked the coin into her bosom with a smile.
“Deal. You know, we cater to all types at our establishment. You could find someone to satiate yourself for the night. We’re very discreet, if that’s what you’re worried about.”
I shook my head. “I’m alright. You have a good evening.”
She wasn’t about to argue with free coin for no work, so she wiggled her fingers and led the way out of the tavern.
She sauntered away to find her next customer while I shoved my hands into my pockets and headed back for the longboats.
I wasn’t sure how I’d get back on the ship without waiting for everyone else, but I’d rather sleep in the longboat than go to a brothel.
It wasn’t that I thought myself better than them.
They were earning a wage, same as everyone else.
I just never felt the urge to go. Being with someone who’d shared their bed with others earlier that same night didn't strike my fancy. I wanted the sole attention of my partner, and I wasn’t willing to compromise for a quick fuck.
Damon’s face flashed across my mind again, and I scowled to myself.
A pirate captain wasn’t any better. I wasn’t going to go there.
No matter how many times my mind seemed to wander in that direction.
It was merely a matter of proximity. He was handsome, no one could argue that, and he was the captain.
You couldn’t ignore his presence. Surely other members of the crew had that line of thinking after so long at sea.
If there was anyone on the ship to take the edge off, I couldn’t imagine anyone would choose someone other than him.
Lost in thought, I didn’t notice someone following me until a hand reached out and gripped my bad shoulder. I grunted from the pain, jerking to get free. When I spun around, three pirates I didn’t know stood just behind me, dangerous grins on their faces.
“Give us yer coin,” the one on the left with a scraggly beard demanded.
I bit back a snort, showing them my empty pockets. “What coin?”
The one on the right with three scars across his eye glared at me, like I’d insulted him for having no more coin on me. I gave what little I had left from Damon to the whore, so she’d leave me be.
“You’re too clean to be penniless. Don’t lie to us, boy.”
My expression flattened. “So because I deigned to wash up every now and then, I’m suddenly rich? I didn’t realise I would get paid for that effort.”
My snark probably wasn’t helping the situation, but I didn't know what they wanted from me. I obviously wasn’t hiding anything.
My pockets were empty and my clothes had no hiding places.
I didn't wear a jacket, just my shirt, pants, and boots, so I didn’t know where they expected me to produce more coin.
The one in the middle, who wore an embroidered jacket that had seen better days and a sword at his belt, sneered at me. “You’ve got a mouth on you, don’t ya, boy? Maybe we should take our due from your ass instead. He’s pretty enough for a night, ain’t he?”
I tensed at the suggestion, but I didn’t have a chance to run before they were grabbing at me.
I threw a few punches, put up a fight, but it was three against one, and I had enough alcohol in my system to throw me off a little.
I felt one yank at my breeches and ice dumped into my system, but a loud blast shocked all three into stillness, and the one with the scars on his eye collapsed to the ground.
The click of a hammer being drawn back made my attackers drop me, spinning around to face the shooter.
“Who–”
Another shot rang out, and the scraggly bearded man fell next, nearly on top of me, before I could roll out of the way. Now there was just me and the embroidered jacket, who yanked out his cutlass and pointed it at the shooter.
“I ain’t got no quarrel with you, Sea Wolf. Mind yer own business.”
Sea Wolf?
Damon.
Relief flooded through me as Darrow and Carson stepped around the bodies, ushering me out of the line of fire.
“You fucked with my cabin boy,” Damon growled low. “He is my business.”
Unlike when Henry got possessive, a small thrill shot up my spine when Damon claimed me. I watched with fascination as Damon had a standoff with the pirate who tried to assault me, fury painted across his features. The man could make standing look sexy.
I blinked rapidly at that train of thought and almost missed the challenge the embroidered jacket tossed out.
“Yer no real man if ya sneak up on people and shoot ‘em in the back. Face me like a man,” he barked, his voice trembling around his false bravado.
It was hard to see Damon’s expression in the dark, the lights of the pubs well out of the way this close to the dock. Only the moonlight lit up his features, and the dark look on his face would’ve made me cower if I’d been on the receiving end.
I thought maybe Damon wouldn’t rise to the challenge.
He had no need to prove himself. There weren’t many people around.
A few hanging around the docks, maybe. Most were at the brothel or the tavern.
They didn’t even hear the gunshots. But Damon tucked away his gun and drew his sword instead, a mocking grin on his face.
“Remember, you asked for this.”
He didn’t have an ounce of fear, looking almost bored when the pirate lunged at him.
The rumours the merchant crew had told us about the Sea Wolf were all true.
Watching as Damon toyed with his enemy before skewering him through the throat with ease was fascinating.
He didn’t even break a sweat. And when the man lay on the dock, choking on his own blood, Damon stood over him, a foreboding look on his face.
“Should’ve thought twice about touching something that belongs to me. ”
It stunned me when my dick throbbed at such a blatant claim of ownership over me. I’d been in service most of my life. Someone always thought they owned me. But Damon was the first to make me think he’d make me like it if he did.