Chapter 19
Nineteen
DAMON
It was cute how embarrassed Will got every time someone even hinted about what happened. He’d get past that mindset eventually. The only people who judged how a man was getting off were people who weren’t getting any. Pathetic shits.
“Captain!” Carson called from the crow’s nest. “Ship’s ahoy on our starboard!”
Mad Eye took over the helm while I went to investigate.
It wasn’t rare this close to port that we would run into a ship or two.
Mostly, they avoided us or we avoided them.
But I was always cautious. If it was the Royal Navy, they’d cause trouble for us.
And if it was another pirate ship, they might not be smart enough to stay away.
Using my spyglass, I searched for the ship Carson saw. It was far enough away for now not to be an issue. I couldn’t see their colours, which meant they couldn’t see ours. I studied them, trying to get an idea of if they were headed our way.
“Captain?”
Will’s voice held a hint of worry. He was still new to this life, and the last time a ship met him at sea, he and his charges were taken for ransom. I handed the spyglass to him, jerking my chin in the ship’s direction.
“Tell me what you see.”
He frowned at me, but did as he was told, studying the ship. “Looks like they’re moving parallel to us. Same heading, maybe?”
“Maybe,” I grunted. “We’re heading for port in a day or two. Need to let the crew blow off some steam.”
When he shot me an apprehensive look, I rolled my eyes. “Not you. You’re staying on board with Darrow. You aren’t setting foot on land without an escort until I know you can handle yourself.”
That made him scowl, and he thrust the spyglass back at me. “I can handle myself just fine.”
Cocky little shit. Still, I liked his fire.
And he seemed more confident after his run-in with Stiles and Davis.
Not that I considered him ready to face the world again.
Not yet anyway. He’d held his own against them while protecting the girl, I’d give him that, but he would’ve been killed if I hadn’t distracted them.
I handed off the spyglass to Lockhart and told him to keep an eye on our new friends.
We were a day out from port, so Will could’ve been right that they were headed to the same place.
“Alright, let’s pick up where you left off, then. But no more one on one. When you can get past three of the crew, I’ll teach you how to use a sword.”
His eyes lit up and that giddy smile made me want to drag him back to my quarters instead. I pushed the urge aside for now. I’d be dragging him there at the end of the night anyway. There wasn’t a chance in hell I was done with him yet.
While Lockhart and I discussed shifting our heading just enough to stay out of sight of the other ship or giving chase to scare them off, Will went back to training with the crew.
He held his own with one or two, and I could tell they were going easy on him, but he wouldn’t be taking on three any time soon.
When he did manage to get all three guys on their asses, it was a matter of luck, not skill.
Still, I let him get away with it because if we did decide to go after another ship, I didn’t want him completely unprepared.
“Boy!”
He ducked, missing a swing from Darrow. Smart lad, not letting shit distract him. I thought Darrow would lay him out when he got distracted. They both dropped their fists, and Darrow sent him off with a hearty smack on his back.
Will jogged over to me, sweaty, with a few new bruises, but smiling all the same. “Aye, Captain.”
Withdrawing my cutlass, I offered it to him. “Ever held one of these?”
“A little. I’m not trained, but I had to help Henry practise a few times when his instructor was out.”
I shot a dirty look at the pissant. He was smart enough to duck his head and frown at the deck, focusing on his work like his life depended on it.
Only a really small man would make his manservant help with no training.
I had no doubt he taunted Will the whole time for not being an expert like he had with the hand to hand training.
Darrow brought me his cutlass so I could train Will proper, and we spent the rest of the afternoon teaching him to use it. He was a quick study, and he took to using a sword faster than hand to hand. Of course, the pissant couldn’t leave well enough alone without saying something.
“You’re teaching him wrong,” he complained. “His footwork is shit.”
“You think you’re any better?” Salty scoffed. “We knocked your weapon off you in seconds when we captured your ship.”
Henry flushed, glowering at him. “I was outnumbered. It wasn’t a fair fight. And you’re still teaching him wrong. He’s going to trip over his own feet.”
I ignored his bitching, but when I came at Will again, I paid attention to his feet. He wasn’t doing terribly, but there were a few moves that could end up tripping him. And if he ended up on his back, he was more likely to get skewered.
“Let me show him,” Henry demanded when Will actually stumbled.
“No one is givin’ you a weapon,” Salty spat.
“There are ten times as many of you as there are of me. Are you scared I’ll take over the ship?” he sneered.
Taunting really wasn’t going to get him what he wanted.
We all ignored him. Salty took over when I offered him the cutlass, since he was closer to Will’s size, and I had shit to do.
The clang of metal on metal was familiar, and my gaze strayed more than once to their training while I stood at the helm.
We were out of view of the other vessel now, and I agreed with Will that they were probably headed in the same direction.
Carson, who was in the crow’s nest, would keep an eye out to see if they changed direction and came for us instead.
A thud caught my attention, and I whipped my gaze over to where Will and Salty had been practising. Will was on his back, a grimace on his face, and Salty looked just as irritated on top of him.
“You’ve got two left feet, boy,” he grumbled, pushing himself up.
“How the hell did he manage to take you down with him?” Lockhart asked from where he stood watching over the girls.
“Probably did it on purpose,” Henry accused. “The captain’s attention isn’t enough for you? You planning on fucking the whole crew?”
A flush overtook Will’s face, even as he glared up at the pissant. “Go fuck yourself, Henry.”
Henry sneered, but for the first time since he came on board, he didn’t say anything else.
He went back to scrubbing the deck, ignoring everyone.
His response piqued my interest, and I watched him while Salty helped Will to his feet.
Their exchange was friendly, not sexual, but I saw it when Henry’s gaze flicked up, and he scowled. He was jealous.
“That’s interesting…” I murmured to myself.
Seemed like someone wasn’t happy when Will’s attention wasn’t on him.
It could explain the possessiveness. Little lords like him were tight-lipped if their interests swayed a certain way.
They had reputations to uphold. But he made snide comments whenever Will got too close to any of us. Now I knew why.
It’d worry me if I thought for a second the feelings went both ways.
My plan to have Will stay with us after the hand off wouldn’t work if he was secretly pining for his ward.
But I knew for a fact that Will couldn’t stand Henry.
He took too much pleasure in it whenever I gave him permission to get his hands dirty putting the boy in his place.
Still, it couldn’t hurt to remind the little shit who held Will’s affections at the moment.
“Boy!” I barked. He’d just blocked another swipe from Salty, and they both paused at my shout, stepping away from each other.
“Aye, Captain?” Will replied without prompting.
“Enough playtime. My cabin. Now.”
There it was again. Jealousy flared on Henry’s face as Will headed for my cabin without argument.
I watched him as I climbed the stairs to follow, smirking when his eyes locked on me.
I wanted him to know from the look on my face exactly what we’d be up to.
There was only one person who could claim Will’s ass on this ship.
And it sure as hell wasn’t the little pissant who’d been abusing him for years.
Will was waiting by my desk when I came in. My cutlass sat on the surface, proving Will could be trusted with his own weapon soon. He didn't even think to use mine against me, even while we were alone. The only question was if that was chivalry or loyalty. Only time would tell.
Walking around the desk, I dropped into my chair. After years of service, Will had patience to spare and didn’t demand the reason I called him in here, instead waiting silently for me to speak first.
“Such a good boy,” I crooned. The compliment made him frown, but I wasn’t in the mood to explain myself. I was feeling possessive, and I knew a few ways to deal with my foul mood.
“You ever sucked a cock before, boy?”
A host of emotions crossed over his face. Shock, confusion, embarrassment, heat, before settling on blatant interest. “No.”
I scooted my chair back, gesturing to the spot between my knees.
He bit his lip, hesitating for only a moment, but when I raised my eyebrow at him in challenge, he took it with a look of determination, striding around the desk to kneel in front of me.
Inexperience could explain his timidness.
He didn’t look unwilling, just unsure. A little guidance, and I got the feeling he’d meet the challenge with enthusiasm.
My blood boiled with desire at the thought and I had to grip the arms of the chair to keep them to myself.
“Take my cock out, boy. Let’s see if that tongue is as talented as your wit.”