Chapter 16 Time Holds No Sway #2
He faced her, and the concern in her eyes moved him.
But was it genuine? “An emergency back home lured my parents away, leaving me in charge, both over the mission and my sister, Esther.” He grabbed a handful of sand and allowed it to spill from his fingers, just like the lives he had lost that night.
“Spanish soldiers attacked in the middle of the night, set the mission on fire, and murdered everyone they crossed.”
Desi gasped, her expression one of horror. “Why? Why would they do such a thing?”
A salty breeze swept in from the sea, showering Caleb in a cool mist. It did naught to relieve the grief he felt in reliving the sordid tale.
“We taught the freedmen how to farm, trade, and live free. The plantation owners on the surrounding islands perceived it as a threat, not only to their slave-driven economy, but they feared a rebellion from both the maroons we trained and from any slave who heard about us.” He scrubbed his jaw.
“Then, of course, our beliefs were more protestant, and these particular slave owners were staunch Catholics.”
Desi squinted as the sun rose above the horizon. “Do you think the marquis had something to do with it?”
“I cannot be sure. But I suspect foul play on the part of his daughter.”
“This Geneviève, the marquis referred to at dinner?”
Caleb nodded. Just the mention of her name, especially upon innocent lips, forced him to his feet.
“My father trusted me, put me in charge of the mission and everyone in it, instructed me to provide, train, and protect them until his return.” He still felt his father’s tight grip on his shoulder.
You have proven yourself more than capable, Caleb. I trust you.
And Caleb had let him down in every way possible.
“But how could you have known about an attack?” Desi’s sweet voice brought his gaze to her as she looked up at him, sorrow claiming her lovely features.
Turning, he took up a pace, his boots grinding the sand underfoot.
Waves bubbled on the shore, their laughter mocking his fury.
“There were signs, suspicious ship movements off the coast, hushed whispers from the town’s leaders, complete silence from the marquis.
Even guilt-ridden expressions from his servants when they delivered the last of the supplies. ”
“Doesn’t sound like enough for you to know for sure.”
Tension strung tight across his shoulders as he stormed a few steps one way, then wheeled about sharply, cutting lines in the sand. “It was enough that I should have investigated, set watchman over the island and around the camp, gathered arms and kept alert.”
“Why didn’t you?”
Caleb continued his pace, stalking the beach like a chained beast, anguish pulsating in every stride. He had come this far, he might as well tell her the rest, regardless of how unfavorable a light it shed upon him.
“Geneviève. She persuaded me that I was being foolhardy and behaving like a timid maiden. That if anything were afoot, surely her father would know about it. And she’d already inquired of him, and he had told her all was well.
” He slanted his lips. “I was smitten, I admit it. I trusted her. I thought she harbored affections for me as she so often told me. And displayed.”
?
The votes were in. The die was cast. Desi was a complete fool.
Why? Because a sudden surge of jealousy swamped her at Caleb’s words, “and displayed”.
Jealousy! Was she falling for this man? Regardless, she should not be feeling such things, especially after the gruesome story he’d told.
Yet, a vision of this Geneviève—who was no doubt beautiful—in his arms, making out, and doing God knew what else, shot needles into her heart.
Where was her empathy, her grief, her care?
Frowning, she struggled with her ridiculous skirts and rose to her feet.
Actually, she did feel all those things, along with a deep concern for the man who continued to pace before her like a caged animal.
Only the bars that imprisoned him were not made of iron, but something far stronger—guilt and sorrow.
“You can hardly blame yourself for what most young men have suffered throughout the ages. Duped by beauty.”
Angry eyes fired in her direction. “But did their deception cause dozens of deaths?”
Fury radiated off him, and she took a step back. Priest or not, the man was as volatile as any pirate.
“Esther was injured,” he spat, continuing his angry trek.
“Your sister? What happened?”
He raked back his hair, nostrils flaring. “Some of the less savory soldiers tore her gown down her back and whipped her like a slave.”
A lump of pain clamped Desi’s throat.
Caleb kicked the sand, fisted hands on his waist, and stared out to sea. “She is permanently scarred both outside and inside. Because of me.”
“I’m sorry, Caleb.” Daring to approach, Desi touched his arm, but he jerked from her and marched away.
She couldn’t blame him. There were no words that could comfort or heal the wounds of the past. He was a volcano of guilt and grief that threatened to explode.
Even though she wanted to help him, she’d seen the type, and it was best to leave him to stew on his own.
Kicking off her shoes, she wandered down to the water, seeking solace from the sea.
She clutched her skirts and waded in the surf.
The warm water caressed her feet as sand oozed between her toes, the soft silt relieving her tension as it always did.
Tiny crabs skittered sideways, diving into their holes, claws clacking as warm rays of sunshine set both sand and sea aglitter.
Including a treasure trove of seashells up ahead.
Stooping, she picked up a select few and washed them off in the surf, amazed at how perfect they were, unbroken, unspoiled by tar or trash.
Tourists stole most of the shells on Miami Beach, and the ones she was lucky enough to find were always damaged.
She held her palm open, examining their beauty in the sunlight, the perfect lines of a fan, the smiling teeth of a cowrie, the colorful spiral of a sundial.
If only she could add these to her collection.
Who was she kidding? She had no idea how to return to her time, let alone with these shells.
Facing the water, she held them close to her chest. “Thank you for these. Now, I suppose you can’t give me some clue on how to get home? Or maybe how to deal with an angry, wounded pirate?”
“What’s that you say?” Caleb’s voice startled her, though it harbored none of the anger from moments ago. “Talking to the sea again?”
Smiling, she stuffed the shells into the pocket of her skirt. “I find she’s a better friend than most.”
“I quite agree.” He hesitated for a moment, and she noticed that he’d taken off his boots as well.
“I owe you an apology, Miss. My anger is not directed at you.” He released a heavy sigh.
“I have never regaled anyone else with the full tale of that night, and I did not expect such raw emotions to surface.” He took her hand and raised it to his lips for a kiss.
“Forgive me if I have alarmed or frightened you.”
Desi didn’t know whether to address the heat spiraling through her at his kiss or the heartfelt apology. “You didn’t scare me, Caleb. I just…I feel so bad about what happened to you. I want to make it better, but I know I can’t.”
His deep blue eyes studied hers, as if assessing her sincerity, a strand of coal black hair sliding over his jaw. If he had loved this Geneviève, trusted her, and she betrayed him, it was no wonder he found it difficult to believe any woman.
“It is enough that you listened, allowed me to tell the tale in full.”
She cocked her head. “Do you feel better?”
“Nay.” He smiled. “Yet.” He gazed at the turquoise waters, squinting in the rising sun. “I find relief in your pleasant company.”
The look in his eyes when he faced her again sent an alarm through her, both scary and thrilling. No man had looked at her that way. As if she were a precious gift, a fragile prize to be treasured and protected.
A salt-tinged breeze swept over them, stirring his black hair and fluttering his shirt.
Sunlight glinted over the sword at his side.
Was she really in this place…in this time…
with this pirate, this priest, this man who was more man than she’d ever encountered?
He radiated intelligence, skill, courage, and confidence borne from experience, not from a book.
And yet he possessed the chivalry and manners of a knight… every woman’s dream.
He unsettled her, caused feelings she had not known existed.
And she didn’t like it one bit. She prided herself on her independence, on not needing anyone, on being a strong, liberated female.
Uncomfortable, she broke the gaze between them and took a step back.
“I never get tired of the sea,” she said awkwardly.
“Something we have in common.” He closed the distance between them and eased a strand of hair from her cheek.
His roughened palm brushed over her skin with surprising tenderness, sending heat down to her toes.
If he invoked such a response from a simple touch, what would his kiss feel like?
Against her will, she glanced at his lips.
They curved into a sensual smile. Crud! He knew. He knew!
The chatter of parrots serenaded them from the jungle as the sharp cry of a gull wheeled overhead. Farther inland, cicadas began their shrill chorus, rising and falling in waves that mimicked the soft percussion of the surf.
Her pulse thundered in her veins. She should run, but she could not get her feet to move.
Sweat slid down her back, and she fumbled with the silk ties of her stays.
“I wish I could take these confining clothes off and dive into the water.” She stared at the gentle waves, longing to plunge deep beneath them where life was quiet and peaceful and everything made sense.
She realized her mistake when his grin turned into laughter, and a boyish gleam lit his eyes.
“The man in me would be quite pleased if you did so. However, I fear my Godly scruples must insist, for both our sakes, that you remain fully covered.”
She couldn’t help but chuckle. She’d never met a man who would turn down seeing a woman in her underwear.
He kept staring at her, not with lust, but in a way that made her spirit rise above all that was real. “Enchanting woman,” he said, drawing even closer…closer…until his lips pressed upon hers.
The earth seemed to tremble. His scent of bay rum, leather, and the sea flooded her, bringing every nerve to life. His touch was gentle, caressing, but then he pressed deeper, searching, longing…hungry.
She responded with equal passion, unable to resist, unable to do anything but drink in every press of his lips, every move of his body, every warm puff of his breath on her cheek.
Something electric exploded within her as though lightning shot straight from his lips to her heart.
She’d kissed men before, but she’d never felt anything like this.
It was as if two worlds collided, as if time itself bent.
The rhythm of the waves deepened, echoing like a drum from another age.
A charge pulsated the air, humming with a power not of this place.
Encasing her in his arms, he pressed her against his chest. He was a barricade of protection and comfort she’d never felt before.
Never knew she needed until now. A memory, somewhere outside of time, came crashing in like the mad rush of a tsunami, a memory distant and eternal.
An invisible thread pulled her across centuries into a place where time held no sway.
And in that moment, she’d always known him, always loved him.
He pulled away, cupped her face in his hands and leaned his forehead against hers. “Mercy” was all he said.
Moments passed. Desi willed her mind to return, her control. What was she thinking? She could not fall for this man. She had to get home. She had to save her sister! Horrified, she pushed away from him and dashed for the jungle. Tears spilled down her cheeks, blurring her vision.
She barely reached the trees when strong arms came out of the brush. Clamping. Tight. Pain shot through her as the man shoved her back against his chest. And meaty arms locked around her neck.