Captive of My Desires (17 page)

“Not soon enough, or don’t you care that this will brand you a pirate?”

She smiled at him. “Are you joking? You were already certain I am a pirate. Aren’t you glad to be proven right?”

“Then which one of these ruffians do you belong to?”

He said that so sneeringly, she knew exactly which role he was placing her in and it wasn’t very nice. So much for her sounding commanding.

“You’re off the mark, Drew,” she told him. “These men answer to me. I’m their captain.”

He actually laughed as he said, “Sure you are. But they’ll now be answering to me—if they want you back.”

Suddenly he grabbed her. She had no warning other than those words, and they were spoken much too fast for her to react. And finding herself sitting in his lap with his arms tight around her was so unexpected, she was rendered speechless. He wasn’t, and his laugh was utterly triumphant.

“How does it feel with the shoe on the other foot, wench?” he asked.

“It’s a rather tight fit,” she said, and then she began to struggle for all she was worth.

W
HY HADN’T SHE SEEN IT COMING?
Because he was so damned handsome? Because she’d been unable to take her eyes off of his face long enough to notice that he was straining loose from his bonds? And now he had the upper hand, was going to gain his release, get his ship back, too, and turn the lot of them over to the authorities, she didn’t doubt. She’d be seeing a dungeon firsthand just like her father, instead of getting him out of his. She’d failed utterly in her task and all because this blasted American was so handsome she’d been mesmerized by his face, just like before.

She was furious with herself, but she took it out on him. “This won’t work, you fool!” she snarled at him as she strained to get out of his lap.

“Want to bet?”

The amusement was still in his tone. It didn’t even sound like he was exerting any effort to hold her, and that just infuriated her even more. She tried to take him by surprise and topple them over.

He laughed at her again. “Nice try, but the chair is bolted to the floor.”

She should have realized that it would be, like everything else in the cabin, but she merely hissed, “Which is where you’re going to be if you don’t let me up!”

“I hate to mention it, wench, but I have the upper hand here. Actually, let me rephrase that. I don’t mind mentioning it at all!”

“It’s temporary and you know it! One yell and you’ll have a dozen pistols trained on you!”

“No, they’ll be trained on you,” he disagreed. “You make a very nice shield. But if you don’t stop squirming, you’ll have something else to think about.”

That was a warning tone. She heard it, she just didn’t grasp his meaning. She’d managed to squirm around to the side. It didn’t help, he was still holding her fast, and she’d exhausted herself trying. But suddenly he was kissing her. She had no idea how it happened or why. One moment he was staring at her mouth and then…

The hold he had across her chest, that had locked her arms at her sides, changed. He gathered her closer for the kiss, but he wasn’t holding her as tightly as he had been. She actually got one arm loose. She had to fight the urge to put it around him. Good grief, she had to fight more than that. His kiss was too sensual and every bit as nice as she remembered it being. She found herself enjoying it far too much and she didn’t want to end it. Just a few minutes, God, the taste of him, the heat that shot up between them, how he could make her feel so wanton so damn quickly! Just like before, not just once, but twice before—and now…despising him made no difference, the passion he stirred in her was overwhelming.

She almost gave in to it completely, that’s how powerful the sensations were, coursing through her. If it wasn’t a matter of her father’s life and death, she would have. Still, she was loath to do what was necessary now that she could. But she had to.

She found his pistol in her pocket and wrapped her hand around it tightly. And she had enough semblance of thought left to realize that she probably wouldn’t gain her release if she just pointed it at him. She couldn’t take the chance that it might not be loaded and he’d know it. That would just amuse him, and she’d done enough of that. Though if it was loaded, he might not believe that she’d shoot him. Of course she wouldn’t. She was pretending to be a pirate, not a murderer.

But she felt some real regret when she eased the weapon out of her pocket and slammed it against the side of his head. His arms slid off of her, dropped to his sides. His head fell back. She jumped off his lap immediately, her heart pounding. She hadn’t meant to hit him so hard that he’d be rendered unconscious or worse, and the “worse” terrified her. If she killed him when she had only meant to startle him into releasing her…

But he was just stunned. Before he shook it off and got his feet loose to turn the tables on her yet again, she ran out of the cabin and grabbed the first sailor she saw and dragged him back with her. She shoved the pistol into the man’s hands.

“I’m going to tie him again. If he makes any move to stop me, shoot him.”

The man nodded. She’d given him the gun because she was still sure that Drew wouldn’t believe that
she
would shoot him, or he’d be too angry to care. A few seconds more and they would have found out, though, because he was already reaching for the ropes at his feet when she returned and gave the order. She saw only that he sat back in the chair slowly. She avoided his eyes completely, her nerves too frazzled to see what was there, so she didn’t know if he was watching the man with the weapon or her.

“You actually hit me?”

There was more surprise than anything else in Drew’s tone, but Gabrielle didn’t answer him. Getting him secured again was the only thing on her mind and she’d probably never moved so fast as she did in dragging his hands back behind the chair to rebind them. She also found another rope and wrapped that around him, too. She even thought briefly about getting a sack to put over his head, but since that had nothing to do with restraining him, would only have been for her sake, to keep her from getting mesmerized again, she managed to resist the urge.

Satisfied that his bonds would hold this time, she finally checked his head, hoping she hadn’t broken the skin. No such luck. Blood had dribbled down through his hair and behind his ear. She dismissed the sailor, put the pistol back in her pocket, and left to find some water and a cloth.

She almost sent someone else to tend him. She knew Drew was furious. She’d almost been able to feel his rage. And he’d flexed his fingers repeatedly when she was wrapping the ropes around his wrists, as if he were thinking about squeezing the life out of her.

“Are you going to answer me now that your lackey is gone?” he asked.

She still didn’t. She carefully got rid of the blood, then left a cold cloth over the swelling. He made a sound, not quite a moan, as she pressed the cloth to the side of his head. But as soon as she let go, he shook it off. She tsked and came back around to stand in front of him, finally ready to deal with his anger over his failed escape.

Crossing her arms over her chest, she said, “Yes, you dense man, I actually hit you. It was either that or shoot you. Consider yourself lucky.”

“Son of a bitch,” he growled low. “What’d you hit me with?”

“Your pistol. Found it in the drawer.”

“Great, just great,” he snarled. “That will teach me to kiss a viper.”

A blush arose. She suspected that remark was merely rancor, but it still hurt. He was testing his new bonds—no, he was actually trying to work them loose again. The man was impossible.

“Stop that,” she told him sharply.

He gave her a nasty look that was self-explanatory. She gritted her teeth, added, “Do I need to find more rope?”

“Do what you have to do, sweetheart.”

“Maybe a conk on the head again? It certainly improved your disposition—not having one.”

“Very amusing. But I think if you got near enough to me to try it, these bonds would miraculously open. That’s how much I want to get my hands on you.”

To put around her neck, she was sure. And even though she
knew
he was still nicely tied, she was just superstitious enough not to put it to the test.

“It’s too bad you’re being such an uncooperative captive,” she complained.

“There’s any other kind?”

She glared before continuing, “I had considered leaving you to your cabin, but since we’ll be using it, it would be better to get you behind a locked door elsewhere. Or maybe you have some chains aboard? Yes, chains would do nicely, don’t you think?”

“You don’t really want to know what I think just now,” he shot back.

But he did stop straining at his bonds. She noticed that immediately. So there were probably chains somewhere on his ship that could be made use of. And a short metal leash, one he couldn’t possibly get out of, would be ideal, now that she thought of it.

With his options dwindling, he was looking daggers at her again. Vastly disconcerting, that look, but much better than him being smugly certain that he could make her the captive again.

“Answer me this,” he demanded. “Why in hell didn’t you even try to convince me that you were acting in an official capacity to claim my ship?”

“For what reason?”

“To pursue criminals, a matter of life or death, whatever. I’m sure you could have come up with some convincing lies.”

“When you know I’m not an official?”

“You didn’t have to reveal yourself. One of your men could have made the claim.”

She smiled, couldn’t help it, but humored him anyway. “I see, and you would have believed them?”

“Damned right I would have. I’m an American. Why wouldn’t I believe it, when you English provoked us to war using similar tactics?”

“Right you are, this is an official seizure.”

“Very funny.”

“Just trying to be accommodating.”

“Why? To keep me off balance, right up till you toss me over the side? Do I at least get ravished first?”

She drew in her breath sharply. The thought of taking advantage of him, while he was tied…Good grief, she needed to sit down, and fast, her legs felt so wobbly. She moved behind the desk to the chair there and dropped into it. She took several deep breaths deliberately and pushed the image of ravishing him from her mind. And she stared down at the desk. Looking at him was downright dangerous.

She had to get the feelings he incited in her under control. She was supposed to be making him want her, not the other way around!

“I was beginning to think you were serious,” she said, “until your last remark. No one is going to toss you over the side, Drew.”

“Even to save your own necks?”

She glanced at him again to ask, “Because you know who we are?”

“Yes.”

She shook her head. “Sorry, but there is nothing that could justify killing you. And it sounds like you’ve formed the wrong opinion of us. We aren’t the sort of pirates you’re thinking of.”

“What other kind are there?” he sneered.

She grinned. “We’re a new breed, of course. Actually, we’re more treasure hunters than pirates.”

“Your reasons mean nothing to me. What you’ve done here is committed a criminal act and let me give you an assurance of my own. I’ll have the lot of you hunted down for it, or I’ll do it myself.
Now
do you see why it would be a good idea to let me go immediately?”

“I’m sorry to hear that,” she said, and sighed just to reinforce her words. “I had preferred to think that you would be reasonable once you see that I am telling the truth, that you’ll have your ship back. With no real harm being done, you could have just been happy to be about your way when this is over.”

“No real harm?” he said incredulously. “What do you call cracking my head open?”

She tsked. “I did no such thing.”

“It feels like it,” he disagreed. “Come have a look.”

She chuckled over that obvious ploy. “Not a chance,” she told him. “Besides, it’s just a little cut and bump. It barely bled at all, and I’ve removed the evidence.”

He raised a brow. “You touched me?”

“Very impersonally. Didn’t you feel it?”

“No, you’re lying. What else did you do while I was stunned?”

“You mean while you were testing your new bonds? I did nothing! Really, I—”

“But you wanted to, didn’t you?” he cut in, with what could only be described as a knowing smirk. “Come on, sweetheart, admit it. You know you want to ravish me, and you’ve made sure I can’t stop you, not that I’d really want to. So what’s stopping you?”

“You will cease such—”

“Just sit on my lap, and I’ll give you the ride of your life.”

She shot to her feet, but it was too late. The words might have been crude, but the image had already got into her mind. She could touch him, she really could. He’d even given her permission. And the taste of him had been sweet, so very intoxicating. She could even do what he was suggesting…

“Stop it!” she burst out, but she wasn’t sure if she was saying it to him or to herself. So she added with a scowl, “Or I will use this pistol on you again.”

He gave her a feigned wounded look. “Is that any way to treat a wounded man?”

She headed to the door without answering him. She had to stay away from him until she got that image of herself straddling his lap out of her mind.