Taken by Pirates

I walked with him back to the ship to see the men were already on board, ready to unfasten the ropes. The moment we were safely aboard, the ship launched, as if in a fantastic hurry.

After stowing the food in the galley, I came back on deck, looking around carefully. The only clouds were wispy bits of fluffy white. There was no sign of a storm anywhere.

The Captain came up from below deck, giving me a wide smile. “You did well today, Maggie. We were quick as a whip.”

Walking toward him, he seemed confused by my glare. “You kissed me so that the policeman wouldn’t ask you any questions. Didn’t you?”

He stayed silent a moment until I felt the need to speak again.

“There’s no storm coming in. Why did we have to rush? Were there illegal things in those barrels?”

“No,” he said slowly. “Not illegal, exactly. It’s just rum.”

“Then why didn’t you want the policeman asking questions?”

His smile was so handsome that it almost distracted me from the issue at hand. “We were paid to do a job, and we did it. That’s all.”

“What was the job?” My arms crossed in front of me. “I just need to know the truth.”

He sighed heavily. “Noah Wescott, the Mayor of Parrinport, has been doing a fine job for years. A local upstart named Gervase Hoddnett wants to unseat him as mayor, and was planning to throw a huge party tomorrow night, bribing the townsfolk with endless rum to vote for him.”

The Captain’s cocky grin took over. “A friend of the Mayor’s paid us to...confiscate that rum. So in essence, we’ve saved the town from dealing with lousy government for the next several years. Did them all a favor, really.” The look on his face was completely disarming.

I shook my head in disbelief. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

He took my hand gently. “I wasn’t yet sure how you’d react, Maggie. Some people have very strong opinions on these things.”

“But...you…”

The Captain nodded, as his thick arm slipped around me. “You’re right. I nearly stole a kiss without permission. And it was for the wrong reason. I’m sorry.”

That warm, solid body against my own made my irritation dissolve in a split second.

His dark eyes burned into mine. “May I steal one now, for the right reason?”

I stretched up, eager to taste his lips. Yet I had to ask, “What’s the right reason?”

His eyes darkened as his voice grew thick. “That I need to kiss you.”

There was no way to argue with his logic as every single part of me wanted to taste his warmth. His lips brushed mine in a soft caress that I felt all the way to my toes.

My hands reached up to tangle in the back of his thick hair as his hands circled my waist. He pulled my body against his, which felt so powerfully arousing it sent tingles through my belly.

Somehow my lips parted, allowing the kiss to deepen, as his hand slipped down my back, almost holding my behind. The way he took hold of me so possessively was so intimate. How strange that I truly wanted to feel like his possession.

The thought of giving myself to a man had always been an idea filled with dread and terror. Now, there was nothing but curiosity, and the steamy, strange, overwhelming heat brewing in my center.

His soft groan was almost swept away by the breeze, but I caught it. How could this incredible man be so taken with me? Our kiss deepened as we melted into each other, the exhilaration growing until I heard myself moan softly.

I almost didn’t notice the sound of one of the men climbing back up to the main deck. Instantly the Captain pulled away, putting some space between us.

It was clear that the Captain was fine with us being close in front of the policeman, in order to complete a job unfettered. So why did he not want the crew to see us together?

My mind was jumbled with so many thoughts that I wasn’t sure what to think. As the Captain went to the bow to check something with Dwyer, I went to the basket of mending. Perhaps some needlework would settle my racing mind, but I knew nothing on this earth could calm my surging heart.

~ Chap ter 8 ~ The Captain ~

* Drifting North *