Taken by Pirates

Once we were under the covers, Maggie turned her back to me, inching as far away as she dared.

I stroked her shoulder just once. “Sweet dreams, my lass. I hope that you’ll speak to me in the morning.”

Usually sleep came to me right away. Tonight, I turned over the events of the day in my mind, tumbling like fish trying to leap upstream. I had never meant to put her in a situation that made her uncomfortable. She had to understand that.

Then my breath caught in my throat, practically choking me.

Perhaps it wasn’t the close quarters and being confined. Perhaps it was the way I had touched her.

She had clearly told me that she wanted it. It was obvious that she had enjoyed it thoroughly. Yet perhaps she had misgivings. Maybe she felt ashamed after the fact.

Perhaps she thought that once we were intimate in one way, that I would expect much more.

Reaching down, I pulled her icy little feet against my shins, but otherwise kept my distance.

The only thing I could do would be to give her a bit of space to figure out what she wanted to say to me. And if she couldn’t speak the words aloud, perhaps Maggie wasn’t ready to be my lady.

Either way, I’d have to get her some new stockings, as well as a carpet, to keep those tiny feet warm.

~ Cha pter 19 ~ Maggie ~

* Those Lady Smarts *

As my eyes began to slowly flutter open, I felt so warm and comfortable. A deep sense of peace flowed through every limb as I shifted slightly.

It took a moment to realize that I was lying right beside Levi, with my arm across his chest, his arm around my back, tucked right into his shoulder.

It felt so perfect, like the first warm day of spring. That same sort of serenity flowed through my heart.

Until my nasty little mind remembered that he had been talking about sending me away. How could he be so sweet with me if he intended to do that?

Perhaps men just didn’t know how to be logical. My father and brothers certainly didn’t. They would lambaste me, insult me, then ask for a favor all in the same sentence. It was as if I were a tool to be used, not a real person with thoughts and feelings.

I knew that Levi had feelings for me. Although I was still brand new to the ways of love and relationships, a person’s eyes always spoke the truth.

Keeping my breathing steady so that he wouldn’t know I was awake quite yet, I listened to his heart thumping below my ear while I pondered what the problem might be.

Perhaps he thought a life at sea would be too harsh for me. I could fix that. I could toughen up. Although I never complained, all of the men seemed to be keeping a careful eye on me so that I never became cold, or exhausted, or got too much sun.

Levi himself had said that it w

ould take some time for me to get used to the ship, yet I thought things were going swimmingly so far. The crew all seemed to like me, and were eager for the help I offered. They seemed delighted to teach me things.

Perhaps he thought that I didn’t want this life.

True, I would never have imagined it in a hundred years. Yet now that I’d received a real taste of this world, I dearly loved it. Traveling to different places was more exciting that I would have imagined. It suited me somehow.

There was no way I could go back to a life that was only in one town, with their rules and judgements. Now that I’d tasted freedom, I needed to explore just how far it would take me.

Slipping out of bed, I made up my mind to prove my worth today. Let the Captain see that I was a good worker, and an asset to the ship. Also, I could let Levi see that I was worth introducing to his aunt because I was his lady, not just a member of his crew.

After I’d dressed and brushed my hair, quickly braiding it into a single plait down my back, I hurried to the galley.

“Good morning, lass,” Cookie said brightly.

“How is it that you always manage to get up a half hour before everyone else?” I asked.

Those wide shoulders shrugged as he stirred the porridge. “I think it’s in my blood. Both of my parents were always up at first light.”