Page 81 of The Pirate and the Pagan
“Rory Helford, there is absolutely nothing nondescript about you; you display like a peacock.” The nausea returned and she closed her eyes in misery. As he shut the cabin door a fleeting thought came to her which she adamantly denied to herself. Of one thing she was absolutely certain, she was not with child!
Later in the afternoon when she felt better, she strolled up on deck to get the fresh, exhilarating sea breeze. She watched Rory covertly. He was such a handsome devil. He laughed with his crew, tossing gibes back and forth, and yet she knew that in a fight he would be a deadly, dangerous opponent. Beneath the devil-may-care attitude was the strength of coiled steel and she would bet her last crown he had a keen, cool, convoluted mind. One equally capable of dabbling in intrigue, setting traps, or plotting the downfall of an enemy. Spying would be child’s play to Rory Helford.
She remembered the King had hinted that her husband went on spy missions. Could it be that the two brothers worked for opposite sides? She shuddered slightly. Her blood always raced with excitement at the mere hint of danger.
Rory caught sight of her and smiled lazily. He beckoned her to his side, where he stood braced at the ship’s wheel. She couldn’t help comparing his attitude to Ruark’s. He would have ordered her below the moment she set foot on his deck. Rory, however, didn’t give a damn if his sailors leered at her. Slowly she made her way to the bridge. Rory was naked to the waist, enjoying the feel of the sun and the sea spray on his bronzed skin. “Feeling better, sweetheart? Come, I’D let you sail my ship.”
She could never really tell whether Rory was teasing or serious, but he stepped away from the wheel and let it spin wildly. As she dove to grasp it before the ship keeled over he laughed delightedly and came up close behind her as she stood with her hands upon the wheel. His strong brown hands covered hers and he whispered, “Here, sweet, let me show you. To keep a ship on a steady course is not difficult once you learn the secret. You must feel the wind on the back of your head. Never let it come past your left or right cheek.”
Summer turned the wheel until she felt the wind on the back of her head, then she looked up at him over her shoulder. “Is that all?” she asked with disbelief.
He grinned and whispered in her ear, “As simple as making love, once someone has taught you its secrets.”
Desire for him raced through her blood like wildfire. She knew she would never be able to resist the magnetism of his nakedness. The dark mat of hair on his chest drew her eyes and suddenly she didn’t want her hands on the ship’s wheel, she wanted them free to explore the thick slabs of muscle on his perfect male body, which was almost, but not quite, touching hers.
“Pedro, amigo, take over for me,” he called down to the fore-deck. The grinning giant with the golden earrings took the wheel from her hands, and as Rory led her below a rousing cheer came from the crew, making it quite plain they knew why their captain was taking the beautiful girl down to his cabin.
She was blushing profusely and protested breathlessly as he impatiently swept her up into his arms to speed their journey. He stripped off his breeches and was naked in seconds, but he drew out and prolonged the pleasure of undressing her. As he bared each delicious curve, he kissed and tasted it and she knew an overwhelming desire to lick the salt from his bare skin.
“I’m going to give you a rubdown with champagne. I promise you’ve never felt anything like it. It will make every nerve ending tingle until you’ll want to scream from heightened sensitivity. Then I’ll lick the champagne from your delicious body,” he promised huskily.
The scarlet silk veils drifted about the bed, barely concealing the deeply sensual act of the lovers. Rory’s hands had a magic touch, arousing her to a desire she had never felt before, then his mouth and tongue drove her to a frenzy. His finesse was such that she experienced everything from wild, carnal lust to a sweet, heart-stopping gift of herself where they exchanged a whispered pledge of love. In the end he set out to make her laugh. He drank champagne from her navel, allowed her to shake the bottle until it sprayed all over them, and they playfully rolled about the silken bed like children.
He fell to the floor and she sprang after him like a lioness to bite and scratch him. The sight of her creamy body against the thick black pile of the rug made all laughter flee from his hungry face as he looked down at her. His eyes were stained almost black with desire as he poised above her, then he mounted her, and rode her to paradise.
Before they parted he held her to his heart. “Swear to me you’ll sail with me any time I come for you.”
“I swear it, Rory,” she pledged.
“When, I can’t bear to be parted from you, I’ll come for you. Swear you’ll drop everything to come to me?” he demanded fiercely.
“Yes, yes, yes,” she vowed her commitment to him.
They glided up the Thames at four o’clock in the morning. London was a city which never slept, but at four in the morning it dozed a little, before it stretched itself at five to begin another day at the center of the world.
Rory hired her a carriage, loaded in all her baggage, and lingered long over his goodbye kisses. Summer arrived at Auntie Lil’s along with the morning milkmaid at five o’clock. Lady Richwood was still abed, so Summer crept upstairs to the chamber she had used before and told the maid not to disturb her for the next five hours.
Promptly at ten o’clock Lil Richwood swept into the room like a gust of fresh air.
“Darling, I’ve missed you so much. Wake up and tell me everything!”
Summer opened her eyes and tried to sit up, but the moment she did so she was assailed with nausea. She moaned and lay still.
“Darling, you have morning sickness! Oh, what a clever girl you are to already be breeding the next Lord Helford,” she drawled.
“No, Lil, I’m definitely not with child,” choked Summer desperately.
“When was the last time you had your menses?” demanded Lil in a practical tone, her drawl disappearing.
“I … I can’t remember … I haven’t been unwell since before I was married, but—”
“Married! I was astounded when I heard you had actually pulled it off. Lord Ruark Helford bludgeoned into matrimony, It was all over London that he had taken you to Stowe for your honeymoon. So it wasn’t necessary to become someone’s mistress after all.”
“Mistress?” she repeated, blushing hotly.
“How refreshing to see a lady who still blushes; a most rare occurrence in London.” She stopped talking to take a breath, and as she did so she noticed the mountain of luggage Summer had brought with her. Her eyebrows went up instantly.
“I’ve left him,” said Summer baldly.
