Page 4 of The Pirate's Daughter

Before she could ascertain how he came to be standing so close to her left side, holding her forearm with a grip almost crushing, the piece of wood connected again. Then again, with more force. Mia was barely able to draw in air as the captain cracked the wood down for a fourth time. For all the pain, she was slow to begin the struggle to escape. The board landed again and Mia’s knees buckled, but she was held up by the sure hand of Captain Winthrop who managed to strike her in the sameplace.

Her scream was choked with sobs. Not even the sting of jellyfish burned like this. And more than the fire on her skin, the throbbing ache went deep and was worse than anything Mia had ever felt. She tried again to pull away, then sink to the floor, but each move only caused him to yank her back in place and follow with another blow of theboard.

Her strength slipped. She no longer stood under her own power, had in fact grabbed hold of his arm, keeping herself in place for the beating. She could manage no words, but she couldn’t be silent. Even after several minutes without the burst of pain crossing her backside, she couldn’t bring enough air into her lungs to say anything or to find a calmsilence.

The grip on her arm disappeared and Mia felt herself slipping downward. Before her knees hit the floor, his arm came around her waist, lifting her back to her feet then pulling her so she leaned on him. As much as she wanted to pull away she couldn’t. She didn’t have the strength, but it was more than that. It was something she couldn’t identify. She leaned against him and gasped for air, moaning at the continual throbbing in her seat that seemed still to begrowing.

“What I know, Mia,” she heard him say, “is enough. Whatyoushould know,” he leaned in close enough she felt his lips against her ear and his breath against her neck, “is I’m not your father. The commodore might not be willing to keep you on course, but I assure you, I am, I can, and Iwill. Behave like a spoiled child, Mia mine, and earn the punishment ofone.”

He let her go and Mia stumbled first to her right then back before his hand again took hold and steadied her. His grip this time was firm but not painful. He tossed his wicked weapon on the table then reached into his coat and removed a fine linen handkerchief. He urged her to turn and face him, using the soft material to wipe herface.

Mia lifted her eyes from his chest to his face. She wasn’t sure what she expected to find. Vindictiveness, victory, malice, spite, something telling about his cruel nature. Those things wouldn’t have surprised her. The look of concern and perhaps regret or remorse caused a pain to pinch her chest. The hurt wasn’t new. She’d felt it many times before when she’d disappointed Papa. Usually though, by the time it cut her, he’d already sailed off and she knew in the months before she saw him again it would fade and be forgotten. This time she was trapped here with the cause of both the hurts she felt. She was trapped without any idea how to ease either pain. Trapped?Trapped. And with that thought,frightened. More so because her papa let it happen and wouldn’t be fishing her out of the drink thistime.

“Haul in your sheets, pirate,” he said as his hands rubbed up and down her back. The pressure caused her to lean forward and when she did, he stepped in so her cheek rested on his chest and the spicy scent of him filled hernose.

She couldn’t remember the last time she’d cried the way she was trying to stop from crying now. For so long, if she so much as whimpered, someone was there to strike at whatever caused the upset and to soothe her, usually with some gift. Captain Winthrop not only caused this, he was soothing it all with nothing more than a simple touch. How was hecapable?

She had enough sense not to believe those stories of dark magic spun by the African in the crew. Still the man always commanded respect on board and when he spoke of ill winds coming he was taken seriously. Papa never dismissed the man outright, even if he didn’t give much value to the voodoo. Now Mia was left to wonder if Tumo’s stories of men possessed of evil powers were more true thannot.

She thought about searching the captain’s person for the straw dolls Tumo made to stab at with his knife. What else could be making her want to lean in further, feel more of his warm body, smell his skin without the shirt between them. She felt him shift, step back and she almost followed, catching herself before she did. Letting go his arms, and not until then had she known she held them, she stepped back. Another step back and she felt the spell breaking, her compass resetting. Not wanting to reach out again she tugged down her left cuff and held onto her own wrist as she used her sleeve to wipe her nose. He held out the handkerchief. She took two large steps back, then turned and moved to the far side of the cabin. His satisfied-sounding chuckle ran up her spine, stiffening it against the indignity she’dsuffered.

Mia straightened, pulling back her shoulders and lifting her chin as she ground her teeth together. She had nothing to use now to slit his throat, but she’d eventually find a way to cut his heart from his chest. That was if he had one inthere.

“Your trunks are aboard. Clean up this mess and I’ll have them delivered. You can change and come topside. We left port short on supplies and will be setting anchor at Bahari to bring on fresh water and whatever else might be had from the island. The winds have died off, but it should be no more than aweek.”

Mia turned and faced him, but she could not tell his course. “Bahari?” she queried back. “What is wrong with Nevis?” If she could get to any of the ports, she could make her way back to Barbados and from there to her home port where her own ship sat ready and waiting. Bahari was a small rock in the middle of nothing, good only for its ability to resupply ships with fresh water and sometimes good fruits. Maybe a hog or two from the wild packs making their homethere.

“Because,” Captain Winthrop said reaching to pick up that vile board and examine it, “I was warned, by yourfather—”

“My papa,” she corrected. The very wordfathermade her sick to herstomach.

“The commodore,” he said which was better, and proper too, “warned me. Until I’m assured of your acceptance of the situation, I should refrain from entering ports where you might think to jump ship. Bahari is en route. I’ve made use of it before and given the way you’re looking at me right now, I’ve a willingness to take the man’sadvice.”

Mia dropped her head and stared at the floor. She’d given away something in her expression, as she often did. That was herweakness.

“Straighten these quarters, Mia.” Her head came up at his words. “Have it stowed correctly before I return. Your belongings will need to be sorted. There’s not space enough here for everything carried on board. And,” he said, looking at the remains of her meal on the floor, “I’ll have another meal sent to you. Don’t,” he said, and slapped the board down against his open palm few times, “let it end up on the floor a secondtime.”

He turned smoothly and exited the room as stealthily as he’d entered, pulling the door shut softly behind him. Mia heard the lock click. The sound took her to her knees. Holding herself up on one arm she reached back and rubbed at the pain resonating across her ass. The sense of betrayal ran deeper than the ocean. Why had Papa given away the means to her escape? Had she somehow truly dishonored him that he no longer wanted her? She wouldn’t believe it. She’d done everything he asked. Even attending the ridiculous school for ladies. Learning how to hold a tea cup just so was mind numbing, unlike her schooling before when she’d studied every subject offered, working hard to earn the praise of her instructors so when Papa came to visit he’d hear of her achievements and be quick to return again for more visits. She could think of nothing she’d done to make him forsake her. He’d not known she purchased the sloop before he’d arranged this, this—marriage. It couldn’t be she displeased Papa. It had to be this man. It had to be Winthrop. He was behind this cast off. He was behind it. Mia would discover why and how he’d managed this and when she did she’d stake him down on some beach and let him burn in the sun for everything he’ddone.

Chapter 4

Devin slippedthe key into the lock then dropped his hand away.Please have cooperated. He wasn’t much to giving in to praying, but right now he needed to open the door and find that Mia did as she wastold.

It had been two days now since he’d taken the makeshift paddle to her stern. Two days of her barely eating. Two days of listening to the sounds of her frustration and distress. And last night when he told her she had this last chance to stop behaving like a spoiled child or he’d give her a sound andproperspanking, which he described in detail, the look on her face made him want to sink to the bottom of the sea. It didn’t help either when he returned topside to find Grim and Hong Chin on his ship—despite his adamant refusal to have them—shaking their heads athim.

“You no get Mia happy, do as say if you scare her all time,” Mr. Hong chided him all the way up to the bridge. He continued even as Devin stepped behind the helm. “You let me talk Mia, Hong know how make Mia happy. Then Mia do as Captainsay.”

The little Asian man kept at him until sunset when Grim came over, lifted him off the deck, carried him back to the stack of cargo they guarded and dropped him. The giant man then turned and again shook his head at him. Grim might not speak but he didn’t need words to convey his message. Devin knew he was mishandling Mia. Hell, his entire crew knewit.

The woman was his wife and he was barely able to spend twenty minutes in her company without getting slapped or screeched at. They’d yet to have one pleasant encounter in the week aboard together. And he was able to admit his heavy handedness over the slap she’d delivered didn’t help. Especially because he knew he’d goaded her intoit.

Truth was, he’d been begging for her to give him a reason to spank her. He’d wanted her to have no doubt the games she played with her father wouldn’t be played with him. He wouldn’t be keel hauled by anyone let alone his own wife. But he knew all too well when used without restraint, punishment often had the opposite of the desired effect. He might havewantedto give the brat a sound flogging, but he maybe didn’tneedto. And her response to theact?

She’d been overwhelmed by the onslaught. He might have thought her to be making it out to be worse than it was, given she was fully clothed and he’d not put his arm into the action. But her sobs and those tears weren’t an act. Nor was the way she sought out comfort afterwards. She’d pushed her whole, soft, lush body against his. Clung to him like a barnacle to a dock post. He had to peel her off. But only because if he didn’t he’d have taken her to the bed and taken, what by law, was his totake.

He’d never forced a woman, and even though she was familiar with a man’s bed, it didn’t make it right for him to take her under duress. He didn’t want her to think he’d punish her for not submitting to him as her husband. Conversely, he didn’t want her to believe spreading her legs would save her ass if she behaved poorly. Maybe he should’ve let Mr. Hong deliver this morning’s meal and the clean dress, if for nothing else than to make sure she ate it and didn’t throw half of it at hishead.

Only he needed Mia obedient to him because of him. Not because someone else told her to be. With a sigh, he lifted his hand, turned the key and pushed open the door. The sight that greeted him almost made him forget it wasn’t gentlemanly to take advantage of a distraughtfemale.

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