Page 35 of The Pirate's Daughter

“Because I’m bad,” she whispered andsniffed.

“No. Why did I spank you,Mia?”

“Because I’m bad,” sheinsisted.

“No,” he said that with great force. “You’re not bad. Not in any way. Naughty yes, but not bad.” Some of her distress slipped. “And I’m starting to think you only pretend to be apirate.”

She frowned at him. “I’m not a pirate, or a whore or a brat or a child. You hate me.” She lifted her arm and tried to use her sleeve to wipe at the tears. Devin bumped her hand away and brushed his fingers across hercheeks.

“Mia, I don’t hate you. You’ve been nothing but a lady from the moment we met. Now tell me why I punishedyou.”

He watched her searching his face for something, perhaps trying to assess how much truth was in what he said. Of course she was a bit of all those things. Pirate, brat… everything. But only if he focused on a singular aspect was she anything but perfect to him, for him. He couldn’t lose her now. And if the only way to make sure she stayed safe was to restrict her behavior and spank her aft raw, he’d dothat.

“Mia?”

She dropped her eyes away from his, “Because I… I didn’t… tell you,” she finished, looked up quickly, thenaway.

“You acted behind my back, Mia. You can’t do that.” He moved again and she rolled into him. She hesitated and her movements were slow but she put her arms around his neck and pulled herself against him. “You can’t act against me, Mia. We can’t sail safely if I set the wheel south but you turn the sails west.” She nodded against his shoulder then sobbed. “Your way was righteous, moral, fast, effective, but wrong. It’s not allowed. We must sail this ship together,Mia.”

She nodded, but sobbed softly. Twice her hold around his neck slipped and her ass hit his lap. Each time she’d cry out and sob more. Devin slipped his arm under her knees and stood. Carrying her to their bunk he dropped her feet to the floor and turned her to face away. Her hands came back to cover her stern, although she didn’t rest them on the twin swells. Devin set his finger at the top button of her gown and leaned forward. “It’s done, Mia.Understand?’

“No,” she said andsniffed.

“It’s done. You’ve been punished. I’m not going to punish you more. This matter is finished. We can let it sink away now.” He worked the row of buttons open and pushed the dress off her shoulders then down past her hips so it pooled at her feet. He left the shift, reaching around to draw back the covers. “You behave and you’ll not experience this again. If you don’t, I’ll treat you to more of the same, worse if your actions command me to.” He took Mia’s elbow and guided her down in the bed. She rolled to her stomach, pulled the pillows under her head and buried her face as he pulled up the blanket and sat down. “Mia?” He waited until she turned those watery eyes towards him. “I don’t hate you. I don’t think I could, no matter how naughty you were.” He brushed away the tears that rolled over her lashes. “I can’t hate you, but I can spank you so you can’t sit for a month if you deserve it. Don’t make me do that,please.”

“No,” she whispered and sniffed, grabbing the loose fabric of her shift, trying to make it reach hernose.

“Mia,” Devin said with a chuckle and crossed the room to his locker. Opening it he retrieved a handkerchief and came back to sit beside her. “Don’t you own any of these?” He handed the cloth toher.

“Aye.” She sniffed and wiped hernose.

“Why don’t you usethem?”

“They’re too pretty,” she informedhim.

“Of course,” Devin said and set his hand on her back rubbing softly. “Use mine then, at will.” She nodded and closed her eyes. “Rest Mia I’ll bring you a tray when I come below for the night, unless you want me to send someone withone.”

“No,” shesighed.

Devin sat beside her a while longer then went on deck to batten down the ship for the night. He made fast work of it because of the nasty looks he was receiving from the crew. Seems Mia was rather loud about his measured discipline. It didn’t matter. He didn’t believe Mia would rally them tomutiny.

Devin finished seeing to the duty of the ship then stepped inside the closed quarters below the helm. The space was usually used to write messages or pay crew at each port. Devin stashed the items given to him by Smithe before the man shoved off. A small chest containing Mia’s allowance, which he was advised he could keep from her as punishment. He wouldn’t, but he made clear from now on he’d provide for his wife. She’d not get in the habit of turning to her papa when Devin couldn’t or wouldn’t give her something she wanted, but didn’t need. Also included was a lovely box he was told was a wedding gift, but he was warned not to open it publicly. That gift remained unknown. The last was a thick packet of papers. An itemized bill of everything Mia owned in her own right. As much as he didn’t want to know, he knew he’d need to in time take stock of Mia’s wealth. But at the moment, he didn’t want to know the value. She was priceless to him. He only needed to keep her safe and hope soon he’d have her away from these waters. As it turned out it, wasn’t soonenough.

Chapter 15

Mia rolledto face the wall and pulled the pillow over her head. It was getting harder and harder to ignore Hong Chin’s constant berating of her. For three days he’d been after her to get up and stop making the captain unhappy. Now he wanted to blame the entire crew’s unhappiness onher.

It wasn’t her fault the weather turned bad and everyone was trapped below deck as the rains and winds continued to hold the ship in place east of Tolfar and the port city there. No one wanted off the ship as much as Mia. Devin’s displeasure regarding her ending Gillmore made its presence known every minute. She wore bruises from the top of her ass to the place where it curved under. Strangely there wasn’t a single mark on her legs. That strap burned like fire, but an hour after he’d finished ranking her stern, her legs ached, but nowhere near the throbbing way her assdid.

She’d not been able to sleep that night either. As exhausted as she’d felt, she lay there waiting to feel a hatred for her husband. With every beat of her heart pain pulsed through and she waited for rage to wash up. But try as she might, nothing more than guilt crashed onshore.

Maybe if he’d said he hated her for what she was she’d be able to hate him back. Only he told her he didn’t even think she was a pirate. In truth, she wasn’t, neither were Papa or the crew. Although she had known for a long time Papa did things, much like she did with the slaver, in an attempt to find the one behind the attack on her childhood home of Hermosa Alma—the attack that killed her mother and infant brother when she waseight.

Mia learned her tactics from him. And she’d employed them as she, too, tried to find the people behind such a cowardly act. He didn’t want her involved, but she needed to do something. That very morning she’d yelled terrible things at her mama. She had accused her of loving the baby boy more. She ran from the house with her mama calling after her, saying she’d send Papa for her if she didn’t come home before dark. But Mia thought then Papa loved the boy more too. He was after all his real child. She’d been sure as she listened to the cannon fire roar over the port that Papa would save them. Papa would save them and not come looking for Mia. She expected he’d take Mama and Charlie and the three of them would sail away. Mia stayed in the groves for two days after the ships fled the harbor. On the second day, Grim found her and carried her home to Papa who was weeping until he saw her. She remembered then how tightly he’d held her. Saying that it was a miracle she was with him. That he’d thought he’d lost her. Mia asked where Charlie and Mama were. But, it’d been Smithe who told her they were in heaven with God. Mia only cried for her mother at the time and still today she sometimes wondered. If the boy had lived, what might have become of her? Papa kept her even though he’d lost Mama and Charlie, even though she wasn’t his. She needed to be the child Papa would’ve had in Charlie. She needed to do as much as a son to help find those responsible. Taking out the slaver was little more than an opportunity that presented itself as many of Mia’s below board activities were. She didn’t seek out such things, neither did she let thempass.

Devin did seem to understand that. He just didn’t approve. At least he didn’t approve of her doing it without consulting him. That was all he said he was punishing her for. He spanked her for acting behind his back. And Mia couldn’t deny she’d done that. A little to confident or maybe not confident enough Devin would allow her to send a crew after Gillmore. Every mark on her skin was his disapproval of her not telling him what she wanted to do, what she could do. And because of that, she felt guilt. Not hate or anger. Guilt. And he only made it worse when he’d hear her crying over it and come to hold her. Telling her everything would get better. He’d sounded much like Papa following Mama’s death. He was trying to help her find peace. All she felt was more guilt. First for wanting him to comfort her and second because she knew she didn’t deserve it. Not any more than she deserved it when Papa gave her comfort. She wasn’t a pirate, but she was bad. She wished her brother gone and it happened. Everyone should hate her. She was bad. She had to do something grand enough to be redeemed. Although Devin’s manner of giving her redemption suited him, Mia didn’t think Papa would consider it just punishment for the loss of his onlyson.

“All right, Mr. Hong.” Mia looked over her shoulder to see Devin enter the cabin. “Mrs. Winthrop has had enough of you. Go bother Mr. Aimes in the galley. He hasn't had you there all day to tell him how he makes the soup incorrectly,” Devin said, as he carefully set the two buckets of water on the table. Heated water—Mia could see thesteam.

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