Page 5 of The Pirate's Daughter

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Mia stoppedmidway in her reach for the book when the door opened. Panic at seeing Captain Winthrop caused her to rush to snatch the book up even as she also reached for the bedding. She’d not expected it’d be him bringing her breakfast, so she’d been in no hurry to leave the bunk. She’d lain awhile there, reading and must have dozed off. The book falling to the floor woke her and she’d only climbed out to get it when he walkedin.

Now she was wide awake, doing her best to back as far from him as she could. She also searched his person for the lash he said he’d use if she failed to right these quarters. He didn’t look to have one, but given the painful ache in her stern and that she no longer wore her dress, shift or even her under drawers, she’d no desire to feel even a wood slat as she’d no hope his fine linen shirt would dull the strike. She took another step backwards only to bang her head on thebulkhead.

The sound of her skull rapping the wood seemed to cause Devin to flinch and move rather suddenly. Setting the tray on the table and coming at her with long strides, the item he’d had over his arm went flying to the bed as Mia tried to scramble further back but she’d no place to go now that he’d cut off her port side escape. The bunk, a solid piece, not the common hammock, satstarboard.

“Mia?” he said her name as he reached for her and pulled her from thewall.

Mia let her feet and legs get in front of her in order to keep her backside to the wall, but the further out he pulled her the less protection she found so all she could do was try and sit. “I’ll make the bunk; I didn’t know you’d come so early. I’ll make the bunk.” It was the only thing left to do. She’d spent the whole night cleaning. Until she’d begun, she didn’t realize how much destruction she’d caused. A hurricane couldn’t have caused more. Only as the first rays of the sun pinkened the sky did she get the last of the debris she’d swept up into the pail. By then she was in disarray. Knowing her trunks were on board and a fresh dress was available, she’d stripped out of her gown. But without the help of a maid to undo the buttons she’d heard more than one renting of fabric and on inspection, after it was off and too late, she feared the gown was a loss. She’d used the shift to dry after a quick wash and simply discarded the drawers which were uncomfortable. The only article of clothing she’d found was one of his shirts. He must have worn it. His scent was heavy in the weave but she found no dirt and it was quite soft. Those soft shirttails weren’t going to save her now. “Please, no. I’ll make thebunk.”

“Mia,” he said as he put more strength into pulling up. “The bunk can wait.” He wrapped his arm around her waist and forced her to stand. Pulling her left side against him the way she’d been when he used the batten onher.

Trapped between him and the bulkhead, she put both her hands behind her hoping to shield her flesh but when his fingers settled on the lump forming on the back of her head she instinctively lifted one to protect the tenderspot.

“Mia, move your hand,” hesaid.

She wasn’t sure which hand hemeant.

“Move your hand, pirate, let me see what you did.” He forced her hand down. His touch was gentle, but she flinched and whimpered as his fingers probed the spot. “Gave yourself quite a lump,” he said, his fingers becoming more firm in the assessment. “Hurt does it?” heasked.

“Aye,” she said, then yelped when he touched the tenderest spotagain.

“It must, but no blood at least,” hesaid.

Mia felt his chest shake as hechuckled.

“I’ll get the surgeon to fix a compress, but I think you’ll be fit to sail otherwise.” His large hand swept up and down her back then he encircled her with both arms and pulled her against him, resting his hands at her right hip so she couldn’t get her hand back. “You’ll say something if you start to feel unwell, dizzy orlightheaded?”

She could only nod and ride the chaotic storm she felt when he pressed his lips to her temple and kissed hersoftly.

His lips lingered and he was slow to loosen his hold and the longer he remained close the closer she wanted him to be. “Captain?” she barely got her voice to a whisper. “CaptainWinthrop?”

“Mrs. Winthrop?” he queried back causing her to start at the address. Or perhaps at the very tender way he said it. He chuckled again. “I’m sorry if I frightened you, coming in unannounced. I should recall my manners and call out nexttime.”

“Yes, do,” Mia said. He still hadn’tmoved.

“Though I can’t say I’m disappointed in what I found when the dooropened.”

“It took all night,” Mia said, staying as still as possible while his hand again rubbed her lower back. She held her breath until it slid backup.

“Took all night?” Again, his hand swept down, a little farther this time to the top swell of her right cheek, across to the left then back up. The hand still on her hip pulled her incloser.

“Aye,” she said with a nod. Her mouth went a little dry the same time her heart pounded a little harder in her chest. “I think I put everything back where it should go, but I think too, where it should go wasn’t where you hadit.”

“Mm,” she heard him make the sound as his hand again made heading down her spine. This time the course took it completely past her equator, as Papa called it. She felt his palm roll over her hip then brush across the center of her bottom. His thumb, like a dock line left unsecured, trailed behind to touch each place a secondtime.

Mia shifted her feet trying to squeeze her thighs closed against the heat and wetness. “If things aren’t as you like them, Captain, I can’t be blamed.” With nothing more than a nudge the one hand she used to protect her seat fell away and he stayed on course. “We have an accord, CaptainWinthrop?”

“Mmm,” he sounded again as more force was given to therubbing.

“Captain?” Mia all but squeaked when he turned his hand so his fingers cupped the underside of her ass. “Captain?” she tried again and wondered why when he touched the tender spots did the pain cause her sex to pulse so she again needed to clench her legs. “Captain, please. Do we have an accord withthis?”

“With what,pirate?”

Lifting the hand from her hip, his fingers settled around the back of her neck and with a few soft touches brushed her hair aside as his lips nuzzled into the bend where shoulder became neck. His warm breath skipped over her skin like the wind skipped over the ocean’s surface and the feel of his lips lifted like the crest of the waves. Her breath caught, then came out on a gasp as he’d somehow gotten his handunderthe shirt. His fingers were wedging their way between her thighs from behind and she struggled to hold them closed against him. “Captain,” she nearly shouted when she knew he’d found the embarrassing wetness. He went still. Though he didn’t remove his fingers, he did lift his lips. “Please, Captain. Do we have an accord ornot?”

She felt the tide turn in him. He lost the warmth and gentleness before he dropped his hands and stepped away. Her heart again pounded hard, this time for fear, not whatever he made her feel moments ago. As soon as he took that second step back she covered her ass with both her hands. His third step gave her room to turn her back from him, which gave her a small sense ofrelief.

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