Lost Honor (5 page)

He listened at his door. Would she flee his room? Demolish the rest of his possessions? When no suspicious noises drifted from the cabin, he proceeded above deck, her body still imprinted upon his mind. Her fiery, azure eyes challenged and seduced. If she didn’t soon behave and dress as a proper woman, she would find herself on her back beneath him.

That was what he wanted to do, but he wouldn’t. He was betrothed to another woman, and he would not betray her. After he rescued his brother, his future was planned, and he wouldn’t deviate from the promise.

He couldn’t.

Morgan strode to the quarterdeck and surveyed the orderly brig and the efficient work of the men. Everything was as it should be. No one demanded they be assigned elsewhere, no mess, no clutter. He stared out over the blue sea—the same color as her eyes when she was angry—surrounding the
Sea Dragon
as far as the eye could see.

What was he going to do with her?

He scratched his neck. He wouldn’t slap a female in irons, and he couldn’t lock her in his cabin. Pursing his lips, he shook his head. He couldn’t believe she had thrown the key in the ocean.

Morgan crossed the deck to where Grimes sat, leaning against a chest with canvas piled beside him, and hunched down next to the old seaman. “I want to inspect the sail Arianna sewed.”

“Arianna? You mean the lad was a lady? I know my eyes are failing me, but I could have sworn she wore a shirt and pants.”

“She did. She is a very unusual woman with unusual ideas. She wants to sign on the
Sea Dragon
.”

Grimes raised a bushy, white brow. “I have met a few women in my day who rebelled against their lot in life, but she is young and will learn her place. When she marries and her husband puts a babe in her belly, she will settle down. I say let ’er try. She’ll find out soon enough she’s not suited to the life. You’ll be doin’ her a service.” He held up a sample of her work. “But she can sew. Of course, women are taught at an early age.”

Morgan examined the neat, tight stitches and then handed it back. He had thought to have her work with Grimes, but the old seaman had given him a different plan. If he assigned her chores that were boring or taxed her ability, she might soon abandon her crazy notion.

“Thank you, Grimes. I may take your advice.” He rose and brushed his hands against his pants.

Had he allowed sufficient time for her to change and return his cabin to its former condition? He pictured her shapely, round rear in those pants, and blood rushed to his nether regions. He didn’t want to be alone with her again, but he had no choice.

Mark crossed the deck in front of him, and suddenly another option took root in his mind. He called his cabin boy to him. “Escort Arianna to the quarterdeck.”

“Arianna?” he asked with a frown.

“The woman in my cabin.”

Alarm and excitement crossed Mark’s face. Did she have the same effect on him?

“Aye, Cap’n.”

Mark hurried off but with an uncertainty in his step. Morgan felt for the boy. He remembered being his age and the sensations that clamored and fought within him when a pretty girl walked by or hovered near. He grimaced. Similar to what he felt now. And he didn’t like it.

****

“He’s a high-handed, authoritative, demanding brute,” Arianna muttered as the door slammed in Captain Danvers’s wake.

She refused to stay in this room for the entire trip. Arianna strode to the window and gazed out at the sea. The shining sun caused ripples of diamonds to sparkle across the surface. She yearned to inhale the fresh air and feel her muscles increasing in strength and ability as she fended for herself. It must be a marvelous feeling to wear pants that didn’t restrict your movements as your natural attire, to go wherever you wanted whenever you desired, and never have to answer to another person for your actions. She stared at the package in her hand. Maybe if she acquiesced to his wishes and used her feminine charms on him, he would grant her request.

Never. He was mean-spirited and always angry, although when he gazed into her eyes, she tingled with a new awareness.

She had nothing to lose if she changed tactics. Arianna tore off the paper and shook out the light blue, muslin skirt and matching bodice. Entirely inappropriate for working on, or traversing, a ship. She purposely hadn’t taken one with her. It was her bad luck he had a sister and purchased this garment for her.

She glanced at the door. What if he entered while she was changing? How much longer did she have before he returned? She scanned the cabin for something to brace against it.

The table. No, it was bolted to the floor.

The two chests sitting against the farthest wall. They wouldn’t keep him out, but they would hinder him until she donned her clothing. She hurried to the first one, grabbed the handle, and pulled. It weighed more than she thought. What did he keep in it? Pushing would probably be easier. With the force of her entire body behind her, she shoved the stubborn chest. It slowly scraped along the floor until it hugged the wooden barrier.

The second one was lighter, and she soon had it beside the first. She smiled. One mission accomplished. Now on to the next. Arianna stripped off the beloved pants and shirt and threw on the hated skirt and bodice. The cloth embraced her breasts and glided down her form. The excess material rested on the floor. His sister must be taller than her but then, most people were. With the buttons in the back, she had trouble fastening the bodice, but with considerable twisting and turning, she was finally successful. She straightened the skirt and brushed out the wrinkles. The high neckline pleased her. Of course, Captain Danvers would buy a garment that covered his sister’s entire figure. Arianna hoped she presented a pleasing picture.

A wisp of hair fluttered into her face. Another sudden insight bloomed. All men liked long, silky hair, and she considered hers her best feature. She might be vain but she loved her soft curls, and when it became unruly or hindered her, she wove it into a braid as she had today. Even though Arianna wished to fend for herself and not answer to men, she liked being a woman. She swiftly unwound the strands and raked her fingers through them. Remembering the comb on Captain Danvers’s washstand, she snatched it up and ran the teeth through her hair until the tresses flowed down and around her like a serpentine river.

Satisfied with her appearance, she knelt beside his berth. He wouldn’t be amicable to her wishes if his room looked the same as when he left. Neatly folding his pants and shirts, she placed them in the drawers. Next, she grabbed her clothes, stuffed them in her bag, and then dropped it on the floor at the foot of his berth. She looked around her, and with a nod, she decided the cabin was fit for his majesty to enter.

The door handle clicked, and she swung toward the sound.

“Arianna, open this door at once.”

The chests. This wouldn’t help in her quest to win him over.

“Just a minute.” She clutched the handle of the lighter one. The chest screeched as it inched along the wooden floor. Huffing, she raced back for the next one, but before she reached it, the door crashed into the chest and moved it a short distance.

“Arianna, what is going on in there?”

The man had no patience. She grabbed the handle of the chest and pulled with a grunt. This one was much heavier and not cooperating. She planted her feet and leaned back, using her weight. At the same time, he pushed inward. The resistance melted, but not her backward tilt. She windmilled her arms as she fought to catch her balance, but her feet were positioned in front of her. She went down on her rear. Hard. Her hair flew up and then drifted down around her, covering her face.

****

Morgan peeked around the corner of the door and glanced toward the floor. A chest. Was she trying to prevent him from entering? As if that would stop him.

“Arianna, where are you?” No matter how hard he tried to contain it, frustration rang in his voice.

He pushed open the door, stepped into the cabin, and stopped dead in his tracks. Arianna sat on the floor in disarray. His eyes feasted on the expanse of creamy white skin exposed from her ankles to her knees where the skirt had ridden up. He would love to smooth his hands along the shapely limb.

Arianna flipped the skirt over her legs and material replaced the enticing vision, jerking him out of his daze and the damned lust that grabbed him whenever she was near. “What the bloody hell are you doing on the floor?”

She flung her hair back and curled her legs protectively to her side. “If you hadn’t been so bloody impatient, I wouldn’t be here.”

His face hardened at her words. “I don’t condone swearing from a woman.”

“And I don’t condone being sworn at by a man.”

He opened his mouth and then snapped it shut. She was right. What had he been thinking? He never swore in the presence of a lady, even if the lady didn’t act like one. His only explanation was she drove him crazy.

Arianna struggled to rise, and he reached down to help her. She ignored his offer and gained her feet with her own resources. Morgan pursed his lips. He should have known she would reject his assistance. “May I ask why my cabin has been rearranged? Again.”

He was afraid to leave. No, he was terrified to return. He never knew what he would find. And he hadn’t wanted or intended to this time, but he had taken pity on Mark and rescinded his order. He was the captain. He had been into battle and faced the enemy, and yet, he had contemplated sending a boy to do his duty.

She began tugging on the remaining chest. “I wanted to be sure…” She grunted and panted as she pulled. “You didn’t…walk in…while I dressed.”

He gently nudged her to the side and dragged the chest back to its original spot, using muscles she didn’t possess. And she thought she could perform the duties of a seaman?

Morgan turned to face her, and for the first time, he noticed how the outfit outlined her magnificent shape. She had curves in all the right places. Her breasts were a perfect size to fill his hands. Her waist curved inward, and her hips were nicely rounded. He knew exactly what her rear looked like. The pants she had worn earlier left nothing to the imagination. He would have enjoyed walking in on her while she dressed. A glorious sight to behold.

Her hands nervously smoothed wrinkles and creases. Then with a slight tremble, her fingers swept through the magnificent golden hair that tumbled around her like a waterfall. He had never seen it set free. He yearned to sink his face into its silky depths and breathe deeply of the faint smell of lavender that surrounded her and feel the curly strands caress his skin. From the way she had dressed when she first appeared on his ship, he didn’t think she cared about her appearance. The heart of a woman beat within her after all.

His gaze floated up her lush figure to her face, and he spied the deep red blush his scrutiny caused her. He had forgotten himself again. Morgan was surprised she hadn’t taken him to task for it.

He cleared his throat before he spoke. “That outfit suits you.”

She nodded. “Your sister must be my exact size, although it is a bit long.”

“Apparently so.” But his sister didn’t look anything like Arianna. And the garment would not mold to her as it did to Arianna or perfectly match her eyes. Arianna possessed something that drew him from the first moment he met her, but he couldn’t understand what it was. He preferred women who knew their place and followed his orders.

Morgan hated the way his body yearned for her. He would fight against it and win.

“Your cabin is in perfect order.” She indicated the entire room with a wide sweep of her arm.

“I hope it stays that way.”

She nodded. “It will. Would you like me to do anything else?”

Did she realize what she asked? Join him in bed should be his answer. Instead, suspicion blossomed, and he narrowed his eyes. Why was she so accommodating? Had she finally learned her place?

He didn’t trust her. Before she caused him to lose his senses again, he would state his reason for being here and then leave. “I am allowing you to work on this ship until we reach our destination.”

This decision was probably the worst he had ever made in his life, and the bright satisfied smile she shot his way reinforced it.

“You won’t regret it.”

He knew he would.

She headed toward the end of his bed and snatched a bag from the floor.

“What is that?”

“My clothes.” She pulled items from the sack. “I will change as soon as you leave.”

“No.”

Arianna swung to face him, her eyes wide and very blue. “I will not remove my clothes with you in the room.”

“You will remain as you are.”

“You can’t be serious.”

“Oh, but I am.” No way was she traversing the ship with her lush rear swaying in full view for his crew to gawk at and possibly take advantage of. They were men with needs, and he knew how she affected him.

“I’ll kill myself if I work in this skirt. It’s too long.”

“Then, you will have to be very careful.” And either he or someone he trusted would keep a close watch on her. She might think she was capable, but she was only a female with female abilities and faults.