Love's Abyss (St. John Series) (18 page)

Chapter Twenty

“What was that about?” Madison asked with a confused look on her face as she observed Alex and Max.

“Nothing,” Alex replied. “Come on.” He walked around the corner.

Madison followed, curious as to what Alex had planned. As they rounded the corner she saw a horse and buggy. Alex took Madison’s hand and assisted her up. “What are you up to?” she questioned.

“Thought you might like to see the countryside,” he said with a wink.

She eyed him suspiciously. “Okay.”

They rode in silence, enjoying the sights of the countryside. Madison’s thoughts kept returning to the conversation she overheard at the shop. So, it was all true. Andrew had done all the horrific things described to her by Kris. She tilted her head and looked at Alex.

He turned his head slightly towards Madison and gave her a crooked smile. “What?”

“Nothing,” she replied. “Where are we going?”

“We’re here,” he said as he pulled the buggy through a small gate. The beauty of the meadow before her took her breath. It was covered in purple and yellow flowers. Butterflies hovered over the fragrant flowers dancing in the breeze. There was a huge oak tree in the center. Its long branches were covered by Spanish moss. As they approached the tree, she could hear a slight roar coming from a small waterfall on the far side of the meadow.

Her eyes never left the sight of the meadow. “It’s beautiful,” she whispered.

He pulled the buggy to a stop beside the large tree. He climbed out of the buggy and walked to the other side and assisted Madison down. He walked to the back of the buggy and pulled out a basket.

“What’s that?”

“Haven’t you ever seen a picnic basket before?”

“Of course . . . wait . . . a picnic? Really?” she questioned, surprised by his actions.

“Yes,” he replied as he spread a gray wool blanket on the ground. “Come on.”

She walked to the blanket and sat down. He sat down beside her and opened the basket. “You see, I asked the shopkeeper’s wife if she had an idea of a good place to go for a ride and she suggested here. She agreed to fix us a lunch, since she thought I had such a lovely bride.”

“She thought we were married?” she said in shock.

“Yeah, don’t know where she got that idea,” he said with a mischievous twinkle in his eyes.

When they had finished their meal, Alex lay down on the blanket and folded his arms behind his head. She lay down on her side, an arm’s length away from him. “What’s bothering you?” he questioned as he turned his head towards her. “You’ve been unusually quiet since we left the shop.”

“Nothing. Well—something,” she replied.

“Well, what is it?”

“While we were in the shop, I overheard a conversation those sailors were having.”

“And?”

“Well,” she began, “they were talking about me, but of course they didn’t know they were talking about me. Anyway, they said that the reason you kidnapped me was because of what Andrew did to Samuel’s mother.”

“Maggie,” he whispered with sadness in his eyes. “Her name was Maggie.”

Madison could sense the pain and sorrow the captain felt. “You loved her,” she stated as she placed her hand on his arm.

He closed his eyes and nodded slowly. He had never admitted that to anyone, not even himself.

Madison felt her heart begin to break. She was only a pawn in his revenge. “Is that why you took me? For revenge?” she whispered, not really wanting to hear his reply.

He took a deep breath and then turned towards her. “When I first boarded the ship, no, I had no idea he had passengers. I was planning on killing him. But . . . ,” he paused.

“But what?”

“You came along. So I had a change of plans. I decided to take you,” he looked at her. Her face was emotionless, but the anger was making her emerald eyes turn dark. “McClain only brought a woman on board when he wanted her to partake in some twisted, perverted sexual delusion. I figured that’s why he had you. You must have been one of his favorites,” he rolled onto his back, “I was planning on tossing you into the brig, holding you captive for about a month and then releasing you on a smuggler’s island. Give him something to think about. Make him worry since most women will not do what he wants and those that do are few and far between.”

“Two questions,” Madison started, the anger mounting in her chest. “First, why did you change your mind about tossing me into the brig, and second, what do you mean ‘what he wants’?”

“To your second question, he likes his women to,” he rolled to her again, “place their month on him, and I don’t mean his lips.” He watched as she took in what he was saying. Her brow was drawn together in thought, then he watched as a look of shock and disgust crossed her face.

“You mean, that?” she said as she pointed to between his legs.

“Yes, as well as he likes watching women together completing the same acts to each other. He likes to place his . . . ,” there was no delicate way to describe anal sex to the shocked woman before him. He paused. “Let’s just say he does things that you shouldn’t know about. He’s a sick bastard. Now the first question, I realized who you really are.”

“Andrew’s fiancée?”

A disgusted chuckle came from his throat. “No, that wouldn’t have had any bearings on my plans. No, it was who your father is.”

“My father? Why would that stop you?”

“I’ve had my dealings with your father and several of your brothers in the past,” he said as he remembered. He had attacked several of their ships in the past since there was a rumor going about that Alex resembled Nicholas. He had to throw the scent off his trail so he attacked and stole from his father’s own ships, and her father happened to be business partners with his. The last one had her father, brothers, as well as his father on board. That was the last one he attacked. Her family nearly killed Max and himself. He remembered the look on Jonathan’s face when he saw his own son was a pirate. They escaped that day, barely. He massaged his shoulder, “I have the scars to remind me not to tangle with that group again. I don’t know how many there were—” he began.

“Eight. I have eight brothers,” Madison interrupted.

“Well, I believe I fought all of them, plus your father. Hell, I’d rather deal with a hurricane in a dinghy than tackle that group again,” he said with a teasing smile on his face.

“You were hurt then?”

“Yes. Max and I barely survived that day. We weren’t expecting a fight from Emerald Shipping. They never fought back before, so part of my crew was asleep. Several were captured and hanged.” Alex gave a short chuckle as a half-smile crossed his face. “Hell, I almost killed Max thinking he was one of your brothers, must have been because they all have black hair.”

“Well, not all of them. Oliver and Owen have red hair, like me.”

“Don’t remember them. All I remember is a mass of black-haired giants.”

She began, “Eli, Jacob, Matthew, Michael, Nathan, Noah, Oliver and Owen, and of course, my father, Robert.”

He gave her a strange look. “You realize you said their name in alphabetical order?”

“Well, yes. That’s how their ages fall. Eli and Jacob, they’re twins and the oldest, and the line continues to the last set of twins, Oliver and Owen, as the youngest.”

“So,” he said as he rolled onto his side again. He reached over and pulled her to him. “How come you’re not in alphabetical order with the rest?”

“My middle name is.”

“Which is?”

“Olivia,” she said quietly.

“Still not in order,” he said with his face only inches from hers.

“Close enough.”

He placed his hand gently on the side of her face and stroked her check with his thumb. He leaned over and kissed her. It was a long, slow deep kiss, the kind that made your heart skip a beat.

Madison closed her eyes and returned his kiss. She could feel his hand on her cheek. She knew she should stop, to end this encounter, this charade, before she was returned, but couldn’t. She didn’t want it to stop. She didn’t want to return to the life she had.

He pulled away and looked at her. Her eyes looked back at him. “Now, I have a question for you?”

“Yes,” she whispered.

“Back at the shop, why didn’t you alert those sailors of who you are? Of whom I am?”

She looked into his eyes. She wanted to scream,
because I’ve fallen in love with you,
but didn’t. She knew the reality of it all. She knew this would soon come to an end. “I don’t know. I was going to, but changed my mind.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know why,” she said again. “I guess I wasn’t ready for this adventure to end yet.”

“What adventure?”

“You,” she admitted as she leaned over and kissed him. He wrapped his arms around her, and fell to his back, pulling her on top of him.

Their kisses became more passionate. She could feel that sensation begin to build up. “Stop,” she gasped.

“Why?”

“We’re in the middle of a meadow. Someone might see.”

“Be a little adventurous,” he huskily whispered as he kissed her neck and then slowly traveled to the V line of her shirt. He eased her shirt over and placed butterfly kisses on her breasts. “But if you really want me to stop, I will,” he said as he took her nipple into his mouth.

Her breathing increased. “No,” she gasped as she placed her hand on the back of his head. They made love all afternoon under the big oak tree in the middle of the meadow.

The sun was beginning to set when they returned the buggy. Alex headed into the shop to pay the storekeeper for the extra time. He looked at Madison. “Are you coming in?”

“No, I think I’ll wait right here,” she said. “I saw something in the window next door that I want to look at.” He eyed her suspiciously. “I’m not going anywhere. I promise.”

He reluctantly nodded. “I won’t be long.”

Madison made her way to the window to look at the lovely outfit she had spied earlier on the way to the shop. She gazed at the lovely ensemble. It was two different pieces. The top was a clean white linen peasant blouse with a tiny green ribbon laced through the bodice. The velvet emerald green skirt was full and had several folds at the waistline, which allowed it to flare outwards. The intricate beadwork stitched onto the bottom skirt was in an Aztec design. It was beautiful.

Alex came out of the store and looked around. He spotted Madison, right where she said she would be. Her eyes were fixed on something in the window. He slipped up behind her and looked into the window. “Do you see something you want?”

“Oh,” she spun around startled. “It’s you. No, just looking.” She looked back at the window, then to Alex. “Are we ready?”

“No,” he replied. “I forgot something. Will you be all right waiting here?”

“I’ll be fine.”

“Okay. Don’t talk to anyone and if you get frightened go into the shop we were at earlier. It stays open late. I’ll be back in a few minutes.” He quickly disappeared around the corner and returned a few minutes later with a large package under his arm. “Let’s go and stay close. It’s about time for this town to get rough.”

She nodded her head up and down quickly. As they walked back to the ship she stayed right on his heels. There were several catcalls directed towards her. Alex had to put a couple of people in their place for some things they said to her. Once they realized she was ‘his woman’, they quickly apologized and left.

She felt relieved when her feet hit the deck of
The
Abyss
. He strolled towards his cabin. She stopped. “I don’t want to go inside just yet,” she said and moved towards the bow.

He nodded, “Okay, but don’t stray from the ship.” He proceeded below deck with the package. He placed it in the bottom of his wardrobe and went back to the deck.

He spied her standing at the bow, her hair dancing about her face in the breeze. “You a lucky mon, Capt’n,” a voice from behind him said.

Alex turned to the man. “How do you figure, Slim?”

“Well, ya have all da tings money can buy, ya have dis big ol’ ship, and ya have a lovely lady like dat at yer side. Yes, sir, I’d say yer a lucky mon.”

Alex eyed the tall thin black man. “How’d the repairs go?”

“Day went fine, Capt’n. Ship be ready ta sail tomorra afternoon. We stayin’ for da festival tomorra night? Some of da crew be wantin’ ta know.”

Alex looked at Madison. “Yes, I believe we will. If all repairs are finished, we’ll set sail day after tomorrow with the evening tide.”

“I’ll let da crew know when I see ‘em.”

“That will be fine. Good evening,” he said to Slim and started towards the bow. Neither man noticed the small dark figure hiding in the shadows listening to their conversation.

Alex walked up behind Madison and slipped his arms around her tiny waist. She placed her arms on his and they gazed at the bustling city.

Max came walking up to Slim. Slim looked at the quartermaster. “If ya don’t mind me sayin’, sir, I tinks he’s gettin’ in too deep wit dat pretty lady.”