The Pirate and the Puritan (25 page)

“You fooled Marley.”

“But I’m a tricky devil. A master
of deception.” Of course, he hadn’t fooled Marley, but revealing that now
wouldn’t improve Felicity’s mood.

Despite his self-restraint, or
rather his need for self-preservation, Felicity continued to frown. “That’s
what I’m afraid of.”

Instantly, he understood. He
massaged her palm with his thumb. “I’m not like him. I admit I love women, but
I don’t use them to carry out my evil schemes. I can do that all on my own.” At
least he could be honest about that.

One exception came to mind, but
in that case, he hadn’t actually consummated the relationship. He could not
have done that to the little señorita who’d helped him escape from prison, even
if he had had the strength, which he had not. It infuriated him that any man
would use Felicity so callously. After he found Marley’s killer, he knew who
was next on his list.

She kept her head bowed and spoke
to their joined hands. “That’s the real reason I forced the captain of the
Queen
Elizabeth
to take me to Barbados. My brother’s marrying, and I can never do
that.”

“You can marry. There is no
reason you can’t. Of course, it wouldn’t hurt to curb that sharp tongue of
yours until you get to know a man.”

“No, Drew. The church was
pressuring me to marry when I left. I hoped my age would make them leave me
alone. I’d be an outcast when my new husband found out my secret.” She pulled
her hand away and dropped it in her lap.

“No decent man would do that.” He
wanted to touch her, comfort her the only way he knew how, but that wasn’t what
she needed from him right now.

“You don’t know what they do.
They are very strict.”

He shifted. Though the idea of
another man possessing Felicity irritated him, for her sake he felt compelled
to make suggestions he found unappealing. “Find a man who isn’t a Puritan.”

“Most men expect their wives to
be virgins and younger than twenty-nine. I gave up the idea of having a husband
years ago.” Her heavy sigh wounded him more than he thought possible.

Even in the dark, Drew could see
how much her confession hurt her, but what could he say? He wasn’t looking for
a wife and probably never would be. His romantic entanglements never became
this complex. Another man would claim her without hesitation if he glimpsed the
passionate woman behind her stiff demeanor. Selfish as he was, he found that
thought unbearably disturbing. Instead of offering comforting words he didn’t
have, he lifted Felicity’s chin and pressed his lips lightly against hers.

She accepted the chaste kiss, but
sat back, ending it before it began. “This is pointless. It’s my father I’m
concerned about.” After a moment of silence, she said, “You won’t tell him my
secret, will you?”

He bolted from his relaxed
position. “Christ, no. He’d have me hanged.”

She giggled. He hadn’t realized
she was capable of it. “I suppose I can trust you on that count. The whole
thing wouldn’t cast you in a good light if you told, would it?”

“No. Not much of the truth does.”
He leaned back against the table.

“Why do you always paint yourself
as such a wicked character?” She angled her head, studying him. “Look at what
you did for Solomon and his son.”

“Now I’m not so bad? A minute ago
I was a charlatan, a man who went back on his word to a beautiful woman.” He
couldn’t tell if Felicity blushed, but he suspected she did.

“Don’t waste your compliments on
me. You don’t have to pretend I’m pretty. I know I’m not most men’s ideal. I’m
too tall and too…what did you say earlier? Sharp-tongued.”

“I’ll be glad to take that back
or, rather, change it to sharp-witted. I suppose some men are intimidated by a
woman who can out-think them.” No doubt her misconceptions about her value came
from the same page of the Puritan doctrine that shamed her about her incredible
sexuality. If he couldn’t marry her, he could wipe away any doubts about her
mistaken assumptions forever. “And I didn’t say you were pretty. I said you
were beautiful.” Speaking from his heart left Drew’s throat dry. Felicity’s
searching gaze touched him physically. She was a magnet pulling all the secrets
from his soul. He had sins too weighty to be drawn out, so he gave what he
could.

“Felicity, I swear to you, I will
do everything in my power to secure Ben’s release. If I take the ship back to
Barbados right now, it will only make matters worse. Please try and see that.”

The longest minutes of his life
passed while she considered his plea. He felt like the boy who’d cried wolf too
many times. Now that he desperately wanted to be believed, he worried his years
of duplicity had left him completely uncredible. Perhaps it had been so long
since he was sincere, he no longer sounded authentic when he tried.

Finally, Felicity sighed. “I guess
I don’t have much of a choice.”

That was not the answer he’d been
hoping for. He needed her trust. “Dare I agree? You’ll prove me wrong. You’ve
shown me you’ll create a choice when none is available. I’m asking for your
trust and support in this.” There. He’d said the word, now it was her turn to
decide his fate.

She dropped her gaze from his,
clearly showing her hesitation. “Will you promise to keep me abreast of your
plans? I don’t like being kept in the dark like a child.”

He’d already altered his life too
much for her. Maybe if he’d not tried to present himself as halfway civilized,
he wouldn’t be asked to behave like a suckling pup now. “I’ll keep you
informed. But don’t jump to conclusions if I’m not down here every hour on the
hour updating you on our progress. I am running a ship, you know.”

He got up to light the candles
ensconced in glass globes on either side of the bed. He still grappled with the
reason he agreed with her every time he intended to say no. The glow of the
flickering light sparkled in Felicity’s eyes. When she looked at him that way,
he no longer cared who had given in to whom. He returned to take her hands in
his, gently prompting her to stand. “Trust me, then?”

She tilted her head to meet his
gaze. “Yes.”

“But you said that before. Why
should I believe you?”

“You know a secret I’ve told no
other. Doesn’t that prove something?” Her lips parted slightly, as if she
wanted a kiss.

He recognized the invitation but
held back. “One other person knows. I don’t imagine you favor him with your
trust—or anything else, for that matter.” Drew stopped short of asking her if
she had loved the scoundrel, almost breaking his own rules. Matters of the
heart were to be avoided at all costs during seduction. After pressing his lips
against Felicity’s knuckles, he turned her hands over and kissed the center of
each palm. “But let’s never speak of it again, sweeting.”

He guided her into the pool of
light cast by the globes and reached for the pins holding back her hair.
Instead, he found a wooden handle protruding from the tight coil. One simple
tug unfurled her wild mane. When he realized he held a tool for splicing ropes,
he lifted a questioning gaze. The piece had come from above deck.

“Hugh left it. I needed something
to hold up my hair.”

He tossed the wooden fid over his
shoulder, already lost in the midst of Felicity’s tangled locks.

“May I kiss you?”

“Please.” Her eyes fluttered
shut, brushing her slightly flushed cheeks with her lashes. As he watched her
mouth, she licked her parted lips in further invitation.

Her yielding tempted him beyond
belief, but he forced himself to savor the treat. He allowed his halfhearted
struggle for control to be swept away by the tide of desire. The pull of her
yanked him under, and nothing else mattered. Lust flooded his lungs and limbs
with the burn of dense saltwater.

Before he finished, he planned to
worship every inch of her, obliterating thoughts of any other lover. With soft
kisses, he teased each corner of her mouth, then moved to gently suck her lower
lip. A squeak of pleasure escaped from the back of her throat.

He trailed his mouth down her
neck until his lips pressed against the throbbing of her pulse. The brush of
his tongue quickened the rhythm. Blood pooled in his groin, making him
demandingly hard sooner than he wanted. His pulse pounded a warning and he
forced himself to set her at arm’s length. “I want to undress you.”

Briefly, her green-brown eyes
wavered between shyness and anticipation. Then a slow smile crept to her wet
lips and she appeared to find her courage.

“Do as you like with me,
sweeting.”

She echoed his usual endearment
boldly, as if he were something she would like to eat, and raised her arms in
invitation. If he wanted to keep his composure, he dared not think the innuendo
intentional. He slipped behind her to attack her laces with shaky fingers.
While he eased her dress past her shoulders, he couldn’t resist kissing the
skin he revealed. He was truly lost and intended to take her with him.

“Open your eyes,” he whispered
huskily.

***

A nude woman with half-hooded
eyes stared back at Felicity from the mirror. Her wet and swollen lips parted
with her desperate gulps for breath. Pink nipples strained against the paleness
of her rounded breasts. Lord, she had never even seen herself unclothed before.
The sight shocked her. She lowered her gaze and stared at her toes. But
curiosity tempted her to sneak a second glance.

Slender ankles widened into long
legs, then curved hips. Her rounded tummy dipped into a slight waist. But her
full breasts captured her attention, especially with Drew’s rough hands
slipping beneath them. Long brownish blonde waves fell over his arms and teased
the swell of her bottom. She watched Drew nuzzle the curve of her shoulder and
forgot to breathe.

“See? Beautiful,” he murmured.

She couldn’t look away, though a
voice struggled up from somewhere to tell her she should. Drew’s fingers closed
around one nipple and sent a jolt of fire straight to her sex. A rush of wet
heat flooded her, and she dropped her gaze to see if the evidence of her desire
glistened on her thighs. His followed.

She leaned her head on Drew’s
shoulder and closed her eyes before her knees buckled.

Apparently, Drew was in no mood
to give quarter. “Lean on me, but watch. I want you to see me touching you.”

Through heavy eyelids, she
obeyed. He moved one hand down to caress her belly, while he kneaded her breast
with the other. The contrast of his tanned hands gliding across her pale flesh
transfixed her gaze on his deliberate movements.

When his fingers grazed her
hipbone, she shut her eyes.

“Drew,” she whispered, turning
her head into the folds of his shirt.

His hands stilled. After a
moment, she opened her eyes and peeked again. She met Drew’s bright gaze in the
mirror. His stare physically touched her with the same intensity his hands
caressed her body. Booted feet braced on each side of her bare ones. He was
still fully dressed, but through his snug black breeches, she could feel the
taut muscles in his thighs. The heat of his unyielding erection burned her
fevered skin. His gaze melded with hers before he continued.

“Better,” he murmured in between
pressing kisses along her shoulder. His fingers entwined in the dark curls at
the apex of her legs, then slid farther down. Gingerly, he probed her swollen
flesh. His index finger grazed the place where her passion pulsed. Her knees
grew weak and she began to tremble.

The gentle pressure turned to
dizzying circles as Drew found a rhythm that forced her to moan.

“Drew,” she pleaded again.

“Part your legs for me,
sweeting.”

“I can’t,” she answered. She was
in serious danger of losing her balance and her sanity. “I’ll fall.”

He abandoned the nipple he’d been
teasing to wrap his arm around her waist.

“Go ahead. I’ve got you.”

She leaned into his solid body.
Timidly she stepped her legs farther apart. The things she’d done in the
shelter of a bed partially dressed were a different matter standing stark naked
in front of a mirror. His finger slipped inside her. This time, Drew was the
one who moaned.

His invasion deepened, then
retreated, increasing the sweet torture with each movement as she watched, fascinated,
learning.

It was too much. “Drew, take off
your clothes.”

“Not yet.” His sudden withdrawal
left her aching and empty.

When he carried her to the bed,
she happily assumed he’d changed his mind. After laying her down so her legs
dangled off the edge, he dropped to his knees, draping her limbs over his
shoulders.

She struggled to sit up. “What
are you doing?”

He smiled wickedly. “Let me kiss
you where no one has kissed you before.” She watched as his grin drooped
slightly. “Or had he?”

A tentative shake of her head
returned the possessive gleam to his blue-green eyes. Compelled by the
insistence in his gaze and the desire to please him, she lay back, shaking and
a little panicked. He rewarded her cooperation with a kiss on the inside of her
thigh that sent a tingling jolt to the pit of her belly. When his lips touched
her, Felicity shuddered and forgot all her objections. And when he caressed her
with his tongue, she would have threatened his life if he stopped.

The room swirled in a dizzying
array of colors. She arched her back off the bed to meet his tongue, tilting
her hips, writhing to get closer to the unbearable pleasure. He lifted her
buttocks off the bed, kneading her with his strong hands. She struggled to
raise her head before she lost all touch of where or who she was.

In the mirror’s reflection,
Drew’s dark, tousled head pressed between her pale thighs. Her own eyes were
heavy and glazed, staring back at her with wanton abandon. The picture was her
undoing. She collapsed as the tight coil deep inside her began to unravel. Her
moans sounded like screams in her own ears. She convulsed to the tips of her
toes.