by Merry Farmer
“Your beautiful face, Rose,” he murmured.
His gaze followed in the wake of his fingers all the way down the side of her neck. Breathing became more difficult. Her heart pounded.
“I have so missed it,” he continued.
She should step away, pull back. He had broken her heart.
Yet when he tilted her chin and closed his lips over hers, she did no such thing.
Chapter 7
He had sworn he would not do this, not yet, maybe ever, but as Rose stood there, so very beautiful in her pirate garb, he could not help himself. Though he’d tried his damndest not to, he had continued dreaming of kissing her again long after he knew he should have stopped. Long after they went their separate ways.
Yet the moment their lips met, he was glad he gave in.
Her lips were as soft and receiving as he recalled, her kiss outdoing all others despite her innocence. While tempted to deepen the exchange, he knew he would not be able to stop himself, and they had no time.
So he reluctantly ended it before it barely began.
When he pulled back, he found her eyes still closed, and her expression soft. Lost. Just as it had been countless times in their youth. He regretted having waited until they were officially married to take her. Many a restless night since he had tossed and turned, imagining sinking into her welcoming heat. Feeling her legs wrap around him.
“We have to go.” His voice was hoarse with desire. “We need to get to my holding.”
Her eyes opened. “You have a holding here too?”
“Yes, my brother and I have several scattered over various islands.”
“I see,” she said softly, her voice a little off. “And one so close to home.”
He wondered at the quickly masked flash of pain in her eyes. But then it fed into his growing suspicion about what actually happened to her. Something he would address once they were on higher ground and prepared to fight.
“I think it is probably best you keep your nose to the ground.” He tucked a pistol, cutlass and several daggers on his person before he wedged a small blade into her belt. “And keep your hand on the hilt of your blade at all times.”
She smirked, her eyes twinkling. “I shall not be a boisterous pirate, then?”
Though tempted to pull her into his arms and not let her do this, they had no choice.
“I think the less attention you draw to yourself, the better.” He gestured that she follow him on deck. “As a rule, female pirates tend to keep to themselves. The rowdy ones are usually looking for a fight.”
“Goodness,” she replied. “I will not be doing that.” When he perked a brow at her, she dutifully fell into her role. She narrowed her eyes, put a hand on the hilt of her blade, and spoke through clenched teeth, “Unless they ask fer it, aye, Cap’n?”
He nodded with approval, confident she would be able to pull this off. She had to because the alternative was not worth giving thought to.
“We will not be dealing with many men between here and the woodland,” he divulged. “Just keep your head down and avoid eye contact.”
She nodded. “Aye, sir.”
“Aye, Cap’n,” he corrected.
“Aye, Cap’n,” she repeated then even threw in a wink.
He smiled, then focused on the shore. They sailed into the northwest part of the island where barrier islands protected them against rough ocean waves. As he suspected would be the case there were few pirates about, most drinking and whoring inland. Though the sun was several hours from setting, a full moon was rising, which was favorable. It would allow them a clear view of the harbor later.
They had nearly made the tree line when someone called out. “Now what’ve we here?” He whistled. “’Tis a bloody fine arse, that.”
“Hell,” Thomas muttered. He spoke out of the corner of his mouth, “Just keep walking, Rose.”
“You there,” the pirate called again. He and his fellowmen swaggered their way. “Don’t ye hear me, my petite?”
Thomas and Charles cast each other grim looks, ready to confront the men, when Rose notched her chin, spun on her heel and strutted back their way.
“Bloody hell,” he said under his breath, following her.
She stopped in front of them, planted her fists on her hips, and narrowed her eyes. “Have ye a problem then?”
“No problem.” One leered, displaying his blackened teeth. “As we said, ye’ve a fine arse.” His lecherous gaze raked over her. “One me and my men would like to enjoy.” He grabbed his crotch. “If ye take my meaning.”
“Aye, I take it all right.” Considering their offer, Rose adjusted her hips awkwardly before she shrugged and stunned Thomas. “It could use a good plowin’ and might relieve me some.” She flinched in what appeared discomfort. “If ye ain’t opposed to the itchin’ afterward.” Rose scratched one perfectly rounded buttock. “Ye know, yer cock’s likely to catch the buggers and all.” Perplexed, she frowned. “Thought they only went for the front side, but I guess not.” She shook her head. “All I know is it itches somethin’ fierce I tell ye.”
He bit back a grin when their faces fell, and they backed away.
“Ye’re up for it then, aye?” she persisted, eyeing their groins with hope.
All three hightailed it in the opposite direction, cursing all the while about wenches inland giving them less trouble.
Charles chuckled and winked at her. “Ye’re a right pirate ye are, missus!”
“Why, thank you, kind sir.” She tapped her arse, winked at Thomas in passing and sauntered in the direction they had been heading. “Are ye comin’ then, Cap’n?”
Thomas grinned and shook his head, in swift pursuit. He would have to keep in mind how good she was at this in case she pulled one over on him someday.
If there were a someday.
Luckily, they came across no others on the way to his holding. Like the one in Nassau, it was not overly large but suited his brother and him while in port. Made of wood, the floor was creaky and old and the roof in need of repair, but it was in a good location for its vantage point. As expected, having been in waiting, more crewmembers greeted them when they arrived.
“Welcome, Cap’n.” His second mate clapped him on the shoulder, his eyes lingering on Rose with appreciation. “All’s ready to go if need be.”
“Very good.” He introduced Phillip to Rose then gestured at her outfit. “You can thank my lad here for your clothing.”
“Oh!” Like most women, she smiled prettily at Phillip. “You are all grown up then.”
“I am.” Phillip offered a flirtatious smile, his blue eyes twinkling. “But I am glad my shirt,” his gaze raked down her body fast enough not to upset Thomas, “and my trousers could be of use.” He shrugged. “Not sure why Cap’n keeps ‘em handy but glad he did.”
In truth, Phillip knew they served as a reminder of those lost, but didn’t voice it. Instead, he introduced her to the remainder of their crew. They lingered among his men for awhile before Thomas eventually urged her to follow him inside and closed the door for privacy.
“Is everything all right?” she murmured.
“Yes.” He offered her a seat in front of a fireless hearth and poured her a cup of rum. “I was hoping we might talk while we waited for trouble.”
She arched her brows. “Talk about what?”
“What happened to us after I left to fight.” He sat beside her with his own rum, needing to at last get some things off his chest. To see if perhaps they might bridge the gap between them. “Why I did not come back…why I eventually turned to piracy.”
“I would like that.” Emotion flickered in her eyes. “Very much so.”
Good. That was a start.
“Though I suspect I already know the answer, tell me something,” he said softly. “Were you in love with your husband? Or was he a pre-arranged marriage made by your uncle?”
“In love with John?” Rose’s eyes widened in surprise. “Dear Lord, no. He came from money, so my uncl
e arranged the marriage.” Her gaze softened. “Thankfully, he was a kindly sort, so I do not imagine it would have been an awful life with him. Just not…”
“Not what?” he prompted, relieved his suspicions had been right.
When she hesitated, clearly unsure how much she wanted to reveal he urged her to share. “Please, Rose. Tell me.”
“He was not you, Thomas,” she murmured. Her gaze remained on her drink rather than him. “But then, you did not want me anymore and John, as I said, was kindly so…”
This time when she trailed off, he did not prompt her to continue but revealed his own truths.
“I never stopped wanting you, Rose.” He shook his head. “Nor did I ever stop loving you. Not for a moment.”
Her misty eyes turned to him. “Then, why?” She swallowed. “Why did you abandon me?”
Chapter 8
Rose waited with baited breath for Thomas’s response, doing her best not to cry. He never stopped loving her? All this time? She dared not believe it. Yet even as her heart leapt, frustration simmered beneath the surface. She needed to understand why he never came home. Why he turned from her in the end.
“If I am to be honest, it was a culmination of things,” he finally said. “The man I hired to keep an eye on you, who told me about your engagement, only saw happiness between you and John. He heard nothing of an arranged marriage, only that you were a good match. That you were pleased with John and likely in love.” He sighed. “Mind you when I heard the news I was already in a bad place. The war was nearly over, and the things I saw in all that God awful battling, the things I experienced…had changed me.”
Her heart broke at the look on his face. The grief as he took a heavy swig of rum.
“There was nothing chivalrous about any of it,” he went on gruffly. “The conditions were horrid, the fighting brutal. If we were not dealing with the bloody French, the natives were coming at us.” He shook his head. “My countrymen were dying all around me, either from disease or wounds…losing limbs…so much blood and death day after day.”
He took another long swig, the topic obviously difficult to speak about.
“I am so sorry,” she said softly, truly meaning it. Yet she remained curious. “How did you end up a privateer though? I was under the impression such was hired outside of the navy.”
“Luke and I were rare cases,” he conceded. “A bargain for them.” He took another swig. “As I’m sure you know it cost England less to hire privateers than to adequately fund their navy.” He frowned. “Which, as to be expected, only led to the conditions we faced aboard ships in the military.”
He waved it away before she could respond.
“Luke and I had proven ourselves excellent sailors and soldiers, therefore, a cheaper option for our country to hire out as privateers.” He shrugged. “They provided us ships, and gave us our orders.”
“So you were thrust into the life with no choice,” she murmured.
“Not unless I wanted to face the wrath of Queen and country,” he said. “Truth told, Rose, at that juncture, I was well past saving anyway and privateering gave me an outlet for my rage…for the bloody heartache of all I had witnessed.” He fingered the sleeve of her shirt, his gaze somewhere in the past. “For those I had lost.”
She glanced from the shirt to him, suddenly understanding. “Did this belong to someone killed then?”
“No, it belonged to Philip,” he murmured. “The son of a good friend who died in front of me.” His haunted gaze met her eyes. “Having been orphaned, I kept Phillip on with me, raising him into the life rather than the fate he would have faced otherwise.” He sighed. “In retrospect, it is hard to know if I did him any favors.”
“He seems a fine young man to me.” She tried to lighten Thomas’s heavy heart with teasing words. “If not a bit roguish.”
“Aye,” he murmured, his mind still in the past.
A past she was so glad he was sharing.
One that changed her perspective altogether.
“Suffice it to say,” he continued. “Though I knew your John had died and that I should go back, I could only see your betrayal through the eyes of the man I had become.” His gaze met hers. “I was bitter and resentful, angry at everything and everyone.” He shook his head. “I was not the man you once knew, Rose, but a hateful soul far better suited to piracy.”
“And what of you now?” she said softly, sensing something in him. An exhaustion she had missed before.
“Now I am tired,” he murmured. His gaze never left her, the sadness in his eyes tearing at her heartstrings. “And lonely.”
“Me too,” she whispered. “I misunderstood so much.”
“How could you understand when I never bothered to come back and tell you?” He ran the back of his knuckles along her jaw tenderly. “But then I do not think you would have loved the man who came back even if only to explain himself. Nor do I imagine that man explaining himself well.” He shook his head. “So you see, the time for us had passed.”
“I suppose it had.” She understood him so much better now. “Yet, you still love me.”
“Yet I still love you,” he said softly. “Only ever you.”
As he gazed into her eyes, she swore she saw a flicker of the man he once was. Beneath the pirate, privateer, and soldier to the heart of him.
“You are still in there, Thomas,” she whispered and touched his cheek. “I see you beneath the layers, all of which made you the man you are now.” She cocked her head. “I suppose you just need to decide who that is. What you truly want now.”
She realized as she said the words, they were as much for her as him. They had been brought back together under dire circumstances and might see something come of it. “What now then, Thomas? What happens once we are no longer in danger, and life goes on?”
“That, darling,” he said softly, his eyes with hers, “is entirely up to you.”
Her heart leapt into her throat at the look in his eyes. The unmistakable hope.
“What do you mean—”
“Cap’n!” Charles skipped knocking and flung open the door. “Trouble’s afoot!”
Chapter 9
Bugger for the poor timing but good that they were in position and ready to fight.
“There they are, Cap’n.” Philip pointed south. “One ship just as ye expected.”
“Is that it then?” Rose joined them. “Is that who we have been waiting for?”
He nodded. “You should stay inside until this is over, Rose.”
Her worried eyes met his. “I wish I could be of more help.”
“Staying out of sight is help.” He squeezed her hand. “I fight better when I am not worrying about another. Especially if that someone is you.”
He wondered if she understood what he had been alluding to inside. Did she understand what he wanted? More importantly, did she want the same?
“They got more men than we had hoped, Cap’n,” Charles muttered as the ship docked. “Probably best to go with yer second option.”
Truth told, it had always been the best option.
“What second option?” Rose asked.
“Inside, Rose.” He walked her in and gripped her shoulders gently. “It is important you stay here until the fighting is over.”
“What happens if you do not win?” Fear flashed in her eyes. “What part am I to play then?”
“I am leaving a few men with you, including Phillip,” he replied. “They will be right outside the door. If they see the battle not going in our favor, they will get you out of here. You have my word, Rose. They will keep you safe.”
“Just win.” Her eyes searched his, and her voice caught. “Please. For me.”
“Only for you,” he said softly and brushed his lips across hers once, twice, then pulled away before he lost himself. “I have to go.”
“I know.”
He lingered another moment before he strode from the room and closed the door.
“They’re on land, Ca
p’n,” Charles reported.
Thomas nodded and looked at his men. “I will ask but one more time. Are ye with me? Are ye truly ready to do this?”
“Aye, Cap’n,” each and every man said.
He was grateful for those here. For those who had put their trust in him when so much was uncertain.
Weapons in hand, they made their way through the woodland and shrub thickets, meeting the first man before their opponents reached the sandy bluffs. When one roared at him, blade drawn, Thomas ducked, swirled away then lunged and drove his blade through the bloke’s midsection. When another rushed him, they circled and crossed swords before Thomas ran his blade across his neck.
Because they could conceivably be outnumbered, the key was to down just the right amount of Big Devil’s rats to make him take notice then do precisely what Thomas did.
“I invoke Blackbeard’s Parlay,” he roared, felling another man before he tossed his blade aside and raised his hands in temporary surrender. “His authority reigns here too Big Devil!”
“To hell with that,” Big Devil rumbled, storming up the dock, his face beet red, his belly swaying. “I honor no such request.”
“Bloody good then!” Charles crossed blades with a chap, grinned with anticipation of fighting more, and spoke loud enough for Big Devil to hear. “But then I won’t be the one suffering for it!”
“No,” Thomas agreed. He ducked beneath a man’s sword and replied just as loudly to Charles. “That’d be the one who does not honor Blackbeard’s rules, aye?”
“Have ye heard what he did to the one lad for breakin’ his rules?” Charles called out. He tripped his opponent then ran his sword through his gut.
“I have,” Thomas called back. He knocked his opponent’s sword out of his hand and punched him. “Gutted him just enough then made him light fire to his own innards.” He scrunched his nose. “I hear it was a bloody bad smell.”
“What be this parlay ye’re offerin’?” one of Big Devil’s rats yelled, earning him a scathing look from his captain and a dagger in his forehead. It seemed, however, that was merely for the gall of speaking when it was not his place. Because their rival stopped, crossed his meaty arms over his chest and said nearly the same thing. “What be this offer, then?”
