“An order is an order, and the next time you fail to obey one of my orders will be your final mistake.”
Walker inhaled. “Aye Cap’n. I shall be here at sundown.”
Edward nodded. “Six lashes each should suffice.”
Smith looked less convinced at his punishment, but he lowered his head as he answered. “Yes, sir.”
Edward stared at them both for a moment before dismissing them with a flick of his hand. “Away now,” he commanded. “Keep the Dexterity safe.”
“Aye, sir,” they grumbled, striding away.
Alice watched as they glanced back in her direction, and she was certain she heard Smith mumble something about how unlucky it was to have a woman onboard.
“Well, that was not a very good start.”
She turned back toward Edward to find him towering over her again. Startling at his sudden close proximity, she gasped, pressing herself against the wood once more.
Edward glowered. “I asked you to stay close.”
“I-I did,” she murmured, shrinking at his expression. Edward was so fierce, the look in his eyes made her pulse race even faster, yet there was no doubt, he had just rescued her from some ungodly fate.
“I mean, I meant to… sir.”
Edward shook his head, though his expression softened just a little.
“What am I to do with you? Should I find some rope and keep you bound to my side? I am sure I have some lying around, just waiting to be used for such good fortune.”
“No, sir!” she answered emphatically. “I swear I shall now be your shadow.”
Edward chuckled at her choice of words. “My shadow, eh?” he whispered, leaning close enough, so his breeches brushed against her gown-covered legs. “I think I should like that.”
“Captain, please.” Alice’s breaths were coming out in short, fast pants, and her face was heating again, ensuring Alice was thoroughly aware of her growing shame. “Do not look at me that way.”
Edward’s brow rose, and he tilted his face at her demand.
“What way?”
“You know precisely what I speak of!” she spat, her body being forced flat against the side of the Dexterity by Edward’s lean and muscular body. “I do not like it.”
He lowered his mouth to her ear. “Nonsense.”
The word vibrated between them, and Alice nibbled at her lower lip in response.
“We both know you simply adore my attention, Miss Jaggers,” Edward continued in an infuriatingly soft purr. “That is why I found you so receptive to my palm earlier, and I would wager if I were to unlace your pretty bodice, I would find your ample assets hardened and ready for my touch.”
Alice blinked at him as though he were speaking in a foreign tone. Of course, she understood every word, but Alice could barely believe she was hearing them. No gentleman had ever spoken to her in this manner, but then no gentleman had had the temerity to turn her over their knee for an impromptu punishment. Edward was not like any gentleman she had ever encountered, but then, Edward was no gentleman at all.
Worse than that, though, was the lingering need between Alice’s thighs and the very real possibility Law’s arrogance was justified. She did want him, and heaven help her, she had the sense she was succumbing to his will, regardless.
Chapter 14
Edward
He wandered, checking on the efforts of the men before he met with Carlisle. Alice was at his side the entire time, her alarm at losing sight of him apparent as she skipped between the amused expressions of the crew. For the most part, Edward ignored Alice. He had business to attend to, and regardless of the inviting distraction she offered, he still had a ship to manage and the lives of a dozen or more men to be responsible for—but Edward never lost track of her whereabouts again. Even though he may have pretended to not notice her tiny whimpers of discomfort when the gaze of a hungry man landed on her, Edward was completely attuned to Alice, and should she have truly needed his assistance, he would have come to her aid in a heartbeat.
Edward was not quite clear what it was about the brunette that was so alluring. Of course, she was young and beautiful, but Alice also had a mind of her own and a tantalizing spirit he so desired to spank out of her, yet somehow, Edward sensed that would be an impossible feat. A woman with courage enough to board another man’s property and plan an audacious mutiny had bravery enough to manage virtually any punishment he could thrust at her. His lips curled at the thought.
“And how goes our guest, Captain?” Carlisle’s question jarred Edward from his private musings, and both men turned to look upon her.
Alice met their collective stare with a furious blush.
“She has resolved to behave herself,” Edward replied, his scrutiny traveling south to the swell of her breasts. “Is that not correct, Miss Jaggers?”
She pressed her lips into a thin line. “I do not recall such a promise, sir.”
“She seems as willful as ever, Captain,” Carlisle said with a laugh.
Edward scowled. Indeed, she did.
“Perhaps she needs a lot more tutoring, Mr. Carlisle.” He glanced back to his friend with a knowing smile.
“And a fine tutor you are, sir,” he replied clearly suppressing a chuckle. “Will the lady be joining us at mealtimes?”
Carlisle looked hopeful as he asked, but one look at Alice confirmed how disgusted she was by the concept—her eyes as wide as the finest china saucers, her hands rising to her hips.
“Miss Jaggers will dine with me in my quarters,” Edward decided, his gaze shifting between the two of them. “For the time being, at least.”
“As you wish, Cap’n.” Carlisle seemed disappointed, but he knew better than to press the point.
He trusted Carlisle with his life, but he also appreciated the man knew when to yield. His experience had taught him you did not always get that with first mates. Too many of them were only looking for an opportunity to fill a dead man’s boots.
“It seems you have everything under control here, Mr. Carlisle,” Edward concluded, glancing around the ship. “Please excuse us for a while.”
Carlisle’s blond eyebrow rose. “Time for some more of that tutoring, sir?”
“It is, indeed, sir,” Edward smiled, throwing him a knowing glance. Gesturing for Alice to lead on, Edward strode back toward his quarters.
“What do you think of my ship?” Edward whispered the question into Alice’s glorious nape as she climbed the small staircase back to his room.
She paused, turning to regard him on the stairs below.
“You know very well of my feelings on this subject, Mr. Law.”
Edward grinned as she continued her journey.
“You have only seen the designs, Alice, not the final product. So, pray tell me, what is your verdict?”
They were at the entrance now, her diminutive frame halted by the locked door.
“The Dexterity is wonderful,” Alice admitted. “She is everything my father envisioned.”
“And more,” Edward added as he grasped the large iron key between his fingers and shoved it in the keyhole. “The ship is exponentially more now that she is fully crewed and at sail.”
Alice eyed him skeptically, but by some miracle, she remained quiet about whatever cynicism she contemplated.
“I am pleased you enjoy her, sir.”
Edward pulled the key from the lock before easing the door open.
“No, you’re not,” he told her in a resolute tone. “You should like to see me accountable for my crimes and for the Dexterity to fall into your remit.”
She looked away. “I do not deny I want her for myself, sir.”
Edward guided her back into his wood paneled room.
“But?” he prompted, sensing there was more from the wily young woman.
Alice blinked in his direction. “But I accept that you bought her fair and square.”
“You accept it?” he smiled at her wryly before locking the door behind them.
“I d
o not like it, but yes.”
“So, what was your plan then, Alice?” Edward queried. “When you were hiding in that space over there, what was your goal?”
Alice gulped, her gaze flitting north to meet Edward’s demanding gaze. “I had hoped to reason with the new owner,” she said in a shaky voice. “To make him see my way of thinking.”
“Oh, really?” Edward snorted. “That was your plan? Are you sure you didn’t have anything more hostile in mind, Alice?”
“Certainly not!” she snapped, squaring her shoulders at the accusation. “A lady does not behave that way.”
His lips curled at her petulant tone. “But a lady thinks it permissible to stow away and conceal her identity?” Edward cocked his brow at her, daring her to defy his point. Alice shrunk visibly.
“I was desperate,” she huffed. “And you have already seen fit to deal with that matter.” One of her hands fell to her behind, rubbing it reflexively.
“Indeed, I have,” he concurred. “And if I may say so, Alice, I have had to deliver dozens of corporal punishments in my time as captain, and none have been as memorable as yours.”
Alice’s eyes fell closed at his words, but Edward only smiled and took a step toward her.
“There is no hiding from me now, Miss Jaggers,” he purred as he reached for her shoulder. “We are many miles from land, and who knows what adventures await us in the blue beyond.”
Her eyes were open in a heartbeat.
“And what is your intention,” she asked, “with this tutoring you purported to be delivering me?” She paused, swallowing hard. “Will there be more punishments, Mr. Law? More spankings?”
Edward edged toward her. “Would you like more?”
Alice’s lips parted, her eyes burning into his. “Absolutely not!”
He chortled at her defiance, deciding not to pursue it for the time being. If Edward had learned anything about Alice, it was there would be plenty of opportunities to humble her over the coming days, and he would be more than happy to oblige. But first, he desired to get to know her even better…
“How about another kiss?” Edward’s hand shifted into her hair, his fist working through the pins and ribbons until he grasped her firmly.
Alice winced at the sudden hurt, but something about the act seemed to placate her, and Edward watched as the dark middles of her eyes grew larger.
“I should not want such a thing,” she mumbled into his face. “It is seldom right to do so.”
His lips grazed over her mouth. “There is no one here to judge you but me.”
Alice gasped. “There is God,” she whispered. “He shall know of my wantonness.”
Edward smiled. He had rarely given thought to the legal consequences of his actions, let alone the spiritual ones. If there was a God, he had never seen anything that had proven the point on any of the oceans he had crossed.
“God will forgive you,” Edward murmured as he pressed a chaste kiss to her mouth. “But if you turn me down, I may not, Miss Jaggers.” Edward’s tone was playful, and he was relieved to hear a small giggle from the beautiful young Alice he held so decisively in his hand.
“What should I do then, sir?” She fluttered those dark eyelashes at him. “Permit you to take what you want and rob me of my innocence?”
His cock swelled at her suggestion. When Alice put it that way, she almost made his pleasure peak too soon.
“It would not be robbery,” he chided. “Not if you want me to pluck it away.”
She panted under the weight of his gaze, and for a long moment, Edward just took in the sight of her. He had no idea Jaggers could have created anything as wonderful as the alluring Alice. It had always seemed everything the old man touched rusted or turned to dust, yet here she stood, as beautiful and flawless a woman Edward had ever laid eyes on.
“I do not know what to say.”
Edward pressed his body against her bodice.
“Yes, you do,” he purred. “You’re just too embarrassed to admit it.”
“Even if you are correct,”—Alice bit her lip, flustering—“it is still not moral.”
He captured those sweet lips in an instant, his mouth claiming her while his hand continued to hold her in place. Alice groaned, but she did not try to pull away, her lips parting and her body yielding to his demands. Drawing away, Edward gazed down at her flushed face.
“You can say I made you succumb,” he suggested in a raspy tone. “If they ask, tell them I made you—you had no choice.”
Alice exhaled. “But that would not be the truth, sir.” Her gaze flitted around his face frantically. “And it is also a sin to lie.”
Edward smiled at her innocent appraisal.
“Then choose which sin you would prefer, Miss Jaggers,” he advised. “Because I am feeling errant.”
Chapter 15
Alice
It all happened so quickly. One moment, Alice stood beside him, her head immobilized by the powerful palm lodged in her hair, the next Edward had lunged, sweeping her off her feet, carrying her the short distance to the bed. Alice yelped, her arms clinging to his neck, but Edward dropped her unceremoniously onto the covers below. Gazing up, her chest rising and falling at a rapid rate, she observed the man who now sought to claim her.
His large fingers were at his shirt, pulling it from his body to reveal a toned and muscular torso. Alice’s hand shifted to cover her mouth. Never in her life had she witnessed a man without his attire and knew she should be shocked, appalled even, yet somehow, she could not muster disgust. All she was aware of as her gaze absorbed his defined pectorals and ran lower to his obliques was the overwhelming sense of need he provoked in her.
Edward was temptation personified—a dark and wicked man who thought nothing of plundering his way across the seven seas. She should not desire him and certainly should not be allowing him to look at her with the hungry eyes that devoured her now, but she had little will to resist—even though she knew she should.
He was on the bed with her a moment later, inching toward her with a sinful look in his eyes.
“I want you out of this gown, Alice,” Edward breathed as he approached on his hands and knees.
Oh my. How could she possibly survive an assault on her virtue like this? It was so obvious Edward wished to do bad things with her, and for the life of her, Alice could not think to protest. She tried to remember the warnings of her governess about the corrupt will of man and what her priest had taught her about carnal sins at church, but Alice’s mind was blank, clouded by the heat which seemed to be radiating from her core.
“Edward.”
His name slipped from her lips, though she could not say why she called for him. His every sinew of attention was already focused in her direction, those blue eyes glinting with lust as his face approached. Edward climbed over her body, his gaze searing her.
“What is it, my naughty stowaway?”
She inhaled. Was he ever going to let that go?
“I don’t…” She hesitated, her voice trailing away. “I don’t know what you expect from me. These things are acts destined to be surrendered to only my husband.”
His brow arched at her words. “And are you betrothed?”
Alice shook her head. There had been a few gentlemen who had caught her eyes over the years, but none who had met with her father’s seal of approval. She dreaded to think what he would have made of this scene. No doubt, her father would have been awfully disappointed in his only daughter.
“So, you have no husband, and with your father gone, I suspect there is no match pending.”
She swallowed at his words, his assessment depressingly accurate.
“I, for one, think it would be a dreadful shame if a lady as delightful as you, Alice, never had the opportunity to truly become a woman.”
Alice clenched the muscles between her thighs. She had heard whispers of the deed he inferred, salacious tittle tattle between her maids when she was growing up, yet the sad truth was, Alice knew virt
ually nothing. All she had managed to ascertain was the deed was painful and often shameful, and frankly, something to be avoided at all costs, but the way Edward made her feel made her wonder—perhaps those analyses were wrong? Maybe it was possible for a lady to enjoy the act of carnality.
“Why are you still dressed?” Edward’s voice was firm. “Did I not tell you to be rid of that gown?”
Fresh heat pooled at the authority in his tone, and instinctively, Alice’s fingers shifted to the ribbons at her bodice. Edward knelt between her thighs, nudging them outward until she laid in the most ungainly way, watching as she slowly unlaced the front of her dress.
“Very good,” he praised as she concluded work on the final ribbon.
Alice’s lips curled at his words. She had no idea why, but gaining his approval made her absurdly happy.
“It will not be easy to be free of my gown from this angle,” she told him. “I usually have to stand and have a maid help me disrobe.”
“Perhaps you do not need to be rid of the garment completely,” Edward grinned at her. His tone was contemplative, his fingers shifting to her half-open bodice. “I can ease this section open myself, and we already know those skirts rise nicely to your middle, don’t we, Alice?”
Heat bloomed in her cheeks, her mind flitting back to her earlier trip over his knee.
“Y-yes, Mr. Law,” she stammered.
His grin widened. “Sit up then,” he instructed. “And allow me.”
Edward edged backward, permitting Alice just enough space to sit upright, then his hands were on her, yanking at her expensive bodice until the thing relinquished its hold on her breasts and tumbled toward her middle. Alice gasped at her sudden vulnerability. In all her days, no one had ever seen her topless, even her maids averted their gazes when she undressed—not Edward. Edward was quite the opposite, his hot gaze drilling into the swell of her chest, and as she looked on in horror, she saw him licking his lips.
“My, my, Alice.” Edward’s voice sounded strained. “You are even more delectable than I’d imagined.”
She lowered her gaze, her hands rising out of instinct to cover her chest, but Edward’s large palms stopped their progress.
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